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Dirty fruitiness
While King Blue boasts a stern barnyardy aspect and certainly wasn't created for users who aren't familiar with Indian oud, it's a surprisingly fresh blend. Yes, it still develops into a dry scent profile, but manages to avoid the pitfall of amber-ouds: powderiness.
Somehow, even with Assam oud and a high, 35% oil concentration, it doesn't smell cheesy and projects well. Alexis Grugeon and Hamid Merati-Kashani used a clever combination of bittersweet mandarin, rosy pink pepper and dirty blackcurrant.
A barnyardy tinge is noticeable during the initial hour, but only on skin. In the air, it comes off as a fruity perfume with a Middle Eastern twist. The interplay between forest fruit and Assam oud has a certain fermented quality to it, reminiscent of overripe fruit, or fruit that fell from the trees and should be thrown into a compost.
Eventually, the earthy, smoky woodiness of Assam and oak wood intertwines with a warm, but rather dry amber accord. However, the lingering, somewhat juicy fruitiness prevents it from turning into the usual dustiness of your average amber-oud.
Furthermore, once leather and sandalwood start working their magic, they offer a smooth, almost velvety contrast. Add chocolaty patchouli to the mix and you're in for a long-lasting drydown (10+ hours) which feels and smells like a textbook Amouage.
King Blue is an amber-oud with an animalic edge, balanced by a dirty fruitiness. Definitely sample it first if you don't have enough experience with Indian oud. If you're familiar with the ranch life and/or ever dated a horse girl, you might fall in love with this juice.
Somehow, even with Assam oud and a high, 35% oil concentration, it doesn't smell cheesy and projects well. Alexis Grugeon and Hamid Merati-Kashani used a clever combination of bittersweet mandarin, rosy pink pepper and dirty blackcurrant.
A barnyardy tinge is noticeable during the initial hour, but only on skin. In the air, it comes off as a fruity perfume with a Middle Eastern twist. The interplay between forest fruit and Assam oud has a certain fermented quality to it, reminiscent of overripe fruit, or fruit that fell from the trees and should be thrown into a compost.
Eventually, the earthy, smoky woodiness of Assam and oak wood intertwines with a warm, but rather dry amber accord. However, the lingering, somewhat juicy fruitiness prevents it from turning into the usual dustiness of your average amber-oud.
Furthermore, once leather and sandalwood start working their magic, they offer a smooth, almost velvety contrast. Add chocolaty patchouli to the mix and you're in for a long-lasting drydown (10+ hours) which feels and smells like a textbook Amouage.
King Blue is an amber-oud with an animalic edge, balanced by a dirty fruitiness. Definitely sample it first if you don't have enough experience with Indian oud. If you're familiar with the ranch life and/or ever dated a horse girl, you might fall in love with this juice.
8 Comments
Testosterone in a bottle
Silver Oud is a polarizing perfume. Revered by some, hated by many, it's a masterpiece by Cécile Zarokian and the most refined take on Assam oud. As with most scents that contain real oud, it's not a love at first sniff, especially given the challenging opening.
Yes, it smells barnyardy. We're talking about drilling into an agarwood tree and infecting it with a fungi, then extracting the produced resin, cutting it into woodchips, soaking them in water and using steam distillation to create the oud essence. Behind the stinky mask hides a woody heart with chocolaty, fruity, leathery, medicinal, metallic and smoky facets.
Even at very low concentration, it still takes a while for this dense essence to fully open up. As such, the animalic slap in the face can last for 30 minutes (sometimes longer) before all of the aforementioned nuances start coming to life. I'm patient when I'm cooking, knowing the food will eventually taste great. I can be patient with my fragrance as well.
During its barnyard opening, oud is accompanied by cypriol, patchouli and virginia cedar. That's right, earthy and woody notes. Patchouli and cedar have some sweetness to them, but other than that and a few aroma chemicals, there's no escape from the animalic oud.
It gets better once vanilla and ethyl maltol enter the mix with slightly distinctive sweetness. At this stage, the cedar is gone and the dry leatheriness of castoreum is more pronounced. Once birch starts to bloom, masculine smokiness takes over the scent profile. Ambrarome adds a sweet nuance to the drydown - something between caramel and coca-cola.
Silver Oud is earthy, smoky and woody with animalic and leathery facets. The opening isn't pleasant, which is the downside of Assam oud. Keep in mind that magic happens in the air. Try to avoid smelling your skin for the first hour of the wear. Personally, I prefer spraying it behind my ears and at the back of my neck for a monstrous sillage.
