Dark Aoud

Since perfume became an obsession, Montale Dark Aoud, Black Aoud and Full Incense have always been on my horizon; I knew one day I'd have to know. Given their very limited availability even in Toronto - a city now half a million larger than Chicago and on track for 10 million people in ten years' time - and the fact Montale neither ship to Canada nor answer their email, I had held off until now. There was always something just a bit more collectible, more compulsive to come first. A dubious reputation for hype over quality among the hardcore perfumistas exceeded only by Creed and Bond No. 9 was also a consideration. I started with Dark Aoud. But first two words for the perplexed concerning Montale, reformulation, and the merits of linear development: Some commenters to this thread expressed concern their bottle might be the result of a change to the formula resulting in a pale version of a former powerhouse. This is a not unreasonable concern given the vagaries of IFRA restriction, the specter of EU regulation, and the less then candid attitude of most perfume houses toward their most loyal enthusiasts. In this instance I think it is unlikely. Neither of Dark Aoud's key themes in oud and sandalwood - or rather, "oud" and "sandalwood" - will have been affected by IFRA restrictions imposed since that time. By contrast, Montale is admirably clear as to the difference between concentrations offered in store (45% for regular buyers) vs the more consumer friendly concentration for products sold online (28% and 35% depending on the fragrance). Given the evident confusion this difference elicits among that part of the market capable of finding Montale's Facebook page, or this one, but unlikely to plumb the depths of the firm's website, they should consider making this distinction entirely obvious when providing samples. But as I've said, they don't answer their email so I wouldn't hold my breath on this one neither. As to linear fragrances, this is neither a good thing nor a bad thing but a question of taste, expectation, and cultural practice. While not a Middle Eastern exclusive, Dark Aoud strikes me to be a good emulation of the effect of Gulf Arab fragrance culture. Even in those instances where someone is wearing a Western perfume, this will be layered with other perfumes, a musk or, in the case of a close friend from Bahrain, a house blend created and re-created on an annual basis by the family matriarch and worn by the extended family throughout the year. This same friend enjoys Thierry Mugler's Alien but, believe me, you've never smelled it on him. Luca Turin famously described the unfolding of a perfume as a chemical poem; it is an astonishing turn of phrase, one of the most beautiful figurations I have ever heard. In the West, we wear poetry, relying on the artistry of its creator to tell a story for us in its wearing. By contrast, my friend is wearing a symphony, one he composed and composes every day, throughout the day, by and for himself, combining the house fragrance of his extended family with a fine oud, ta'if, saffron, or white musk (in small quantities of fine grades in all instances) and the predictable - here predictable is an important and a good thing - progression and limited "frequency range" of Alien's jasmine and sweet white amber or Stella by Stella McCartney's evocation of rose. He can tell what part of Europe both sides of your family descend from by the scent of your coat hanging on the back of a chair and then tell you what fragrance notes will work well with your body chemistry. We Westerners, even those few of us trying to pay attention, might as well be blind. You will forgive my vexation to hear a fragrance dismissed as "linear". I can't speak to the rest of Montale's line, though I shall be exploring it in detail as the opportunity arises, but if Dark Aoud strikes you as linear, and this term carries for you a negative connotation, you need not worry: It wasn't made for you and you'd wear it wrong if you tried. Not that I'm wearing it right. I don't have the finesse to take into account my diet, my mood, the ambient humidity, etc. etc. But I have at least in outline an impression of what I'm missing and how much I have to learn. So instead of offering a truly educated opinion, the best I can offer is a evocation of scent in a few words. You will know the feeling: The excitement as I took the package from the courier's hand, arriving from Oman a full day earlier than expected, the hurried unwrapping of the parcel and the quick but careful incision into the box, pulling the canister from its cradle and - new to me - working the clever clip and fob free so as to free the atomizer. Then the decision... A small hit to test its potency? No, not good enough. I've waited so long and now I must know. A big hit, my hand steady even as my heart wasn't, and firm, forceful and even pressure with the plunge of the atomizer registering with the juice, squirting onto my shirt, my neck, my shoulders, and somewhere a fleeting... wetness... on my hand, my wrist as the cloud dispersed. I scramble for the clip, trying to replace it around the neck of the atomizer in those aching moments between the mystery and knowing, finally knowing, and just as it snapped back into place it hits. The rush. "This is what a Pharaoh smells like." I heard the words. Someone had said them aloud. It was me. Or rather, some part of me still trifling with words on the far side of the eternal, the oceanic and without perceptible boundary. Those words were spoken by some abbreviated version of me, whereas I was now here, and here, and here, each incarnation, each iteration, now comprehensible as a kaleidoscopic tessellation of a simultaneity itself only a shadow in four dimensions of some experiencing fact beyond mere Being. Mind a bird set free. Thoughts as passing clouds. "Death is the moment of separation, which comes to every person in every family. When the body grows cold and stiff like wood, it has to be burnt like wood." This is Montale Paris Dark Aoud. To think I hesitated.

