Musk Aoud

Sexy, sensual, erotic, mysterious, animalic, sweet, naughty Musk Aoud is one of my favorite Rojas from Aoud Collection and it has a very special place in my heart since it was my first scent from Roja Parfums. I bought it blindly and its enchantment has never faded. The color of this crystal cap is the most gorgeous of all! 💎 I think that this scent is totally underrated but I understand that it's not so easy to wear for many. I can’t get enough of this deep and complex scent. It's so sexy, sensual, erotic and mysterious. It's slightly animalic woody musky juice which is blended into perfection like all perfumes from Roja. You have to like oud and musk but it is not so challenging which you could think. The aroma of the scent is Roja's sophisticated and classy style without any roughness or pungent and brash nuances. Musk and Oud are not edgy here but noticeable ones and appropriately naughty but so pleasant in the same time. This will grow on you easily. Flowers play a supporting role in this fragrance rather than bringing a really floral aspect to it. After this settles down it turns so soft, a little bit powdery and a little bit sweet. It’s like the sexy smell of the skin! Vanilla, Nutmeg, Ambrette and Tonka they each bring their own "neutral" and natural sweetness to the fragrance, without being in any way comparable to sugary sweetness. The spiciness is really soft, and it doesn't remind of any food because the traditional oriental spices are missing. One note which can be challenging for me is leather but I never have that problem with Roja's style to do it. This is totally unisex since it doesn’t have so obvious “man” or “woman” characteristics. There is a little difference in the opening between dark and crystal juice but after 10 minutes those are totally same. The difference can be as well because of the age of the bottles. The longevity is eternal. I simply love this, I can't praise it enough and I need to add a big bottle of dark one as well. So sad that this is discontinued. 😭 Again one Roja's scent which doesn't have any similar competitor in the market. Just a note: dark juice stains light clothes From their website (when it was available) Top Notes: Lemon, Bergamot Heart Notes: Rose de Mai, Jasmin de Grasse, Ylang Ylang Base Notes: Nutmeg*, Patchouli*, Oakmoss*, Precious Wood Notes, Sandalwood*, Aoud*, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Birch, Labdanum*, Leather*, Ambrette*, Musk* *Main notes Thank you for reading, I hope my review was helpful. I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG and/or YouTube (English subtitles): @ninamariahperfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗

I feel like the more I review Roja's the more my reviews look like paid advertisements. This is partially because I am new to the brand and simply have never smelled such quality fragrances before. Musk is something I never wear and straightforwardly strongly dislike. I feel like it's too mature and it certainly doesn't fit my style. Oud is a note I utterly loathe. It never works for me. It's always too strong, bold, dark, smoky, intruding and overwhelming, especially since I love lighter and brighter fragrances. I had a pal of mine kindly send me a sample of Musk Aoud as he thought I should try it since I am exploring Roja's. I read through the reviews and saw many people describe the opening as in harsh and hard to digest and then it develops into something beautiful. Upon initial spray, I was expecting something atrocious seeing as I don't enjoy musk or oud. Well, it wasn't all that bad actually. It's heavy and it's muddy, but it is an appealing mess. The people are right...as it starts to settle it becomes thoroughly divine. I will straight up tell you, I am merely obsessed with Musk Aoud. It's angelic and heavenly. It's smooth, warm, and as sexy as it gets at the highest caliber possible. It's so inviting, so masculine, so sensual and just envelops you in world of euphoria. I really don't know how else to describe this fragrance other than using the most precious words. Yes, you get musk and yes you get a soft leather, but I don't necessarily get an oud note. This is the second Roja to absolutely blow my mind. PDLN 3 was the first and this is the second. The ONLY thing I HATE about this fragrance and I really seriously HATE the fact that I only smell this fragrance for the first 20-30 minutes and then nothing....nothing at all. I tell myself, "it's still there, don't worry." But at the same time, I WANT to smell it! Two mornings ago, I threw on 7 sprays from my discovery atomizer around 5:00am before work. I returned home around 1:00pm for a break and applied 8 more sprays. Well, same story goes, I lost traction of the smell after 30 minutes. After 15 sprays, and I repeat 15 sprays (from a discovery atomizer remind you), I didn't smell a trace of anything. This is so overly disappointing I can't even begin to explain. One of the best fragrances I have ever smelled in my life and I cant even enjoy it while I wear it! This is still very bottle worthy. P.S. - Ever since I got my discovery atomizer, I find it extremely hard to wear anything else. It's like I have to smell this. I can't not wear it. It's so hard to choose something else.

