09/23/2012
Apicius
222 Reviews
Apicius
Very helpful Review
7
A Stronger Sun
Sun of Oud or Sunny Oud seems to be the rough English translation of this name. This is well chosen: Dahn Oud Al Shams is a very warm oud fragrance, and it can lift up your mood like warm sunbeams in autumn. From my experience with natural oud oil I would confirm that this is the real thing, not a synthetic replacement. I do not want to go into more details. Actually, I found that this Special Edition is exactly the same fragrance as the original Dahn Oud Al Shams, so please read my review there. Nevertheless, some points are worth mentioning:
There is a difference between the two, and this is the strength. If you wear Dahn Oud Al Shams in the evening, both fragrances will still be there in the morning. However, it is the Special Edition that survives a hot shower! Natural oud oils generally seem to be most complex, demanding and animal when applied, and then calm down to a more easy-going musty woodiness. The Special Edition was able to keep a bit more of the animal aspect from the beginning during its drydown. The difference may very well be compared to that between Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum strength in western perfumery (and according to our policy the Special Edition maybe should not be listed seperately in the database).
What I also like about these Dehnal Ouds is that they come as 30 ml sprays, not as pure oils. This is very rare for something called Dehnal Oud. Being used to western perfumery I can more easily valuate what I get for the money if it comes as a spray. I have doubts whether a tiny 3 ml miniature bottle of Dehnal Oud oil really contains the same amount of fragrance that we usually get out of a 30 ml spray flacon. I also have the impression that some kind of fixation might have been added to the Dahn Oud Al Shams fragrances, which is a good thing. So, at least for while, they keep their level of loudness which usually the pure oils do not. The pure oils may be intense on skin according to the applied amount but immediately start fading gradually.
I have to thank JPHx for kindly sending me a sample of the Special Edition. I own the original, and I think it is outstanding. It comes near to what I consider a perfect fragrance, and indeed, next to Guerlain's Chamade pour Homme, Dahn Oud Al Shams has become my favourite fragrance. I wear it a lot!
I just ordered Dahn Oud Al Shams Special Edition, and another bottle of the original from ASF-Dubaishop, and I hope it will work out. Both versions of Dahn Oud Al Shams can be considered bargain buys IMHO. They are 61 and 95 USD plus shipping plus duty tax – this is about where niche perfumery starts! I think about a sample giveaway of the original Dahn Oud Al Shams. The problem with the Arab fragrances is that nobody offers samples – and even The Perfumed Court has only the cheaper Mukhallat of Dahn Oud Al Shams, which is a blended version. This outstanding fragrance deserves to be promoted a little bit!
There is a difference between the two, and this is the strength. If you wear Dahn Oud Al Shams in the evening, both fragrances will still be there in the morning. However, it is the Special Edition that survives a hot shower! Natural oud oils generally seem to be most complex, demanding and animal when applied, and then calm down to a more easy-going musty woodiness. The Special Edition was able to keep a bit more of the animal aspect from the beginning during its drydown. The difference may very well be compared to that between Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum strength in western perfumery (and according to our policy the Special Edition maybe should not be listed seperately in the database).
What I also like about these Dehnal Ouds is that they come as 30 ml sprays, not as pure oils. This is very rare for something called Dehnal Oud. Being used to western perfumery I can more easily valuate what I get for the money if it comes as a spray. I have doubts whether a tiny 3 ml miniature bottle of Dehnal Oud oil really contains the same amount of fragrance that we usually get out of a 30 ml spray flacon. I also have the impression that some kind of fixation might have been added to the Dahn Oud Al Shams fragrances, which is a good thing. So, at least for while, they keep their level of loudness which usually the pure oils do not. The pure oils may be intense on skin according to the applied amount but immediately start fading gradually.
I have to thank JPHx for kindly sending me a sample of the Special Edition. I own the original, and I think it is outstanding. It comes near to what I consider a perfect fragrance, and indeed, next to Guerlain's Chamade pour Homme, Dahn Oud Al Shams has become my favourite fragrance. I wear it a lot!
I just ordered Dahn Oud Al Shams Special Edition, and another bottle of the original from ASF-Dubaishop, and I hope it will work out. Both versions of Dahn Oud Al Shams can be considered bargain buys IMHO. They are 61 and 95 USD plus shipping plus duty tax – this is about where niche perfumery starts! I think about a sample giveaway of the original Dahn Oud Al Shams. The problem with the Arab fragrances is that nobody offers samples – and even The Perfumed Court has only the cheaper Mukhallat of Dahn Oud Al Shams, which is a blended version. This outstanding fragrance deserves to be promoted a little bit!
