Aoud Musk

MY GOODNES. This is an absolute masterpiece. A reviewer below me called this "paralyzing". Yes. Thats basically what happens. When you take in the aroma of this scent, it takes you to another place. You're totally incapacitated. The opening is like all Montale Aoud's. Its got that BOOM of Oud and, and then takes you into the rest of the scent. Immediately you get hit with a gorgeous blend of Musk and saffron thats got just a touch of natural sweetness. Its soft and sumptuous, but not feminine. In the background, the oud makes sure of it. I literally could not stop smelling myself. Firstly because this projects like a BEAST. But in a good way. Its not cloying. But like the rest of the Montales, don't over apply. Its not necessary. I also find a very earthy, soil like scent for the first hour or so. But strangely you don't notice it unless you smell it directly on your skin. It's not bad, but i'm glad you don't pick it up as its projecting. I'm assuming this is from the ebony wood. Its very faint. I applied my 2 favorites from the 10 samples i received to each wrist. Aoud Musk and Dark Aoud. Dark Aoud is nice, but its very linear, and doesn't really project anywhere near as much as Aoud Musk does. The clincher was when i washed my hands. The wrist with Aoud musk was unaffected by the wash. The wrist with Dark Aoud on the other hand, the potency was cut in half. Then i showered about an hour later. Aoud Musk STILL kicking. Dark Aoud, completely gone. This was a great indicator of longevity for me, and sealed the deal. I ordered a full 100ML bottle of Aoud Musk. It will probably last me my entire life since i think 2 sprays will be MORE than sufficient. Scent: 10/10 Projection: 10/10 Silage: 10/10 Longevity: INSANITY Overall: Amazing scent, amazing performance, and stellar value! Word of caution: Do NOT blind buy any Montale. Always sample first. This house is not for the weak. ----------------------------------------------------- Edit June 11, 2013: I've worn this out many times now. I must tell you....there are not many perfumes i own that receive this many compliments! A woman stopped me at an OUTDOOR shopping mall and made me write down what it was called so she could buy it for her husband. My fiance is absolutely in LOVE with it! She's sniffing me constantly. Silage and projection is absoultely insane! Its been 13 hours now, and i can still smell the 2 sprays eminating off of my skin! THIS IS WHAT ALL FRAGRANCES SHOULD BE LIKE!

The only Montale (together with Dark Aoud) that got some of my attention. (I still have to test Aoud Cuir d'Arabie and Original Aoud, though) Beautiful round oud opening (surprisingly, to my nose the oud here is not on the burnt/rubbery side like other Montale frags, but warmer). Shortly after, the oud leaves the front of the stage to a beautiful silky musk, rounded and slightly sweetened by saffron, ebony and oud, all of them 3 present, but in the background. Where Khiel's Original Musk is a reference but also slightly boring, Aoud Musk also manages to deliver a perfect musk but makes it intriguing and more interesting. Except for the opening, the main player here is the musk (like other Montale's frag, the main player is often the 2nd in the list, not the oud), and oud is here just a supporting note. And just to be clear, the oud-saffron note here used is identical to the one used in designer's ouds (Versace, YSL, Dunhill), just here used in larger amounts -this is not a criticism, I like it. Very well balanced, very unisex, slightly leaning on the masculine side (but very wearable by a women, without overspraying). Great performance. Musk vs sandalwood. Aoud Musk vs Dark Aoud. I like both but my preference goes to Dark Aoud. Still, I highly recommend Aoud Musk for musk lovers. Fall/Spring evenings, Winter days, 30+ Side funny note: I'm always surprised how ugly Montale's bottles are, and how small is a Montale 50ml bottle haha. Also, can you believe that the name on the bottle is just a sticker, and not stamped on it? Really Montale? For the $50 I paid I'm happy, but not worth retail price imo. Note: tested Nasomatto Duro in store. Very similar to this one, a step higher in terms of quality, but not high or different enough to justify its prohibitive price. Would still go for Montale Aoud Musk. Also, apparently some Roja fanboy got offended that someone spotted strong similarities with his $500 bottle, compared it to one costing around $80, and thus downvoted it in the "reminds me of" section. But honestly I find Roja Dove Musk Aoud very similar, even if not exactly identical (Montale performs better, but Roja is a step higher in terms of quality, with a warm - probably real - oud oil and a more balanced musk... Worth the price difference? Test it and you tell me! Imo, one may smell the difference on skin, but there's no way to tell more than a foot away, so my answer is a firm NO, like for Nasomatto's).

