Oud Zhen by Areej Le Doré

With the phrase ‘The true OUD experience’ on the box, Russian Adam invites you to enjoy Oud Zhen. It is for those who love oud and managed to grab it before stock ran out. It is a very woody scent (with cultivated and natural Indian oud) and smoky, with a powdery texture and an animal undertone of genuine castoreum and civet, easily detectable. It leaves a sweet, ‘honeyed’ base, I suspect amber; the creator confirms amber facets. Due to the smoke, power, and animal notes, it is 100% masculine. The power is brutal; a single spray fills the room, so do not use more than 3 or 4. Asking for more is a mistake you will regret. After 20 minutes, the intensity drops, staying close to the skin with moderate projection, although its longevity easily exceeds 5–6 hours. It wins on longevity (10 km) but loses on projection (400 m flat), ending close to the skin. In the dry-down, it becomes woody, very powdery/atoll-like, with a sweet ‘honeyed’ touch and enough noticeable sandalwood, though the oud dominates everything. Imagine ‘Sahraa Oud’ by Fragrance Du Bois: extremely woody, but here add lots of smoke, powdery texture, and an animal tone. It is more powerful, dense, and dark. Oud Zhen is a significant improvement over the original (Oud Zen 2017) which used synthetics; here it is genuine, offering a softer, more polished experience. Dark, dense, powerful on the opening, and heavy: that is Oud Zhen, and I adore it. Fantastic!

My first contact was with a decant: from the moment I smelled the oud, I loved it, and upon learning that Russian Adam produces it with natural oud and it is a limited edition, I decided to buy the bottle, knowing many consider it masculine. Upon spraying the first application, I was struck by the power and beauty; it filled the room immediately. I detected potent, smoky oud with strong animal notes (castoreum and civet), a deep, seductive, and fully unisex scent with a buttery, amber base. It reminds me of smoked blue cheese, without any fungal smell. The longevity is superior to 24 hours on skin and eternal on clothes; I have washed a coat twice and can still smell it. The projection is excellent, so moderate applications to avoid annoying others, as not everyone enjoys such different and complex aromas. On my husband, it highlights the smoky, drier, and woodier aspects; on me, a sweet, powdery base stands out, hard to describe because I know nothing similar. It does not smell of excrement or urine; quite the opposite, it is sophisticated, addictive, and seductive. Although limited, it is still available. I recommend not buying blindly. For me, it is totally worth it; it is one of my top five in the collection. A delicious selection for Valentine’s Month.

What a delightful perfume! It has incredible longevity, out of this world. I fell in love so much that I am going to save up to buy it.