Yes, it smells barnyardy. We're talking about drilling into an agarwood tree and infecting it with a fungi, then extracting the produced resin, cutting it into woodchips, soaking them in water and using steam distillation to create the oud essence. Behind the stinky mask hides a woody heart with chocolaty, fruity, leathery, medicinal, metallic and smoky facets.
Even at very low concentration, it still takes a while for this dense essence to fully open up. As such, the animalic slap in the face can last for 30 minutes (sometimes longer) before all of the aforementioned nuances start coming to life. I'm patient when I'm cooking, knowing the food will eventually taste great. I can be patient with my fragrance as well.
During its barnyard opening, oud is accompanied by cypriol, patchouli and virginia cedar. That's right, earthy and woody notes. Patchouli and cedar have some sweetness to them, but other than that and a few aroma chemicals, there's no escape from the animalic oud.
It gets better once vanilla and ethyl maltol enter the mix with slightly distinctive sweetness. At this stage, the cedar is gone and the dry leatheriness of castoreum is more pronounced. Once birch starts to bloom, masculine smokiness takes over the scent profile. Ambrarome adds a sweet nuance to the drydown - something between caramel and coca-cola.
Silver Oud is earthy, smoky and woody with animalic and leathery facets. The opening isn't pleasant, which is the downside of Assam oud. Keep in mind that magic happens in the air. Try to avoid smelling your skin for the first hour of the wear. Personally, I prefer spraying it behind my ears and at the back of my neck for a monstrous sillage.
1 Comment
Opulent gourmand
Oud Cadenza is the most intoxicating spicy/sweet perfume I've experienced. The quality of Givuadan's Orpur® ingredients is truly remarkable and it comes at a 32% oil concentration. On my skin, it lasts for 12 hours with 4 hours of nuclear projection.
At this point, I consider Jordi Fernández to be the master of Oud accord. The way he uses it to ground spicy/sweet compositions is ingenious and gives his work a distinctive character. This woodiness is such a great catalyst - it makes the lingering spiciness more pronounced and all of the gourmand notes more palatable.
The opening is a great blend of spices; cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and saffron. It doesn't take long for western oud to show up, along with an underlying sweetness from dates and toasted cane sugar. After about 30 minutes, it settles into a mixture of caramel and woods, with hints of cocoa butter and vanilla extract already showing up.
It might sound too sweet, but Jordi uses a few compounds with citrusy and floral qualities. This brings airiness to the scent and balances the sweetness. The drydown phase consists of vanilla, cocoa and smoky myrrh. Saffron and labdanum create a leathery nuance, while patchouli and cedarwood provide a woody backbone.
At this point, I consider Jordi Fernández to be the master of Oud accord. The way he uses it to ground spicy/sweet compositions is ingenious and gives his work a distinctive character. This woodiness is such a great catalyst - it makes the lingering spiciness more pronounced and all of the gourmand notes more palatable.
The opening is a great blend of spices; cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and saffron. It doesn't take long for western oud to show up, along with an underlying sweetness from dates and toasted cane sugar. After about 30 minutes, it settles into a mixture of caramel and woods, with hints of cocoa butter and vanilla extract already showing up.
It might sound too sweet, but Jordi uses a few compounds with citrusy and floral qualities. This brings airiness to the scent and balances the sweetness. The drydown phase consists of vanilla, cocoa and smoky myrrh. Saffron and labdanum create a leathery nuance, while patchouli and cedarwood provide a woody backbone.
4 Comments
Sweet and dark leather
As Omnipotato said, Ombré Leather is the standard by which other leather fragrances are judged. Sonia Constant uses black leather that doesn't smell creamy or animalic, but rather like the leather seats in a new Mercedes. Combined with a sweet and earthy backbone, this is a powerful scent, but it's also warm and inviting.
How does it compare to the direct competitors?
Tuscan Leather Eau de Parfum is more masculine and challenging, with raspberry and jasmine to combat slightly animalic leather. It also has a mild ashtray nuance due to frankincense. Needless to say, Ombré is tame and mass-appealing compared to its older brother.
Godolphin ditches the pungent notes, keeps the raspberry at the top and adds more florals in the heart. Therefore, the leather is easier to digest than in the other two scents. The fruity and floral notes eventually fade and Ombré has a sweeter drydown.
Back to Ombré. The opening is challenging, perhaps even too much for some. I enjoy the way Sonia uses a mixture of spices and florals to provide a lift and some balance to notes that would otherwise be nauseating. I enjoyed it in
Noir Extreme Eau de Parfum where she used cardamom, saffron and florals to smooth out the cloying kulfi.
You can expect the same thing to happen here, except with dominant leather. The spices give it a bit of airiness and shift your focus while jasmine works its magic and balances the thick leather with its fresh and sweet floral quality.
