Attar

Montale ATTAR is such a compellingly beautiful perfume to my nose, and yet it features a small number of focal notes: sandalwood, oud, and rose. How can it be so gorgeous? Because the sandalwood, the oud, and the rose used are top notch. This is an excellent example of the quality ingredients strain of haute niche perfumery. Instead of attaching a bunch of bells and whistles and curlicues, Pierre--or reasonable facsimile--simply presents these notes in all of their glory. I really love this Montale creation, the rose dominates the perfume but is deepened by the sandalwood and the measured dose of oud. (I agree with another reviewer that sometimes oud-rich perfumes are a bit much...) There is a dark, mysterious feeling to this creation, with an almost animalic quality close to ambergris in the background, it seems to me. There is also a graininess to the texture which I find quite appealing. It is as though the rose petals were shredded and blended to form an oud-sandalwood-amalgam. So, yes, this creation seems fairly linear to my nose. But that's fine with me, because it smells so good that I don't want it to change. I love a few of the Montale rose perfumes, but this one is at the top of my wishlist!

Ok first, the notes are completely wrong. From Montale's offial website the notes are: Top Notes: Saffron, Ylang-Ylang, Lemon, Leather Heart Notes: Rose. Geranium, Jasmine Base Notes: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Amber, White Musk. No oud whatsoever. Attat is, suprisingly, really fresh and uplifting. On the first spray I got this rose-adjecent smell that is neither powdery nor vintage. Rose water-like, but there's a darkness to it, which I assume is either the leather or the base note already peeking through. The drydown is a lot woodier, heavier, and darker. I'm guessing its the combinatioj of the sandalwood and vetiver; you can definitely still smell the rose and other lighter notes. Funnily enough, very late drydown (6-8 hours after the first spray) reminds me a bit about Oud Ispahan (2018 ver not the old one) for some reason. It's not as funky and unbearably offensive as Oud Ispahan (2018) but it does reminds me of it just a bit. All in all, I am pleasantly suprised. It's both wearable and the texture is not too cloying — good for all season and weather IMO. 8.5/10

I want it. I want it. I want it. 😁 Seriously, this is such a magnificent, opulent, dark, mysterious, elegant ROSE 🌹😍👀. I had a sample long time ago, and still can't get it out of my head. I agree, it is nothing for beginners. It takes time to mature and understand such a composition. It is a Middle - Eastern fragrance, full of wonderful woods and spices. I wore it officially at my grandma's funeral, because I had to have something what gave me strength mentally. And it did. I am not saying that this is a perfume for so dramatic situations, not at all. If I had had Chanel No. 5 at that time, I would have worn that. Another very elegant, decent, long lasting, appropriate scent for a strong lady - you get the idea. I can imagine to wear it anytime I need to feel self-confident and professional. That boss-lady scent. But I can also see that for someone it could be an evening scent, easily. This is not your scent for the work, or leisure time, or first dates. But if you go to a ball with your partner, why not 👸❤️👌

First impression in the very opening is a very clean, very pure rose scent. Over the course of several hours, it slowly morphs into a woody rose, which to me is clearly sandalwood based. I guess I see where some people are getting oud, but I dislike strong ouds, and to me this is not one of those. It's a very clean smelling woody scent, and always retains that rosy tinge. A few hours after spraying (4 sprays), I went to visit some relatives. One of them arrived late and as he walked in he asked if I had bought a new perfume. I said yes, can you smell it? He said it fills the room! So I guess that's pretty good longevity and projection! Edit: A few reviews mention a similarity to Aoud Queen Roses. I'm currently wearing Attar on one arm and AQR on the other to compare, and they are very different. Attar is a clean and fresh woody rose, AQR is MUCH more oudy and earthy and medicinal.

Starts out extremely strong with an enormous bouquet of sweet candied, slightly citrusy roses unembellished by much of anything else. They are dark red, Arabian tea roses with all of the nuances typical of that variety, but light on the marzipan. I don’t smell any oud or sandalwood although both may be there, along with some saffron, as an undercurrent boosting the rose scent. There is a great deal of rose sillage; longevity is at least 12 hours. The rose is linear for the first 8 hours of so, after which it slowly recedes to reveal a little bit of the woods, more oud than sandalwood. It seems like there’s also a warm, caramel-like musk in the base. An Arabian rose soliflore is not the most original fragrance ever made, but Montale’s Attar is a beautiful example of that genre. If you like roses, you might love this Attar. I know I do.