His Majesty The Oud Tester

Interlude without oregano. Which is a good thing - though it is the signature note of Amouage’s famous creation, not everyone can tolerate the smell of barbecue. His Majesty is smoother, more polite version. As someone who loves and can tell the real oud from no oud, I can positively say, there is none detectable, so noone has to be afraid of “fecal” oud qualities (when I see that written I always wonder why people who have an urge to write this even consider wearing or buying oud fragrances; it just shows how empty the term oud is in today’s mainstream perfumery - just a marketing catch phrase). This aside, it is really nice scent, very well blended, long lasting with mild projection (again an advantage vs. obnoxiously beast-mode Interlude). It is sweet, but not overly sweet - very tolerable level of sweetness tamed by the smoke and spices. Certainly will be my scent for upcoming holiday season as it instantly conveys this warm enveloping feeling of Christmas by the fireplace.

My first reaction to the opening was "wow!" Obviously only an oud fan would be trying on a scent named "His Majesty the Oud." This is an "oud fans only" scent. Otherwise stay far, far away. The oud is on the same level as Reminiscence Oud, which heretofore was the oudiest of the many ouds I've tried out. Oud here is not a note, but a crescendo. I'm a huge fan of oud notes, but by itself the oud here is right at the limits of what I find enjoyable, so adding the dark notes of the black tea and clove bordered on overkill for me, especially in the opening, but that calmed down in fifteen minutes and the woodiness came forward. There's a hint of the ashtrays in an old-timey wood-paneled men's club going on here.

Take TF Oud Wood, give it nuclear performance and mix it with Ombre Leather and this is the result. Oud isn't fecal nor stanky. It all blends well and is quite smooth but still very potent. I don't really like most oud fragrances, typically because they are rose/oud combos, but this one is quite nice. It is a powerhouse of a scent and kinda reminds me of something from Amouage. In the end this is too mature for me to wear as I like young playful sweet fragrances more.

I really love this fragrance. It is extremely well blended and falls in the same category of tamed oud/vanilla such as tom ford oud wood. The addition of cloves and tea note is brilliant and gives the fragrance a burnt woods dimension that mimics an actual oud smoke. The oud used is very light, smooth and natural. The hole blend actually smells very natural, expensive and niche quality. Projection is ok and the longevity is good.

Dry, dusty, dark, bitter, smoky, woody tobacco. I get some 'ashy' texture as well. And yes! This part (not the whole scent composition) reminds me of that part of Kalemat Black. Dry, crushed cloves (everything dry) is present, though not too distinctive. The leather part is not at all like TF but is what I imagine how the old dry leather garment pieces smell like when they become flaking and crumbly (from the heat of the Sun).