Across Sands

I love this. It’s unlike any other oud fragrance I’ve tried. I think it’s unique while also managing to avoid the usual pitfall that comes with this kind of creativity: Being polarizing. I can see some people saying “not for me”, but I can’t imagine anyone thinking it’s gross. I can smell neither rose nor that sharp bug-spray note that comes with other oud scents, like Oud Palao or Velvet Tender Oud (both of which I own and enjoy). This is sweet, *extremely* date-forward, and heavy on cinnamon as part of its spice profile, and it’s a strong performer that won’t need too many sprays. It’s also a classy, modern, and one-of-a-kind club night or date night scent. I also understand people’s comparisons to rum raisin cake, but I think it’s reminiscent of going to a high-end, artisanal bakery rather than the hit-or-miss home baked stuff. To me, there are also hints of booze and cherry in the scent that aren’t immediately obvious, but are revealed for those willing to study the drydown patiently. While I don’t deny the sweetness of this fragrance, I have to say I’m surprised that so many are saying this is a “feminine” scent. I frankly see it as tilting toward more masculine, and I kind of have trouble envisioning it working for most women. Not that it couldn’t work for women, just that it doesn’t scream “female fragrance” to me. As a guy who works with his hands and wears a beard, I haven’t had any comments indicating that it’s out of place on me. Across Sands *will* get you compliments, even from some unexpected sources. People who never comment on this sort of thing (to me) do notice and appreciate Across Sands, in my experience. One final disclaimer: This is absolutely a cold weather scent in my mind. I think it could also work very well on extremely hot, dry nights during summer. Unless you literally live in or near a desert (I do), it’s really difficult for me to imagine this fragrance working well outside of those scenarios.

Considering the fact that this has been discontinued for some odd reason, this was a total pain to find from anywhere to purchase. I managed to get my hands on a near full bottle however, and i do have to say, it surprises me in the most delightful way. For a fragrance thats been touted as strong and spicy with a powerful oud presence, the sillage is unfortunately extremely light on my skin, which is a shame as this is an absolute gem of a fragrance. Across sands stays true to its name with a very middle eastern DNA. The date accord is one i can safely say i haven't smelled in another fragrance yet, and despite thinking it would be too cloying and sickly sweet, the date notes actually have a certain warm fruity honey sweetness that balance out the stronger wood and spice nuances and help tie everything together. I don't get a true "oud" smell from this, more a dark, dried oud scented wood, which in all fairness may have actually been to its benefit as a stronger oud would have probably easily overpowered the date sweetness. I don't know what it is about the scent, a personal memory trigger perhaps, but a whiff of this transports me to a hot summers day in my Great Grandmother's home after she burned incense throughout the house and set desserts for the family. It has the quality of being a very warming "cuddle up at sunset at home" fragrance while also containing a mystical exotic "arabian nights" quality. If only this had a little more Sillage, and a bit more longevity, i would have dipped in my savings and bought 3 to 4 bottles of this and used it exclusively. It is truly that good. A shame that its been discontinued, but i do hope more fragrances with this formula and fragrances that use dates, honey, spices, and "oud" make more of an appearance. If you have the luck of finding this, or obtaining a sampler, GET IT.

After seeing a second hand bottle pop up for the lowest price I have ever seen I coudn't resist. I only had a tiny bit left in my old bottle that I hadn't really used since about a year ago baucause I wanted to keep some for memories. I remeber the first time I was wearing this again it brought me to tears. There's something about this perfume that makes it so comforting. It was my first oud fragrance and one of the only fragrances I own that I'm always in the mood for. It's well blended with a soft warm sweetness from the dates, for the rest I mainly get spices from it, but it also seems slightly floral. I often wear it to bed but also like it in any weather or season. It's very comforting but also quite out there. Definetly my most complimented perfume also, for what it's worth. These days it's not as as exciting as it once was anymore, the longevity and sillage are okay at best and the whole scent profile is a lot less crazy than some actual Arabic oud scents. Not to mention the quality of the oud itself, these days I would prefer a realistic oud which this definitely isn't but probably also would not work in this. And despite all of that I still haven't found a scent that felt as much like home as this one does. Maybe it's the memories, but I still haven't come across anything with this much personality and uniqueness which also wears this easily. Such a shame it's dicontinued cause this is so special to me. I don't think I will ever get tired of it and I don't think anything could replace it.

I've been diving into Oud scents for the last few months. So far i've tried Gucci-Intense oud, Hugo boss-Bottled oud, Mancera-Sand Aoud, Rasasi-Faqat Lil Rijal and Tom Ford-Oud wood. This one is a beauty for the price (125 euro for 100ml).. It's a spicy Oud with a sweet base. Official notes are: Top: Cinnamon Essence, Osmanthus Absolute, Davana Essence Mid: Date Accord, Everlasting Flower, Cistus Absolute Base: Oud Absolu, Patchouli Essence, Incense Essence It's more of a western Oud, but it's nice and starts of strong without being overpowering or too skanky. If you don't like oud, it might not be your thing. But if you do, this one is well behaved and not yet venturing into barnyard territory. From the scents mentioned above, the oud resembles Mancera's Sand Aoud the most. Longivity is good with 7+ hours on skin. Projection is only good for the first 1.5 to 2 hours, then it goes closer to the skin. Sillage is ok. People will catch whiffs of it when crossing your path. Tbh i catch myself sniffing my hand alot while sampling this :D Overall i'm very pleased with the scent!

You know there is more than 3 notes... This is from Basenotes. Across Sands celebrates the Oriental tradition of a daring ‘oud’ fragrance softened with warm earthy notes of dates and cinnamon. The suave, fruity concoction is lifted with liquorice, osmanthus and divana flowers on the deep woody base of oud, patchouli and incense. This heady cocktail of spices evokes an otherworldly mysticism for a voyage into the undulating hills of one’s imagination. These are the notes. Dates, Cinnamon, Licorice, Osmanthus, Davana, Oud, Patchouli, Incense The whole morrocan vibe is captured perfectly with this scent. Spices, warmth,depth, IDK about oud but whatever. Sillage is heavy for the first few hours and longevity is 8+ hours with this gem. This is a perfectly mild scent that is office friendly and reminds me of L'Erbolario Meharees. MMM seems to always be discounted on Ebay. For whatever reason the labels are generic and get dirty fast or start to peel off. If I can find this at around 60-70 bucks as other MMM's are priced then it will most likely be in my collection!