I first encountered Musk Aoud many months ago in a small sample vial, and now poached a bottle of this discontinued gem from the grey market. Though it is sad to see a good fragrance get abandoned by a house, I can safely say that in my opinion Musk Aoud's flaws will save me from missing it excessively when my bottle one day runs dry. Moreover, a similar but non identical profile remains available in Amber Aoud, though I consider it the lesser composition of the two at present. I'll elide the usual complaint on Roja's pricing but will state openly that, as someone who loves natural oud, this doesn't have much of it in it. The opening of Musk Aoud is a very beautifully done oud-esque melange of what may be a smidgen of the real stuff, a lug of what smells like labdanum and a possible gentle waft of something like cypriol. It reminds me of a VERY muffled version of something like La Couche du Diable, in that it has a burned, bitter-sharp resinous woody quality which, despite not smelling hugely like oud, is nevertheless extremely attractive (I loved it there and I love it here). This pseudo-oud(o) is paired to a transient yet strong animalic of unknown provenance, but gives a fairly dramatic opening which, in my view, constitutes little more than an opening dance on the skin. Musk Aoud's true delight, however, comes from its mid-to-drydown, which appears within about 20 minutes or so of spraying. One of the finest, most expertly composed middle-animalic musks I have smelled appears, as the more lurid facets of the opening capitulate into a heap of somber, grey fur. This musk, supposedly primarily comprised of ambrette, is exquisitely filigreed by the subtle florals, oakmoss and leather to give a stunning nocturnal sensation. The "Musk" part of Musk Aoud is, in my view, essentially beyond reproach: aside from the fact that it can be hard to smell for prolonged periods as is a habit of musks generally. Emotionally, to me this is a very dark, cloistered musk... shy and black yet also warm and inviting. It has that ineffable quality of eliciting a hug-like feeling, while simultaneously remaining poised and refined. It smells not unlike an animal, and yet bears all the sapience and grace of an adult human being. Softness upon darkness. I will likely have my nose open for the rest of my life for a newer musk which reminds me of this one, but for the time being I am content to enjoy this as it is. Unisex, middling longevity and, on me, rather poor projection, but one of the greatest musk-centric compositions of all time.

Heres why so many of you are experiencing poor performance from Musk Aoud. Roses thrive, & are highly fragrant in, Hot & Humid weather. Ylang Ylang is a Tropical Tree. Which means that the flowers that it produces are highly fragrant in Hot & Humid weather. Now because Ylang Ylang itself poses allergenic risks i'm sure Roja Dove created his Ylang Ylang note using a combination of Floral & Fruit notes. Jasmine is a Tropical plant. Which means that its highly fragrant in Hot & Humid weather. Ambrette is a Tropical plant. Which means that its highly fragrant in Hot & Humid weather. The Musks in Musk Aoud are created using Floral Musks. Which also means that this type of Musk will be highly fragrant in Hot & Humid weather. Why would would anyone think that a fragrance composed of so many hot & humid weather plants would see stellar performance in anything outside of hot & humid weather ? We associate certain scents with Seasons due to culture. For example, we associate Cinnamon, Clove, Vanilla, & Ambry sweetness with Fall due to holiday cooking. We associate Rose with cold weather due to Valentines Day & the Month of February being cold in the West. So when Fragrance Reviewers review those type of fragrances they immediately associate them with a Season. And because we have been trained by Reviewers to believe that Spices, Jammy Roses, Rich Musks, & Ambers are associated with Cooler & Cold temperatures, we then expect those fragrances to perform extremely well in those temperatures. Which isnt the case with Musk Aoud. In fact, it isnt the case with Roja's Aoud or Amber Aoud either. All 3 are warm weather fragrances. Musk Aoud is a very dark & sexy fragrance. Its best to wear it in warm weather with high humidity, Hot weather with high humidity, & in late Spring & early Fall when its Cool, but the humidity is still high. I have experienced Beat Mode performance in those temperatures. The discernment of notes is key when dealing with fragrance. Its how you as the wearer learn when its the best time of year to get the most out of your fragrance.

Typically, I shy away from the house of Roja, because the last thing I need is another expensive fragrance to fall in love with and there's no Roja that could be considered cheap, in terms of price. I've made a couple of buys from LuckyScent in the last 2-3 weeks and since they include free samples, I thought "I wouldn't mind seeing what this is like". The less than 1ml sample itself was $14, so I figured they could bear the expense of it. Now, honestly, I expected it to be nice but nothing especially captivating and overwhelming. Truthfully, I couldn't have been more wrong. The scent is just so good and regardless of the notes listed - like rose, which I don't smell at all - I smell a thick, dark, deep, sweet, ethereal musk and ambrette combination with a bit of leather, in addition to a slight wood note that you might expect to be much stronger, due to the aoud, but it isn't - at least to me. The blend is very potent and has an incredible sillage trail. Projection and longevity are excellent. Three swipes from the dauber and I feel like I'm a Musk Aoud bomb. Without trying to be overly dramatic, this fragrance engulfs you in bliss. I was torn between buying the 1oz and 3.4 bottle but aside from the expense, honestly, this stuff is so strong that even going through an ounce will take you a very long time to use and even longer, if you have a collection of any size and there are other fragrances that you like to wear. Last, if Christi or Danick should read this: Although I love this fragrance, the House of Matriarch still holds my heart.

These three Aouds are some of the best from Roja Dove - each one so luscious and expensive. As with the vast majority of Roja's output, quality of smell is of the utmost importance, always at the expense of performance. These three share more than just oud and rose though; they share a chypre backbone as well (even though two of them are listed as orientals - they all smell like oriental chypres). They each just have a different special guest: Amber Aoud had sweet jammy figs and ambergris (the plushest, sweetest and roundest); Aoud had oud [doesn't that just roll of the tongue!], which makes it the darkest and heaviest, and my favourite; this Musk Aoud is the most overtly chypric, the driest and longest in the drydown (although it is still sweet in the opening) and features (rather obviously) musk and I get (bizarrely) a wet, green grass accord. It does start with a worryingly urinous opening too, which thankfully switches over to the sweet rose/oud combo, before the urine turns green...that is, it starts to smells like the grass accord. (I've no idea what causes this; nothing close is listed!) Finally, after a minute or two, the whole thing becomes a bona fide chypre. Now it really has arrived. Scary but worth waiting for. Luscious, high quality everything. It ends with a really long but eventually rather subtle musk trail.

