Gao

EN I discovered this company at the fair Fragranze 2012 in Florence Italy. It wasn't easy to find then the store that sells fragrances to the regular customer like me, but in the end I was able to buy the whole line from the site ausliebezumduft.de I must say that there is a system to buy perfumes Xerjoff paying the relatively low price (the normal price of the bottle of 50 ml is up to US$ 260-325). Since the Shooting Stars line and the Oud Stars line are the masterpieces of artistic perfumery, it is worth to buy the Shooting Stars - Discovery Sets - Part One and Part Two and Oud Stars Collection - Discovery Set that cost US$ 208 for each of the first two sets and US$ 254 for the Oud collection set. Of course there are the Discovery Sets for XJ17/17 Collection (US$ 331) and XJ Casamorati 1888 Vintage Collection (US$ 182), but personaly I do not like the last two lines, so I didn't order them. In each set there are 6 fragrances of 15ml each and therefore the price for a volume of 50 ml drops to US$116 for Shooting Stars collection and to US$142 for Oud Stars collection instead of USD$ 260 and US$ 325 for full version bottles. IT Ho scoperto questa casa di profumi alla fiera Fragranze 2012 a Firenze. Non era poi facile di trovare il negozio che vendesse i profumi ad un mortale come me, ma alla fine sono riuscito ad acquistare tutta la linea dal sito ausliebezumduft.de Devo dire che c'è un sistema per comprare i profumi di Xerjoff al prezzo relativamente molto basso (il prezzo normale della bottiglietta di 50 ml arriva a circa €200-250). Visto che tutta la linea Shooting Stars e la linea Oud Stars sono i capolavori della profumeria artistica, vale la pena a comprare il Shooting Stars - Discovery Sets - Part One and Part Two e Oud Stars Collection - Discovery Set che costano €160 per ciascuno dei primi due e €195 per la collezione Oud. Ovviamente esistono anche i Discovery Sets per XJ17/17 Collection (€255) e per XJ Casamorati 1888 Vintage Collection (€140), ma quest'ultimi a me non piacciono. Nel ciascun set ci sono 6 profumi nelle bottigliette di 15ml e quindi il prezzo per un volume di 50ml crolla a €89 per Shooting Stars collection e €109 per Oud Stars invece di €200 per Shooting Stars e di €250 per Oud Stars.

This is a potent and very "serious" scent. Definitely a blast of medicinal oud with saffron sharing dominance with the oud. Somewhat jarring on first spray, yet alluringly calling for you to repeatedly sniff your wrists. The resins are certainly present, as is another element that I cannot identify... perhaps the cypriol oil? I don't have a reference for what that note even is, to be totally honest. Overall, this is nice but as others have mentioned, very similar in overall style to Montale, although I can't think of exactly what Montale. The oud in this is extremely reminiscent of Montale's Dark Aoud... but Dark Aoud is all about oud and a little bit of sandalwood... and nothing else. The saffron and resins add another dimension to this that makes it overall more satisfying to me. I wear this when I'm in a contemplative mood. It is not really a comforting scent although I could see how it could be for others. As Jack Hunter's review alludes to, this is far away from being a safe scent, and thus I would caution that versatility is low, as this perfume has enormous projection and sillage.

Oud Stars Gao is rich, opulent, oily and thick; it is the only oud perfume that I truly love. When I first sampled this in winter, I was not a fan of the (much talked about) medicinal, menthol- like notes paired with the thick, oily oud. A few months later, the temperature had risen and the sun was beginning to punctuate the days more- this was the key to unlocking this gorgeous scent. The warmth of the summer days gives the menthol something to keep it in check, and so, the medicinal scent ended up being the reason I love this. Without it, this would be like many other ouds- a winter scent that’s opulent but not particularly unique. Instead, this is an oud that keeps its challenging, powerful DNA whilst being wearable on warmer days (and I would recommend wearing in the warmth- not the winter!) It’s essential to try this before buying and also essential to let your nose ‘acclimatise’ to the scent over a few months before you decide whether you like it or not. I gave it a fair chance and as a result, was rewarded with an incredibly well performing and opulent summer oud fragrance.

This fragrance is heaven-sent. I love oud frags and am always in search of the perfectly blended oud-based scent. This one is a combination of saffron, cypriol oil, oud, juniper and balsamic notes. All are my favourites, but the beauty of this is the blend - a smooth exotic mesmerizing sexy wearable unisex perfume that really pushes my buttons. Needless to say, performance is 10/10 on all parameters. I own and wear both Montale's Aoud Musk and Gao and I certainly can see the similarities but I have to say that Gao is a little more smoother-edged and performs better. I am a little surprised by the poor reviews on this one - oh well, to each his nose.

I'm a fan of the oud/cypriol combo so I love Gao. The ratings here aren't the highest as it probably not for everyone; it could be considered a little dark. Its not the sweet, fruity, willy wanka juice popular with so many these days. For me the oud and cypriol give this a woody camphor smell which for me reminds me of a forest. In today's world of synthetics it is nice to still have natural options or at least natural smelling options. This smell transports me to the forest in my mind. I find it funny in one of the review below they mention this has synthetic vibes; I couldn't disagree more.