Valentino888
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Valentino888
Charming melonish opening, then aquatic rose & saffron Oudh
"Excellent Men" by the house of Al Haramain is an underrated gem that, imo in any case, very much lives up to it's name.
A sweet, floral, warm, rose fragrance is how it comes across. I agree with others who bought this there is an aquatic side to it. There's some oud in the mix. There's definitely a unique smelling floral & outdoorsy happening going on here, seems unisex to me bc of the prominent rose note and an easy reach for the day time all year round but personally in the late spring, early summer time of year. It has better than average longevity with heavy projection in the first few hours.
Hard to compare this rosy, fruity, oriental scent I feel on my skin bc it's unlike most frags I have right now in my fragrance wardrobe. Some hints come to mind of an amped down PDM Layton minus the pungent Apple, Jasmin and Lavender. For someone who likes oriental fragrances in the 40-plus age range mostly.
In terms of value for money it's a solid 8.5/10 with "Excellent Men". One of my favorites at the approx. $20,00 price point from the house of Al Haramain. I can recommend it although it's not a fashion statement or date night kind of scent, rather a non-offensive, gentle, unique, somewhat dreamy and well made woody blend with elevated rose and floral notes. If still available in your area, don't even think twice. I'm saving the sprays these days though bc it's sold out here lately.
Nice to have in the rotation as a modest yet blind buy worthy week day scent for work or to take to a holiday destination bc this one can go in different directions. It's that kind of a scent, it's either elevating the mood with an aromatic distraction as you breeze by from the oriental floral notes in a sometimes dreary office environment (or it's my imagination playing tricks on me) to underline/celebrate a vacation, the joyousness of a leisurely sunny afternoon.
The note breakdown according to the house of Al Haramain webpage I've listed down below FYI bc it differs somewhat from Parfumo and Fragrantica lists only the notes; "woody" and "warm spicy".
[Top notes] Rose, Geranium, Marigold, Hibiscus Blossoms, Spicy, Cassis, Passion fruit. [Middle notes] Marine, Rose, Saffron, Coriander, Ginger, White Pepper, Cardamom, Cypriol, Agar wood, Patchouli. [Base notes] Amber, Spicy, Mahogany, Sandalwood, Ebony, Guaiac wood, Patchouli, Cedar wood, Musk.
scent: 9/10
longevity: 7/10
projection: 6/10
overall: 8.5/10
Music: Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze
~ Valentino888 ~
A sweet, floral, warm, rose fragrance is how it comes across. I agree with others who bought this there is an aquatic side to it. There's some oud in the mix. There's definitely a unique smelling floral & outdoorsy happening going on here, seems unisex to me bc of the prominent rose note and an easy reach for the day time all year round but personally in the late spring, early summer time of year. It has better than average longevity with heavy projection in the first few hours.
Hard to compare this rosy, fruity, oriental scent I feel on my skin bc it's unlike most frags I have right now in my fragrance wardrobe. Some hints come to mind of an amped down PDM Layton minus the pungent Apple, Jasmin and Lavender. For someone who likes oriental fragrances in the 40-plus age range mostly.
In terms of value for money it's a solid 8.5/10 with "Excellent Men". One of my favorites at the approx. $20,00 price point from the house of Al Haramain. I can recommend it although it's not a fashion statement or date night kind of scent, rather a non-offensive, gentle, unique, somewhat dreamy and well made woody blend with elevated rose and floral notes. If still available in your area, don't even think twice. I'm saving the sprays these days though bc it's sold out here lately.
Nice to have in the rotation as a modest yet blind buy worthy week day scent for work or to take to a holiday destination bc this one can go in different directions. It's that kind of a scent, it's either elevating the mood with an aromatic distraction as you breeze by from the oriental floral notes in a sometimes dreary office environment (or it's my imagination playing tricks on me) to underline/celebrate a vacation, the joyousness of a leisurely sunny afternoon.
The note breakdown according to the house of Al Haramain webpage I've listed down below FYI bc it differs somewhat from Parfumo and Fragrantica lists only the notes; "woody" and "warm spicy".
