"The scent is citrusy fresh." This quality that parfumo attributes to the Oudh al Misk made me order this perfume for the summer. But not only that, of course. The mostly good reviews made me curious. According to them, Oudh al Misk is a fragrance that, despite its low price, can compete with big brands in terms of quality. Last but not least, oud fragrances fascinate me because of their richness of nuances. I also like the Orient and oriental scents - as long as they are reasonably compatible with European taste.
Rasasi, a perfume manufacturer from Dubai, describes himself on his website as a designer for niche fragrances, but emphasises that many of his fragrances also correspond to European taste. No wonder he is now internationally known and popular. On his website, he distinguishes traditional oriental fragrances from those that correspond to European scent preferences. I had already heard a lot of good things about Rasasi. So it was about time to test one of his fragrances. My choice was the Oudh al Misk. Misk means musk in Arabic. The scent is suitable for the European taste and is considered a fresh unisex scent for hot days.
I order it blind in a 100 ml bottle online for € 11.11 as part of a postage-free campaign. A real bargain then.
Of course, I had a look at the "scent pyramid" before, besides the numerous comments. Oudh al Misk contains many scents. In the top note there are bright scents like bergamot, grapefruit and orange, but also galbanum and clary sage. I am curious to see how they get along with my European skin.
The bottle also deserves attention. It is made of iced glass in the shape of a slim cuboid. The matt gold cap is decorated with the Arabic Rasasi lettering. The fragrance comes in an elegant and very prestigious black and gold box. Even though the bottle itself has a rather simple design, you can immediately feel the Orient. I like the fact that when you take the bottle out of the box, it immediately radiates something bright and radiant. I hope I'll find that in the fragrance as well. Again and again I read about a gin and tonic note that is supposed to distinguish this perfume. I'm curious about it and I imagine it to be great.
The first impression after spraying is also invigorating freshness, which is probably due in large part to the alcohol. Yes, there are citrus notes, especially grapefruit and orange, although it seems to be more the bitter peel of these fruits. But just a moment. Then the tart herbal scent of sage immediately comes to the fore, supported by resinous galbanum, which actually takes the freshness out of the fragrance quite soon. Instead, the fragrance now appears more earthy, sweet, warm and spicy aromatic. Here it becomes oriental. But I expected that. Galbanum comes from Persia. The scent oil is extracted from the roots and stems of this fennel plant. Actually, the grapefruit was supposed to play the leading role at first. I was prepared for that. But in reality, the sweet and sour herbs dominate. I personally would have preferred more citrus aroma. Somehow the scent reminds me of aftershave from the old days.
The mixture of tart, sweet and herbs is "not so mine". For my feeling this suits men better, but I wonder if I want a companion of mine to smell like this.
I have the impression that this sweet and tart herbal mixture will stay as it is for a very long time. But I would be curious about the promised rose geranium and jasmine. Both can go very wrong if the mixture is not very balanced. Rose geranium is considered a cheap substitute for roses, although this stork beak plant does not remotely resemble a rose.
There are numerous species of these scented pelargoniums with different scents, ranging from rose to pine needles to incense or apple and lemon. Which one was used here will not be revealed. Everyone has to find out for themselves.
For me, the herbal scent is now "lighter" again, which I find pleasant. I think I sniff something like citric pine needles. That seems interesting. I am quite happy that the herbal dominance is slowly disappearing. Not quite, but more tolerable to me
I also find it pleasant that the cedar wood is finally making itself known. Because I like the dry, tart woodiness.
The eponymous musk is surprisingly animalistic for me and therefore takes some getting used to. It has something wild, masculine and has a bitter sweetness.
Of jasmine, ambergris and patchouli I notice little. At best I can still perceive sandalwood and vetiver.
And the gin and tonic that so many praise? Sorry, no. Where would the gin or juniper also come from and the lemon? Nothing like that is present and in my opinion not noticeable.
It is noticeable that the scent does not always appear in the same way. Apparently it depends a lot on temperature and other conditions how it develops on the skin. This also concerns the Sillage, which I sometimes feel stronger, then again weaker.
The shelf life is not too long, but for a perfume in this price range, I don't expect it to be.
I've been using that scent a lot. Mostly at home. I wear it so often because I don't quite get on with it and I want to know why. I really liked it the first time I sprayed it on. In the meantime the enthusiasm has diminished. I would not order it anymore - at least not for me. It seems to me that this oud is more suitable for gentlemen.
By the way Oud - that I, although Oudfan - did not mention him so far, has its reasons. It is an oud for connoisseurs. If you don't know it, you will hardly notice it, which is not necessarily a disadvantage, considering that some ouds smell severe, "stalky", too smoky or "medicinal". In any case, this oud is quite well-behaved and not very sensational. For me as - as I said - Oudfan he is too weak, too little defined. Some call it synthetic. I cannot judge that. I'm not that expert. I can only say that my last oud, the one from the Maison Francis Kurkdjian, convinced me much more. In it, too, there is Orient, but much gentler, rounder, more inspiring, somehow mysterious, more noble, more harmonious.
Sure, oud is compatible with herbs and citrus notes, but for me it doesn't have to be that way. I'm a purist. I like it when oud sets the tone, is of a correspondingly high quality and is only accompanied by other notes such as saffron, cedar and resins to make it appear even more intense. Kurkdjian has done a wonderful job of it.
With Rasasi, too many different ingredients are mixed for my taste. Maybe less would have been more here. But you can't please everybody. I ordered the fragrance with a lot of joy and would have loved it, but somehow we are not meant for each other. Oudh al Misk is for me, as I mentioned, a men's fragrance that is sure to suit someone to whom it suits, especially in summer. Unfortunately, it's not my fragrance.
Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
PedroCabral
Topfpflanze3
