TheArsenal
Reviews
Detailed
Complex and beautiful.
Purchased from the Creed website directly. Creed sent me a sample in advance of the release date which I used. I also used sprays from the bottle to test.
Batch code F003848. Price £350 for 50ml.
“The name Zarian, primarily of Persian origin, generally means "golden" or "belonging to gold".”
Golden Oud in English then but this should be called Golden Rose as that really fits the fragrance well.
The colour of the bottle is very much the colour of the fragrance. A deep red rose with golden elements.
Sprayed on the back of my hand it opens with a fleeting bergamot, less than a minute. The ginger then comes forward then behind the spices and frankincense. It has that dry dusty frankincense and myrrh combination as it develops with spices. This is where people mention the likeness of Amouage Outlands.
There is a sweet dry accord which I’ve heard some say is like maple syrup and I do get that. This lasts for the first hour or so but it is not too cloying that said it may depend on the heat. I’ve not been able to test this fragrance above 23°c (73.4f).
Smelled like this on the back of your hand it is reminiscent of an Amouage scent. The deep rich red rose then opens up and continues to grow in prominence like a flower opening. But this is not how you experience the scent if sprayed on your neck or chest. The blended smell in the air is mostly a wonderful dry warm rich rose with spices blended seamlessly. It smell as expensive as it is.
I want to say it actually does smell like a Creed which I know people will instantly disagree with but if you think about it makes sense. It has that cultured older man feel about it. Even if Oud Zarian itself isn’t anything like Royal Mayfair, Royal Oud or Spice and Wood it fits the kind of person who would buy those. It’s extremely classy. It’s not to say anyone who likes more mainstream Creed won’t like it. If you like Rose scents this is a must try.
It isn’t like any other rose scent I have such as More Than Words (that is much sweeter) Alexandera II (lighter rose medicinal Oud), Oud Rosewood Dior (still less rose and slight medicinal Oud). Again nothing like Oud Ispahan Dior. Even a few of the Guerlain scents are not like this.
Projection
One spray in each clavicle under polo shirt at 06:30 Projects around two meters for around two hours and one meter or so for another five plus. The person sat next to me at work could not smell it 1.5m away at 14:30 eight hours after applying. Driving home the car soon filled with the scent.
It never became fatiguing like some scents can be ie Outlands.
When? Autumn, winter and spring. On cooler summer days.
Where? Anywhere night out, daily, at work or a date.
Who? Anyone unisex. Trends a bit older but I could see anyone with confidence wear it.
Thoughts. Oud Zarian is incredibly classy and sophisticated. It is also super expensive. That said compared to Roja Dove or Clive Christian it is fair value and is better than those.
This scent get better every minute is on.
I really love it. Well done to the team behind this.
Batch code F003848. Price £350 for 50ml.
“The name Zarian, primarily of Persian origin, generally means "golden" or "belonging to gold".”
Golden Oud in English then but this should be called Golden Rose as that really fits the fragrance well.
The colour of the bottle is very much the colour of the fragrance. A deep red rose with golden elements.
Sprayed on the back of my hand it opens with a fleeting bergamot, less than a minute. The ginger then comes forward then behind the spices and frankincense. It has that dry dusty frankincense and myrrh combination as it develops with spices. This is where people mention the likeness of Amouage Outlands.
There is a sweet dry accord which I’ve heard some say is like maple syrup and I do get that. This lasts for the first hour or so but it is not too cloying that said it may depend on the heat. I’ve not been able to test this fragrance above 23°c (73.4f).
Smelled like this on the back of your hand it is reminiscent of an Amouage scent. The deep rich red rose then opens up and continues to grow in prominence like a flower opening. But this is not how you experience the scent if sprayed on your neck or chest. The blended smell in the air is mostly a wonderful dry warm rich rose with spices blended seamlessly. It smell as expensive as it is.
I want to say it actually does smell like a Creed which I know people will instantly disagree with but if you think about it makes sense. It has that cultured older man feel about it. Even if Oud Zarian itself isn’t anything like Royal Mayfair, Royal Oud or Spice and Wood it fits the kind of person who would buy those. It’s extremely classy. It’s not to say anyone who likes more mainstream Creed won’t like it. If you like Rose scents this is a must try.
It isn’t like any other rose scent I have such as More Than Words (that is much sweeter) Alexandera II (lighter rose medicinal Oud), Oud Rosewood Dior (still less rose and slight medicinal Oud). Again nothing like Oud Ispahan Dior. Even a few of the Guerlain scents are not like this.