[Top notes] Rose, Geranium, Marigold, Hibiscus Blossoms, Spicy, Cassis, Passion fruit. [Middle notes] Marine, Rose, Saffron, Coriander, Ginger, White Pepper, Cardamom, Cypriol, Agar wood, Patchouli. [Base notes] Amber, Spicy, Mahogany, Sandalwood, Ebony, Guaiac wood, Patchouli, Cedar wood, Musk.
scent: 9/10
longevity: 7/10
projection: 6/10
overall: 8.5/10
Music: Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze
~ Valentino888 ~
A fleeting whisper of resinous birch.
[Company introduction]
Al Rehab is a perfume company based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The brand was established in 1975. The focus and philosophy behind the brand lies in providing high quality perfumes using the best levels of expertise available; Taylor-made to meet specificities of customer tastes, preferences and demand. The Slogan of the Al Rehab perfume company from the outset has been, Quality at affordable prices for all.
[Name of the fragrance]
Oudy - Al-Rehab Eau De Natural Perfume Spray- 35 ml (1.15 fl. oz)
[Official note-breakdown]
Top notes: White Musk, Costus. Middle: Agarwood (Oud), Tobacco, Neroli. Base: Agarwood (Oud) and Broom.
[Performance]
Silage trail 30 minutes/hour. Longevity about 2 hours
[My take/review]
Greetings everyone, hope you're all doing well, I'm doing fantastic. (lol, just kidding) Okay so today we've got this lil beauty in front of us; Oudy by Al-Rehab. And I wanted to write a few words about it since I've had it in the collection for about a year at least. (juice level is about 3/4 of the way down). Been wearing it mainly in various religious settings (Mosque attendance, Arabic classes, Lectures on Islam etc) I really appreciate it and love it.
{The description} "Eau De Natural Perfume Spray" means that it based on natural perfume oil, with the exception of the Agar wood in this case I'm sure (alcohol added to make it into a spray version) in Arabic that's called "Itar/Attar" it's an essential oil derived from botanical or other natural sources. Most commonly these oils are extracted via hydro or steam distillation. (thanks wiki). There's supposed to be an attar (for those shunning the alcohol) version of this but haven't been able to source that one yet. By no means a performance monster however little ole Oudy, it's a subtle woody Oriental skin-scent this one, however in hotter climes this could really “go off” altogether differently idk.
In any case, this relatively speaking, short lived sensation, can be handy if you want to go for different fragrances throughout the day and you don't want them clashing. Sinds it's pretty much gone after a few hours except for perhaps the slightest hint of musky powderiness, you can just go over the top with something different to adapt to changes in scenery/occasion/time of day. But, if you're not done yet, this slim lil 35ml bottle lends itself to being conveniently transported in the side pocket of a Jellabiya or handbag or whatever the case may be for re-application later in the day.
The fragrance to me in the beginning has these very distinct resinous birchy and woody notes, as if you just walked into a carpenters workshop or you've been using a pencil sharper. But that's only after a creamy cloud of musk has moved over as the intro. Towards the mid, there's that smoky Oudh coming through then flowery Amber with an understated Tobacco note. It dries down to a close powdery musk. Parfumo has clove and Mir listed as the notes as well. I can relate to that with the resin and spiciness I'm getting right the way through pretty much but mainly in the middle somewhere. It's noted down as a Unisex fragrance but to me this exudes masculinity big time, could be just me idk.
Considering this experience will set you back around € 5,00 locally in my case; You really can't go wrong with this. It's a winner scent, it's that super high quality, classy, modest, woody, old world, oriental, classic vibe that we know and love about the Al-Rahab brand. “Sultan Al Oud” supposed to be great as well by this brand, getting that one next as well as more backups.
[Background]
Looking forward to trying and reviewing more from this brand and Middle Eastern perfume brands for men in general (primarily due to being of the Islamic faith myself as I mentioned earlier). I thoroughly enjoy the price category I'm working with now of both the Western and the Oriental ones. (The Louis Vuitton's, Roja Parfums and Tom Ford's etc of the fragrance world are going to have to wait for now, I'll get to those later lol).
The ones I've experienced over the years made by Al Rehab (and others brands like it) tend to have one thing in common and that is the traditional, conservative Oriental nature of their perfumes that really makes them stand out from the Western style perfumes. Largely due to the sales market being based in the middle east for the most part where end users are primarily a Islamic demographic, they are made to suit that specific taste and tradition etc. which I love as well.