Note: Anyone who has this perfume and it’s got a lite perfume scent and the juice is litter too, u have a reformulated bottle. Maybe even a fake. Because this perfumes juice should be very dark and the scent is very strong and just one spray projects and lasts all day. But I have an older bottle. It’s out of this world amazing . I tried to buy a back up bottle a few months ago from a legit re seller and had to return it . It was a much weaker version of my Musk Aoud. Juice was a lot liter and the perfume lasted about 2hrs with weak projection. I suggest looking to buy an older bottle. You’ll know because the juice will be very dark. Every once in a while I will see someone selling their vintage bottle. Very expensive tho. Most ppl know the value of an early release Musk Aoud. I’m currently wearing a few drops to bed and I am enveloped in the most beautiful scent bubble . My goodness this perfume is a masterpiece. I feel like I’m not worthy of such beauty. I remember back when I bought my bottle, it was so expensive that it took me 6 months to pay it off.. still......worth every penny. I feel the same about Amber Aoud. But imho Musk AOUD is just a bit better.

Animalic, woody, leathery, spicey, savoury, rosey and musky. It's always so difficult trying to describe a Roja fragrance because it's so hard to capture the full picture, so to speak. The way this is blended is simply amazing, so smooth and so refined. I'm not sure how to describe it but it almost has a gourmand-ish quality in a savoury way. However...I've recently stumbled across a perfume lover's worst nightmare - a reformulation. This is probably one of the few times that this will be brought up, given that retail the price of admission is so high, and also because Roja fragrances are not produced in huge volumes. Everyone who owns this is familiar with the colour of the liquid being like black coffee. I recently purchased a replacement bottle to find that the colour had become not unlike Amber Aoud! Smell-wise, it's a bit fruitier, rosier and less animalic in the opening but the dry-down is identical to the black juice. Definitely more wearable, but the raw pungency of the opening is gone, which is of my favourite parts of the fragrance!

A lovely chypre. I don't get the animalic blast that everyone is talking about, neither do I get the eternal longevity. To me, it is quite clean. Can lean ever so slightly feminine in the opening if you believe in traditional gender categorizations, but dries down to a lovely unisex scent. Very floral, clean musk, very bubbly effervescent bergamot opening, sweet, fruity, very bright scent, light leathery undertones in the drydown. This is a very lightly ouded fragrance. It's not the main player, but more of a supporting role of an overall beautifully made chypre. Mind you, I do have the crystal parfum. I was told they have the same juice minus the color. It is a much better blended chypre vs chypre siam from rogue perfumery, even though i absolutely love both. Chypre Siam is too animalic for me. For longevity, I give it to Rogue. For the scent itself, Roja. I get around 6-8 hours of longevity with this one. Cheers. note: these two fragrances are absolutely nothing alike. they are just in the same category.

Within the Aoud line, Musk Aoud strays the furthest from the original composition. It initially opens very bright, soft and sweet with a sparkling hit of rose, jasmine and ylang with a slight sharpness coming from lemon. From here the clean musky base develops beautifully. Instead of aiming to replicate natural deer musk here, Roja has demonstrated the innocent beauty of ambrette of the highest quality. Rather than smelling dirty and animalic, the musk is sweet, floral and almost soapy. An array of woods mingle with smooth leather and oakmoss to give the base a creamy, addictive finish. Musk Aoud has to be the best interpretation of ambrette I’ve ever smelled, it’s gentle and subdued yet so incredibly addicting and alluring. There’s a hint of the original Aoud scent profile in the background, however this fragrance goes entirely in its own direction. I really enjoy wearing this one in the spring and summer as the heat really brings all these notes to life.

Holy grail oud territory here. On initial spray I was treated with an intriguing dejavu and could not place where I had smelled this before. I then realized what I was smelling was Black Afghano, the Eau edition. Musk Oud has the same strange doughy, weird, headshop-esque funk to it, but is toned down by many degrees, which is good news for me as BA is too overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, these two are very different fragrances with Musk Aoud being both lighter and more complex, but they are cousins; and this one is much better. Overall on it's own merits I have never smelled an oud that more seamlessly blended notes. The QUALITY of the ingredients and the blend in undeniable. ***Edit: Despite the mind-blowing smell, the performance of this fragrance is very disappointing, which at this price point is a deal breaker. I get about 2 hours of projection and 5-6 hours of longevity -- I guess the holy grail search continues. ***

My impression after testing 5 times. First I'll say that this does not contain real oud, which is disappointing.This is a floral amber chypre with a dose of musk. I thought it might be challenging like something from Areej, Ensar or some other middle eastern heavyweight, but it's not at all. I think they took galaxolide or a nitro musk, and used it in tandem costus and labdanum to create the oud and musk accord. It smells like if Penhaligon's Sohan (galaxolide, rose oud) and Chypre Palatine (amber, florals, oakmoss) had a massively overpriced baby. I don't care for the floral elements personally, and I wish they weren't there. However, all that said, I do really like this fragrance but the ingredient quality and rarity (discontinued) do not warrant the massive markup. I enjoy wearing it and I'll happily use up my decant. ----------------------------------------------- Scent 90/100 Performance 75/100

Upon trying this for the first time in early spring, my impression was that it smelled like a few hours into a summer night out in the city. I could smell sweet beer, cigarettes, and sweat. While this might sound off-putting to most, it wasn't offensive at all. Quite the opposite. It was beautiful, sensual, intoxicating, and I didn't want to stop smelling it. I could still smell it on me the next day after showering, and I am a two-sprays-on-the-neck-one-on-my-chest kind of guy. I ended up purchasing a full (tester) bottle that I will treasure greatly. If it weren't expensive I would purchase multiple bottles. This is the most I've ever spent on a single fragrance and I don't regret buying it. I am writing this on a very hot summer night and the fragrance is even more intense without being unpleasant. I strongly urge you give this beauty a try, especially on the warmer days of the year.

