Al Fursan

I have just managed to find this on eBay but it’s now called Al Fursan Oud Edition. It has exactly the same box and note profile as the original red bottle but now the bottle is a smoky coloured glass with a gold and black lid, it’s a lovely presentation in fact. Because I have to spray everything I buy as soon as it is delivered (I can’t wait!) it’s currently a strong blast of woods but I can detect the cardomom, pepper, amber, a bit of mint and no honey yet. The chocolate is a bitter one and seems blended with the woods. There is sweetness there but it is a “dry” sweetness and at the moment the whole thing is leaning masculine but that may change with time. I think this is going to be a fragrance that lasts days on skin and clothes, I had sprayed it on my hands and a few hours later had to wash them and the smell is still very present. I will put it up for a couple of months to give it a chance for the notes to settle down as I think this is going to be great in the cooler months. I do wonder though if it will work in the heat as in the Middle East they like their fragrance stronger to compete with the heat. I will report back on this fragrance to let you know if it has developed.

AF is such a beautiful fragrance. Virtually instantly it became one of my favorites. As soon as I opened the lid I knew I would love this. I could initially smell oud, guaiac wood, some spice and sweetness and what could be chocolate. Overall, AF has a feel of something I can only describe as velvet - soft and smooth. The purple bottle reminded me of the purple velvet suit that George Costanza wore on Seinfeld. Longevity and sillage on this are basically perfect for me. I think AF is easily worth the price I paid for it. It has the strength of an edp (can’t remember if it is or not) and the sillage is slightly heavy. Basically, the order or notes that I can recognize are the pink pepper right up front. Guaiac wood occurs all throughout this, I think. It’s what I would humbly call somewhat linear - the base notes on this are just part and parcel of much of this fragrance I’m not sure I get a lot of the middle notes. What I perceive is the chocolate, guaiac wood and a sweet and light spice for the whole time, accompanied by a light oud. They base notes have this balance between the sweet notes of vanilla and chocolate, surrounded by a bubble of amber. Beautiful.

I thought I’d be reporting back on this in a few months but it’s been days and it’s gone from a “like” to LOVE! The initial sprays to clear the atomiser were probably why it was a bit loud on the woods and pepper. If it has rounded out so nicely in mere days, it is going to be fantastic in a few months. It has become sweeter (not cloying) warmer, smoother and the notes are working together much better. This can still be found but is now called “Al Fursan Oud Edition. I found it on eBay in the UK. It has exactly the same notes as this Fragrantica listing. I hope those who love it can still find a bottle!

After wearing this in the cold and hot weather, I would say it's better suited for spring/summer. It is a true gourmand as I barely detect any oud but the sillage is not as heavy as you would think. One way to put it is that it's and EDC version of 24 Gold. I would say that it leans towards being more feminine than masculine. Longevity is anywhere from 5-8 hours while sillage is low after 2-3 hours. If you want a gourmand that would be great for office usage then this would be it!

variazioni sul tema dell'oud. in questo caso, l'oud è ammorbidito dal cioccolato, che rende l'accordo deliziosamente gourmand, senza la stucchevolezza di molti suoi simili. probabilmente quelle che vengono citate come note di testa, e cioè il pepe rosa e il cardamomo, ma anche la menta, conferiscono all'insieme una gradevolezza quasi primaverile, un calore moderato. ed infatti il drydown, le note di fondo, non è pesantemente resinoso, ma lieve ed aromatico. molto buono!