ORA

A very mass appealing rose oud in which all elements are harmonized in such an adept way that I doubt this would have any trouble appealing to fans of more mainstream designer scents, although the ingredient quality here is undoubtedly on another level. I think this would be an excellent place to begin one’s oud exploration. The pine an pink pepper are most prominent upon initial spray, after which point an elegant rose heart is revealed, while a subtle, rubbery oud hums in the background and serves to augment the florals without veering headlong into any sort of animalic territory. It feels as though there’s a light dusting of cocoa powder in the mix here as well, although I wouldn’t call this gourmand by any means. Honestly, I can’t imagine anyone in your general orbit objecting to this scent, which comes as a bit of a surprise because the presence of two oud varieties in the notes list signaled to me that this might be more on the challenging side. It is, thankfully, an exceedingly smooth journey, though. I think the pine featured here paired with the pink pepper is a perfect combo to provide lift and freshness before the scent settles into its latter stages, and it actually emerges again in the drydown once the florals have had time to develop. Rose ouds have a tendency to be quite loud (I have a couple of those myself), but this is less ostentatious than your typical fragrance in that category. Balanced, tasteful, dignified. Projection is subtle, but longevity is quite good. Suggested for those on the hunt for a fresh and refreshing take on the rose oud motif that won’t choke out any friends and/or loved ones.

Spiritual heights, East meets West, elevated awareness, tranquility. Well, pine trees are tall and they are present in the East and the West, so there’s that. Those that find pine forests and agrestic scenes to be arresting and emotionally impactful will thoroughly enjoy Ora. I’m one of them. The first thing to know is that the rose absolutes and the oud absolutes are secondary to the pine resins. The oud and the rose are kept quite gentle and quiet. The oud is not medicinal, fecal, funky or rotting or fungal, it is kept strictly dark and aromatic woody. The rose is not a dramatic diva as it so often is; the lights are dimmed and the rose is unemotional and simply pretty. The pine is very smoothly resinous, green, and aromatic, and it’s the first accord that you will notice in abundance. The oud and the rose backup the pine accord very nicely and quite seamlessly. It’s a trifecta that is really quite unique, I’m not able to pull another perfume easily from memory that features all three. The result is a very broad, expansive, and intrIcate pine accord. It isn’t until the dry down where the oud and rose are prominent, but, again, are very smooth, gentle, and quiet. Ora is certainly one of the simplest of Mallo’s offerings but in its simplicity is a clarity of purpose and a clarity of presentation, and you really get to appreciate Lasheras’s dedication to excellent materials since there is nothing hiding them or playing tricks on your nose. Ora is a simply fantastic piece of work.

I’ve had this about a month now and here is my thoughts. While many rose-oud perfumes scream opulence or sweetness, ORA takes another direction. It opens with a dry, green oudness, and a feeling of stepping into a misty pine forest at dawn. No single note dominates – they move together, but definitely a foresty vibe. It’s not like anything else I’ve tried, but I find it to be in the same category as Ormonde Elixir with that real natural oud and pine. I don’t get rose at all, surprisingly, and that’s exactly a good thing imo. Some roses actually smell a bit like geranium and green. Maybe that’s why I don’t find it amongst oud and pine. What I truly experience is mystery, coniferous depth, earthy oud, and a quiet pulse of something ancient. Rajesh Balkrishnan is a master at creating scents with soul, and ORA is no exception. It feels spiritual, meditative – not just worn on skin, but carried in stillness. There’s almost a ritualistic quality to it. I actually use this for meditation purposes as it is really grounding and spiritual. Final thoughts: I love it. ORA is HiGH quality ingrediences meeting masterful blending and creativity. For those who seek depth over dazzle, silence over noise, this is perfume as poetry and a must try!

Im not huge fan of rose oud combos, but this one doesnt bother me. Sorry for comparing it to other creations, but many times i have problem how to process it so i need to touch something what i already tested and know something about. It have kinda same feeling on me as Oud de Grand, Floral oud combo with pink pepper on top. I was looking all the time for the pine and it comes to the stage in deep dry down as forests breath. Can say too much about oud, it is there but somehow silently, it is letting speaking others actors more. Composition doesnt play loud as perfume, its more like attar/mukhallat, it have really long longevity as personal scent without bothering others. It stays on my shirt next day as scent of buttery rose and i smell it from my shirt many many many days after. When im smelling it from my shirt it so familiar somehow, its creating this kinda feeling of warm home full of people you love. I would like to smell it from people or things around me, probably not perfume for me, but im enjoying it every time when im wearing my homeshirt when im home.

This is an elegant and unusual rose-oud pairing from Lasheras and Balkrishnan. The typical rose/oud uses sweetness from rose absolutes to tame deep rooted animalics in fermented agarwood oils. Here, neither are used. Instead, we're treated to a green and stemmy rose up top, and a medicinal, almost antiseptic oud. Intertwined are evergreen notes from pine essential oils, as well as slight peppery qualities from the pink peppercorns. This fragrance has an austere beauty to it. Some rose lovers may be left wanting more sweetness, but I think it dances just on the edge of sweet enough. I can confidently state I've never smelled a rose/oud quite like this. If you're a fan of Di Ser's Kyara or Hana no Otto, I believe those are the closest, stylistically to this. But still, the roses here are much greener, and the oud is a different profile altogether.