Oud Royal

I ordered this fragrance a week ago, but once it came in the mail, I was eager to open it up and have a sniff. As I was opening the box, I noticed I could smell the fragrance from inside the box and it smelled pungent, but as I was finally able to hold the fragrance in my hand, I took the cap off and took a sniff. It KICKED me in the face, the first impressions was just immense, it was very pungent, with a scent of musk and powder, it was kind of unbearable to smell but It was still addicting... I sprayed some on my wrist to see how it would do on dry down, however the atomizer is very nice and sprays a fair amount considering how strong it is. An hour later that powdery smell was still there, and the musk was still there, but still growing. Hours later the powdery scent went away, leaving this smoother sweet musky citrus smell which actually made me feel better. It wasn’t as strong and overbearing, but just smooth and sweet. The smell is definitely masculine. A week later, while I kept it in my drawer to stay dark and cool, I noticed the smell has became less overwhelming, and now it smells a bit more light and powdery with that hint of musk. This was the smell to die for, Its very addicting. And the more I kept wearing it, I noticed on the dry downs it becomes less stronger throughout the day, but it smells incredibly smooth and earthy, sweet and spicy. I can’t even explain it. But It does last the whole day but somewhat well on clothes, as it will last much longer on skin, but it won’t be as strong to smell. This was a blind buy so the first impressions were kind of doubtful and interesting but after giving it a couple uses, it does get a bit light and smoother, but it was definitely worth it.. I personally use this fragrance for school, its not too heavy, not too strong, its masculine and smooth, its not too spicy or too thick. It gets sweet, citrusy with a bit of spice, and has that musky and woody tone throughout the day. Overall I give this an 8/10, It’s an interesting fragrance. and I’m looking forward to using this everyday, everywhere.

I’ve tried many new fragrances as of late and this was about the only one that was LOVE at first sniff !!! This scent opens up kind of bright green, and with an ivy type of smell that I’m guessing is the Angelica accompanied by the red berries adding a slight fruity touch of sweetness. Once this dries down the greenish vibe stays but is pushed to the background and I get a nice woody touch of cedar and sandalwood. However sandalwood and that green touch are what dominates the scent ! The drydown is pretty much the same except the scent becomes more rich,smooth and with the very small amount of oud you get a slight bitterness but honestly if I didn’t know oud was in this I wouldn’t detect it at !! I was very surprised at this scent as it really goes well with my skin chemistry and I get a barbershop scent that is sandalwood dominant with a slight tea vibe! I This has a lot of notes that mesh well with my skin chemistry so I’m not surprised I love this smell !! In comparison to Creed Royal Oud. .. Royal Oud on my skin was great as well but gave me a more mature vibe that smelled great but sometimes reminded me of a bookstore whereas Oud Royal smells more attractive to me and wearable as a 37 year old. I also detect more Oud In Royal Oud as well as more cedar. I think Royal Sandalwood would have been a better name for the Oud Royal. Performance was decent as it lasts me 5-8 hours but with only light to mild projection. This is where Royal Oud was better as it lasted me 10-12 hours with better projection. Overall rating -8.5 out of 10 ! One of my new favorite barbershop scents that smells similar to Royal Oud but i actually prefer this twist over the much more expensive counterpart it’s trying to dupe.

#752 in my "Tour de Fragrance" I'm not a big fan of Creed Royal Oud in the first place, so I wasn't looking for a clone and this isn't one. I'm not sure why they went 90% of the way to duping Creed Royal Oud then went with red berries instead of red pepper unless they just misread the notes list for Creed Royal Oud. I think Lomani Intense Black is a better choice than this for something like the Creed, but it is just an EDT. This is my sixth and final bottle of Ministry of Oud and I am content to have them all. They're solid scents at a bargain price, but like any oud scent, not that versatile. Judged on its own merits, instead of on how close it recreates Creed Royal Oud, this is a nicely balanced Indian Oud scent that's a better performer than you have a right to expect from scents this cheap. But much as I enjoy oud scents and have dozens on the shelves, I struggle to find appropriate venues for wearing them. This is probably not something I'd ever wear in a car pool. I wouldn't wear an oud scent stronger than EDT potency in a closed environment anyway. Nothing stronger than Jacques Bogart One Man Show Oud Edition. Even if you end up throwing these Ministry of Oud scents away you're out the cost of a cheap lunch. And I think if you like oud you'll like them all. For me this scent would be okay casual wear for outdoor dining, concerts etc. Might even be a scent I'd wear to a formal event where you're mingling in a large space. But not something I'd wear around the office or on a date. Update: Two months on the shelf made a marked improvement in this scent. Changing my vote to a "Love."

Having never tried the Creed inspiration to this, I thought this might be the way to experience it without blowing up my credit card. Both the original and this copy get rave reviews, so at this price it is a no brainer. And it is well worth its meager price. What a luxurious, elegant scent. Put it on and it just elevates you. Shoulders square back. Head lifts high. The gate of your walk smooths out. I can see why the "royal" title was assigned to it. As far as how it smells, it's a very smooth blend of wood and spices. Very mild oud. Has a sweetness to it. I heard one YouTube reviewer describe the Creed original as having a bit of a root beer smell, and this does. But not in a cheap convenience store way. More like an ancient brewmeister creating a luxurious ambrosia for the gods. Aside from the notes listed, I get little hints of tobacco and spirits. Just a lovely fragrance that leans towards the formal that I feel I could wear anytime. Wore it to work and it starts strong, but I was still getting nice whiffs of it multiple hours in. The bottle is luxurious and heavy. The corners though are very sharp. Could be used as a defensive weapon in a pinch. I will likely never buy the original, perhaps a decant, but this is so enjoyable I really don't feel the need to. If Royal Oud is significantly better than this, it must be amazing.

"woah..." well this is new... but in a "classic" way. Where have I smelled you before? The smell deepens into other notes with complexity from fruit to fruit sitting on a dry cedar sawed log with more. ???...... Theres more, but its all just so good. Hell with it, I'm looking at the rest they have to offer now, I like it a lot. 1 month later its already getting better. Still reminds me of pepper and citrus sitting on a freshly sawed amber sappy log. Still smells "classic", "masculine", "timeless" 5 month update: good god... its getting better and better. 8 months update: This is great in the air, smells like I should be mature and in a suit. 10 months into warm weather even, another couple sprays 60 days after the last ... -.- im annoyed... this thing gets more oxygen in it, it just smells better and better. 1 Year, easily in my top 5. 16 months winter, IT CHANGED AGAIN! Smoother tonka in the middle now. It's weird because this started out as old smelling and evolved into a classy fragrance.