Projection
One spray in each clavicle under polo shirt at 06:30 Projects around two meters for around two hours and one meter or so for another five plus. The person sat next to me at work could not smell it 1.5m away at 14:30 eight hours after applying. Driving home the car soon filled with the scent.
It never became fatiguing like some scents can be ie Outlands.
When? Autumn, winter and spring. On cooler summer days.
Where? Anywhere night out, daily, at work or a date.
Who? Anyone unisex. Trends a bit older but I could see anyone with confidence wear it.
Thoughts. Oud Zarian is incredibly classy and sophisticated. It is also super expensive. That said compared to Roja Dove or Clive Christian it is fair value and is better than those.
This scent get better every minute is on.
I really love it. Well done to the team behind this.
Mesmerising and addictive.
This is a review of Bois Talisman by Dior from the Privée line.
Nose: Francis Kurkdjian
Other notable compositions: for his own line Grand Soir, Baccarat Rouge 540, Oud Satin Mood and Le Male, Ultra Male for JPG.
Purchased In August 2025 from the Doir boutique in Selfridges Manchester batch code 5b01 manufactured February 2025.
I actually went there to purchase a different scent but was so taken with this I changed my mind.
Scent as I perceive:
On card just a sweet sugar but on skin the magic happens. A deep rich comforting smoky vanilla envelopes you. It’s mesmerising and addictive. It’s not complex at first yet draws you back in with subtle hints of different facets. The wood mixes with the smoke, the wood goes away and its smoke with vanilla. A caramel comes up with wood. It’s goes on. It’s not one of those cake or cookie vanillas either this is drier.
It feels like the last day of summer at golden hour. A welcoming hug.
Sillage and projection: I have worn this in cooler 15°c through to warm 25°c weather. In warmer weather it never becomes cloying be careful not to over spray however.
In the cooler weather the sillage and projection is more moderate I did notice it noticeably lifted when I became hot.
The scent starts strongly for about 3 hours, settles to a closer bubble for around another two hours and then remains a strong skin scent for around five hours. It will still be on your pillow in the morning.
When? Autumn, winter and spring. On cooler summer days.
Thoughts: it’s hard to argue this is a touch designer but I don’t mind that. Easy to wear and easy to love. It feels like quality. Smooth. Nothing rough. No it’s not like By the Fireplace Maison Margiela.
Where? Office would be safe if air conditioned and the sprays are limited. Very versatile would be great for a night out or a date. You could just wear it daily if you wanted.
Side notes
Purchase again: yes
Wife commented/noticed: yes
Others commented: not yet
Blind buy? If you like woody scents with vanilla and smoke yes.
Nose: Francis Kurkdjian
Other notable compositions: for his own line Grand Soir, Baccarat Rouge 540, Oud Satin Mood and Le Male, Ultra Male for JPG.
Purchased In August 2025 from the Doir boutique in Selfridges Manchester batch code 5b01 manufactured February 2025.
I actually went there to purchase a different scent but was so taken with this I changed my mind.
Scent as I perceive:
On card just a sweet sugar but on skin the magic happens. A deep rich comforting smoky vanilla envelopes you. It’s mesmerising and addictive. It’s not complex at first yet draws you back in with subtle hints of different facets. The wood mixes with the smoke, the wood goes away and its smoke with vanilla. A caramel comes up with wood. It’s goes on. It’s not one of those cake or cookie vanillas either this is drier.
It feels like the last day of summer at golden hour. A welcoming hug.
Sillage and projection: I have worn this in cooler 15°c through to warm 25°c weather. In warmer weather it never becomes cloying be careful not to over spray however.
In the cooler weather the sillage and projection is more moderate I did notice it noticeably lifted when I became hot.
The scent starts strongly for about 3 hours, settles to a closer bubble for around another two hours and then remains a strong skin scent for around five hours. It will still be on your pillow in the morning.
When? Autumn, winter and spring. On cooler summer days.
Thoughts: it’s hard to argue this is a touch designer but I don’t mind that. Easy to wear and easy to love. It feels like quality. Smooth. Nothing rough. No it’s not like By the Fireplace Maison Margiela.
Where? Office would be safe if air conditioned and the sprays are limited. Very versatile would be great for a night out or a date. You could just wear it daily if you wanted.
Side notes
Purchase again: yes
Wife commented/noticed: yes
Others commented: not yet
Blind buy? If you like woody scents with vanilla and smoke yes.
