Forest Oud

Just got this one today, along with Azraq, Caribbean Waters and King's Precious Oud. Forest Oud has intrigued me because I wanted to see how Oud would work in a fragrance created for the summer. So here's my review for Forest Oud. Notes: Pine needles, grass, Rosewood, Amber and Oud. Smell: Right off the bat, Forest oud starts off with a blast of pine and grass. It's a very refreshing smell, unlike anything I have in my collection. I've only put on 2 sprays today. At the time of writing this review, it's been about 4 hours since application so things have settled down, but the projection is still great. The grass has taken a backseat and I can barely smell it anymore. It's now a wonderful blend of pine, rosewood and a hint of Amber. I have to say that I cannot smell the Oud at all, or it is incredibly faint. That's a bit disappointing because I really wanted to see how the oud would work its way into the mix. The scent though, is fantastic, very pleasant and safe for a work environment. In my opinion, this is a very versatile scent and could be used during the day time in any season. Longevity and projection: A colleague of mine remarked that the perfume is really good, which is rather rare when it comes to compliments at work. And he was at a pretty good distance too, approximately 3 feet away. Longevity-wise, considering that it's still going strong after 4 hours of application, I think it could easily last over 8 hours in an office setting. To summarize, if you like green, fresh smells, you'll love this one. Also check out Ocean Mist men! It is, however, second behind Forest Oud for me. I'm all set for the summer with these two, and Caribbean waters, I think! 9/10 for me. TL;dr: Fresh! Sooo fresh!

Forest Oud is, as promised, a lot of pine, but certainly not comparable to the pine-intensive fragrances I own (Creed Epicea and Imaginary Authors Cape Heartache). Forest Oud is much greener, almost to the point that the pine itself is subdued entirely by the green and herbal notes. It's a little biting at its opening but dries down to be much more mellow, as one might expect. It's inoffensive but not particularly attractive to my nose, perhaps something suited better for a room fragrance than a personal fragrance, at least on my skin. I can certainly imagine how, with minor tweaks, this could be a green summer winner for men or women (though it leans ever so slightly masculine in my opinion). In fairness, the greenness shouldn't come as a total shock since the juice is literally green-colored. I just don't get any oud or amber (as listed notes) either, and the experience is a little less pine-intensive than I'd perhaps hoped for. Performance is decent for what seemingly is a warm-weather-designed fragrance, as its initial projection is strong for at least several hours before becoming closer to the skin. I sort of like it but am not fully on board, and perhaps another wearing after another couple of weeks (as Dua Fragrances are said to age somewhat the first few weeks) might reveal something different, but as my batch was blended at least 10 days ago, I'd infer that this is simply how it works on my skin. 6 out of 10