Madeleine Impériale

I don't get the hate. It's a deep, dark, hard wood with a bit of sweetness and some bitterness and something quite almondy. It reminds me of a stronger, darker, tougher cousin of my beloved Lattafa Oudain minus the incense. I adore this. It's not very crowd pleasing nor is it too wearable, but I am so glad I pulled the trigger on it. I also own the beautiful fluffy Powder Love, they are 180°.

It's available in Sephora. heavy sillage for a JHAG. Good stuff. leans feminine, more suited for autumn & winter. Not a blind buy.

The oud dominates over sweet gourmand notes. The marketing doesn't match the scent at all. It's a shame, because this might be an appealing cologne to men who want a strong, woody, traditionally masculine scent with a hint of sweetness.

What a strange combination. The oud is certainly there but it's so weirdly sweet I can't imagine myself wearing this. Might be okay for a man if he felt like it during the fall. Unfortunately it's difficult for me to describe the notes because it's so difficult to tell what's going on.

oh boy. this fragrance literally smells like the aftermath of a car crash to me. it opens with a pungent harsh smell like gasoline or oil, likely from the oud. upon dry down, I get a nauseating sweetness that comes through and smells like leaking antifreeze or the smell of the driver who caused the crash, pacing the scene with remnants of sweet alcohol on their breath. there is a strange smokiness in the background that adds to the picture of tragedy. this is genuinely one of the worst fragrances I have sampled to date. I scrubbed it with a baby wipe, antibacterial hand wipe, and then washed it with soap and water and it was STILL there, and STRONG. absolutely foul. I literally cannot believe this made it through quality control and testing.