Straight undiluted love for me. There are mixed reactions because people expected this to be automatically their dream come true fragrance. They develop heavenly fantasies before sampling, probably because most people translate high prices and Roja dove to perfection. Folks, complex fragrances does not always give perfect first impression...they need time and you also need time with them. Yes the price of this bottle is in a different league and I don't think a whole tree should be worth the bottle...but folks, this is a masterpiece blended to perfection from a genius. You wear this for specific events only...and you will become the most interesting personal in the room. I've never smelled anything like it hence it took me a few sprays for my nose to adjust to this new love. This is perfection for me, when worn right it might be the best spray you've ever sprayed.

Musk and Oud, two legendary ingredients blend to perfection. Musk Aoud along with Amber Aoud are the best creations from Roja’s house. I love both of them equally but the complexity and refinement of Musk Aoud seams to create more emotions, it is a really sensual fragrance for a person who can smell and identify the ingredients. The feelings can be different especially for those who don’t understand Musk nor Oud and can get even more complicated for those who can’t smell the two main players. Suddenly some people will not be able to smell Musk at all, some will get irritated by Oud or other ingredients. This is a complex and sofisticated concoction, a very special fragrance that will please any connoisseur and disappoint the others.

Deepest Desire This is not love at first sniff. But after a couple wearing I can resonate what is this fragrance meant for. This is the most sensual scent I have ever encountered. @rojadove created a very animalic musk accord so realistic that when interacting with the skin give this pheromone effect. The fragrance is very dry, slightly sour and a bit of leathery. Every notes is working together making the wearing experience like a second skin to satisfy the deepest desire within. This is not a mass pleasing fragrance but rather for a special occasion like intimate moment and in bed. So I recommend trying this with caution because it can bring out the other side of your character 🙈 #vscentorientreview

After many years, the call of this fragrance being discontinued (I hope it isn’t true) finally drove me to purchase a bottle, albeit at a heavily discounted price. I have had many samples and decants of this, so I can only hope it stays true when I receive it. This is in my opinion the best of the trio out of the original ‘Aoud’ fragrances. The musk in this is so inviting, regal, opulent. This fragrance is the prime example of a Roja fragrance, and one that fragrance collectors should not miss. If it truly is being discontinued, I feel sad for anyone who never gets to experience this beauty. 1 bottle should last me a life time considering how potent this is. One spray is all you need.

This is the first time I've ever smelled a fragrance that immediately made me think of s*x. I've never read or heard anything about this fragrance before trying it, but I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thought about it! Soft, but attention-grabbing. A bit sweet and a bit floral and REALLY musky. If you've ever wondered as I have about what real muskiness smells like in a fragrance, this is a good one to try. I also experienced not so great longevity, but that might be because I tried it in the wrong weather. This is unisex, but I want my girlfriend to wear this because of the aforementioned reasons lol 10/10

This fragrance is absolutely Majestic. Not many words are needed to describe this one, it needs to be smelled to be believed. It's a very strong, complex, indulgent musky scent which has hints of sweetness masses of animal quality and a hint of the floral. The opening is of citrus top notes but as with many Roja's they fade very quickly and you're in no doubt that this is a heavyweight fragrance. Never over bearing Musk Aoud is very refined indeed, I just wish I could afford it. If I'm honest Amber Aoud is more my kind of scent but this is equally as good quality and showstopping. Brilliant!

Roja Musk Aoud (2013) - cashmere musk - @rojadove creates a very wearable oud accord. It’s not medicinal or fecal - quite the opposite, smooth & refined. I enjoy that he married it with Ambrette, a seed that when processed smells like sweet human-like musk. But I own a lot of Ambrette perfumes and these 2 alone are not giving the warmth I’m smelling. In the base, it’s supported by leather-vanilla chypre accord that is comforting. One of the best Roja made and could be better than the famous Amber aoud.

This is a different kind of musk fragrance. To me, it evokes images of warm fur, nothing in the animalic skank territory but as if you are simply hugging some sort of wooly animal like a sheep. As normally with Roja Dove, everything is finely blended and smooth, so it's hard to pick out other notes. There is a woodiness backing up this musk, with a touch of tonka which tends to come out more during the dry down. All-in-all, it is a golden, smooth musky fragrance.

WOOOOW. That's some elegant stuff. Overshadowed by Amber Aoud, I thought that this one wouldn't be as good. It's the best from the Aoud collection IMO, and a top 3 from the brand and my collection. If you're looking for a beastly Oud Musk experience, you're not at the right place, this one is powerful yet subtle. If you're mature and appreciate delicate classy compositions, French perfumery, then this one is a treat.

Its a unique fragrance. Its superiority in blending so nothing distracts you from the velvety experience of juicy tart citrus opening with rose, leather, moss and a gentle warmth of nutmeg, musks, tonka,vanilla and oud keeping the base warm. I will warn that the opening is a bit rough if you arent familliar with Oud. Once the leather joins in its lovely...Just richness for miles. Opulent.