Bats are black, fly only during the darkest hours and squeal in such a way that your blood freezes. Blackbirds are black, fly only during the day and sing like a nanny cradling a baby. If you take a can of Montale's Dark Aoud aiming at bringing home a bat, wou may get a blackbird instead for you to deal with. I like Oud and I like dark fragrances. I confess I blind bought Dark Aoud. Why? Well... - It has got "Dark" in the name. - It has got (A)oud in the name. - It has got Oud, Black Pepper, Leather, Sandalwood and Vetiver in the notes. I was not expecting to buy a "bully ugly vampire bat" like Swiss Arabian Dehn El Ood Malaki. But I was quite far from imagining that this fragrance darkness was closer to Disney's ugly duckling instead of the Wicky Witch of the West. Now that I gave rein to my disappointment, let me tell you that Dark Oud is a very nice Oriental Oud fragrance. - It's not Count Dracula's reincarnation in terms of darkness, - it's not the dark side of the moon, - It's not even Malefica cooking dark potions in her cauldron ... It's just a typical Montale western Oud well designed fragrance, trying to please a lot of oriental scent lovers and really not caring about using a misleading name to fool a bunch of Trolls that prefer to smell dark caves rather than flowering forests. I am included in that bunch of Trolls. You may tell me that it isn't so but in my opinion Dark Aoud is ment for Hobbits and Dwarves, not for Orcs and Trools. I do think that this fragrance is more "sandalwoody and leathery" than "oudy". That's just an opinion and I like the heavy sandal and leather as well. The scent is quite linear - that's not a defect - with a bit of an evolution towards the sweet during the dry down, maybe due to olibanum or incense even if those notes are not listed. In summary it's a very agreable wearable oriental woody fragrance with some very good quality ingredients, an above average performance and with the traditional Montale's golden can presentation. Remark - I have the recent golden bottle and not the older one with black circles over gold. Probably the juice has been reformulated and watered down together with the current only gold color can release. My math for Dark Aoud goes like this: Scent Opening: 8.0 (my judgement; the oud note is a bit medicinal) Scent Dry Down: 9.0 (my judgement) Longevity: 9.0 (10 hours+ with two sprays) Sillage: 8.0 (more than 8 feet at its peak with 2 sprays) Uniqueness: 7.0 (not unique to me) Compliments: 7.0 (not a serious compliment grabber; Typical of oud fragrances) Wearability: 7.5 (Use it day or night during winter and fall, and in cold spring nights) Versatility: 8.0 (You may use it in almost any event, although some perfumes are more adequate for specific situations. Beach, workout and kindergarden visits are ruled out. I consider it to be unisex) Quality: 8.0 (my judgement; After spraying, there is an Initial unpleasant alchool burst) Presentation: 7.0 (efective and simple. The can container lacks a bit of class for a niche player) Price: 7.0 (100 ml non tester for 60 Euros + shipping) Overall rating: 7.77/10.00 I recommend this fragrance if you seek a nice wearable oriental woody and leathery scent. if you are looking for a DARK and BOLD oriental oudy perfume, just keep searching...

