Game day brotherhood! I’ve had some good luck on game day with this blue beast, let’s hope it brings us the W! Good luck to your boys @Steve Louis but even better luck to my Rams. We’re goin to need it in this weather. With this bright pepper, oregano, and sweet smokey baddie, it is sure to bring some power! Lasts forever and puts a cloud in any room you walk into and is one of my favorites in the collection. Have a great day brotherhood!!

BMA edp: Spicy, woody (sandalwood), incensy, olibanum (frankincense) opening Classy, masculine, dark, woody, rich, and smoky, but not overpowering Moderate Longevity: around 4-5 hours, with a good 2-hour scent bubble Very affordable, making it a popular choice: about $25 DP edp: Prominent woody, incensy, spicy, smoother, niche version, with hints of vanilla in the opening More luxurious, refined take on the woody-incense theme Much better longevity and projection than BMA, approximately 8-9 hours total Significantly more expensive, cheapest would be $250 at discounters Both have subtly animalic but not skanky Oud.. smoky and rich oud with addictive qualities that develops on repeated wearing.. blending well with the other notes and accords.. Final Verdict: You want the woody, spicy, incense scent at an excellent value, enjoy the style but don't need beast-mode performance, or want a great introduction to this fragrance type.. Choose Bentley for Men Absolute. You love the scent profile of Bentley Absolute but crave superior performance, a more luxurious feel, and are willing to pay a premium for a niche fragrance experience.. Chose Bond No. 9 Dubai Platinum.. You be the judge.. remember both were created by the same perfumer Michel Almairac.. is 10x the price point all worth it..? or a little bit of sacrifice on the longevity and quality can compensate for the huge savings..?

Continuing on her work on the OL line, Sonia Constant released the latest in the line in 2024. Strange that bothe the edp & parfum come out before the edt. Well after some wearing, I'm still impressed. My initial thought was if Spicebomb and Ombre had a wee orgy with a random Amber, this would be the off spring. While the original edp is famous for its new car/leather jacket scent, Eau d'Ombré takes the line on a different path—trading some of that raw leather grit for a warm, spicy, and vanilla-forward profile. Unlike its predecessors, which focused on the animalic and floral Jasmine aspects of leather, Eau d'Ombré is an edt that leans into a more Radiant Leather. The Opening starts much brighter & fizzier, than the original. You get that sharp, energizing hit of fresh ginger, coriander & cardamom. It feels airy and slightly medicinal for the first few minutes. At its heart the spices settle, that signature leather accord makes an appearance here, but it is "glowing" rather than "heavy." It lacks the smoky, gasoline edge of the edp which makes it a lot smoother. There is also a touch of saffron too.Moving into the Base were this fragrance shines and deviates most from the line. It settles into a rich Vanilla Tincture with an Ambrofix base. It becomes a creamy, sweet, slightly woody skin scent, with the addition of Amber, and Honeyed Woods that make it feel cozy rather than aggressive. Because this is an edt, it is designed to be a lighter, more wearable version of the DNA. But I have to say this performers amazingly well. Especially in the cold air. You can expect an average of several hours on skin. It doesn't disappear quickly, but it does become a skin scent faster than the edp. Projection is moderate but It creates a nice "scent bubble" around you for the first 2 hours. It is not a "room-filler," making it much safer for office environments or close-encounter dates. If your looking for a good leather that isnt too harsh, this is a great starting point. Oh and it's the most reasonably priced from the OL line.

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.

Gentlemen, following up on my last post about "The Collection"—let’s talk about the one that really surprised me: Confident Oud. The official breakdown claims only two notes: Bran and Agarwood (Oud). Personally, I’m calling BS on that. There is way more going on here. To my nose, I’m definitely picking up sandalwood, pepper, and a touch of tonka bean or vanilla in the dry down. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know exactly what "real" raw oud smells like, but this doesn't resemble the typical "oud" notes found in my other fragrances if any. This is what I would call a "dry boozy" scent. It isn't syrupy or dessert-like; it’s rugged and refined. This could have been part of @Renato Carotti booze wars. • The Opening: It starts with a literal shot of whiskey neat. It’s boozy, sharp, and commanding right out of the gate. • The Mid & Dry Down: Once the initial pour settles, you get a beautiful smoky, woody accord. Think of a charred whiskey barrel with just a tiny hint of sweetness peaking through. A Tobacco Oud Alternative? Confident Oud is very reminiscent of the discontinued Tom Ford Tobacco Oud. The Difference: Where the Tom Ford has more of a cigar or incense vibe in the opening, the Boss is more about that charred barrel woodiness. It’s slightly sweeter than the TF, but only just. If you never had the chance to try Tobacco Oud, this will definitely get you there. Performance & Versatility • Longevity: Excellent, giving me 8+ hours. • Projection: Solid for the first 3 hours before staying closer to the skin. This is not for the younger crowd. The booziness here isn't like Angels' Share—the sweetness is almost non-existent. This is definitely for the 30+ crowd. This is a versatile heavy-hitter. You can dress it up for a high-end dinner or dress it down for a night at the cigar lounge. Let me know your thoughts or if any of you have had a chance to get your nose on this one!