Drydown is where things get intruiging. Leather is around, but the overall scent profile is more sweet. The amber base blends with patchouli and moss, giving off a vibe that I can only describe as dark. It's resinous, earthy and dense, with hints of leather. There's more character and intrigue than in your average amber base.
Performance is solid, I get at least 10 hours on skin with my 2023 batch. Ombré also sticks well to a leather jacket; I usually do like 2-3 sprays every other week. I recommend getting the 50ml bottle, as 3-5 sprays will last you a whole day.
How does it compare to the direct competitors?
Tuscan Leather Eau de Parfum is more masculine and challenging, with raspberry and jasmine to combat slightly animalic leather. It also has a mild ashtray nuance due to frankincense. Needless to say, Ombré is tame and mass-appealing compared to its older brother.Godolphin ditches the pungent notes, keeps the raspberry at the top and adds more florals in the heart. Therefore, the leather is easier to digest than in the other two scents. The fruity and floral notes eventually fade and Ombré has a sweeter drydown.Back to Ombré. The opening is challenging, perhaps even too much for some. I enjoy the way Sonia uses a mixture of spices and florals to provide a lift and some balance to notes that would otherwise be nauseating. I enjoyed it in
Noir Extreme Eau de Parfum where she used cardamom, saffron and florals to smooth out the cloying kulfi.You can expect the same thing to happen here, except with dominant leather. The spices give it a bit of airiness and shift your focus while jasmine works its magic and balances the thick leather with its fresh and sweet floral quality.
Drydown is where things get intruiging. Leather is around, but the overall scent profile is more sweet. The amber base blends with patchouli and moss, giving off a vibe that I can only describe as dark. It's resinous, earthy and dense, with hints of leather. There's more character and intrigue than in your average amber base.
Performance is solid, I get at least 10 hours on skin with my 2023 batch. Ombré also sticks well to a leather jacket; I usually do like 2-3 sprays every other week. I recommend getting the 50ml bottle, as 3-5 sprays will last you a whole day.
One flanker to rule them all
This is a joint review of the last five Stronger With You flankers (2020-2024). Cécile Matton keeps getting better at composing flankers that aren't only enjoyable and mass-appealing, but also have enough character to strike my fancy. Not every scent must pose a challenge; sometimes I want to wear a simple gourmand.
What are the characteristics of the line? Other than sweet and creamy vanilla in the base, Cécile often uses elemi, lavender and chestnut. Elemi and lavender provide spicy airiness, elevating the scent and balancing the sweetness. Chestnut complements vanilla, bringing earthy nutiness, which is arguably the most appealing aspect.
A quick scent rating before we begin:
9/10
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Tobacco
8.5/10
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Absolutely
8/10
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Amber
8/10
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Leather
7.5/10
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Oud
The performance is similar across the board - you can expect at least 8 hours on skin with moderate to soft projection.
2024 -Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Tobacco
Scent: 9/10
Longevity: 8/10
It's no surprise that the most complex release is my favorite one. Vanilla is accompanied by a more resinous base, making it a bit aromatic. The opening is spicy, which is a proper treat for my spoiled brat of a nose. Then there's also the earthiness of chestnut.
Tobacco and pimento are the real stars of the show. I can pick up the peppery spiciness of pimento, as red as the bottle. What's even better, tobacco actually has some development here, which is unusual for a designer. It starts out green and slightly bitter, almost leaf-like, then dries down to the cherry pipe tobacco we all know and love.
I'm surprised by the quality and creativity of the scent. Where
Herod is more polished, Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Tobacco is more playful. There's an argument to owning both if you like tobacco perfumes. The former for going out and special occasions, the latter for casual daily wear.
2023 -Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Amber
Scent: 8/10
Longevity: 8/10
While nowhere as complex as the tobacco flanker, the quality of this blend is phenomenal. It's mixed so well that I have to say there are no rough edges. I prefer multifaceted scents, but I can't deny that there's beauty in simplicity.
Using lavender as a top note gives it more of a fresh twist. It's greener and powdery, which goes well with a resinous heart and creamy sweetness in the drydown. It lacks imagination for my taste, but look no further if you want something sweet and high quality.
2022 -Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Oud
Scent: 7.5/10
Longevity: 8/10
My least favorite from the line, but that's my subjective opinion. The agarwood accord used in here has a medicinal smell. In my head, I associate it with Lattafa clones and poor quality, which doesn't apply here at all.
It's surprisingly pleasant, but sadly, I can't help it - I dislike medicinal oud. If you don't mind the distinctive smell, this could be a good flanker for you. It has a woody base, which works well with creamy vanilla. Unfortunately, it might be difficult to find.
