Oud John Varvatos 2014

I recently tested this "men's fragrance" in my perfumery, as a special recommendation from the perfumer I know well in the store. My first impression of this Eau de Toilette: Oriental and spicy, with a distinctly "sandy" undertone for me. Why sandy? some might ask (even I myself). Perhaps the answer lies in the clearly peppery afterscent, which appears to my nose as coarser powder or fine sand. Desert sand??? Despite all the interesting speculation about the origin of the "sand," John Varvatos' Oud is quite a gentle fellow, subtly reminiscent of Jil Sander's "Scent 79 men." It may be due to ingredients like myrrh and incense, the "biblical ingredients," that create this impression. A fine coniferous "pencil scent" occasionally surfaces from the depths, giving the fragrance an aloof elegance, only to remind one of adventurous foreign landscapes with rocks and sparse, yet resilient, long-lasting vegetation in the next moment. Of Bedouins in tents, smoking tobacco and water pipes, men and women in a rough and hot environment. Sand, spice, balsams, tobacco, yes, even gentle green and floral??? components seem to "serve" this fragrance. Nevertheless, its presence is not intrusive and loud, as the fragrance pyramid might suggest, but rather reserved despite its clarity. Since the perfume is made by "Estee Lauder," it guarantees the best quality. A scent from a good, reliable house. ...... Now "Oud" becomes independent and awakens in me memories of typical spicy "Christmas scents," but not in the "living room" under the Christmas tree, rather embodying the historical Christmas story. An adventurous odyssey of two young people in antiquity, which finds a fairy-tale ending. ...The wise men from the East with heavenly-earthly, spicy-balsamic gifts.....