SystemeD

I was truly surprised by Amber Oud, because I actually expected oud. But instead, I got a very pretty amber, comprised of vanilla and benzoin with a dash of spice.

This amber is nicely balanced, and it smells like the base of a classic, well-crafted oriental. Perhaps that is the intention of this fragrance: you get the name "oud" on the bottle, so you're trendy without actually having to like oud.

But if you're expecting a deep, beautiful oud, as I was, look elsewhere. Like Montale.

Pomegranate Noir does suffer from a lack of longevity. But despite that, I like this one quite a bit, and I don't mind reapplying after three or four hours.

The opening is fruity, and I definitely get a whiff of pomegranate and a faint note of raspberry. But this fruitiness is full-bodied and tart, like wine. It makes you want to turn it over in your mouth and savor it. (But don't. I am pretty sure it would taste terrible.)

When I wear Pomegranate Noir, the incense wafts up almost right away, and weaves in and out of a cedary, woody, patchouli-laced background. The patchouli is a very interesting note here, because it's not head-shop thick and oily, but light and airy. Well-done.

Overall, the experience is like sipping a dark red wine in a wine-cellar full of wooden barrels, with incense burning nearby.

I keep a bottle in my wardrobe because it is a distinct and unique incensy pleasure.

First, let me admit that I am a fool for ginger, so I was very excited to receive a nice-sized spray sample from PBullFriend. Thank you, my friend!

Marc Jacobs has issued three "splash" fragrances in huge, 10 oz (300ml) bottles, and all three of these fragrances (Curacao, Cranberry, and this one, Ginger) are intended to bring to mind a refreshing summer cocktail.

Ginger opens, quite intentionally, with an alcoholic blast. The note is supposedly cognac, but is not quite so specific to my nose. And right away, the very fresh, tart spiciness of ginger. The alcohol note fades, but the sparkling ginger remains, and it elides into a heart composed mostly of a rosy geranium. I do get a whiff of rhubarb, but it does not really noticeably rise above the ginger. There is a fruity sweetness here, too, which I assume comes from the passion flower note, and this aspect of the fragrance really does evoke a summer cocktail - not sticky-sweet, but light and fruity.

After a very short while, perhaps a half-hour, the ginger joins a soft sandalwood, moves to a light musk, and then vanishes altogether.

This is a very short-lived fragrance. If you want a more enduring experience with Ginger, you'll have to reapply every hour. A purse-spray sized decant coupled with persistence will make that possible. While I am unlikely to be sufficiently assiduous to make this a viable option, I did enjoy Ginger enough to consider it.

I can see Ginger working really well as an after-bath splash, when one has no desire for the scent to last all day. I should note that it does last longer on clothing than it does on skin, so it could also conceivably serve as a linen spray. If you buy that massive bottle, you'll certainly have enough of the stuff to experiment with alternative uses.

I tried the Golden Aoud a day after sampling Montale Black Oud.

The roses in Golden Aoud are much different from the dark, sinister ones of Black Aoud. Golden Aoud's roses are lighter, less overwhelming, and mixed with another very fresh floral note I can't identify. (The notes listed above say geranium, and that makes sense.) And of course the aoud.

I did not experience the middle note of leather shown above, but I did catch a waft of patchouli. The base notes arrived a few hours later. The base is aoud, of course, and a rich cedar tinged with saffron. Quite lovely, actually.

Aoud Velvet is aptly named. But don't think of a midnight blue velvet -- this is a plush, thick and luxurious peach-ivory velvet.

This rich, dense fragrance opens with orange blossom and aoud. The ylang and tiare, still mixed with aoud, took a few moments to appear for me.

Rose is not listed above in the notes, but I would swear that there is some rose here as well. This may be an illusion, because others do not always perceive the rosiness in aoud as I do.

The vanilla softens this fragrance. Even if you are not a fan of the depth and richness of aoud, you might like Aoud Velvet. It is perhaps the most approachable of the Montale Aoud line.

And like most Montale fragrances-, Aoud Velvet lasts and lasts.