Oud Noir

Nice box and bottle presentation. Feels premium designer. In the same vicinity of scent profile as TF Tuscan Leather - yes but different in that Oud Noir has an added church incense and Praline accord that gives it it's identity. I had to pump the sprayer a few times as the first couple were overpowered by a pungent burnt incense note in the top. This might have been sat in the atomiser and stalk for a while since manufacture but that first taste reminded of Tom Ford Noir Anthracite with it's dark, smoky, blunt 'coal' accord that I also 'appreciate' but find challenging to wear. Anyway, atomiser now fully commissioned I get a flash of Incense and Plum straight off the top. A few minutes in the Plum subsides and erm....now.....ahem.... I am reminded of.....ahem.....Tom Ford Tuscan Leather. :o) There is still that punchy Birch note that stands front and centre (and I'm not sure it might be smoother without it altogether tbh) but at the same time I can catch hints of warmer notes (Leather/Sandalwood/Amber?) plus some almost sweet-creamy notes (Praline/Jasmine/Cinnamon/Vanilla?) fighting to get out from behind the burnt incense but not quite succeeding. After 2-3 hours the dry down is pretty much all moderately sharp, austere, Birch and Incense with a hint of Leather. Alas the warm woody notes and sweet Plum, Praline, Amber and Vanilla have all disappeared from my skin. My gut feeling is to leave this one in a dark cupboard to macerate for a few months and see if it develops toward a more palatable scent and let that boisterous Birch mature a little. I do love dark scent profiles and I'm glad that I bought this one. It's great value for money but right now this is not really wearable except for my own personal appreciation at home. Definitely 'talented' but not yet 'accomplished', as it were. Let's see how it goes. Opinion 'paused' for now.....

Smoky opening but dries down similar to Suede et Safran, if not actually identically at some point. A more gentle and sweet version of both would be Padre by MALO (by Martin Lorentzon, co-founder of Spotify). Do people get a little shocked by scents like this? We can't all smell like a vanilla candle please. I tried Nishane Suede et Safran again and this came to mind for comparison. There are similarities again and both are really great. But this beats the competition. It's richer and more complex and interesting. Certainly a first class perfume. It could have been more expensive for the actual smell, which is not synthetic at all. I bought the stock somewhere at 25 dollars a piece on a sale. 10 bottles at less than one Suede et Safran of the same amount, even though Suede lasts forever I must admit. This is off the market now which makes it even greater. Just the bottle looks like something exclusive from a long time ago, and maybe it's too expensive or items are no longer available to make this today. Same with Oud Blanc by the way, and I think both can be worn at the same time. Both are legacy perfumes that have been copied, and this came in the year before Suede et Safran. Interesting to wear this with Suede et Safran, Guerlain Vetiver EDT and Encre Noir at the same time.

There’re difficult reviews, which need more time than others... This took until the cold came again and I pressed the spray; I ordered another backup bottle right now and started this text. Well.... the smell: Smoked and dry leather, burned on a dark and dense wood. It may not sound like a desirable fragrance - and I get it -, but I find it fascinating. ... Add soft notes of bitter coffee and cocoa with a subtle plum hidden between saffron and incense: Voilà! That’s it. It’s clear that it isn’t a perfume for everyone. Okay. But It's mysterious, it has style... And it’s also different and daring. TL Oud Noir is perfect to wear with a black leather jacket, and seriously: This fragrance makes many famous leather perfumes smell like children's lollipops. For the cold: Solid projection & duration, a winner without qualms; not for fearful hearts, this is a rebel perfume. The quality is the best of designer and right now it’s available at a ridiculous price (...). This one and Oud Blanc are the most exclusive releases from Ted Lapidus, so it’s a special aroma, yes... but it ends up becoming very addictive. So wear it at your own risk. Or not... Who cares? I already have my backup bottle, so about your relationship with this perfume: “Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn".

Initial Impression short review Very dark, smokey, and dry. Don't be fooled by the sweet notes of vanilla, praline, etc., I feel there is just barely enough of those notes to not be offensively bitter and acrid. This is slightly bitter and acrid, but in a good 'sat close to a bonfire' way. The beginning brings a very rubbery oud, which gives way to the main smokeyness- perhaps they are going for burning/burnt oud feel? Maybe someone more familar with that could tell me if that's accurate, but I really enjoy it anyhow. In comparison, I had bought Amouage Interlude for the smokeyness, but it was too sweet, so I sold it. I am not saying they smell anything alike, but I much prefer this dry smokiness to the overly sweet oppoponax of Interlude. Performance also is nowhere near the Amouage, obviously, but decent for the $30-ish that I paid. Edit: Still really like this one, a bit of sweetness finally comes out to play after quite a while. I sprayed this on my chest around 8pm and when I woke up around 5am, I could smell a slight sweetness with some smoke to it on my shirt, like a smoked plum.. Great stuff. Might get a backup bottle, which I have only done once.

Wow, Oud Noir is a great one, very different. It is smokey-sweet but not overpowering, it is your favorite leather jacket which has absorbed years of different aromas and fragrances and smells so good when you put it on. It is really warm and comforting, like sipping brandy in front of a mellow fire, in a candle lit cabin in the Scandinavian forest. It is good, trust me. To me it opens with a smooth smokey accord which is much more like church incense rather than sausages over the campfire as some others have said. After about 5 minutes the sweetness of the plum, praline etc. start to show up and play equally in the composition, and last together till the end. for a comparison, to my nose this smells very much like a slightly smoother La Yuqawam without the sharp opening I get from that otherwise wonderful fragrance. Oud Noir and La Yuqawam could probably be layered together with dramatic effect. I have gotten several compliments on Oud Noir, and it is very rare here in the US so you will not smell like everyone else. I highly recommend it, just get it while you can...