In other words it is one of those typical Saudi-Arabian perfume brands with Al Rehab being one of the more "old world" conservatively oriental brands I've seen thus far compared to some of the others that are widely available for me here in the West where I'm currently situated.
~Valentino888~
Al Rehab is a perfume company based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The brand was established in 1975. The focus and philosophy behind the brand lies in providing high quality perfumes using the best levels of expertise available; Taylor-made to meet specificities of customer tastes, preferences and demand. The Slogan of the Al Rehab perfume company from the outset has been, Quality at affordable prices for all.
[Name of the fragrance]
Oudy - Al-Rehab Eau De Natural Perfume Spray- 35 ml (1.15 fl. oz)
[Official note-breakdown]
Top notes: White Musk, Costus. Middle: Agarwood (Oud), Tobacco, Neroli. Base: Agarwood (Oud) and Broom.
[Performance]
Silage trail 30 minutes/hour. Longevity about 2 hours
[My take/review]
Greetings everyone, hope you're all doing well, I'm doing fantastic. (lol, just kidding) Okay so today we've got this lil beauty in front of us; Oudy by Al-Rehab. And I wanted to write a few words about it since I've had it in the collection for about a year at least. (juice level is about 3/4 of the way down). Been wearing it mainly in various religious settings (Mosque attendance, Arabic classes, Lectures on Islam etc) I really appreciate it and love it.
{The description} "Eau De Natural Perfume Spray" means that it based on natural perfume oil, with the exception of the Agar wood in this case I'm sure (alcohol added to make it into a spray version) in Arabic that's called "Itar/Attar" it's an essential oil derived from botanical or other natural sources. Most commonly these oils are extracted via hydro or steam distillation. (thanks wiki). There's supposed to be an attar (for those shunning the alcohol) version of this but haven't been able to source that one yet. By no means a performance monster however little ole Oudy, it's a subtle woody Oriental skin-scent this one, however in hotter climes this could really “go off” altogether differently idk.
In any case, this relatively speaking, short lived sensation, can be handy if you want to go for different fragrances throughout the day and you don't want them clashing. Sinds it's pretty much gone after a few hours except for perhaps the slightest hint of musky powderiness, you can just go over the top with something different to adapt to changes in scenery/occasion/time of day. But, if you're not done yet, this slim lil 35ml bottle lends itself to being conveniently transported in the side pocket of a Jellabiya or handbag or whatever the case may be for re-application later in the day.
The fragrance to me in the beginning has these very distinct resinous birchy and woody notes, as if you just walked into a carpenters workshop or you've been using a pencil sharper. But that's only after a creamy cloud of musk has moved over as the intro. Towards the mid, there's that smoky Oudh coming through then flowery Amber with an understated Tobacco note. It dries down to a close powdery musk. Parfumo has clove and Mir listed as the notes as well. I can relate to that with the resin and spiciness I'm getting right the way through pretty much but mainly in the middle somewhere. It's noted down as a Unisex fragrance but to me this exudes masculinity big time, could be just me idk.
Considering this experience will set you back around € 5,00 locally in my case; You really can't go wrong with this. It's a winner scent, it's that super high quality, classy, modest, woody, old world, oriental, classic vibe that we know and love about the Al-Rahab brand. “Sultan Al Oud” supposed to be great as well by this brand, getting that one next as well as more backups.
[Background]
Looking forward to trying and reviewing more from this brand and Middle Eastern perfume brands for men in general (primarily due to being of the Islamic faith myself as I mentioned earlier). I thoroughly enjoy the price category I'm working with now of both the Western and the Oriental ones. (The Louis Vuitton's, Roja Parfums and Tom Ford's etc of the fragrance world are going to have to wait for now, I'll get to those later lol).
The ones I've experienced over the years made by Al Rehab (and others brands like it) tend to have one thing in common and that is the traditional, conservative Oriental nature of their perfumes that really makes them stand out from the Western style perfumes. Largely due to the sales market being based in the middle east for the most part where end users are primarily a Islamic demographic, they are made to suit that specific taste and tradition etc. which I love as well.
