Opulent Oud

The opening on this is kind of brutal, medicinal, sharp, spicy, alcoholic with a lavenderish note. After a few minutes, the mids start to come through and those are pretty interesting to me. I can detect cypress, juniper, rum, anise, patchouli, caramel, woody/oudy notes, resin and rose. As the scent develops, it gets darker, smoother, smokier (think of incense). The woods and resins become really prominent and this jamy, spicy rose takes the lead. A really nice, slightly spicy, but smooth vanilla note comes along, which reminds me of chai latte. Together with the caramel, it gives this frag an almost gourmandish vibe, but thanks to the patchouli, it doesn't get too christmassy or edible (still delicious though). Really a suprisingly complex and well-balanced scent. In my opinion, this is strictly a cold weather scent (except you're visiting the middle east) and leaning night time use. While I'd categorise this scent as unisex, it's leaning slightly masculine, just because the woods are so prominent and I definitely don't see this working on a very young and feminine woman. It's just too mature. Performance wise, this stuff is absolutely no joke. For me it's 2-3 sprays max (nowhere near my nose), or it's just too overwhelming. It also lasts all day and it's still there the next day. If you use it very sparingly, you could get away wearing this in an office-type environment, but you might still get kicked out. As I already found out, not everyone is a fan. It's more of a casual wear (except you're Sheikh of Dubai). In conclusion, this is a really nice, resinous, spicy oud-rose combo with vanilla/caramel sweetness, patchouli and incense. At this price point really a no brainer for anyone who likes middle eastern oud scents, but you have to tolerate rose and be able to deal with harsh openings. Time will tell whether the opening will get smoother over time.

After the first 10 seconds (where there is a faint aroma of stale wine), this fragrance is incredible value for your money. I cannot believe that a $30 scent is capable of such a smooth, dense, well rounded rose oud that doesn't smell rough around the edges (looking at you, Halfeti, Ombre Nomade). Dried fruits, rose and oud make up the scent profile, similar to Oud Royal, which I love. However I find that Oud Royal could use a touch more sweetness, which I find in Lattafa Opulent Oud. The scent smells rich, and I could imagine it costing 10 times as much in a different bottle. The oud accord (at this price, natural oud oil is impossible) is absolutely excellent and leaves Ombre Nomade and Halfeti in the dust. There is a prominent smokey rose, jammy dried fruits and smokey woods in the base. I don't smell large doses of synthwoods that are obvious in its competitors, and I appreciate this delicate touch. Over time, similar to Oud Royal the smokiness dial turns up as the jamminess recedes. Sweet synthetic sandalwood may occasionally be seen in the murky smoke, and the rose remains as a transparent vapour, following the woods to the finish. There is no doubt that Armani Privé Oud Royal is an exquisite product made with superior ingredients, but I prefer the added dense jammy sweetness in Opulent Oud. Ultimately, this is an amazing rose oud scent (on the jammy, woody side) for the money, and I highly recommend it for lovers of niche scents. It is certainly very rich, dense and fashioned in the Arabian style and not for the faint of heart. This is a scent I often found popular with Middle Eastern women (in their 20s and 30s) growing up, but in a Western setting this can easily pass for a unisex fragrance due to the smoke and woodiness. Great for cold weather and evenings and night time.

It's an absolutely gem for me. Amazing. It was love at first sniff. I love strong perfumes. I loved interlude man and supremacy inciense since the first time, for example. I've just started to use the fragance. I hope it doesn't need maceration for last a lot on skin. At first smell i found some similar with oud essentiel from guerlain, allegoria version. I'll be updating my review after some days of use and after to left macerate the fragance. I smell sweety note in that fragance, maybe it's caramel, and i feel some milky, with vanilla, and some kind of leather, very strong, too. Updating, next day: my opulent oud fragance (batch 2024) didn't need maceration. At least, no for performance (it has a bestial sillage, but its skin longevity is above 6-8 hours) but maybe yes, it need for a better note blend. I experienced olfactory fatigue; after two hours, I thought I couldn't smell it anymore, so I reapplied it at the office, and I still couldn't smell it. But a coworker told me it was too strong and overwhelming throughout a 4 x 4 meters office. I immediately regretted it, so be very careful with atomizations. Even just two atomizations can make it undetectable on the skin due to its potency. It's incredibly strong. I adore the scent; it's heavenly, addictive, and very enjoyable for me. Although I understand that many people might not like it because it's quite different from the style of Western fragrances. It might not be a safe blind buy, it's not appealing to the general public, or it's not quite as strong as Guerlain fragrances that also have the leather-rose-oud trinity, like Oud Essentiel and Santal Royal, for example.

This one definitely gets a like from me, and after some more usage, I may even change it to a love. Definitely not a unique smell, as I can say a lot of the "perfume reminds me of" section are pretty spot on. I even see Lattafa Raghba listed, which I would say is definitely missing the floral note that this Opulent Oud has (Rose, to my nose), but otherwise they do have a similar "base". The Oud note is detectable, with some smokiness/dirty quality to it that really balances the amber and cinnamon notes out (and I think this is where the Raghba similarity is coming in). I really like the Rose note thrown into this mix though, and it is not so overly done that it leans more feminine, nor nonexistent to where it may lean more masculine. I even put in a vote for "reminds me of" Versace Atelier Vanille Rouge; definitely not a clone by any means, but I feel like by bringing the "Raghba Base" and throwing it together with the Vanille Rouge composition (which is sweeter, lighter, with the rose being wetter and more prominent), you would get something like this. I feel like it makes it a "masculine" version of Vanille Rouge, having the oud base to make it woodier and darker. To top it all off, you can find this sub-$30 currently, it seems, so the value is through the roof on this one for me. Lasts forever, leaves a scent in the room even when you are gone, and people follow it to find you at the other end. Great sillage! The fact that it is not unique, is probably the only reason I would not rate this one a "love" right off the bat, or put it at a higher rating. It may grow on me though!

Sweet OUD & (SANDAL)WOOD-PATCHOULI with amazing drydown. Opens with a floral-citrus burst with patchouli, saffron & oud touches, that deepens into a caramel & amber-oud heart, all resting on a musky amber-wood base with vanilla & patchouli touches. Overall, I get a sweet oud with faint patchouli touches in the opening with a creamy sweet oud heart on a spicy-sweet & creamy (sandal)wood-patchouli base that's to die for. The drydown reminds me of other sandalwood-patchouli drydowns, although sandalwood isn't specifically listed in the notes. Fantastic performance, that might be difficult to wear in the summer heat. Contrast to Armani Prive Oud Royal: These are different but this is the most similar to Opulent Oud. OR is more complex and has more of a refined feel to it. Both have well above average performance. Contrast to Oud Mood Lattafa: These are different, but there are some similarities with oud-vanilla. OM doesn't have the sandalwood-patchouli drydown, and is more of an oud-praline bland along the lines of Oud Bouquet Lancome, while Opulent Oud is woodier and more along the lines of Armani Prive Oud Royal. Both have powerhouse performance. Contrast to Shaghaf Oud Swiss Arabian: These are different, but there are similarities with sweet oud. SO doesn't have the sandalwood-patchouli drydown, and is an oud-rose & praline blend along the lines of Oud Bouquet Lancome. Both have amazing performance. Overall: Beautiful sweet-oud & woody scent with amazing performance, this is the perfect scent to wear outdoors on a cool night. One of Lattafa's best imho. It's a love for me. Enjoy!