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.

I still don’t know what real oud smells like or whether I like it—but I like this. I think it’s the myrrh; I smell something similarly appealing in Jo Malone’s Myrrh and Tonka. It may not be mysterious or deep, but this is interesting and refreshing. I keep thinking of a pop culture pirate like Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, or a cartoon character like Cap’n Crunch—it actually reminds me of the scent and texture of the cereal itself, a little bit artificial but nevertheless airy and uplifting. That feeling when you’re a kid opening a brand new box with a prize inside. I ended up buying a full bottle of this and then a sample set of the Grand Cru line, which is perfect for a relative beginner like me. I like many of the other scents on their own, and it’s satisfying to be able to identify the three listed notes of each one. Oud Al Sahraa is easy to wear with decent longevity and just-right sillage to wear to work. So glad I was introduced to this line!

Oud for the summer season! Berdoues' Grand Cru line should get more attention. The creations are very creative in their simplicity without being over pretentious or bombastic. Myrrh, a westernized oud and a refreshing mandarine are the prominent notes in Oud Al Sahraa (Desert's Oud). Sometimes I get a whiff of floral note but not too much. The myrrh gives the scent a balsamic and slightly powdery texture that is perfectly counterbalanced by the woody and mandarine notes. The fragrance is wearable for the office and close quarters. It's suitable for any occasion and season. I own the marvellous Selva de Brasil which is more suitable during the high heat of summer. Bravo Berdoues and I look forward to trying the rest of their offerings! 8/10

A toned down smoky fragrance without the depth of many of the current ouds out there today. Resinous, herbal and balsamic but delicate, one of the few Arabian style fragrances that you can safely wear to the office without fear of overwhelming anyone. The first time I tried it, the weather was warmer and I was unimpressed with the result. It’s slightly cooler today, and it’s bright and vivacious, and the dry down is very beautiful. Sillage about 6/10 and longevity around 5 hours.

I don't understand, if really some of the reviewer here have this one or wear this one... To me this is really good perfume opening with orange and pepper, then after 10 minutes it turns in wood and oud(not strong tolerable oud) and then after an hour it will turn to resinous myrrh Amber a bit sweet(DRY DOWN like FAHRENHEIT PARFUM BUT WITH INCENSE LIKE. ) that linger around your space for whole 12 hours of wearing this... So for me it's pretty impressive.

Such a lovely “beginner “ friendly oud. I am not into stank oud, this one is smooth and clean . It goes beautifully with the myrrh which gives it a subtle warm spicy smokiness and the citrus lifts it up a bit which I find this can be worn all year round which is a plus for me since I live in FL so this isn’t too heavy. It’s very light wearing and only lasts maybe 3 hours before having to be reapplied .

Open bright and citrus-y, then melds into a quiet oud, but without much smoke. Very light, easy to wear everyday fragrance. Lasted about 2 hours on me, but rather faint skin scent.

I like the orange and myrrh combo in this fragrance. There isn’t much oud, so when I really want to add oomph I layer this over some Oud attar.

This is really an oud for beginners fragrance if there ever was one. It starts with a lot of citrus along with a crisp and confident yet very clean oud note. There's really no skankiness in this whatsoever. However, on me it dries down rather quickly to an ambery skin scent of incense/myrrh with just the slightest hint of oud. It's very pleasing and easy to wear. For me it sits rather close to the skin. Longevity is absolutely okay and can be easily upped with more spritzes. I also like that it's fresh enough to be worn in warmer weather but also ambery enough for cool weather. It's basically a good all year round fragrance whenever a light craving for oud strikes you. For oud fans though, who are used to way stronger oud scents, it may be like being offered a sparkly water with light orange flavoring when all you want is a proper orange juice. On the other hand it might be a good option for people who really like oud, but are seeking a light oud fragrance that is wearable also in settings where too strong of an oud note might be too much. It's a solid like from me.

A sweeter oud with a touch of creaminess. Starts of citrusy with the mandarin and settles in to a resinous and woody warm oud. It is understated power and glory. What I imagine a member of the royal kingdom of the Emirates would smell like. It is not necessarily loud and screechy like other iterations of oud which I enjoy. It still has that waxy and crayonlike undertone that oud tends to have. It does not bother me here but if that is something to avoid you might want to explore the rest of the collection. This one shares a slightly similar profile with Arz El-Rab (another one in their collection) so if you prefer a lighter fresher would definitely check that out. But if you are craving richness and royalty with a touch of coziness do not hesitate with this one

I smell lots of cedar, a trace of citrus, and some peppercorn. Reminds me of an updated version of perfume my Grandmother used to wear (was it Estee Lauder? White Diamonds?). So, a bit antiquated with a spin. Also reminds me a blue crayola crayon scented with "New Car" smell. I like this fragrance a lot. A much brighter version of oud/wood fragrances.

This is one of those perfumes that smells much better on skin than on paper or in the air. It makes me feel like im in a fancy museum heist. If the beginning seems a little sour, it dries down into an extremely polished myrrh, where every nook and cranny is buffed off. Try it on your skin if you can!

Beautiful! Sweet, exotic, feminine and romantic. A safe oud for beginners, soft and sensual with good projection. Great for fall and winter!

Oud Al Sahraa by Berdoues is a very pleasant oud. Three note lovely, wearable scent.

Smoky and spicy. I’ve never worn oud or myrrh notes, so I’ll assume I’m just not used to smelling it on myself. I think if the citrus were more pronounced I might like it more. I’ll give it to my hubby, because I do like the way it smells on him!

Received as a free sample from Twisted Lily. Nothing special...longevity and sillage weak on my skin. There are much better Oud/Myrrh fragrances out there.