HIRH

Nouveau Monde smells expensive. Very expensive. So, not expensive like costly fragrance oils and elaborate scent compositions. But expensive in the sense of an expensive Porsche with leather seats, an expensive leather jacket, an expensive handbag.

Commonality of the aforementioned associated goods: The manufacturing from leather. Admittedly, not with many Louis Vuitton handbags, but that’s not what this is about.

And that is, for me, the core component of the fragrance. As is often the case with Louis Vuitton, it is not indicated in the fragrance pyramid. An interesting idea (this surely didn’t happen by accident), as a homage to the roots of the house.

However, this leads to the fact that one might easily develop a false expectation of a fragrance. I am a confessed lover of oud and also a confessed lover of gourmand scents (cocoa). This symbiosis seemed quite promising to me, and so I sprayed a few joyful spritzes from my sample.

However, I did not receive the promised oud-cocoa DNA, but instead a slightly aquatic-salty leather scent. Yes, I recognize slight hints of cocoa and absolutely background oud. But primarily, it is simply a salty leather scent. Not a bad one, it has its merits. But why does this "gimmick" of recalling the tradition of the house have to be so present that it destroys the entire ambition and creative idea of this fragrance?

This could have become something very unique and very special. In two ways. Because one could have - instead of realizing the creative fragrance pyramid - simply forgotten the alibi fragrance pyramid altogether and instead
released a fragrance à la "Essence d' Louis Vuitton". With the only fragrance note "Louis Vuitton Bag". That would have been a guaranteed success - entirely without the glorification of a wonderful and creative fragrance composition.

Overall, I am rather annoyed by this and do not understand what it’s all about. Cheers.

I have a kind of love-hate relationship with the house of Roja Dove. I am a fan of Roja's marketing and the special focus on elegance and quality. I also enjoy many of his compositions.

However, I have two small issues with the Aoud perfumes from the house: First, they are clearly "overengineered" for me, with a few too many components. In brevity lies the spice, and I like to know what I am smelling. I do not like constructs that are hardly comprehensible in their complexity. Additionally, I really appreciate perfumes that are intense, preferably with edges and facets. In short: a clear (preferably innovative) concept and room-filling sillage.

Roja's Aoud compositions correspond to this only semi-well. The scents are unparalleled in complexity - and they are supposed to be! This makes it difficult for me to discern the ingredients. I undoubtedly recognize a blackcurrant, a hint of apple, and some oud. In the entrance, there’s even a bit of lime. But: all of this together feels like it makes up not even 40% of the character of the fragrance. A multitude of other notes comes into play that I cannot distinctly unravel. Yet I want to, because I feel that these notes are clearly co-responsible for the DNA of the scent. For me, this is where the difference lies compared to fragrances like XerJoff's Alexandria II. They are also more complex than just oud-rose-lavender. But the scent is defined by these three ingredients. And that is the difference to Roja's oud creations, which are not solely determined by the components that are just barely detectable; much remains diffuse. Diffuse not in effect, but already in cause. And I find that a pity. Almost equally disappointing is that Roja's Aoud creations are so soft and rounded. This is undoubtedly also what Roja intended. But it does not fit for me with the animalistic-mysterious character of real oud, which I so enjoy.

Additionally, I have a problem with the longevity and sillage of Roja's oud creations. I do not know why and I am aware of the many contrary experiences. But I have to almost drown my forearm in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to still perceive anything after 10 minutes. I do not only have this problem with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia but also with less complex Aoud scents like Amber Aoud. In contrast, for the same effect, I need just a spritz, or even less, of Creed's Royal Oud or MFK's Baccarat Rouge Extrait. I cannot figure it out, but it bothers me. Interestingly, I do not have this problem with the scents from Roja's Parfum Cologne series. There, the longevity and sillage are just to my taste - contrary to the many local reviews.

Conclusion: For the reasons mentioned above, I unfortunately cannot warm up to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is a beautifully rounded fragrance that loses its charm for me in its over-complexity. But it is exactly what Roja Dove wanted to deliver. So do not hesitate to try it if you are intrigued by what bothers me. :) Cheers!

During my last purchase at my trusted niche perfumery, I was once again allowed to choose which samples I wanted to take with me. When I spotted that Creed samples were available, I thought I’d take a Royal Oud sample with me.

I had only heard good things about this fragrance beforehand. A classic DNA with Oud that is also wearable in summer. To begin with: This claim is definitely justified by the fragrance in my opinion. In my statement, I initially drew parallels to AdP's Oud based on my first impression. But the first impression definitely misled me. However: from the very beginning!

The fragrance starts with citrus notes that quickly settle on a cedar base. The light citrus notes fade away after one to two hours, not with the appearance of the cedar.

Then the fragrance becomes a bit creamier, still based on the cedarwood. Not without a certain lightness, but not exaggerated.