In other words it is one of those typical Saudi-Arabian perfume brands with Al Rehab being one of the more "old world" conservatively oriental brands I've seen thus far compared to some of the others that are widely available for me here in the West where I'm currently situated.
~Valentino888~
Memory lane beach vacation
As the air was heating up for what is probably going to be remembered as a great summer for NL in the capital city this year 2022; I just couldn't resist any longer and I grabbed for it. I mean "Sun Men" the spicy aromatic fragrance release from 2002 by fashion house Jil Sander.
Loving the minimalist rectangle bottle design, frosted glass, bright metallic orange and white theme, atomizer good as well, overall a sleek presentation.
For some perhaps a bit on the common side and main stream, but to me it's quality perfume with uniqueness, top notes Bergamot Rosemary; middle notes Cardamom Nutmeg; base notes Musk Sandalwood.
A quality proposition for the price, a fine scent with a good amount of sweetness and oil rich density. Good value for money with decent projection, around 6 hours plus longevity.
The thing about it though, the nostalgic quality it has bc of the association with that sunny time of year. Just seems familiar like you've experienced this all your life, the citrus opening and aquatic notes takes your imagination to a day at the beach in fourty plus degree temperatures bc it can, bc that's just how this rolls. Reminds me of sun lotion and it is definitely a " for men" masculine type of edt.
Admittedly I applied skin moisturizer that day prior to spraying Sun Men. As I was running errands commuting in and out of metro's and trams around town in the sweltering summer heat; that aromatic sweet silage that wasn't letting up for easily 6 hours plus. The skin cream and the heat probably made it stand out a bit extra. A hack I'm normalizing now in my scent routine, as reviewers tell us sometimes as well, I can now speak from experience that it really does seem to help the loudness of the scent.
I just kept getting the powerful aroma right throughout the day of this summer cheapie. With the Rosemary giving it that zing I was amazed at how long this stayed on my skin, the day after it was still there, during the morning shower that sandalwood was still hitting me.
A major selling point for me with any fragrance, noticing for hours on and off you're wearing this gorgeous scent that's got your back all the way with staying power. Nothing more rewarding for me than catching the fragrance here and there all day.
Some people complain about the performance of Sun Men I'm thinking, seriously? for the money this Eau de Toilette has plenty of umpf.
Main one I'm reaching for this season. (A bit panicky I surf the discounters) Bitte! wo ist meine back up bottle?
Loving the minimalist rectangle bottle design, frosted glass, bright metallic orange and white theme, atomizer good as well, overall a sleek presentation.
For some perhaps a bit on the common side and main stream, but to me it's quality perfume with uniqueness, top notes Bergamot Rosemary; middle notes Cardamom Nutmeg; base notes Musk Sandalwood.
A quality proposition for the price, a fine scent with a good amount of sweetness and oil rich density. Good value for money with decent projection, around 6 hours plus longevity.
The thing about it though, the nostalgic quality it has bc of the association with that sunny time of year. Just seems familiar like you've experienced this all your life, the citrus opening and aquatic notes takes your imagination to a day at the beach in fourty plus degree temperatures bc it can, bc that's just how this rolls. Reminds me of sun lotion and it is definitely a " for men" masculine type of edt.
Admittedly I applied skin moisturizer that day prior to spraying Sun Men. As I was running errands commuting in and out of metro's and trams around town in the sweltering summer heat; that aromatic sweet silage that wasn't letting up for easily 6 hours plus. The skin cream and the heat probably made it stand out a bit extra. A hack I'm normalizing now in my scent routine, as reviewers tell us sometimes as well, I can now speak from experience that it really does seem to help the loudness of the scent.
I just kept getting the powerful aroma right throughout the day of this summer cheapie. With the Rosemary giving it that zing I was amazed at how long this stayed on my skin, the day after it was still there, during the morning shower that sandalwood was still hitting me.
A major selling point for me with any fragrance, noticing for hours on and off you're wearing this gorgeous scent that's got your back all the way with staying power. Nothing more rewarding for me than catching the fragrance here and there all day.
Some people complain about the performance of Sun Men I'm thinking, seriously? for the money this Eau de Toilette has plenty of umpf.
