Intense Black

The house of Lomani gets a small amount of attention in YouTube fragrance reviews, but I’ve only seen this particular scent in a couple of videos. You can also categorize this under “gets a lot less attention than it deserves.” According to Fragrantica, on the top there’s Calabrian lemon and Italian bergamot; in the middle, there’s Atlas cedarwood, Persian galbanum, nutmeg, and “herbals notes,” and in the base there’s Indian sandalwood (sandalwood Mysore?), oud, white musk, and incense. It was launched in 2014, and is often cited as a Creed “Royal Oud” impersonator. You can see a few review of Lomani’s “AB Silver,” which is often called an Aventus cologne clone. (You like what I did there?) I openly admit to not smelling Royal Oud, or any other Creed fragrance for that matter, so I can’t do a comparison. I can only tell you what I get as this ages on my skin. Despite the supposed presence of lemon and bergamot, they’re both so evanescent that you only get them for a few brief seconds and then they’re gone – then a gigantic rush of Atlas cedarwood – like opening your grandmother’s old cedar chest of drawers that’s been sitting her basement for decades, but without the fustiness. If you have a promiscuous nose and have smelled hundreds of fragrances, you’ve probably smelled a few cedar-dominant fragrances before, so I’m not sure how unique this really is. It seems like the more niche smells you’re exposed to, the more jaded you can become to well-made designer scents, and that’s a shame. Although oud is listed in the base notes, I’m somewhat familiar with what oud smells like and I don’t ever get agarwood at all – which you’d expect to be noticeably animalic, dirty, and a little “skanky,” especially in combination with the musk and incense that’s in the base. This is much too crisp and bright to be associated with an oud, even though Fragrantica lists it as the third most dominant accord in the scent. This cedar is sharp, masculine, and considering the price point, more refined than I was expecting. (I bought this on sale at a brick-and-mortar scent shop near me for $15.) Much later on in the dry down, you can expect some soft, sweet sandalwood. I couldn’t think of a better way to round out the smell than that. The performance is ... subpar to be kind. It might last 3-4 hours, with maybe an hour’s worth of projection at most. I’ve heard that Royal Oud lasts longer, but I don’t know how long it could possibly last to be worth ten times the suggested retail price of the Lomani. If there was any way to possibly make this a longer-lasting fragrance, with better projection, it would be ideal for cold late fall or winter days. But I’ve found that it doesn’t have the power to cut through the cold well enough, so I use it mostly on more days earlier in the year. (If ONLY they offered this in an EDP version that lasted and projected all day, I’d gladly pay five times what I paid for the EDT.) If you want it to last for more than a few hours, I would suggest carrying around a small decant and reapplying as necessary. And considering the price, this is something you can do liberally without burning too big a hole in your pocketbook.

Goshdooggit...... I just saw a comparison above to Royal Oud..my beloved Royal Oud my top fragrance, what I deem to be a signature and I will tell you what they are pretty close. I mean they are not only in the same zipcode they are in the same community. Ever know someone who buys the smallest house they can afford in an affluent community? Well this is what that is to Royal Oud. You get the benefits of great lawns, schools, great neighbors and a sense of security; however, you aren't in the "more expensive home" Well this one smells like it has been around the affluent. It has rubbed shoulders with the upper class. Not quite there yet but on its way. I give this an easy 5 out 5 at the price point. If you are a fan of Royal Oud this one behaves the same way, not as rich and doesn't possess that Creed status. But check my Lomani Silver Spirit review and what that is to Aventus this one is just a few notches down to Royal Oud.. That isn't a blow to this one but compliment. If you like Royal Oud run out and buy this now!

Intense Black Lomani isn't really an alternative or close to Creed Royal Oud but it has some similarities. It does opens rather close maybe 6-70% at least in the first 15-20 mins but Royal Oud is quality while u can get the normal ME quality in this Intense Black. It ain't really lasting or have good longevity so I'll put it at going to a skin scent within an hour and max 3-4 hrs and you'll hardly smell anything. The og RO lasts longer. You probably need 4-5 spritz on same spot to last half a day longetivity. Good thing this intense black is cheap so just spray it abundantly. It moves off in a different direction after the opening and isn't that close to Royal Oud anymore but by that time you find it hard to properly smell and enjoy the drydown. Good for short wear or day where u can put in multiple sprays.

This is remarkably similar to Creed Royal Oud, which I have loved and used for years. It has been difficult to re-condition my thinking to the fact that I can use this fragrance as a signature scent because I'm so mindful of preserving this aroma for specific formal affairs. I really don't know why it took me so long to procure Lomani Black Intense? I suppose I assumed there was no possibility that a designer fragrance which can be had for $15 could possibly perform up to the standards of a $300 niche scent. Well, I was wrong. I'm so glad I finally took the plunge and procured LBI, allowing me to enjoy this fabulous aroma at the slightest urge!

I bought a bottle of this and I will reflect on this perfume in general. It is very similar to Royal Oud by Creed, especially the middle and bottom notes in RO, it is spot on. It is linear and gives the same smell throughout. The downside though is the longevity and projection, I spray an average of 8-10 spritz and it lasts about 2-3 hours only with acceptable projection. RO has far better longevity and sillage, but you pay for that too. I won't dissect the notes here as its already been done and most people are interested in comparing it to RO by Creed anyway.