Oud

After an initial blast that does have a strong barnyard note this one settles in for a long ride, more magic carpet than a Bentley, just in terms of the incredible number of notes that are blended into this one. I am not sure how many of those who are only familiar with Western Oud fragrances will want this to be something they will wear except places that appreciate the epitome of Middle Eastern opulence. For me, I will wear it sparingly mostly because of its price, but each wearing will allow me to be transported to a heaven where Hindi Oud is real. I have not tried Habah, but this one has the Spirit of Dubai DNA. I can guarantee I will be sniffing my wrist repeatedly for as long as this beast lasts. It has great longevity and sillage is strong. It is a very male leaning scent and it would take some courage to wear this out about in most parts of the US. I would very strongly encourage a sample before shelling out for a whole bottle.

An extravagant kitchen sink of aromatic woody amber notes, this is an overindulgent trifle that still manages to shine because of the high quality of its ingredients. The centerpiece is a real Hindi Oud in all its glory which in the opening is surrounded by various aromatic and fruity notes (too many to list) and in the heart florals leading to a dense woody powdery base of woody amber, patchouli and tobacco. This is not subtle - A no holds barred full throttle assault on the senses that screams ‘I am a rich Sheikh’ from the rooftops. The masculine leaning scent has strong sillage and lasts forever because of addition of synthetic ambery notes to the mix as well. If you can get it, in most likelihood it will wow you with its astonishing decadence. Enjoy!

First off, I am a huge fan of Frederic Malle's The Night. I count it as one of my prized possessions. That being said, one might think that purchasing Spirit of Dubai Oud would be redundant---it is not. Compared to the night, Dubai Oud is quite linear. The journey begins and ends (quite a while later) with a very pungent, barnyardy, earthy, animalistic oud. This is an oud for oud lovers and not just oud "wanna be" lovers. No "western" oud here, so fans of YSL M7---look elsewhere. This juice commands a healthy price and I resisted until finding a fairly reasonable deal. IMO, $865 for 50ml is whacko. That's The Night territory. The bottle is kitsch. The case is kitsch. The juice is an oud-lover's dream. Because of the price, recommended with reservations.

It doesn't get much better than this. This is not a barnyard oud. It is western. Strong but balanced with sweetness, spice, light floral and cedar. It's the perfect combo. This is as good as any Boadicea or Roja on the market. Amazing house. I LOVED the top but in the base, it's all about cedar. Dry cedar. So, it went from love to like for me. Still amazing.

I tried this at the spirit of Dubai kiosk in the entrance of the Dubai mall...of all the perfumes I've smelled that are oud, this is the closest one that smells of real oud. It was amazing but at 2700 dirhams (700$) WAAAAY out of my price range. Scent 9/10 Projection 6/10 Fortitude 8/10