HIRH

Nouveau Monde smells expensive. Very expensive. Well, not expensive scented oils and elaborate scent compositions. But expensive in the sense of expensive Porsche with leather seats, expensive leather jacket, expensive handbag.

Common to the abovementioned associated goods: leather goods. Admittedly, not with many Louis Vuitton handbags, but that's not the point here.

And for me this is also the core component of the fragrance. As is often the case with Louis Vuitton without being listed in the fragrance pyramid. An interesting idea (I'm sure this didn't happen accidentally), as a tribute to the roots of the house.

However, this is what leads to the fact that one also likes to attach a wrong expectation to a scent. I am an avowed lover of oud and also an avowed lover of gourmet fragrances (cocoa). This symbiosis seemed quite promising to me and so I sprayed some sprays from my sample in joyful expectation.

However, I did not receive the promised oud cocoa DNA, but instead a slightly aquatic-salty leather scent. Yes, I can detect slight hints of cocoa and absolutely enigmatic oud. But in the main it is simply a salty leather scent. It's not bad at all. It's quite something. But why does this "gimmick" reminder of the house's tradition have to be so present that it has to destroy the entire ambition and creative idea of this fragrance?

This could have been something very own and very special. In two ways. Because one would have - instead of realizing the creative fragrance pyramid - simply forgotten the alibi fragrance pyramid completely and instead
can release a fragrance a la "Essence d' Louis Vuitton." With the only scent "Louis Vuitton bag" This would have been a guaranteed success - without one the transfiguration of a great and creative fragrance composition.

I'm rather annoyed by this overall and don't know what it's all about. Cheers

I have a kind of love-hate relationship with the house of Roja Dove. I am a fan of Roja's marketing and the special attention to elegance and quality. I am also a fan of many of his compositions.

But with the aoud perfumes of the house I have three little problems: Firstly, they are clearly overengineered for me, with a little too many components. The brevity is the spice and I like to know what I smell. I don't like constructs that are hard to grasp in their complexity. I also appreciate perfumes that are intense, even with rough edges. In short: a clear (preferably innovative) concept and room-filling sillage.

Roja corresponds to this with his aoud compositions rather semi-very well. The fragrances are unprecedentedly complex - and they should be! This makes it difficult for me to smell the ingredients. I certainly recognize a currant, a hint of apple and some oud. In the entree even some lime. But: all this together makes up the character of the fragrance felt to not even 40%. There are a lot of other notes that I can't separate out. But it wants to, because I have the feeling that these notes are clearly responsible for the DNA of the fragrance. Then there is - for me - also the difference to fragrances like XerJoff's Alexandria II. They're also more complex than just oud rose lavender. But the fragrance is defined by these three ingridients. And that's the difference to Roja's oud creations, which aren't just defined by the components that just smell out, much remains diffuse. Diffuse not in the effect, but already in the cause. And I think that's a pity. I find it almost as bad that Roja's oud creations are so soft and round. This is undoubtedly what Roja had in mind. But for me, it doesn't fit the animalistic and mysterious character of real oud that I like so much.

I also have a problem with the durability and sillage of Roja's oud creations. I don't know why and I know the many different reports of experience. But I almost have to drown my forearm in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to even notice anything after 10 minutes. I have this problem not only with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but also with less complex aoud scents like amber aoud. On the other hand, I need a splash or even less with Creed's Royal Oud or MFK's Baccarat Rouge Extrait to achieve the same effect. I don't get behind it, but it bothers me. Interestingly enough, I don't have this problem with the fragrances in Roja's Parfum Cologne series. They have durability and sillage to my taste - just as much as the multiple evaluations here.

Conclusion: For the reasons mentioned above I unfortunately cannot make friends with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A beautifully round scent, which loses its attraction for me in its over-complexity. But it is exactly what Roja Dove wanted to deliver. So don't be afraid to try it out if you're attracted to what bothers me. :) Cheers

During my last purchase in the niche perfumery of my choice, I was allowed to choose which samples I would like to take with me. When I discovered that creed samples are also available, I thought I would take a Royal Oud sample with me.

I had actually only heard good things about this fragrance before. It's a classic DNA with oud that can be worn in summer. First of all, I feel that the fragrance does justice to this claim. In my statement, I have drawn parallels to AdP's Oud from the first impression. But there the first impression definitely deceived me. However: from the beginning!

The fragrance opens with citrus notes that settle quite quickly on a bed of cedar. The light citrus notes, however, disappear only after one to two hours, not with the appearance of the cedar.

Then the fragrance becomes slightly creamier, still on the cedar base. Not without a certain lightness, but no exaggeration.

