For me, the worst from The Nose Behind. Despite the actually "gentle," less animalistic Thai oud, there's a barn and animalic vibe in abundance. Fortunately, after 2-2.5 hours, pepper and a sweet rose join in, steering the whole thing in a - for me - more bearable direction.
After 5-6 hours, the oud is only very faintly perceptible, and woods, sweet resin, and musk take over. Iris finally makes an appearance as well.
I search in vain for orange, lemon, or even plum - really NO idea why they are listed here :S
One more thing: On the test strip, it is significantly worse, probably only a 1-1.5 rating. On the skin, it's different, so definitely spray it on!
Conclusion:
Overwhelming bark mulch-pepper mix in the first hours, which fortunately changes into a woodier-sweet direction at some point. Unusually strong drop in oud intensity after about 5-5.5 hours. You wouldn't believe it when considering how intensely animalistic it starts.
200% not a blind buy. 200% not a women's scent and 500% not a daily or everyday scent.
Could become more bearable through layering, but for me, it's a clear "Pass."
Unfortunately, the Discovery Set doesn't reflect the DNA of Silk Oud and Hakama like the full bottle does, for some reason. It's really a shame because the difference is quite significant. It seems that many perfume houses have this issue.
Did you happen to only have the tester? I felt something similar with the tester, just like you described. But when I got the full bottle, a completely different oud came out and a whole different DNA of the scent revealed itself. The testers don't reflect the actual fragrance at all.
It's really a shame because the difference is quite significant.
It seems that many perfume houses have this issue.