Main one I'm reaching for this season. (A bit panicky I surf the discounters) Bitte! wo ist meine back up bottle?
3 Comments
A pleasant vintage, inoffensive scent.
The much talked about Blue Jeans by master perfumer Jean-Pierre Bethouart of the Italian fashion house Versace, well what can I say; I think it's pretty much all been said. This Aromatic Fougere from 1994 has caught the publics attention in a big way and it's obviously for a reason.
I think it's worth mentioning that the marketing for this fragrance was well done, the super catchy blue and yellow retro country and western design of the bottle and the metal cilinder packaging that it comes in. It's hinting at that old world barbershop fresh fougere appeal of the juice it contains. If that's what you're looking for, it's hard not to just grab off the shelf at this price, makes for an affordable yet cheerful present as well to give away.
The bottle dark blue with Versace's logo, the medusa's, embossed all the way around the glass, the colorful metal container it comes in, everything about the presentation is just on point. The black medusa embellished cap fits not only snugly but tightly around the atomizer just one of those details that makes the overall customer experience for this product just that bit more appealing, great attention to detail. Then the sprayer itself, presses down effortlessly gives off a short burst of mist cloud to put on as much or little as needed, again adding to a well rounded presentation.
Cutting to the chase for the scent itself, for me personally just right off the bat a bit too casual, non descript and redundant for me for most occasions. I think for some reason a teenager could pull this one off most easily. So slightly disappointed after all the hype this receives from certain leading fragrance reviewers on YouTube.
However that being said, for a cheap blind purchase it's a cool bottle to have sitting on the shelf for the looks alone if nothing else. And a fragrance with a coca cola aroma? where do you find it? It's that Coca Cola "hook" slash marketing gimmick about this scent that grabs you, clearly they gave this some thought from a sales viewpoint at the time.
So it's unique in that regard and it has a bit of that Dior Sauvage vibe going for it as well. It's an easily accessible, non offensive, typical 90's freshy, slightly sweet musky and comforting. I would say office safe, no problems there. I mean at the end of the day it's really quite a well put together fragrance from another era and for that reason alone I enjoy having it as part of my arsenal.
In the beginning I was a bit nose blind to this and some call this a super long lasting 24 hour fragrance. This description had me confused for a bit and have been wearing this on and off for weeks to be able to write this piece about it. It sticks around on my clothes well like 10 hours plus when you really put your nose to it but on skin it's really a more subtle woody and spicy dry down after the initial spicy floral bergamot blast, it wears off after about 4 hours for me for the most part. Could it be a reformulation issue that many scents from the 80's and 90's seem to have? Idk but it's not the projection monster beast mode scent that some people say it is by a long stretch. So I don't know how they come up with that.
It lingers gently rather than projects, like I said after that initial burst it's closer to the skin mostly. Spray it on the clothes for a longer wear is my take on it in any case. But I've heard of people taking this wherever they go to re-apply later in the day.
For the collectors among us, it's one of those must have classics or as a gift even but other than that, try it on a test strip first, it's sitting on the rack at most drug stores for you to test this one out.
~ Valentino888 ~
I think it's worth mentioning that the marketing for this fragrance was well done, the super catchy blue and yellow retro country and western design of the bottle and the metal cilinder packaging that it comes in. It's hinting at that old world barbershop fresh fougere appeal of the juice it contains. If that's what you're looking for, it's hard not to just grab off the shelf at this price, makes for an affordable yet cheerful present as well to give away.
The bottle dark blue with Versace's logo, the medusa's, embossed all the way around the glass, the colorful metal container it comes in, everything about the presentation is just on point. The black medusa embellished cap fits not only snugly but tightly around the atomizer just one of those details that makes the overall customer experience for this product just that bit more appealing, great attention to detail. Then the sprayer itself, presses down effortlessly gives off a short burst of mist cloud to put on as much or little as needed, again adding to a well rounded presentation.
Cutting to the chase for the scent itself, for me personally just right off the bat a bit too casual, non descript and redundant for me for most occasions. I think for some reason a teenager could pull this one off most easily. So slightly disappointed after all the hype this receives from certain leading fragrance reviewers on YouTube.