And so the fragrance lingers on the skin almost endlessly, until the next morning or rather until the next shower. The durability is definitely underestimated here in my opinion. The Sillage is not too obtrusive because of the classic DNA, anyway not world champion. But definitely present.

Some of you may well ask yourself while reading this, why I don't go into the basic grades at all. That is because they do not exist for me. I am an "oud expert" and lover of oriental scents. I know what musk smells like. I know what oud smells like. I know what sandalwood smells like. I don't smell any of this in Creed's Royal Oud. I don't smell it in the dry-down either. A more fitting name would have been Royal Cedar. Because, for the life of me, that smell's got nothing to do with oud!

This also makes it different from the AdP-Oud "series". Because it's based on oud and not cedar and that actually makes a bigger difference in drydown. Only the top notes are similarly citric.

Conclusion: A classic citrus wood DNA, well done. But unfortunately, fraudulent labelling. Still so beautiful, I could imagine buying the scent. But for now, there are definitely other scents on my list. Cheers

Star Musk is light, Star Musk is gentle.

Star Musk gives the impression of a weak-breasted fragrance. Because many fragrances that are so gentle are weak-breasted. And when you smell this wonderfully round composition, you simply cannot imagine a room-filling sillage. Think!

The truth is different. This fragrance is - despite its round softness - a real breaker. It fills a room with enthusiasm. And not only those who like the scent. When friends of mine wear it, I can perceive it already from meters. The fragrance is one of the few fragrances that manage to fill rooms with such a gentle and light scent character.

Musk scents can be roughly divided into two categories. There is once the sharp, almost pungent musk. Like in Roberto Ugolini's Blue Sude Shoes. I don't think it's as bad as the negative word "stinging" would suggest (the top note needs to be improved, I think). The other category is that of soft musk, which I am not the biggest fan of as a lover of oriental scents.

With Musk Star, however, things are a little different: the gentleness is what makes this fragrance so special. The opening is certainly a bit citric and floral, and gives the soft musk a touch of additional lightness. This makes this fragrance a light scent, but it makes its cronies - often to be found in the designer fragrance segment - smile at their anti-elegance. For me, the fragrance is a fragrance for the holidays. For holidays, on an Italian or Swiss lake, in one of the old-fashioned five-star hotels. Which can be combined well with the Amber Star. But it can also stand on its own.

In the dry-down, the fragrance becomes more vanilla and creamy overall. But in a way that doesn't take away the Italian summer lifestyle.

Conclusion: The association with my holidays in Italy is always a high compliment to a fragrance for me. You can read why in my commentary on Alexandria II. It is suitable for every occasion that somehow demands a special elegance, but at the same time forbids obtrusiveness. With this fragrance you can be clearly perceived without attracting attention. An excellent performance by the perfumer. I have to see where I can get one. Because I like Amber Star, too, but it's not nearly as beautiful as Star Musk. Cheers

The Don. What a catchy name. The scent of a man who's not too sorry to get his hands dirty.

The scent plays with clichés. Especially the cliché that made a real man in 1850. The man knew how to get by with his revolver. And was smoking cigars and drinking whisky in bars - pardon me, saloons -

This is also the inspiration here. The scent is not complex, no. The scent is simple. Almost as simple as the image of masculinity at the time. So it fits.

The fragrance starts with each quantity of gunpowder. A little gunfire smell. Sports marksmen and those of us who have been involuntarily conscripted into military service know what I mean. I even find the smell a little green in the first few minutes. It's definitely the gunpowder, though. After about 15-30 minutes the tobacco is added. Very authentic and very rich, more cigar than cigarette tobacco. A little later, some whisky is added. The added ingredients do not displace the previous ones, but join them. The drydown is very similar to that of Margiela's Jazz Club, with a gunpowder note added. I don't smell anything of molasses, will be more of a blend. The scent is definitely one with rough edges, not a perfume sucked all over.

I find this combination very beautiful. Not only because I am a (casual) sports shooter and this scent brings me closer to this hobby and awakens beautiful associations. But also because a soft and warming ambience is created from whisky and tobacco. An ambience, as amber-vanilla combinations also create. But which, unlike this combination, smells of man and is definitely not unisex-suitable.

The shelf life is day-long, the Sillage is slightly more reserved than the Sillage of other XerJoff fragrances. It should also be mentioned that it is a product of the cheaper XerJoff line and is concentrated as an eau de parfum, not as a perfume like the Oud Stars. Therefore, this is absolutely fair. Half the price, but definitely more than half the sillage.

Conclusion: I liked this fragrance so much that I can welcome it to my collection today. The masculine warmth of whisky and tobacco is extremely pleasant, though not for the faint of heart. The rough edges make it not a fragrance for everyone, but a fragrance for me. Recommendation to buy can be made. Cheers!