I'm an oud junkie, especially when it's combined with rose! One would think that this combination would always smell the same, and indeed some of the Montale versions do ... but try Aoud Queen Roses and fall in love
. The addition of different sub notes affects Rose/Oud combinations quite deeply and I'm sure that Oud from different places changes the fragrances too.
I was lucky enough to be able to go shopping at Mall of Arabia in Jeddah a few days ago. I came across the Arabian Oud store (they are 50% off worldwide currently, even on the website!) and bought two frags there ... Kalemat Black (which I've reviewed on the Kalemat page and am deeply mad over) and Mukhallat al Shioukh which contains Egyptian Jasmine, Bulgarian Rose, Vanilla, White Aoud and Plant Amber. I'll review it as soon as it's added to the Parfumo database
.
I also went to Sephora and found a fragrance that seems to be very elusive of information on the net. It's S.T Dupont's Oud Et Rose from their Souvenirs de Malles collection. It's magnifiscent!! Also bought a second bottle of S**** Opulent no. 77 as I like it so much! At the airport duty free on my way out of Saudi there was a smorgasbord of Arabian frags on offer, but I settled for Black Aoud and Aoud Queen Roses by Montale, as I have a really hard time getting these to South Africa, where I live.
I prefer sprays but love oils too and have a sizeable collection of those, mostly from Al Haramain and Ajmal. The trick with oils (as explained to me by an Arab friend) is to apply them to damp skin after a hot shower. This way they last for 16+ hours!
Adventures into Arabic perfumery are just that
... from the least expensive attar to the costly likes of Amouage, once this bug bites it's nearly impossible to deny the urge to splurge.
Arooq Al Oud
