Oud - Vetiver Royale Absolute Perry Ellis 2015

You always look forward to vacation. But especially to perfumes at airports. Why? Because of the fragrances in the Duty Free areas around the globe. And since Düsseldorf disappointed me a bit this year on the way to the Caribbean, my hopes were pinned on the perfumeries at Punta Cana Airport. Unfortunately, it looked rather bleak at first and second glance, especially regarding the prices. I certainly wouldn't buy anything there. Nevertheless, the Perry Ellis Oud line managed to lift my spirits and curiosity a bit - new, stylish, never seen before, and good-smelling. Test candidates were found. Unfortunately, there was no tester for Black Vanilla, so I went for the Rose and the Vetiver.

Vetiver Royale Absolute is a nose-catcher, especially for fans of dry grass like me. A bit of Guerlain's classic, mixed with something creamy gourmand, plus the office-friendly bitter vibe of the Cartier Vetiver stick - voila, a warm, delicious, and extremely wearable representative of the Vetiver fragrance family is ready. High quality and miles above the actual Perry Ellis standard. At the airport in the Dominican Republic, they seemed to have all available scents from the brand, and many are just mediocre. This one is not. I don't quite understand why the word Oud is retained in every perfume name. Perhaps to create a darker vibe or because there's a hint of Oud in all three creations - as a going-out and evening Vetiver, I could certainly imagine this balm well. A fine concept and worth its price, almost niche quality. Significantly better than the rather lackluster Saffron-Rose, even if neither of the two really takes any new or daring paths!

Bottle: completely satisfactory
Sillage: above Vetiver cut, still suitable for the office
Longevity: shines for 8 hours

Conclusion: Vetiver always works - here delicious, creamy & tangibly green, almost a bit liqueur-like. Very fine, even if it's not a world novelty in Vetiver!