Skip to main content

Oud Cuir d'Arabie by Montale

Going through my sample box, I pulled this vial out and once I saw it was a Montale, my first thought was...."Oh God, another sample wearing I"m not going to like". My second thought was to give it a chance like I'm supposed to.

Don't get me wrong......I'm not a Montale hater. I've sampled quite a few and reviewed even less than I sampled. The fact is I'm simply not an Aoud person. That particular note is just too permeating for my sensibilities. I deliberately go into sampling everything I review with optimism; regardless of past experiences. I have found only a few ( literally) that work for me......kind of.......

Within one minute of application, I was astounded that I found Oud Cuir d'Arabie very simplistic and very, very good. The opening is bombastic, but very quickly subsides into an obvious leather with a woody undercurrent . This is a leather rendition I can get along with and the oud is seemingly of a different species than what I normally attribute to the Montale line. I also get either ambergris or a facsimile after 10 minutes wafting around in there. This is the entire progression on my skin and the accord has a bite to it that rocks.

The longevity might not be nuclear like other notables from this house, but it still is better than most other houses for staying power. Hours later, that same accord is going at a lower volume and the "bite" is still present. Most important, the leather remains at the front of the line until the death knell sounds.

Finally.........a Montale that Aromi can add to his drobe and actually wear it !!! Will wonders ever cease.....Thumbs up for Montale's Oud Cuir d'Arabie.

Comments

  1. I have bad luck with Montales, and I'm an oud lover. I find that Montale uses way too much amber for my taste. I like that this is leather-heavy, though, that may make it worth my while.

    By the way, there will be a package coming your way next week. I had fun testing all of your vials today!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Carrie.......and thank you ! I think you would probably like this Montale. I'm really considering it for a future purchase.

    ReplyDelete
  3. By the way, if you are curious as to which of the samples you sent I responded to most favorably, it is the Satellite Paris Padparadscha, Chanel Sycomore, ElDO Tom of Finland and YSL M7. I could easily wear all of them with regularity. Woody heaven! I had never heard of Satellite Paris before, but Padparadscha is the clear winner of the bunch.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lol....I too liked Sycomore, ELDO and M7, yet Satellite did nothing for me. I may have to go back and try it again.

    For some reason Tom of Finland worked pretty good on my skin. I may add it to the wardrobe very soon as I have found a seller with a good price.

    I'm glad you liked a few of them !!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Chanel copying Guerlain. Why?

                      Last month, I had the pleasure of trying Comète by Chanel, the latest addition to their prestigious Les Exclusifs line. This fragrance follows the release of Le Lion in 2020, another standout in the same collection. Like Le Lion , Comète is a beautiful perfume that captures the essence of Chanel’s refined elegance. However, both fragrances bear a striking resemblance to classic creations by Guerlain, leading me to ponder the direction Chanel is taking. Chanel has a great fragrance history. Not as hallowed and old as Guerlain but for past three decades it has far outshone Guerlain. In my view, no other perfume house has come close to Chanel’s excellence in this century. This makes their recent approach of echoing Guerlain classics somewhat perplexing. Have they run out of fresh ideas? Is Roger Dove at the helm of their fragrance division, or have they perhaps...

Teatro Alla Scala - Krizia

I tried Comete by Chanel today and wanted to write about how Chanel is going by the way of Roger Dove - copying old masterpieces. I did not know where to post that and then I realized I have been neglecting this blog. When I logged in I saw an unfinished post I wrote a year ago about Teatro Alla Scala by Krizia. Teatro is the best full bodied floral - better than any Chanel or Patou. Even better than Gucci L'Arte.  A brief background: Teatro Alla Scala is an Opera theatre in Milan. The bottle's design is an homage to the theatre and the perfume an homage to its sophisticated patrons. I wanted to write a symphony for it. Maybe some day. For now here are few notes I wrote comparing EDT vs EDP.  And if you don't have Teatro, your wardrobe is incomplete Rose, Jasmine, Tuberose. Jammy berries (more in EDP) . Honey note listed is probably the jammy part Vetiver & moss - more in EDT Rose and carnation is more than jasmine and that is what separates it from other florals like J...