However that being said, for a cheap blind purchase it's a cool bottle to have sitting on the shelf for the looks alone if nothing else. And a fragrance with a coca cola aroma? where do you find it? It's that Coca Cola "hook" slash marketing gimmick about this scent that grabs you, clearly they gave this some thought from a sales viewpoint at the time.
So it's unique in that regard and it has a bit of that Dior Sauvage vibe going for it as well. It's an easily accessible, non offensive, typical 90's freshy, slightly sweet musky and comforting. I would say office safe, no problems there. I mean at the end of the day it's really quite a well put together fragrance from another era and for that reason alone I enjoy having it as part of my arsenal.
In the beginning I was a bit nose blind to this and some call this a super long lasting 24 hour fragrance. This description had me confused for a bit and have been wearing this on and off for weeks to be able to write this piece about it. It sticks around on my clothes well like 10 hours plus when you really put your nose to it but on skin it's really a more subtle woody and spicy dry down after the initial spicy floral bergamot blast, it wears off after about 4 hours for me for the most part. Could it be a reformulation issue that many scents from the 80's and 90's seem to have? Idk but it's not the projection monster beast mode scent that some people say it is by a long stretch. So I don't know how they come up with that.
It lingers gently rather than projects, like I said after that initial burst it's closer to the skin mostly. Spray it on the clothes for a longer wear is my take on it in any case. But I've heard of people taking this wherever they go to re-apply later in the day.
For the collectors among us, it's one of those must have classics or as a gift even but other than that, try it on a test strip first, it's sitting on the rack at most drug stores for you to test this one out.
~ Valentino888 ~
Oudhy deliciousness from France..
Just trying this for the first time, put one spray on the hand so far on my way out the door to do a bit of shopping.
As I'm going down the street on foot I'm in this scent bubble that is reminding me of V&R Spice Bomb extreme. A little rubbing alcohol and citrus in the opening, soon settles down and this spiciness opens up with quite some intensity I might add. People in the store turning heads, smiles of approval coming my way as I'm passing by restaurants with people enjoying the sun with a drink at terraces.
My first Jacques Bogart in the collection, I'm impressed, this is an excellent buy.
As it dries down further, green and leathery notes, the oudhy funk is well represented here accompanied by the flowery background with lots of spicy notes.
It's a classic by a house that's been in the game for a long time, I'm all about honoring the vintage fragrance houses of the 80's, for educational reasons as well but this is a more modern release by Jacques Bogart from 2014.
One Man Show Oud Edition is mega affordable, it's beast mode, really has a V&R Spice Bomb extreme vibe and smell, just got it in the mail.
Top notes are Galbanum, Red Thyme and Bergamot; middle notes are Agarwood (Oud), Spices and Geranium; base notes are Leather, Patchouli and Papyrus.
Maybe it's just me but at such short notice I'm already giving this a value for money vote of 10/10.
Main reasons, a really well blended masculine woody aromatic fragrance for men with generous projection for around $20 (incl. postage), this one is hard to beat considering the price range.
As I'm going down the street on foot I'm in this scent bubble that is reminding me of V&R Spice Bomb extreme. A little rubbing alcohol and citrus in the opening, soon settles down and this spiciness opens up with quite some intensity I might add. People in the store turning heads, smiles of approval coming my way as I'm passing by restaurants with people enjoying the sun with a drink at terraces.
My first Jacques Bogart in the collection, I'm impressed, this is an excellent buy.
As it dries down further, green and leathery notes, the oudhy funk is well represented here accompanied by the flowery background with lots of spicy notes.
It's a classic by a house that's been in the game for a long time, I'm all about honoring the vintage fragrance houses of the 80's, for educational reasons as well but this is a more modern release by Jacques Bogart from 2014.
One Man Show Oud Edition is mega affordable, it's beast mode, really has a V&R Spice Bomb extreme vibe and smell, just got it in the mail.
Top notes are Galbanum, Red Thyme and Bergamot; middle notes are Agarwood (Oud), Spices and Geranium; base notes are Leather, Patchouli and Papyrus.
Maybe it's just me but at such short notice I'm already giving this a value for money vote of 10/10.
Main reasons, a really well blended masculine woody aromatic fragrance for men with generous projection for around $20 (incl. postage), this one is hard to beat considering the price range.
2 Comments
