Veteran Oud

This is an absolute slam dunk cheapie. If you want something sweet, long lasting, and a little (and I emphasize a little) more interesting than mainstream designer offerings, this is a good one. It's like SWY and 24 Gold Oud Edition had a baby. It's sweet and doesn't develop a whole lot, kind of gives Babycat vibes too. I picked up my bottle in early 2024 for $26 shipped iirc. Great crowd-pleaser with good longevity. Definitely unisex in my opinion, leaning masculine. Fall and summer only, please. This will definitely become cloying in the heat. I have never smelled the OG, but I imagine if it's anything like the rest of the SWY line, it probably wasn't too difficult to duplicate. 8.5/10 I like it, but I rarely ever wear it. If anyone wants my bottle let me know!

I got this as a freebie (by selection) way back, with a bulk purchase. Turned out to be my fav of that bunch of 6 frags. It's a very good replacement for SWY Oud, considering it's now unavailable here, it's a total win. Don't see it around the sites a great deal any more, but if you like SWY, are intrigued by an oud version and can snag it for a low price, go for it. Between this and the SWY Leather dupe, Oud 24 Hours Majestic Gold, they certainly scratch that SWY itch.

It's a nice fragrance, not the best and not the worst. I bought it for the chestnut note, and it is there, not dominant, but there. At first sniff, you can smell the vanilla, leather, oud and some chestnut in the background. BUT, this is a sneaky one. It's a very strong one, and it will give you anosmia. This is the only perfume that forced someone I took with my car to ask me to drop them at the first stop. Do NOT use it in tight spaces, like a small office or ride-share, Uber, Bolt etc. It will cause you problems. And it was winter, so no tight spaces, no mater what season it is.

Veteran Oud is a great dupe of Stronger With You Oud by Giorgio Armani. It is more wearable than the OG and the drydown reminds me more the original Stronger With You than the Oud edition. The price is ridiculous low for the quality. I spent only 12€ to buy it. If you ever tried the OG and liked it don't think about it it's a great alternative and it costs nothing. Perfect for winter nights and special occasions.

Blend 3/5 (complex yet not that playful and little bit too sweet for my taste) Uniqueness 3/5 (a common sweet leathery theme) Perceived Quality 5/5 (the quality is there, it is deeply regretted the blend boost sweetness to much) What is projecting is something Honey-like in scent. It's quite polarizing; what I get on my skin is more like saffron, rose, and iris. If you ever taste wild honey, with all its complexity and beauty, the raw sweetness has that sour quality in it and a bitterness that doesn't bite. But it's there just enough to give you a texture to appreciate. Yes, it has that warm (not dark), aromatic bitterness, like in coffee or cocoa, that is projecting, trying hard to anchor the sweet honey accord. Saffron, rose, and iris do not project. Interestingly enough, a weak lavender tries to uplift the saffron, rose, and iris, giving those scent groups a more airy feeling. I don't think that weak lavender is able to do so. Creamy milk is more pronounced in the dry-down stage, projecting with warm coffee and cocoa. I don't think it's vanilla; it's more like creamy milk with faint animalic undertones. As the name "Veteran Oud" implies, sadly, I don't get any Oud here. The only thing that makes Veteran Oud less than ideal for me is the sweetness. Veteran Oud boosts the sweetness a little too much than I like.