Polarising and over priced.
This is a review of Pegasus by Parfums de Marly.
Nose: Hamid Merati-Kashani
Other notable compositions: King Blue Amouage, Ingenious Ginger Goldfield & Banks, Althaïr, Sedley, Pegasus Exclusif, Layton Exclusif, Percival and Layton Parfums de Marly.
Purchased for £80 in June 2025 a travel set of three 10ml bottles batch code: 2221397 manufactured 05/30/2022.
I realised this was old stock and a discontinued format with a hefty metal travel atomiser in silver which is very nice. I wanted the travel atomiser. I noticed that PdM have relaunched the travel atomiser idea since I purchased this.
Scent as I perceive:
Pegasus opens strongly with heliotrope and a bitter almond. This sits atop a huge whipped vanilla. Credit here the vanilla is very good. That’s about it. I do not get anything else the scent is linear to me.
Sillage and projection: I have worn this in cooler 17°c through to very hot 33°c weather. At hotter temperatures, unsurprisingly, it is a sillage monster with just three sprays around my neck. It became overpowering and too much. One spray would have been enough. In the cooler weather the sillage and projection is more moderate. It noticeably lifted when I became hot. In the air conditioned office it sat closer to me and was rather nice.
The scent starts strongly for about 1/2 hours, settles to a closer bubble for around another two hours and then remains a strong skin scent for around four hours.
Thoughts: it’s hard to get away from the feeling that all PdM scents are hugely over priced. I do not think they are better than many £70/120 scents widely available in retail stores and against a classic house such as Guerlain they smell very basic. They are very much an influencer brand.
Pegasus is a pungent fragrance and it looks from other reviews to be polarising. If you get it you will probably really like it and vice versa.
Where? Office would be safe if air conditioned and the sprays are limited. It’s best as a day scent for me but you could wear it out in the evening at a push.
Side notes
Purchase again: no (I will enjoy the remaining 23ish ml and that’s it).
Wife commented/noticed: no
Others commented: yes 15yr old son caught it in the air and said he did not like the bitter almond element.
Blind buy? Big NO.
Nose: Hamid Merati-Kashani
Other notable compositions: King Blue Amouage, Ingenious Ginger Goldfield & Banks, Althaïr, Sedley, Pegasus Exclusif, Layton Exclusif, Percival and Layton Parfums de Marly.
Purchased for £80 in June 2025 a travel set of three 10ml bottles batch code: 2221397 manufactured 05/30/2022.
I realised this was old stock and a discontinued format with a hefty metal travel atomiser in silver which is very nice. I wanted the travel atomiser. I noticed that PdM have relaunched the travel atomiser idea since I purchased this.
Scent as I perceive:
Pegasus opens strongly with heliotrope and a bitter almond. This sits atop a huge whipped vanilla. Credit here the vanilla is very good. That’s about it. I do not get anything else the scent is linear to me.
Sillage and projection: I have worn this in cooler 17°c through to very hot 33°c weather. At hotter temperatures, unsurprisingly, it is a sillage monster with just three sprays around my neck. It became overpowering and too much. One spray would have been enough. In the cooler weather the sillage and projection is more moderate. It noticeably lifted when I became hot. In the air conditioned office it sat closer to me and was rather nice.
The scent starts strongly for about 1/2 hours, settles to a closer bubble for around another two hours and then remains a strong skin scent for around four hours.
Thoughts: it’s hard to get away from the feeling that all PdM scents are hugely over priced. I do not think they are better than many £70/120 scents widely available in retail stores and against a classic house such as Guerlain they smell very basic. They are very much an influencer brand.
Pegasus is a pungent fragrance and it looks from other reviews to be polarising. If you get it you will probably really like it and vice versa.
Where? Office would be safe if air conditioned and the sprays are limited. It’s best as a day scent for me but you could wear it out in the evening at a push.
Side notes
Purchase again: no (I will enjoy the remaining 23ish ml and that’s it).
Wife commented/noticed: no
Others commented: yes 15yr old son caught it in the air and said he did not like the bitter almond element.
Blind buy? Big NO.
Excellent fragrance and value for money.
Review based from a 2025 50ml bottle purchased product code 4G01. Bergamot and pink pepper really push on opening with a lovely almond supporting. A wonderful clean dry tobacco quickly rises with a sweet uplifting accord. The fragrance develops nicely through to clean dry down with a lovely open and masculine finish. I would happily pay twice the price for this. It’s puts PdM for example to shame.
