Valentino Noir Absolu Oud Essence

This one reminds me of sheikh abdullah if anyone knows it from kuwait. In general here's my review for what I can smell: The opening is very spicy, oudy and pungent! If you are a westerner (mostly white) then this is not for you probably, this is really intended for middle-eastern and specifically gulf people, the darker desert skin people, works perfect. I must admit that it is not easy to swallow type of perfume if you are not familiar with oud, so be careful buying it blindly. There's some sweetness in the background (assuming it's the sandalwood) and it makes it really pleasant. the leather in it is very faint and dark in the background so i wouldn't say it is leathery, but it is more on the woody oudy side. The cedar plays very gently within the notes, its more like a hint of violin in the background playing faintly between other instruments, but it definitely works well. as for saffron, i actually don't smell it at all. I dont know how myrtle smells like, but i am assuming the note that i can not identify is the myrtle, which is nice but very very subtle. There's a hint of powdery accord to the perfume that makes it exactly right and not irritating (because i hate powdery accords) but starts to be noticed after about an hour and disappears very quickly. after 3 hours the smell is very well rounded and smooth, smells more woody and smoky / incense and oud to it with a hint of sweetness which is very elegant. I imagine this perfume to be worn while going to an opera or a classical music concert at night, this is more of a winter / fall perfume, but some people could still pull it off in the summer (night only). You could wear to the office, but you really need to be wearing an amazing suit and working with a high-end company (simply because this perfume is really classy and of high quality). I put three sprays on my hand and the first impression is quite harsh (if you don't have the nose for it) so spraying this and seeing people immediately might offend them. it cools down quite fast (30 minutes) and it already becomes warmer and deeper than the initial stage. (which is less offensive to people) and if you have the right skin then you are actually going to turn heads, because it is unique. It has a slight dry effect to it that really makes it very intriguing in the initial couple of hours. after an hour it is just heaven (almost wanna lick my hand to taste it) that kind of goodness. For the price (40$ in the UAE) i would say 10/10 performance: 9/10 it really shows the good quality of used ingredients smell / quality: 8.5/10 sillage: 8/10 uniqueness: 8/10 not super unique (if you are into oud), but definitely special in its own way. longevity: 7.75/10 (first 30 minutes very strong 10/10, then for 2 hours going strong 8/10, then continues for another 3 hours a bit weaker 7/10, then continues for another 3 hours with an okay strength 6/10 "total of about 8 hours of good performance and projection" oud quality: 8.5/10 very very good oud (almost excellent) Enjoy :)

Noir Absolu Oud Essence is not Zoo Hyrax or Tropic of Capricorn. Noir Absolu Oud Essence is buttery smooth, warm, woodsy, and just modestly animalic- not the literal barn people seem to be experiencing.The best part of Noir Absolu Oud Essence is actually a desert-desiccated amber that is unlisted in the notes. Combined with a bone-dry cedar+sandal, I get flashbacks to Taur L'Air du Desert Marocain. Noir Absolu Oud Essence skips any sweet resin, though, and adds in a wonderfully mammalian musk and a surprisingly gentle, but bright oud. Noir Absolu Oud Essence is not bombastically strong like it's sister scent, Noir Absolu Musc Essence, but it buzzes around you for 12 hours. Something magical happened with Noir Absolu Oud Essence. When I first received it via mail several months ago, it smelled pleasant, but too similar to the standard leather-oud men's fragrances that are so common now. It had that Brut cologne-y undertone that seems to pervade anything labeled "Men's" and it was not particularly interesting. So, I put it in my swap/sell list. After trying it many months later, the scent has completely changed, and I really enjoy it now. It is truly unisex and matches the luxury almost-niche vibe of Noir Absolu Musc Essence. It obviously uses synthetics, but it never smells symthetic. I still prefer Noir Absolu Musc Essence, but Noir Absolu Oud Essence still impresses me.

A lot of hate for this one. I guess that Valentino tried to do some kind of a semi-niche line, introducing this one an its Musc sibling as two stand alone scents, while suggesting layering them with the rest of Valentino male and female releases. I think that the whole project quite failed, not sure if it was because of bad marketing (you can hardly find them anywhere - or this was a part of presenting them as limited niche fragrances?) or because of the tons of hate that they got on reviews, which are really unfair in my opinion. While they are less that 1 year on the market, you can find the online with great discount. I tried it some days ago and I was really impressed. I had read terrible reviews already and what I got was a very interesting and more wearable Armani Prive Oud Royal. Not sure if it worths the 150$ for the 100ml, but it is an interesting perfume. Longevity was something like 5 hours, with moderate projection. It worths a try. Follow my scent journey on instagram instagram.com/scentsexual *This review was written after several full wearings of the perfume and not just after smelling this on paper or on wrist.

Very animalistic Oud. Wow and from a safer designer House. Maybe they are showing they are serious. Love it. Does last and broadcast. A lot goes a long way here. At first when sprayed you’re like it’s OK, some Valentino DNA but then ten minutes later the drydown begins. Leather first than quality Oud sneaks in. Then it: Smacks you in the face...you’re like “say what!” Great job here Valentino. And it last and lingers. I thought I was wearing a super very expensive niche for awhile when I first sprayed on.

When I first got it I thought it was ok but when I found out it was also made to layer with other fragrances I tried it with Uomo Noir Absolu and it makes a beautiful combination, maybe even one of my signature scents for colder weather. Performance is good too, I was lucky enough to score a bottle of this for under $40. Definitely not blind buy safe.