2021 -Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Absolutely
Scent: 8.5/10
Longevity: 9/10
The problem child of the line. Cécile had the right idea; bergamot to elevate a rum note in the opening, davana and lavender in the middle to introduce green notes so that chestnut and vanilla don't become too unbearable.
Well, the plan has failed successfully. This will obliterate your nostrils in a glorious fashion. It's incredibly boozy and sweet. I've been wearing it for years and I still tend to wait for the freezing temperatures before pulling this one out.
As if it wasn't strong enough, it has cedarwood and patchouli in the base, making it stick to your skin like glue. If you're a masochist who enjoys boozy gourmands, this is your remedy. Masculine leaning, because it's loud and unapologetic.
2020Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Leather
Scent: 8/10
Longevity: 8.5/10
Gorgeous, but too one-dimensional for my personal taste. There's spiciness at the top, but the lavender fades away quickly, then it's creamy sweetness of chestnut and vanilla for the rest of the wear. It's comforting and unisex, so there's that.
It's not too leathery - think of the leather note as a creamy, supporting base for the vanilla. With some woodiness in the mix, this flanker might be worth the chase if you like creamier gourmands but can't stomach medicinal oud.
What are the characteristics of the line? Other than sweet and creamy vanilla in the base, Cécile often uses elemi, lavender and chestnut. Elemi and lavender provide spicy airiness, elevating the scent and balancing the sweetness. Chestnut complements vanilla, bringing earthy nutiness, which is arguably the most appealing aspect.
A quick scent rating before we begin:
9/10
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Tobacco8.5/10
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Absolutely 8/10
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Amber 8/10
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Leather 7.5/10
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Oud The performance is similar across the board - you can expect at least 8 hours on skin with moderate to soft projection.
2024 -
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Tobacco Scent: 9/10
Longevity: 8/10
It's no surprise that the most complex release is my favorite one. Vanilla is accompanied by a more resinous base, making it a bit aromatic. The opening is spicy, which is a proper treat for my spoiled brat of a nose. Then there's also the earthiness of chestnut.
Tobacco and pimento are the real stars of the show. I can pick up the peppery spiciness of pimento, as red as the bottle. What's even better, tobacco actually has some development here, which is unusual for a designer. It starts out green and slightly bitter, almost leaf-like, then dries down to the cherry pipe tobacco we all know and love.
I'm surprised by the quality and creativity of the scent. Where
Herod is more polished, Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Tobacco is more playful. There's an argument to owning both if you like tobacco perfumes. The former for going out and special occasions, the latter for casual daily wear.2023 -
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Amber Scent: 8/10
Longevity: 8/10
While nowhere as complex as the tobacco flanker, the quality of this blend is phenomenal. It's mixed so well that I have to say there are no rough edges. I prefer multifaceted scents, but I can't deny that there's beauty in simplicity.
Using lavender as a top note gives it more of a fresh twist. It's greener and powdery, which goes well with a resinous heart and creamy sweetness in the drydown. It lacks imagination for my taste, but look no further if you want something sweet and high quality.
2022 -
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Oud Scent: 7.5/10
Longevity: 8/10
My least favorite from the line, but that's my subjective opinion. The agarwood accord used in here has a medicinal smell. In my head, I associate it with Lattafa clones and poor quality, which doesn't apply here at all.
It's surprisingly pleasant, but sadly, I can't help it - I dislike medicinal oud. If you don't mind the distinctive smell, this could be a good flanker for you. It has a woody base, which works well with creamy vanilla. Unfortunately, it might be difficult to find.
2021 -
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Absolutely Scent: 8.5/10
Longevity: 9/10
The problem child of the line. Cécile had the right idea; bergamot to elevate a rum note in the opening, davana and lavender in the middle to introduce green notes so that chestnut and vanilla don't become too unbearable.
Well, the plan has failed successfully. This will obliterate your nostrils in a glorious fashion. It's incredibly boozy and sweet. I've been wearing it for years and I still tend to wait for the freezing temperatures before pulling this one out.
As if it wasn't strong enough, it has cedarwood and patchouli in the base, making it stick to your skin like glue. If you're a masochist who enjoys boozy gourmands, this is your remedy. Masculine leaning, because it's loud and unapologetic.
2020
Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Leather Scent: 8/10
Longevity: 8.5/10
Gorgeous, but too one-dimensional for my personal taste. There's spiciness at the top, but the lavender fades away quickly, then it's creamy sweetness of chestnut and vanilla for the rest of the wear. It's comforting and unisex, so there's that.
It's not too leathery - think of the leather note as a creamy, supporting base for the vanilla. With some woodiness in the mix, this flanker might be worth the chase if you like creamier gourmands but can't stomach medicinal oud.
