15
Very helpful Review
Oriental Dream
Price: Abnormally high
30ml travel spray for €90; 50ml bottle for €175; however, the refills are significantly cheaper.
Season: More suitable for colder days, but also wearable on cooler summer nights
Age: Not necessarily for teenagers, but suitable for both younger and older wearers
Occasion: Despite the unisex declaration, for me it is more of a men’s fragrance. CI is very elegant and smells really high-quality. For me, it’s a scent for going out or for special occasions. It’s also okay for everyday wear, but almost too good for that.
Intensity: very high. The scent lasts a long time, and the projection is quite decent. If you don’t overdo it with the application, you will be enveloped by a subtle, oriental cloud all day long. 2 sprays are enough; otherwise, it becomes too much.
Scent:
CI is quite simple and linear, but still hard to describe: I don’t smell anything from the bergamot in the top note. Instead, it starts right away with the typical oud scent: bittersweet, creamy, slightly medicinal. Later, a very subtle rose comes in, but this does not make the scent sweet or floral. Amber adds warmth to the base of the fragrance; I could swear that sandalwood is also included, even though this note is not listed. As I said, oud is a rather unique and multifaceted scent that is unmistakable but hard to describe. Besides the typical medicinal note, I almost detect something like bitter cherry/amaretto in the background. CI is neither harsh nor sweet, not fresh, but also not overly heavy. By Kilian has created a very special, unique, and characterful fragrance here that you must test yourself to get a sense of it.
Conclusion:
Many fragrances these days are marketed under the label "oriental." However, these are mostly cheaply made and overly sweet vanilla bombs and nothing else. I have not been to the Orient yet, but oriental fragrances for me are cardamom, sandalwood and agarwood, cinnamon, amber, and precious spices, but not necessarily disgustingly sweet notes. Cruel Intentions smells exactly as I imagine the Orient: mysterious, exotic, creamy-woody. CI is a rather simple and linear fragrance that does not develop much on my skin. It is mainly a medicinal-woody-creamy aroma, but very finely nuanced, so it does not bore the wearer even after a long time and draws you in more with each hour of wear. As much as I am fascinated by this scent, the hefty price does put me off.
Alternatives:
Dyptique "Tam Dao": Also a creamy-woody oriental fragrance with a medicinal touch, which has no significant sweetness, but also features a very subtle rose note. Tam Dao is for me CI minus the oud note. Tam Dao is drier and subtler and not quite as long-lasting, but significantly cheaper.
Yves Saint Laurent "M7": The drydown of M7 is quite identical to CI. M7 is significantly cheaper, but can only be worn in winter, much louder than CI, but not as long-lasting on the skin. Unfortunately, the eternally lasting and borderline sweet top note of M7 made from cola, cough syrup, and EM eucalyptus candies greatly complicates its wearability.
30ml travel spray for €90; 50ml bottle for €175; however, the refills are significantly cheaper.
Season: More suitable for colder days, but also wearable on cooler summer nights
Age: Not necessarily for teenagers, but suitable for both younger and older wearers
Occasion: Despite the unisex declaration, for me it is more of a men’s fragrance. CI is very elegant and smells really high-quality. For me, it’s a scent for going out or for special occasions. It’s also okay for everyday wear, but almost too good for that.
Intensity: very high. The scent lasts a long time, and the projection is quite decent. If you don’t overdo it with the application, you will be enveloped by a subtle, oriental cloud all day long. 2 sprays are enough; otherwise, it becomes too much.
Scent:
CI is quite simple and linear, but still hard to describe: I don’t smell anything from the bergamot in the top note. Instead, it starts right away with the typical oud scent: bittersweet, creamy, slightly medicinal. Later, a very subtle rose comes in, but this does not make the scent sweet or floral. Amber adds warmth to the base of the fragrance; I could swear that sandalwood is also included, even though this note is not listed. As I said, oud is a rather unique and multifaceted scent that is unmistakable but hard to describe. Besides the typical medicinal note, I almost detect something like bitter cherry/amaretto in the background. CI is neither harsh nor sweet, not fresh, but also not overly heavy. By Kilian has created a very special, unique, and characterful fragrance here that you must test yourself to get a sense of it.
Conclusion:
Many fragrances these days are marketed under the label "oriental." However, these are mostly cheaply made and overly sweet vanilla bombs and nothing else. I have not been to the Orient yet, but oriental fragrances for me are cardamom, sandalwood and agarwood, cinnamon, amber, and precious spices, but not necessarily disgustingly sweet notes. Cruel Intentions smells exactly as I imagine the Orient: mysterious, exotic, creamy-woody. CI is a rather simple and linear fragrance that does not develop much on my skin. It is mainly a medicinal-woody-creamy aroma, but very finely nuanced, so it does not bore the wearer even after a long time and draws you in more with each hour of wear. As much as I am fascinated by this scent, the hefty price does put me off.
Alternatives:
Dyptique "Tam Dao": Also a creamy-woody oriental fragrance with a medicinal touch, which has no significant sweetness, but also features a very subtle rose note. Tam Dao is for me CI minus the oud note. Tam Dao is drier and subtler and not quite as long-lasting, but significantly cheaper.
Yves Saint Laurent "M7": The drydown of M7 is quite identical to CI. M7 is significantly cheaper, but can only be worn in winter, much louder than CI, but not as long-lasting on the skin. Unfortunately, the eternally lasting and borderline sweet top note of M7 made from cola, cough syrup, and EM eucalyptus candies greatly complicates its wearability.
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4 Comments
I would still consider myself young, and I enjoy wearing the scent quite often (as often as I can afford at this price).