Perfume that exudes luxury. It has a sophisticated, particular, Baroque aura. This one bewitched me immediately, it kidnapped me with its enveloping and melancholic musky notes. I love it, it is of a rare and extraordinary quality! Sillage : 9/10 Longevity : 8.5/10 Scent : 9/10 Overall : 9/10

I own the 100 ml bottle...definitely good quality....the musk gave me images of a sheep slaughter house. Definitely, animalistic, skanky, and top notch quality without a doubt 10/10 in all aspects possible good work Roja Dove

Beautiful,Luxurious and Regal. Roja Dove never disappoints. No way to describe this, just try it. This fragrance puts me in a great mood when i wear it. 10/10

Amazing Musk fragrance. It has a little bit of funk to it, dry down is heavenly. Spray on your skin and watch the magic happen.

Such a beautiful perfume. One of my favorite in my collection . Selling my back up bottle . New in box full presentation.

The scent: it is a 2 stages fragrance: Beautiful opening with a strong barnyard-ish (but not offending) oud, supported by a clean musk. Then the oud fades out, to leave the stage to the musk, ambrette and a hint of leather and rose. In terms of scent, this is the most refined musk-oud fragrance I got the chance to smell. BUT... The performance is ridiculously low. Indeed, after 10 min of moderate projection, it becomes a subtle skin scent, and 2 hours after, it's completely gone! While it is clear that the quality of ingredients is unequaled, the performance is simply unacceptable at that price point. I got a decant for an honest price, but if I had blind-bought a bottle, I would simply have returned it. That's why it just gets a like from me. Because of that major issue, I cannot recommend this fragrance. To those looking for a decent musk+oud quality/performance compromise, I would suggest to go with Montale Aoud Musk (I know... the musk is decently done, but the oud is definitely at a lower level compared to Roja's... but Montale's performance is great, and with a price tag 8 to 10 times lower, it's a no-brainer for me!). 30+, Fall/Winter days. Edit: I have been a little harsh. Indeed with 5-6 sprays I managed to have a moderate projection for 2-3 hours, and have it last 10 hours as a skin scent. The scent in itself is heavenly... Still, at $400-500 a pop, I would expect a strong performance with just 2 sprays... Edit 2: Apparently some Roja fanboy got offended that someone spotted strong similarities with his/her $500 bottle, compared it to one costing around $80 (Montale Aoud Musk), and thus downvoted it in the "reminds me of" section. But honestly I find Roja Dove Musk Aoud very similar, even if not exactly identical (Montale performs better, but Roja is a step higher in terms of quality, with a warm - probably real - oud oil and a more balanced musk). Worth the price difference? Test both and you tell me! Imo, one may smell the difference on skin, but there's no way to tell more than a foot away, and it gives similar satisfaction. So my answer is a firm NO, and I would strongly recommend Montale Aoud Musk over Roja Musk Aoud and Nasomatto Duro, and suggest to invest the difference in some real indie niche houses fragrances instead. (just my opinion obviously, since in my world, I have to work hard to get money and don't find dollar bills growing on trees)

ROJA DOVE MUSK AOUD PARFUM My first initial reaction when I heard of Musk Aoud is it's going to be like every other musk and oud fragrance out there. I also thought that it will smell very smilar to Aoud and Amber Aoud because those two smell a like and I, out of naiveness, thought it would be similar but a more powdery clean musky version. I was wrong. Musk Aoud is the most unique and complex oud fragrance Mr. Dove has to offer. For some reason I thought the musk in this would be powdery and clean like a lot of the other musk and oud fragrances we have in the Middle East. The musk aspect of this fragrance is very intense and sensual. It's dark and animalic, sort of carnal in a way. This fragrance is more MUSK than oud. This is an "intimate occasion" fragrance *if you get what I mean*. It's just so sexy! I'm actually too embarrassed to wear it in a casual setting. I know that Roja Dove does not use natural animal musks in his fragrances, but Musk Aoud is the closest smelling fragrance I ever smelled to to REAL musk. Unfortunately in the Middle East natural Nepal Tonkin Deer musks, (which is the highest grade natural musk you can buy), is still sold. I can sense the essence of Tonkin Musk in Musk Aoud by Roja Dove. Musk Aoud by Roja has an animalic and sensual human body smell. It does not smell like BO let me make that clear, it just smell like the warm touch on your significant other's body and the warmth of their breath on your neck. It's very romantic, I'll just say that. .

Unexpectedly Sweet. Truly jammy sweet rose that smells like cotton candy dominates Musk Aoud that I'm surprised at the pyramid votes here. The sweet rose is wooded up with oud that also adds a slight animalic stink. The musk smell and fluffiness are there, but musk is a bench player to more dominant notes in this mix. I believe the sweetness comes from the combination of ambrette, vanilla, and tonka, although I do not get the distinctive smell of any of them. As it dries down, the sweetness dials down, and the fragrance starts to become more akin to its name: more oudy and musky. Additionally, the leather starts to show, making it more incensy, which is beautiful! Sweet, rosey, lightly oudly-woody, mildly animalic, musky, incensy. A very nice scent but the community seems to have overhyped this. If you like Musk Aoud, I recommend trying Amouage's Silver Oud. It's less rosey and more oudy. The sweetness in it comes from amber, which is less gourmand than Musk Aoud's jammy one. Mature, cool weather wear. The sweet rose counters the simplicity of the fragrance to make it properly unisex "Like"