And so the fragrance lingers almost endlessly on the skin, until the next morning or rather until the next shower. The longevity is definitely underrated in my opinion. The sillage is not too intrusive due to the classic DNA, certainly not world-class. But it is definitely present.

One or two readers might rightly wonder why I am not addressing the base notes at all. That’s because they do not exist for me. I am an "Oud expert" and a lover of oriental fragrances. I know how musk smells. I know how oud smells. I know how sandalwood smells. None of this is present in Creed's Royal Oud. Not even in the dry-down. A more fitting name would have been Royal Cedar. Because this fragrance has nothing to do with oud, no matter how you look at it!

This also makes it different from the AdP Oud "line." Because that is based on oud and not on cedarwood, and that indeed makes a bigger difference in the dry-down. Only the top notes are similarly citrusy.

Conclusion: A classic citrus-wood DNA, beautifully done. But unfortunately, it’s label deception. Still so beautiful that I could imagine buying the fragrance. But for now, there are definitely other fragrances on my list. Cheers!

Star Musk is light, Star Musk is gentle.

Star Musk gives the impression of a weakly scented fragrance. Because many scents that are this gentle are indeed weak. And one simply cannot imagine a room-filling sillage when smelling this wonderfully rounded composition. Think again!

The truth looks quite different. This fragrance is - despite its rounded softness - a real powerhouse. It fills the room with delight. And not just for those who appreciate the scent. I can already perceive it from meters away when friends of mine wear it. This fragrance is one of the few that manages to fill spaces with such a gentle and light scent character.

Musk fragrances can generally be divided into two categories. There is the sharp, almost piercing musk, like in Roberto Ugolini's Blue Sude Shoes. I don't find that so bad, despite the negatively connoted word "piercing" (the top note needs some improvement, in my opinion). The other category is that of gentle musk, of which I am not the biggest fan as a lover of oriental fragrances.

However, with Musk Star, it's a bit different: The softness defines this fragrance. The opening is indeed a bit citrusy and floral, giving the gentle musk additional lightness. Thus, this fragrance is a light scent that, however, is often chuckled at by its companions in the designer fragrance segment for being Anti-Elegant. For me, this scent is a fragrance for vacation. For vacation, at an Italian or Swiss lake, in one of the long-established five-star hotels. It pairs well with Amber Star but can also stand on its own.

In the dry-down, the fragrance becomes more vanilla-like and overall creamier. But in a way that does not take away the lifestyle of the Italian summer.

Conclusion: The association with my trips to Italy is always a high compliment for a fragrance. The reason for this can be found in my comment on Alexandria II. It is suitable for any occasion that somehow demands a special elegance while simultaneously forbidding intrusiveness. With this fragrance, one is clearly noticeable without being particularly conspicuous. An excellent performance by the perfumer. I need to see where I can get it. Because while I also like Amber Star, it is nowhere near as beautiful as Star Musk for me. Cheers!

The Don. What a memorable name. The scent of a man who is not too ashamed to get his hands dirty.

The fragrance plays with clichés. Above all, with the cliché of what made a real man in 1850. The man knew how to assert himself with his revolver. And he could be found smoking cigars and drinking whisky in bars - excuse me, in saloons.

This is also the inspiration here. The scent is not complex, no. The scent is simple. Almost as simple as the image of masculinity back then. So it fits.

The fragrance starts with a lot of gunpowder. A bit of shooting range smell. Sports shooters and those among us who had to serve involuntarily in the military know what I mean. I even find the scent a bit green in the first minutes. But it is definitely the gunpowder. After about 15-30 minutes, tobacco joins in. Very authentic and very rich, more cigar than cigarette tobacco. A little later, some whisky comes in. The added ingredients do not overshadow the previous ones, but rather join them. The drydown is very similar to that of Margiela's Jazz Club, enhanced by a gunpowder note. I don't smell any molasses; it will rather be a blend component. The scent is definitely one with edges and corners, not a rounded-off perfume.

I find this combination very beautiful. Not only because I am an (occasional) sports shooter and this scent brings me closer to this hobby and evokes nice associations. But also because it creates a gentle and warming ambiance from whisky and tobacco. An ambiance that amber-vanilla combinations also trigger. However, unlike those, this combination smells like a man and is definitely not unisex-compatible.

The longevity is all day long, the sillage a bit more restrained than the sillage of other XerJoff fragrances. However, it should also be mentioned that this is a product from the more affordable XerJoff line and is concentrated as an Eau de Parfum, not as a perfume like the Oud Stars. Therefore, this is quite fair. Half the price, but definitely more than half the sillage.

Conclusion: I liked this scent so much that I can welcome it into my collection today. The masculine warmth of whisky and tobacco is extremely pleasant, although not for the faint of heart. The edges and corners make it not a scent for everyone, but a scent for me. I can recommend buying it. Cheers!