Oud Al Sahraa

Ideally, I'd have a bit of the sweet in this subtracted and a bit more of the smoky added. That said, the overall effect is more than sufficiently pleasing. The myrrh is, to my nose, more pronounced than I would have expected, but this is not an unwelcome surprise. The colour palette is rich yet soft & hazy. Twilight. The weather is hovering around 17°C both day & night where I am presently and I feel this is just about the right temperature to enjoy the bloom of this 'Cologne Grand Cru' (which states clearly on the bottom of the bottle that it is an Eau de Parfum); any warmer and the sweet would get the best of the oud, turning it a bit "rotten" I fear. Conversely, I can't much see wearing this in the dead of winter as its qualities would be numbed for, although quite persistent (I'm getting 8+ hours now) it is not by any means vigourous or arresting. I find this fragrance to be quite intimate whilst not spilling over into overt sensuality. Romantic & warming, I would wear it for myself at home on a rainy Autumnal afternoon of reading as much as for a casual Springtime date night out with the Mister who, (somewhat surprisingly as he tends towards fresh, "90's", "clean" scents) chose it for me. I was delighted and continue to be so with this delicious, if safely "tasteful", oriental. Lovely packaging. Lovely bottle. Genderless. Solid VFM. ★★★☆☆

We all know there are gazillions of oud perfumes out there. Good ones, less good ones. Strong concoctions and bewitching brews or repulsive damel droppings caught in a bottle. Medicinal juices that seem to come from a luxury hospital. Or wonderfully smoky ones that bring the sniffer to an exotic world right away. This scent, to me at last, clearly belongs in the latter category. But you may graciously forget all the Montales, the Armanis you might have ever smelled. OAS is such a delicate but present scent I hardly find words to describe it properly. There is this smokiness lingering among something fruity (but only medium sweetness !) and some more resinous theme.....myrrh is mentioned by the manufacturer and it could be that this is what I smell here. It is a "grand cru cologne", whatever that means. It is lighter than an EdT, for sure, but that is exactly the new thing about oud. You can also play it safe - and hence light. No more weighing every spray because you feared your scent would comatize your family, your co-workers or whomelse. This oud scent feels like a luxurious ultra-lightweight silk scarf, delicate but with exquisite coloring and very well noticeable. I fell in love at first sniff. This is something really new to me in terms of oud perfumes.

Oh so sad. Another beautiful heartbreaker from Berdoues ... *wails* why does the house keep stamping on my love for it like this? Stunning open, with the woods-orange-myrrh triad that's always a winner for me, warm and rich and sheltering, yet still exciting- zingy beautiful orange peel made deeper and warmer still by a friendly, sweetish entry-level oud (no 'genuine, authentic' barnyard or antiseptic whiffs of the realer oud spectrum in here). Not quite as rich as the regal Antonio Visconti Bois de Gayac, and far less multi-faceted, but in that sort of territory. Or it would be, if it lasted - yet again this is a tragic, terrible story of catastrophic collapse on me, shrinking to perceptible (still gorgeous) skin scent in under an hour and gone with the wind 3h later. But just so wonderful for those first moments. If this had proper legs I might wear nothing else ever. But as it is, it just makes me resentful and pouty because I desperately want it to stay and it just keeps evaporating to nothing. More proof that Berdoues has great noses and great creativity, but apparently not the technical accomplishment to back up even their loveliest ideas.

If you want to smell mysterious and sophisticated buy this perfume right now. I tried it on, when I first sprayed it on I thought that I was going to hate it (too much citrus). I waited for a minute and I smelled it again, it smelled completely different it evolved into a very warm, beautiful scent that reminds me of my uncle. Honestly the oud is not present in my opinion, but the wood and citrus add up and give you something that almost smells like oud but not quite. It smells so good on my skin, two sprays behind the ears go a long way. I tried layering it with a mix of essential oils (sandalwood & patchouli) 8 strangers asked me what I was wearing in one night, it was ridiculous. I went to work the next morning with the same killer combination of essential oils and oud alsahra and my boss told me if I kept smelling this good I’ll get a promotion soon. Don’t blind buy though, it might not suit you even if you like it, get an opinion from someone (not a sales associate please).

Blind buy. My first myrrh. I love the understated elegance of the Berdoues grands crus. This one seems suitable for warmer weather. On paper it is slightly powdery to me, not something I gravitate toward, but here it's done with restraint. It is not smokey. On paper: Strong opening, first sharp and fresh mandarin then gradually more like soft powdery rosy incense. Beautiful flowery myrrh. Some oud starts to shine through but stays in the background. What a wonderful opening! The scent transforms within fifteen minutes or so in to an intriguing fresh blend. On skin: The myrrh really shines in all its resinous beauty. what I interpreted as powder on paper is almost gone. The oud adds some depth, gives a dark accent. With 100ml bottles and at quarter or half price of many other perfumes you can respray half way through the day if you find it doesn't last long enough or isn't strong enough. My bottle of Oud wa vanillia came with a good quality black velvet carrying pouch.