Lao Oud Bortnikoff 2021 Extrait de Parfum

This one I was taken with when I first tried, so I purchased a sample. Later on, it made me feel nauseous. Now, I'm deciding to try it again. Upon first spray, the cacao and coffee are coming out quite a bit stronger. It is definitely lao oud, though. The name is no misnomer. I don't think I'd ever buy this. Not because I don't like it (I actually don't know if I do), but more because it's more oud than I'd ever need. It does what it says on the label, and it does it well. It's a 'take no prisoners' approach, where there's never any real sign of relenting. It's strong... very strong. The notes breakdown is a little funny, especially when you see the top notes. You might look at the article and think "Oh, it has a floral spicy opening... that's cute!", but nope. This starts with oud and ends with oud. It's not linear, per se, but it doesn't drift from the main focus very often or for very long. The voters say its unisex, and I do agree, but this is one of the first times I've found a fragrance to be slightly more masculine leaning. Bizarre, but effective. Not for the faint of heart.

So, TL;DR, it's lao oud ... with a bit of less heavy, but still not exactly "light" notes and accords thrown in. There's complexity, though, no doubt.