Perfume Reviews by Cheetah1919

Tibetan Musk EdP by Ensar Oud

To me, this is the best type of Musk you can get! It has just a slight bit, but enough animalic dna to it, but the creaminess with a slight chocolate/vanilla hint makes it absolutely addictive! It has a nice bright piney lemon/citrus opening too!

Incense Rori by Amouage

I think IR is an absolute WINNER!! The most high quality frankincense I’ve smelled in any perfume/attar anywhere! And even better, it’s nice burning on a bed of wood, and while not listed, it even smells like it’s some sort of Oud wood. Then encompassing the whole thing is some creamy woodiness, and some uplifting oakmoss. And none of it is lost throughout to me, as it lasts at least a full day on me. And as I mentioned in a thread, even though it is an attar, it actually projects well too, as a store cashier commented that something smelled REALLY good!
I love AA Oud lubani as a fantastic burning frankincense fragrance, but IR is even better to me…..I can’t get enough!

Saffron Hamra by Amouage

Not overly complicated, but nice! I get a rose Oud combo, with saffron dancing around it all. It’s slightly smoky, which is right up my alley, and it lasts a long time on my skin.

Kyara to Byakudan by Agar Aura

This is definitely a winner from AA! I love my oil, but I think I’d love it even more in spray form. It lasts a long time, and is definitely the shapeshifter that Naylor describes it as below.

Aguru by Teone Reinthal Natural Perfume

Really enjoy experiencing Aguru! And I find it is what it’s supposed to be, a dense green chypre. I get a few brief whiffs of slightly funky hindi Oud upfront, but it’s fleeting early on. I get the slightly sweet earthy greenness throughout, and some Oud is definitely present underneath. I enjoy what I believe is the saffron coming out to play, which adds a bit of needed spiciness. As Aguru develops, the Oud aspects seem to really fade, but if you need it it’s there with a close up sniff.

Last Of D’Agar by Rasei Fort

Not a loud Oud, not a funky, medicinal, or even very woody Oud. The main two things for me are some booziness and light floral aspects. It’s also kind of tart, yet wet and bright with fruity citrus notes. It has decent longevity and average projection. I enjoy and appreciate it, but will have to spend more time with it and maybe eventually really love it.

Agar Parisien by Agar Aura

Probably the best AA perfume imo! A little bit fresh, a little spice and some great woody aspects! Definitely bergamot in the opening, but I wish I could detect some oakmoss. Still very nice overall though

Oud Zhen by Areej le Doré

The absolute best representation of burning agarwood chips that I’ve ever smelled, and I’m always searching! It has a deep drydown of a vanilla honey tobacco (although not a listed note), which makes it completely dynamic and non linear. There is myrrh and some dark chocolate aspects that give it just the balancing touch it needs to be a 5 star stunner!

Spell 125 by Papillon Artisan Perfumes

Well, finally got my bottle, and it's as amazing as I hoped it would be! There's a lot going on here. I love the dark inky incense, it's almost like Lampblack with incense added. And the piney soapiness is what I get in the random wafts. It's so 80's classic type to me, clean and masculine and green, but nothing sharp or edgy about it.
Worth every cent!

Roi Sans Equipage by Henry Jacques

The best fragrance of anything I've ever smelled....period!

Khmer Kinam Extrait de Parfum by Agar Aura

This is my absolute favorite oud. It's the way I think a main Oud base should be. Slightly spicy, but a bit sweet, and a vibrant woodiness. Just these few aspects, but they all fit together so perfectly.

Cuba by Czech & Speake

Man, I really like Cuba a lot, and decided that I need to get some more than just my sample. Then I finally figured it out. I already have Frank 2 Los Angeles....they basically smell the same.

Agar de Noir by Areej le Doré

This sucker is really good! So good in fact, I ended up getting a backup bottle....and I never do that. It's a jammy, dark raisin/dark cherry top, mixed with just a little violet. The woody dark Oud becomes more and more present throughout, and it lasts forever! There's also a dark chocolate note that I find glues it all together.

Magus by Teone Reinthal Natural Perfume

I might be with ya here Proust, and the cloves are a standout for me too!

Elixir by Penhaligon's

So if you're looking for something similar to TF Sahara Noir, this is definitely a tamed down version. It's not a match by any means, but there are definitely aspects that give off the same vibe....but not as strong or sharp. Elixir is a bit smoother. It seems that it's about equally as hard to find a bottle of this, as it is Sahara Noir, so I'm gonna have an uphill battle. At least I have Sahara Noir.

Mousse Illuminée by Rogue Perfumery

Well let's just say, I have about 75 FB's of fragrances, and over 100 throughout 20 years of wearing and 10 years of actually building a collection.....and this is the first and only fragrance I've ever bought a backup bottle of!

Just cannot take the chance that they wouldn't be able to make this anymore for whatever reason. Deserves all the accolades it gets!

Café Ambre Noir by Sultan Pasha

Agree with almost everything said about this in the other reviews. It is going towards gourmand, but never actually gets there like other fragrances that feature coffee, vanilla, chocolate, spices and such. The Oud and other notes keep it perfectly from being to sweet/foody/etc. Smelled many SP offerings, and this one is top 3 for me! I haven't quite figured out how far and long it actually projects, but it stays on me forever, and stays on strong! I get constant whiffs for 12+ hours.

Maderas de Oriente Oscuro by PK Perfumes

MDOO on me is very high class cigar/tobacco shop. It's so realistic it's almost mind blowing to me. I get mostly tobacco, some smoke, a bit of sweet resinous vibe in the background. Lovely, well done Paul!

Antimony by House of Matriarch

Goes on strong, with an early bit of funk, but that quickly dissipates and I get a vibe like that of LDDM. There is more of a charred rose element than frankincense to me though. There's something some amber accords and spiciness that I feel blends well together. A bit of a sharp green smell that comes off slightly bitter, which may be what could smell plastic like. But it's also kind of a musky earthy strong smell as well. If I were to guess, I think it's actually real spikenard used in this fragrance! Overall I like it and think it smells like a high quality composition.

Devotion by House of Matriarch

I see this as a softer sweeter type of incense offering. There is definitely a touch of vanilla, and a non offensive Oud like the kind I smell in Crop 16 from House of Oud. I also like that I actually smell more myrrh than frankincense.

Black No. 1 / Blackbird by House of Matriarch

A very nice earthy, smoky/sweet fragrance. Can see why it's mentioned when sexy scents are brought up. I don't get the comparisons to Anubis though. I wear Anubis quite a bit, and Black no. 1 is not near as bold or challenging to wear imo. Also, there's no smell of actual cannabis here, which is a good thing to me.

Amber Absolute by Tom Ford

As others have said here, it really does open up sort of boozy, and just a tad bit animal dirty. That all goes away quickly, and AA becomes this powerful amber patchouli bomb! I get a little blended in incense, however I wish it had more. It's moist and thick like most of the TF private blends, and lasts all day. I think it has some nice similarities to Sahara Noir too. Very well done!

Sublime Essence Ambre by Ex Nihilo

This is a really nice slightly sweet, ambery oud. And I definitely smell some non skanky oud. There is a nice light woodiness to it, and maybe a touch of incense. Definitely high quality and worth a pretty penny imo, but maybe not the big retail price tag. I found a great deal on my FB, so I'm more than happy!

Dear John by Gorilla Perfume [Lush]

A nice slightly spicy/fresh clove, with a bit of woodiness to it. Very wearable and I think it's a fair priced hidden gem!