This is a beautiful perfume that is best used IMHO in Spring or Autumn in intimate encounters or special occasions. I was surprised how much it reminded me less of Aoud and Amber Aoud and more of Roja's Pierre de Velay 23, in that both are soapy floral fragrances with a prominent suede note and animalic undercurrent. PdV 23 amps up the florals and adds some aldehydes and gets its animalic underbelly from civet and tobacco. In Musk Aoud the whole impression is less extroverted, more refined, warmer, and muskier. Yet they both come across as dirty/soapy at the same time and both have a kind of old school chypre feel. I would say that PdV 23 is Musk Aoud's younger, more flirtatious sibling, in this regard. PdV performs and projects better, but it is a different scent accomplishing the same thing in a different, more ostentatious and bubbly way. I am glad I sampled MA first because I already have PdV 23 and I would use both of them in the same situations, although PdV 23 might be better for warmer weather.

My first wearing of this well loved perfume. The main novelty is that instead of straight up Rose Oud, the perfumer recreates this as a Floral chypre. The result is a refined although highly neutered Oud which quite frankly is not worth all this hoopla. Yes it is delicate and luxurious and Oud mellowed into a floral appetizer for Western tastes but is it worth the 800 dollars they charge for it? Not by a long shot but there is no doubt that ingredients used are of high quality and it is packaged well. This is a status scent and it carries that off in a quiet and understated manner. Moderate sillage, projection and longevity. I don't think I will be getting a full bottle because even a relatively much less expensive Rose Oud like Thirty Three or Salim Bagh 1619 have much more depth and character. Strictly recommended for folks with money to burn or acquiring a perfume bottle as a status symbol.

Deep, masculine and aoustentatious. Jammy rose, chemical vanilla, real leather and a westernized, light, friendly oud mixed into a musk.

Fat. Juicy. Sweet. Heavy. Good quality but too thick for me. (Might work on the coldest day of the year.) 6/10

I found this one is too banyardy to me. It reminds me of dirty diaper.

If you love Musk and Oud, you'll love this. If you don't, you probably won't like it. Whilst I wasn't a great lover of it, I can completely understand why others are. The opening is very intense, and soon gives way to a mellow musky-oud-ness. As with all of Roja's fragrances, it's so well blended that it's hard to pinpoint specific notes (Musk and Oud aside). Longevity on my skin was around 4 hours in total, and projection was moderate for the first hour or two with, before becoming a skin scent. Definitely one worth trying before buying, but of undeniable quality.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Meh, i don’t like it. hits strong with bright leaning scent, very much of a baby-wipes DNA. it’s both powdery and leathery, which are among the categories i don’t enjoy. it’s very bright purple, violet like. it could have been much more tolerable if it kept only the soft innocent side without the leather, but instead it just stands there in the middle, impossible to miss, making it smell almost dirty, which in turn gives me the diaper changing table association. it’s a unisex scent, slightly feminine leaning.

I love Oud but this isn't oud and just a hint of musk. Simply put it is a sweet tea that lacks any point of view or conviction. It needs a squeeze of lemon, something to cut the sweetness. I know some perfumers celebrate the genius of chords. Notes when combined become something else beyond what god made, undefinable and transcendent. Unfortunately this has underachieved and is one over priced sublimation. Note to self.

Blind bought a full bottle because of the hype. Can't understand the hype. It literally smells like ashes in the air and on my skin. Sillage and longevity aren't great. I can't think of anywhere I'd wear this too. It is a well blended scent for sure but definitely not everyone's taste. Test before you buy.

Roja dove Aoud is so disappointing to me : I actually bought because of the hype around it. If I had known I would have sampled it because spending my hard earn money. It smells great - don't get me wrong. But if you have to spend that much, you will expect it sticks around for a long -- this fragrance only lasts for 2 hours, and you will yo start to smell it yourself if it is still there. 1 out of 10. It does not worth $100, that's the fact. Please sample if you have the chance before buying it. Thanks

LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY Roja Dove, born Roger Bird, is quite a character. You may like or dislike him but he certainly has an interesting story behind him. He is a significant and prestigious figure in perfumery. His passion for scents developed already in his childhood. For his twenty-first birthday, he awarded himself a visit to the Guerlain's main boutique in Paris, where he met Jean-Paul Guerlain. This blind date resulted in a friendship shaped in the form of a collaboration with the master perfumer. With this partnership, his knowledge, and his natural sympathy, Roja Dove earned the title of Guerlain's ambassador all over the world. The perfume industry started to acknowledge him as the "one and only" perfume professor. Later on, he also diversified business partners and collaborated with other big industry names as well. I recall Baccarat, Clive Christian, and Houbigant, to name just a few. His career developed by crafting bespoke fragrances for the British upper crust from his atelier in London's Mayfair neighbourhood. In 2004, he opened an aristocratic Perfumerie in Harrods. Roja Parfums, an independent British perfumery luxury niche house, was founded in 2011. Currently, the "RoJa Dove Fragrances Collection" stands close to 50 perfume extracts and is distributed all over the world as pieces of fragrant art and displaying prices similar to fine jewelry. "No one will smell one of my scents and say, 'It's quite nice'. I just don't make anything banal", said once Roja Dove. The man himself has never been a subtle person, either. He dresses up usually with diamonds and emeralds garnments, multiple rings on his fingers, and several gold and diamond bracelets. Besides being expensive, his perfume creations really stand out. His scents are musky and sexual, and they feel as though they exist miles away from the mass-market designer fragrances. The products are crafted with extreme detail and use always the most exquisite and fine materials available. That attitude is extended behind the fragrance itself, and extreme care is also dedicated to bottling and packaging. Each Roja Parfums bottle is a truly eye-catching masterpiece, handcrafted in France from the best glass possible. The golden label is also hand-engraved directly onto the glass, but with British craftsmanship. The cap is decorated with the Roja Parfums symbol and is studded with Swarovski crystals. The flasks are packaged in a magnificently built but discrete case with Roja's signature on the front. It's easy to smell "Amber Aoud Parfum and fall prey to its spell. Taking the perfume name literally, and before trying it, I imagined a strong amber fragrance, like "Amber Absolute" by Tom Ford, generously sprinkled with the finest oud from the far east. Pure mistake! The fragrance opens with timid, fleeting citrus that is immediately overwhelmed by a classic blend of Rose, Saffron, and Oud. An only slightly ambery ambiance does not do justice to the name the perfume bears. Roja Oud identifies the notes of Rose, Fig, Cinnamon, Saffron, Oud, and Benzoin as the key blending ingredients. One might be led to think that we have come across the umpteenth oriental Rose-Oud offer, but only a more refined one and quite more expensive. A few seconds are enough to realize that this is not just any ordinary Rose-Oud scent seasoned with Saffron. It transcends in perfection with small touches of sweet Benzoin and Fig that contrast with a salty Ambergris background. Despite knowing to be in face of a perfume composed of extremely refined ingredients and high concentrations, Amber Aoud Parfum still manages to amaze us with its perfectly tuned balance and beauty, without hurting or bothering anybody with its high sillage and projection. And then, very gradually, the fragrance evolves to a creamier and sweeter scent. It could be reminiscent of the floral notes present in the heart, but I suspect that this evolution is more connected to secondary base notes like sandalwood, iris Musk, benzoin, and cinnamon. It became a scent blended in heaven for the angel's and saint's pleasure. As we approach the dryness, the aroma is still hauntingly divine, although it has faded a bit of its initial radiance. In the air, I still sense several notes, and none of them overpower the others. I even forget the near absence of the promised ambary notes. I can't find a better definition than the one given by Roja Dove: "A creamy symphony of sweet, spicy, salty and woody tones embraces us in an enchanting experience that I have dubbed "The Amber Aoud Effect". Some notes to this symphony: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ - Scent Opening: 9.0 (Almost immediately a pungent - but seductive Rose-Oud-Saffron blend with hints of fig; almost no amber). - Scent Finish: 10.0 (A divine creamy composition of Rose, Fig, Cinnamon, Saffron, Oud, and Benzoin, with an ambergris background, and undertones of musk, cinnamon, and sandalwood). - Longevity: 8.5 (Up to 8~9 hours with 3 sprays). - Sillage: 8.5 (Up to 6~7 feet with 3.0 hours of projection). - Versatility: 9.0 (You may use it almost everywhere; Not at ease with sweaty environments like the beach or the gym. Its extreme smoothness makes it even possible to wear it in the office). - Usability: 8.5 (Don't use it on summer or spring hot days; It's both a day and night fragrance for me). - Compliments: 9.0 (It has enormous acceptability and it will raise both attention and compliments. Its complex and warm oriental behaviour may have detractors among the fresh scents addicts). - Uniqueness: 9.5 (Structurally it is an oriental-woody blending starring rose, oud, and saffron notes like many other known perfumes. Nevertheless, it is a rather singular perfume due to its intrinsic quality and blending mastery. It is hard to devise any perfume that could be similar to this work of art). - Quality: 10.0 (high-quality ingredients, magnific flask, sprayer, cap, and boxing). - Presentation: 9.0 (the usual design of Roja Dove that I recognize to have jewellery pretension. However I prefer more discrete and less flashy presentations). - Price: 4,5 (675 euros for the 100 ml bottle at Notino; way too much). ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ - Average: 8.68/10.0 between 7 and 8 => above average; between 8 and 9 => recommended; greater than or equal to 9 => do not miss; My opinion about this oriental-woody masterpiece: My average rating suffers from the price-low mark. The bottle bears the standard rich and flashy presentation of Roja Dove. It has superior ingredients and blending quality. The opening consists of an outstanding Rose-Oud starting stage. The base and dryness may well be among one of my very best olfactory experiences if not the best one. (But bear in mind that I like Oud oriental fragrances). Just as a curiosity this is not the most expensive fragrance I tested. That dubious first place glory belongs to "The Night" by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, which I also like very much (also an oriental woody fragrance but way more animalistic). If I had to choose just one of those two fragrances, I would probably stick to "Amber Aoud Parfum", despite loving the animal facets of the Frédéric Malle's perfume. I don't recommend it as a blind purchase because of its skyrocketing price. The music: Sir Edward Elgar - "Pomp and Circumstance March No.1"

