Xclusif Oud Bleu

Hi everyone. I definitely didn't spend months in an asylum after posting my last review slash life update. Also I'm rewriting this on my Notes app since I spent almost an hour writing on the page, and the second I clicked Submit the page reloaded, and I was expecting to see my review there but to my surprise it didn't. Plus it auto logged me out, lmao. I didn't end up getting Odyssey Homme. The leather felt like too much for me. That and I'm no fan of manly man scents because honestly I'm no manly man myself. Anyway, sigh, sigh, sigh. Detour Noir... I love you but I can't keep doing this. SIX, almost SEVEN bottles (yeah I bought two more after my last review lmao), and my heart was still in love with you... but I wasn't. I had enough of you. I got my shit together and said goodbye. Seriously speaking, I wanted to try more Layton clones other than Detour Noir. My two options today were Orientica's Royal Bleu and this Xclusif Oud Bleu. Have you ever seen a company selling the same product, twice? With different names? Perhaps there are examples of that happening out there. Anyway, I got this one. 60ml. I don't have much to say about it. It smells like Layton. There is that freshness that's sweet, fresh and minty if not slightly cloying to the nose. The box with its hinge looks very luxurious and pretty, and so is the choice of blue for the glass. I do feel like the Royal Bleu bottle looks prettier and majestic-esque, though. What I do have to say, is that it's been ~an hour and 15 minutes since I sprayed it (I said ~30 minutes in the original review), and not only can I still heavily smell it, I can still see it on my wrist. Truly an Extrait de Parfum? It seems like I'll have to watch the sprays on this one. One thing to note though, the back of the box says BH: 130922015776. September 13th, 2022. The earliest review here was on December 2022. Holy fucking shit, either the store had these sitting around collecting dust for almost 4 years or got sold a very early batch (time travel?!). Anyway we sippin on aged XO Bleu nya~ To conclude, I think this will be one of the last Layton clones I'll buy. I want to get the Royal Bleu gift set as a sendoff to all this since it looks nice. I've Lay'd my Ton enough so I gotta Lay off Laying my Ton. That sounded better in my head I'm so sorry. There is one guaranteed purchase I pinky promised to make. One fragrance I've already smelled and liked (unlike the stupid promise I made with Odyssey Homme before knowing how it actually smells) that is not a Layton clone: Liquid Brun. No take backsies. Also plot twist: Orientica is Al Haramain's premium brand. Which means this is just a stronger version of Detour Noir and therefore three versions of the same product (well actually not the same, just different alcohol % ig?) MWAHAHAHHAH! Until next time~ 🐾

Haven’t put my nose on Layton yet, but this is absolutely the best Layton clone that i’ve tried On first spray, it’s a bit harsh right away so i’d recommend giving it a few seconds. you’re met with a cool menthol/vicks scent along with sharp citruses. as it sits the scent shifts from fresh and citrusy, to a more cool, spicy lavender. drydown on this one is phenomenal, woods, florals, and sweetness, with that menthol vibe keeping it all cool. If i had to pick two words it would be comforting and luxurious. definitely a “going out” scent, but don’t let that hold you back from rocking it anywhere else. would say this fits most occasions except maybe the gym or those overly hot days, not a very sporty scent. On my skin, longevity is great. haven't kept track too closely but it easily lasts me the entire days. definitely expect to push past that 8 hour mark with this one. On clothes, this stuff doesn’t go away. Did laundry and smelled this stuff on a shirt from like a week beforehand. Projection is also amazing, pretty strong from the first spray and it stays that way for a good 2-3 hours. from then it definitely tones down, not overpowering, but still very present. stays that way for a majority of its longevity till you start pushing into those 8+ hours. This is one of those clone fragrances that are in my favorite category, pricy enough to feel the quality but not so expensive that you might as well buy the real thing. The longer i’ve spent in this hobby the more I realize that most of those super popular, super cheap middle eastern clones aren’t super worth it. if you just save up a bit more you can get something that’s still affordable, but an amazing step up from the competition. something like Detour Noir just doesn’t really cut it in the current clone market. I can’t say how it stacks up compared to Layton, but as a scent itself this stuff is absolutely worth the money if you’re into the scent profile, not quite for everybody but I can still see most enjoying it. with all that considered, i give this one a very strong 8/10

Better than current Layton. It smells more like pre-formulation Layton, and it's why i will always choose this over my current bottle of Layton. It's an extrait, so it goes on thick. Projection is not as strong being that it's an extrait, but the scent bubble around you is immense, and this will last well over 12hrs on skin. 3-4 sprays at max or you'll be giving yourself a headache. The "menthol" note in here is a bit stronger, which may or may not be off putting to some of you. For me, it's what i liked about Layton, so this is just icing on the cake. Stars of the show would be the bergamot, cardamom, musk, and vanilla. Deep in the dry down, the cardamom and floral notes REALLY shine here. I bought this at TJ Maxx for $30. Best $30 i have ever spent. This fragrance stands in a league of its own. It's better than virtually every clone that i have in my collection, and i have some VERY good ones. I'm extremely picky when it comes to clones and almost always prefer the OG. But here? Nope. The clone takes the win. I plan on picking up Layton Exclusif since that one is supposed to really amp up the Layton DNA. You can technically wear this year round, but i would advise against high heat. Since this goes on thick, and is very strong, you may find it suffocating whilst under the beaming summer sun. You could wear it at night though. Colder weather is where this really shines. It cuts through the cold and just feels and smells warm and inviting. There is the edp version, which is practically the same as this, but with better projection. Longevity is just slightly shorter than this extrait, but you can go with either. I have both because i love the Layton DNA THAT much. What an incredible fragrance, genuinely. Well done.

Upon first spray this instantly smelt like Layton. This is literally Layton, but Layton has a tiny tiny bit more mint in the opening, and Layton also smells more like apple pie in the mid and dry-down. But You’re splitting hairs, this is basically indistinguishable from Layton. I haven’t been able to test the performance yet but it’s still going good on my arm nearly 2 hours later. Id say this has average performance AT THE VERY LEAST, and it seems to perform at least the same as Layton (Layton has strong performance in my opinion). For $45 this is amazing. I prefer Orientica’s version over that Amber Oud one since with this one you at least get a Brand for your bottle. Edit: It’s the next day and I’m at work, wore a few sprays on my necks skin and I’ve been getting whiffs of it ever since I applied it over 5 hours ago. So its performance is good ! My biggest comment on this clone is that it doesn’t seem to have that apple pie smelling drydown that Layton has, it’s like this clone stays in the opening-mid. Which I actually prefer this since I like Layton opening & mid more than the drydown

This is the same thing as Orientica Royal Bleu but in Extrait de Parfum concentration. My review for that fragrance (copying it here): "I echo most of that the previous two reviewers said: This is a terrific PdM Layton clone, far better than Al Haramain Detour Noir in several aspects, and its quality in comparison to similar-smelling designer fragrances in the same price range make it an excellent purchase. For one, it's blended much better. This actually has a semi-fresh opening, and if you try, you can pick out each of the notes listed as the fragrance evolves through its note pyramid. It's still heavy on the base notes (vanilla and jasmine, in particular), but whereas Detour Noir goes straight to those base notes and is a bit "muddy," here you can really smell the apple, the mandarin, the geranium, and so forth. Also, the performance is absolutely monstrous. Two sprays will last you all day, and any more will simply be too strong." The longevity of Xclusif Oud Bleu is even greater than that of Royal Bleu. Absolutely killer value for what you're paying.