Beautiful! Just beautiful. Gorgeous. That's about all I can say! This musk note, used in many of Montale's musk scents, is truly divine. Perfectly unisex, and it just outright smells expensive. It smells like luxury - like a rare natural musk that's hard to obtain. Admittedly, musk usually isn't my thing, so I haven't smelled many musk scents from other brands, but this is the first scent to give my favorite Egyptian Musk oil a run for its money. This fragrance has a very similar scent profile to that Egyptian Musk oil, but with a spicier base. Monster longevity, projection and sillage, which I've come to love and expect from Montale Paris. While this is a very formal scent in my opinion, I'd have some severe reservations about ever wearing this one to work, or any formal event, really. This stuff is STRONG! Even vintage formula Tuscan Leather sits closer than this does, by a large margin. Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT COMPLAINING! But undoubtedly, it will be difficult for many to choose an appropriate time to wear Aoud Musk. In my opinion, this scent would fit in perfectly at a formal event in a scent-rich environment where it's okay to stand out, i.e. a formal dinner at a fancy steakhouse, or a company holiday party. ONE SPRAY IS LITERALLY ALL YOU'LL NEED! And, quite possibly, more than you'll need! :)) Personally, the only nick I have for this fragrance is the final hours of dry down, which can be a bit abrasive if spicy scents aren't your thing. But if they are, you're in for a treat! I like the spicy drydown personally, but I can assume some others might not. I suppose I also wish there were a bit more Oud to balance out the musk. The musk is the star of the show here, but I really have no complaints. Well done all around.

I have only worn this for a couple hours but I am so stoked by this fragrance that I just have to write a first impressions review. If you love oud or TF our wood you will definitely like this scent. This is a very dark and powerful scent. It is very organic smelling and you can tell it is a quality fragrance. It is very masculine and sexy, at least to me. This is definitely not a blind buy. If you like light scents, sweet scents or fruity scents this is definitely not any of those! I can see how some people would absolutely hate this. It is a pretty unique smell and you will stand out if you wear this fragrance. If you do not like our or musk you will definitely not be a big fan of this scent. I have not smelled duro or harrods agar wood so I am not sure if this scent is similar to them or not. I would say this is very masculine like TF Tuscan leather. Even thought these two scents don't necessarily smell the same I think that if you like Tuscan leather you will like this. Both very dark and masculine. I put on the sample tonight and my family could smell me from a couple feet away while I was wearing this. As far as I can tell this is a beast, like most Montales, in the performance category. I am new to the fragrance game and again this is my first impressions so I may have a far off review. This is just my opinion and what I am getting after a couple hours of use. I personally think this is a great scent! I have many scents such as GIT that are considered masterpieces and I think this has the potential to be a masterpiece scent from my arsenal. I will definitely be looking to pick up a bottle of this sometime this winter!

Wow! This is my 2nd Montale that I have purchased. I must say I am not am not disappointed! My first introduction to this house was Black Aoud a gorgeous peppered rose oud with nuclear performance. Now for what I think of Aoud Musk... I find it to be slightly more palatable for the masses... A well blended sweet saffron and woody musk. The oud here is clean and is the base of this fragrance, giving a nice wood backbone. I'm not going to get into the notes of this fragrance too much because most of the other reviews are spot on! I will tell you from my research on this house that this Aoud Musk is not for the faint of heart... with that said, if you have enjoy heavy complex fragrances that have insane longevity... this is for you. The dry down is just to die for! Edit: I have to add, this may not be my most favorite fragrance I have in my collection, but I am really enjoying it! Over the last 2 weeks this thing has gotten me many compliments! I have never had so many... I'm a large bearded guy and people usually don't say too much... no matter what I'm wearing as a fragrance... But this scent really projects a nice scent trail. Even after when 8 hours people are still commenting " WOW you smell nice"... I guess that's all I can ask for! Edit: 4 months wearing this maybe once a week... Hands DOWN! I have never gotten so many compliments from strangers! People in the store stop me and ask "Oh Migh, what are you wearing... you smell so nice!"I mean, I put this thing on in the morning with 3 sprays and late in the afternoon or even into the evening people around me still pick it up... THIS IS SOME CRAZY STUFF!