Wow this is great! Reminds me a little of Mancera's Aoud Vanille without the vanilla sweetness. I love Aoud Vanille and I love this scent too. This is a classic Montale/Mancera fragrance - oudy, warm, dark, mysterious. It may not put a more accomplished nose like François Demachy, Francis Kurkdjian or Dominique Ropion out of business, but it is very good for what it is - a warm, dark, Arabian scent that has been adjusted to suit non-Middle-Eastern preferences. I'm quite happy that there is no overwhelming rose note in this fragrance. Rose and oud are a common (and supposedly harmonious) pairing, but it is nice to find an oud that is rose-free for a change. Actually, it's more than nice - it's a huge relief. This is one of those rare situations where there was one spray on the back of my hand from a 2ml sample, then the online purchase of a 100ml bottle as soon as I'd checked that I also liked the drydown (kind of unnecessary since this is as linear as most Montale fragrances). No doubt in my mind as soon as I'd smelled it. I can't guarantee you will have the same experience. But for me this had an instant appeal. To my nose, this is a more masculine fragrance, due to its woodiness and lack of rose. But I can see how it would appeal to women too, because it is such a great scent. It might suit brunettes in particular, because of its darker, more mysterious qualities. I find it funny that many people share an irrational belief that warm, dark, woody fragrances like this can't be worn in warmer weather. There is no actual reason for this belief - it's just a belief based on faith, almost like a religious belief. But do you think people in the Middle East or India don't wear their oud scents because it is hot? Of course not. They wear their heavy, warm scents whenever they like, because it is almost always hot there. So many people now accept the modern Western (and traditional Arabian) belief that there is no such thing as a masculine scent or a feminine scent, yet they cling to the old prejudice that there some scents can only be worn in winter and others can only be worn in summer.

I just got a delivery from Montale in the form of something called My Little Treasure Box. In it were three 20 ml bottles of perfume. Black aoud, aoud cuir d Arabi and this little stunner. I can't wait to try the others as well. Dry and sharp right from the bottle. Almost dusty. Rob2b below said it aptly when he said it smells like fresh road tar. I also pick up leather. This is my first Montale fragrance and if the other two are as good, then I'm glad I bought them. II'm not sure about fortitude yet, but projection is across the room. I keep turning my head and catching whiffs of this. Delightful! Reminds me a lot of another favorite, Royal Oud by Armani So I've had this on for a few hours now and it's toned down a bit but I'm still catching great whiffs now and then. I really love this frgrance. It's developed into a nice, smokey, chewy sandalwood. More so than oud. One of the best perfume I've ever smelled This just lasts and lasts....it has an oily quality to it. You can see the circle of juice on your skin for a long time after you spray it. It's just very good quality. Scent 10/10 Projection 10/10 Fortitude 11/10....amazing on my skin...15 hours and it was still projecting scent. Ordered a full bottle from Montale...I will never be without this scent for as long as they make it. It's just that good

Dark Aoud. Combination of smooth sandalwood and raw, medicinal oud. The top layer is oud. Strange, medicinal, and disturbing. The layer underneath is sandalwood. Smooth, deep, and alluring. Together, these layers are harmonious, dark and majestic. The effect on the wearer is that of wonder, introspection and slight melancholy. Somewhere deep at the bottom of the scent you can smell a certain sweetness. Dark Aoud a perfume for the imagination. It is a smell of dark woods, fur, night, spices, tar. It is a story of another world, hidden from, and forgotten by our civilization. It paints a picture of a dark temple in the middle of a forest, majestic and calm, slightly frightening, but alluring. Dark Aoud is emotive and suggestive. It is Like waking up from a dream from which you can not remember, but which will leave you emotionally effected for the entire day ahead. Dark Aoud is the smell of a hut in the forest, filled with dried mushrooms, herbal medicines, leather bound manuscripts, berry preserves, and bee’s wax candles. Dark Aoud is a modern fragrance, which reminds you of some truth hidden from modernity. Original review at veteverian.wordpress.com