The term Oud is thrown around so easily in perfumery and it’s just not true. It is best to ask someone who has lived it or engulfed themselves in the culture or taken the time to learn true processes. For instance Bakhoor (wood chip, shaving, residual wood) comes in different forms the cheapest version is young Agarwood soaked in other accords which most Arab people don’t use. Then there true Bakhoor which which multiple types of wood with naturally occurring resins exist are burned at the same time this process when wearing it in clothing should not be loud but present then an Attar which is concentrated perfume oil in some cases these oils include Oud resin. this is typically done before you leave home or more commonly before Salah (Prayer) or Jumah ( weekly prayer service). Oud which come from the heart wood of the Aquilaria tree the best Oud comes from very old trees that are very rare making true Oud Very expensive into the thousands of dollars US. Also what matters is the distillation process which determines the outcome of the Oud oil/resin presented. In most perfumery today is not true Oud because @Paul Bartnicki would say there no way to get a consistent product in hundreds or thousands of bottles what you are get is an Agarwood accord weather that is real or synthetic varies house to house. My Real name is Jamal Rasheed and I was born in Islam which in turn engulfed me in Arab culture and have lived these processes to some not extent. These processes take years probably decades to learn the difference so if you don’t take that time you can misunderstand or be taken advantage of.

An alternative to Initio Atomic Rose. Amethyst has a beautiful, intoxicating, alluring and addictive aroma. It’s one of the smoothest rose fragrances I have. The citrus, floral, spicy sweetness, oudy, ambery blend it’s just magical. I believe this is the second time I wear it since I bought it and got me compliments today at church. Love it!

WIthout getting too much into the details, let's just say I did a fair amount of research, conversing with various shop owners and studying all things oud on my recent trip to Dubai at the "fragrance souk" (the marketplace in the old part of town.) The shop owners couldn't have been more helpful educating me about this fascinating topic. I bought several different forms of ouds (e.g. pure oils/attars, wood chips, incense.) This morning I thought I'd try the more traditional, Middle Eastern way of applying an oud scent given that I wasn't going to see anyone until dinner tonight. I've already burned a few chips of this particular oud in the burner, that was given to me by a shop owner. From those first few burns I got a real good idea as to the smell and strength of this oud, and there was no real surprise from what I remembered back in that shop. To "apply" the smoke from the burning oud chip (soaked in pure oil) I waved the fabric of my shirt through the smoke for about 15 seconds. Then I cupped the smoke with my hands and basically patted it onto my head and neck. Yep... I REALLY did this today. BTW, if it's the real deal, you should be able to put your face in the smoke and it will not burn your eyes. If it's fake, it'll smell like a cigarette or worse. So the big question some will ask is; Where are the chips sourced? Lootah does not specifically say where they're sourcing some of their chips from because, like blended Scotch, their chips are generally from India, Cambodia and Indonesia, but the important thing for most Houses is the consistency of the fragrance among their various products. This one shop owner gave me some Indian oud, Vietnamese oud, Cambodian oud and others, so I can distinguish the general aromas from the various countries. However as he explained, it's more complicated than simply where it's sourced. You can have oud that is wild vs. plantation grown, sinking vs. floating, and of course there are various grades within all that. The scent profiles can be woody, earthy, animalic (sometimes down-right barnyardy), sweet, smoky, etc, with regional styles often dictating the characteristics.

Good morning Fragrance Family. Happy Sunday from a frigid Chicago morning. I’m getting ready for church bundled up in my Chicago Bears gear as temperatures sit in the teens with some brutal subzero windchills. Cold like this builds character and makes you grateful for warmth, faith, and good scent choices. Today’s scent of the day is something special: Habit Rouge Spirit, the limited edition collaboration between Guerlain and Hennessy Cognac. I picked this up duty free while traveling last year, and it still feels like a treat every time I wear it. This fragrance is deep, rich, boozy, and woody, with a smooth subtle sweetness that keeps it elegant and refined rather than loud. Perfect for a cold Sunday morning and absolutely full of soul. Easy 10/10 for me. Blessed, grateful, and ready for worship. Stay warm and scented, fam.

I always forget I have this one and that feels like a crime. Headed to Lowes this morning and decided I wanted to smell like a man today. So I landed on leather. Went to my cabinet and this one decided to make itself known. So I had to wear it. I definitely do not regret it. This is definitely a niche level leather scent. It is totally linear, what you smell in the beginning is what you get the entire time through, but it’s such a smooth, beautiful leather that you aren't missing anything else. This thing projects like a beast so I can’t even imagine what the extrait it would be like. It also lasts for a long time. at least 6-8 hours. Of you love leather as much as @Edward Mooney does this is a must have for the collection. Also this may be niche, but you can definitely find this out there for under 200 so don’t pay retail for this one, but i do recommend it. Stay smelling good my brothers.