As a scent, judging by quality of scent alone, I would say this is absolutely the best Roja release of all time (besides of course that $4000 one no one seems to be able to buy, you know what I'm talking about. No question about it, that one beats all the others. But its one of those where you just don't get to experience it that often so I'm just going to stick with Musk Aoud for now). There is just one caveat: The performance is profoundly soft and almost nonexistent. And you certainly need not take my word for it: every other reviewer will tell you this. You will tell yourself this once you smell it. This could be a result of the fact that only base notes (such as "musk", "aoud") are present in the perfume (it smells like Amber Aoud, but without the more explicitly gender-bending fruity rose top notes). Or it could be a result of extreme dilution by the perfumer. I would hazard to say it is a combination of these two failures. It is especially sad for me to say this with respect to Musk Aoud, because it combines the perfect pillowy soft chypre resinousness with a just heartbreaking, beautiful and tempered soapy crispness that is crepuscular, like the shades of sky right before the last light of day has been exhausted. There is also a little puff of smoke, so gentle and reassuring. It is really the most kind, gentle and unpretentious chypre I have ever encountered, all while having an informal aura about it. And it is the best. Almost no one is producing scents right now that are up to minimum standards, besides Roja Dove's studio. And even he is making compromises that startle and disappoint (like these weak perfumes as well as the whole cologne line with the rainbow colored bottles). This Sophocles of a scent--- beautiful but tantalizing ---is tragic in the most classical sense of the word.

This review is about the Absolue Precieux 30 ml version. It is the finest blend of a citrusy sweet musk with the perfect touch of sensual suede and oakmoss. The drydown consists of sweet tangy oud laid over a bed of smoke akin to burnt agarwood which is at its end stage releasing sweet damp woody enchanting aroma. There is no animalic tone to the musk or fermented leathery tone to Oud commonly known as barnyard. The floral elements are minimal and luckily so and just add the magic touch of the Roja Excellence. The transitions are slow and the aroma gets warmer and more intimate with time. It provides a glowy radiance and the silkiness is almost palpable. The whole experience lasts 12 hours plus on me with a personal projection but definitely a wonderful sillage in motion. It is unlike any Roja Parfum. It is my favorite alongwith his avant garde work, the Diaghilev. One of the works which can get its asked price easily. Magnificent. There will be no other Musk Aoud ever. Salute to such craftsmanship.

Where to start? I remember when I first smelt it when it released, I wanted to hate it but .. no way. This is the best from his trio 'mainstream' ouds. Amber Aoud is already a 10, but Musk Aoud is an 11. Here is why. The opening: The sweetest animalic (arguably sexual) musk I have ever encountered. The smell of sex is not strictly elegant as evidenced by outings such as Secretions Magnifique - but this is very refined and carefully built together. Then you add the oud, which quite literally is animalic+animalic put together, but it isn't. This time oud was quite a comforting proposition to tame the vixen, musk. As this love session continues, notes of gentle florals come together as well as a touch of very mild nutmeggy spice. This scent is a real personality, no shy guy. It's a romantic scent in actual fact, of a very assured person. The opening can be a little rough, but that dry down is to die for.

Musk Aoud starts with citruses but just for seconds before the rose starts appearing along with some florals including ylang ylang and jasmine. In addition, there is a huge dose of dirty musk and and ambrette. At this stage, the scent is quite dirty and animalic. There is also some sweetness from the tonka and vanilla. To summarize the scent at this stage, it is rose infused with sweet dirty musk and some florals. In the drydown, the sweetness starts fading, the leather starts appearing with the oud. This combination gives a vibe similar to burning oud chips but this is just a part of the scent as the dirty musk is still present. In addition, there is also an oakmoss accord to give it a chypre feeling. The only downside of this fragrance is the performance as the performance on my skin is above average, the longevity is great but the projection is moderate.

After looking up Musk it is a product of poached deer. So I'm guessing this isn't real "musk" whish would justify the high price. I am smelling oud, but there are to my dismay hundreds of varieties and this smells like the most redundant one, could someone correct me if this is "real" oud, because I can't find an ingredients list. This oud reminds me of the Tom Ford Oud (I forgot the name), but when the lady at Saks introduced me it smelled like Comet Bleach Powder. I'm sorry but I need 500 dollars in my bank account rather than give this guy all my money. I remember Gucci Oud, and it was much more pleasent than this one.

Very unpleasantly pleasant. Almost addicting, how can something so good smell so bad, 90% of this fragrance is superb and that 10% is such a curveball. Very animalic and fecal but it just works.. hear me out. I get like a muck spreading note but it’s surrounded in such beauty, it’s so odd but so special. This is a real depiction of what ouds and musks are, they’re not for everyone and they’re their to make you smell like an animal, definitely proves science to what’s found attractive because women have complimented this and really catch on to the beauty of it. Try it before you buy it.. masculine through and through.

I really can't tell whether this or Amber Aoud is "better" - simply because as breathtaking as Amber Aoud already is, Musk Aoud is so sensual and just as equally beautiful. It's musky, leathery, oudy, and even a little fecal - but there's a little ylang ylang note that somehow binds everything together and forms an overall "sun-dried banana" aroma that is warm, fruity and extremely pleasant (if you've ever eaten sun-dried banana you'll know what I mean). I wanted just one bottle from the Aoud collection but ended up purchasing both Amber Aoud Absolute Precieux and Musk Aoud (regular version).

TF's Oud Wood meets Roja's animalistic/opulent components of Diaghilev. Side notes: I think it's brilliant and masterful in what it was out to accomplish. The scent itself is of opulence and could be worn during life's most elegant occasions. Side side notes: After spending some time (or lack thereof) with this scent, it really does upset me that this is such a terrible performer. It's one of the most beautiful combinations of notes I've come across but I barely get a couple hours out of it. With how dark the juice is... you would think it would last all day. Also... it costs a fortune.