Montale Black Aoud : Perfume Review
Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.
To be perfectly honest, I find many Montale oud fragrances to be overly brash and lacking nuance, yet I am ready to eat my words anytime I discover something that proves me wrong. Black Aoud, a surprisingly authentic Arabic style fragrance, made me forget both my distaste for the oud trend as well as for Montale. Oud (agarwood), derived from a species of Aquallaria trees affected by a fungus, has a unique fragrance, which ranges from honeyed tobacco to warm fur. Given the numerous nuances of this material, it is possible to fashion different effects, whether dusky and smoky or luminous and suave. Black Aoud exemplifies the East Arabic style of perfumery that tends towards the latter.
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