Elysium
915 Reviews
Elysium
Helpful Review
7
Incense-Filled Wooden Ashtray
I will never stop thanking my buddy Carlitos01 for putting a statement on this precious treasure chest. If I had to summarise what I feel in a few words, I would say a wooden ashtray full of incense. There is no magic in Khashab Al Oud... except maybe for olibanum and oud. After reading his statement, I searched the web and ordered it for just over ten euros from Notino. The perfume arrived within a week; when I unwrapped the package, the box’s beauty and quality and the bottle’s details amazed me. Very heavy, the glass is covered with a brown rubber soft and pleasant material to the touch, and the cap is in metal with an excellent draw engraved on the edge. TLDR; My gosh! Dark, intense, mysterious. A Middle Eastern twist on Encre Noire Eau de Toilette, tinged with oud but without its medicinal facets. Magnetic! So, let's turn up the good for bringing Khashab Al Oud magic to the next level.
First, I would describe the fragrance as woody, and smoky, with amber and musky nuances. Instead, there is no trace of sugary candy, vanillic, or gourmand accords. A burst of intoxicating dense smoky incense and woody oud is what I feel as I spray the fragrance onto my skin, a large, copious spray. The oud is elegant, tempered, tamed, not too strong, neither thick nor medicinal. The smokiness from the waxy incense resin emerges immediately, and I smell a liturgical, mystical sweetish smell, the one we inhale when entering a cathedral after a service has just taken place. In this blend of resins and woods, I recognise the leathery notes of the pistils of the saffron flower, together with something sweet that could be the smell of withered and dried fruit such as dates or raisins.
The middle stage brings the spicy sweetness of the nutmeg to the fore. However, neither the spicy nut nor a fresh whisper can tame the smokiness of the incense and out. Those two mystic notes go so damn well together, and I don’t really care if someone associates such a smell with that of an ashtray full of butts. More, I don’t get any floral hint, and in case a beloved rose is in the recipe, the other prominent elements buried it. The more Khashab Al Oud advances, the more I treasure it. The woody notes in the head and heart could come from cedar wood as I clearly feel the aroma of fresh pencil shavings. This nuance creeps in from the beginning, slightly dulled by the incense, and continues to the end. To some extent, I even get a sort of papery smell, which is the result of the spices, woods, and resin blend.
In the end, the fragrance doesn’t change too much, but a whiff of powdery and velvety musk adds softness and shine to the balsamic note of the oud. The smoky undertone is still there and firmly anchored to my skin as if I’ve spent a few hours next to a burning fireplace, and the burning wood has impregnated my clothes with smoke. Once again, it takes on an almost religious, ecclesiastical nuance: a dark, dense, resinous incense, however profound, always with a woody, dry and very meditative touch.
The agarwood is there, but to me, the olibanum is the undisputed star omnipresent in all stages. Khashab Al Oud is a perfume with a masculine slant with no floral nuances. Balsamic bouquet, slightly smoky on the skin. Seasonally, fall and winter are the only two seasons suiting this beast. You can wear it during the day, but evening and night are the right time for this mystic cologne. The projection is moderate and quickly moves close to the skin, but longevity is incredibly above average. Although I do not consider this one a dupe, it shares similar vibes with Arabi Cana, both tough on the smoky accord. Now I can’t help but look forward to catching and testing the other two pieces of the same collection.
I base my opinion and review on a bottle I have owned since November 2022.
-Elysium
First, I would describe the fragrance as woody, and smoky, with amber and musky nuances. Instead, there is no trace of sugary candy, vanillic, or gourmand accords. A burst of intoxicating dense smoky incense and woody oud is what I feel as I spray the fragrance onto my skin, a large, copious spray. The oud is elegant, tempered, tamed, not too strong, neither thick nor medicinal. The smokiness from the waxy incense resin emerges immediately, and I smell a liturgical, mystical sweetish smell, the one we inhale when entering a cathedral after a service has just taken place. In this blend of resins and woods, I recognise the leathery notes of the pistils of the saffron flower, together with something sweet that could be the smell of withered and dried fruit such as dates or raisins.
The middle stage brings the spicy sweetness of the nutmeg to the fore. However, neither the spicy nut nor a fresh whisper can tame the smokiness of the incense and out. Those two mystic notes go so damn well together, and I don’t really care if someone associates such a smell with that of an ashtray full of butts. More, I don’t get any floral hint, and in case a beloved rose is in the recipe, the other prominent elements buried it. The more Khashab Al Oud advances, the more I treasure it. The woody notes in the head and heart could come from cedar wood as I clearly feel the aroma of fresh pencil shavings. This nuance creeps in from the beginning, slightly dulled by the incense, and continues to the end. To some extent, I even get a sort of papery smell, which is the result of the spices, woods, and resin blend.
In the end, the fragrance doesn’t change too much, but a whiff of powdery and velvety musk adds softness and shine to the balsamic note of the oud. The smoky undertone is still there and firmly anchored to my skin as if I’ve spent a few hours next to a burning fireplace, and the burning wood has impregnated my clothes with smoke. Once again, it takes on an almost religious, ecclesiastical nuance: a dark, dense, resinous incense, however profound, always with a woody, dry and very meditative touch.
The agarwood is there, but to me, the olibanum is the undisputed star omnipresent in all stages. Khashab Al Oud is a perfume with a masculine slant with no floral nuances. Balsamic bouquet, slightly smoky on the skin. Seasonally, fall and winter are the only two seasons suiting this beast. You can wear it during the day, but evening and night are the right time for this mystic cologne. The projection is moderate and quickly moves close to the skin, but longevity is incredibly above average. Although I do not consider this one a dupe, it shares similar vibes with Arabi Cana, both tough on the smoky accord. Now I can’t help but look forward to catching and testing the other two pieces of the same collection.
I base my opinion and review on a bottle I have owned since November 2022.
-Elysium
Updated on 11/23/2022
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