Armani Privé Oud Royal Eau De Parfum

Makes me feel like an important Arab businessman when I wear it on a summer's day. A sharp, clean, powerful, aromatic and woody oud. Classy, expensive, perfect for evenings.

It's a masterstroke of blending - I can't tell where one part ends and the other begins. Utterly seemless. An almost astringent medicinal oud is first out the gate. Incense and sandalwood push it towards more of a aromatic woody direction - drier and with more zap - rather than being mellowed by the usual suspects of rose and saffron. I actually don't get much rose at all. Maybe the two of them sweeten everything a bit, give it some balance.

It has a similar overall vibe to Dior Oud Ispaphan but this Armani is drier, not quite as 'look at me' showy but still somewhere close. This is definitely not a shy, retiring fragrance. I don't get any of the faecal barnyard type of oud at all. This is much more mainstream and wearable. Maybe in between Oud Ispaphan and Gucci Oud Intense. Very, very nice.

Whoa.

I have a little 1.5ml spray tester of the EDP Intense. I can't afford this stuff any other way.

It's way too potent to spray on. WAY too potent. When I wear this I barely nudge the sprayer until the tiniest drop of moisture appears, apply to my wrists then rub my wrists on my neck. That's enough for probably 6 hours with a few feet of sillage.

It's so dry. I see there's rose in the pyramid but I don't get any, it's all bone dry woods and incense. There's a sharpness for the first few hours that can get a little overwhelming if too much is applied.

My only issue with Oud Royal is that I rarely have a situation that calls for it. It's anything but casual. It demands at the very least a fresh haircut, a necktie and shined shoes, not to mention a crowd and/or occasion befitting such a regal aroma. In everyday casual attire, Oud Royal wears you.

But when it's fancy times and I'm dressed to the nines, Oud Royal is the perfect cherry on top. I'm not worthy.

Gorgeous. Woody oud with hints of smoke spice and sweetness from the amber. I can barely smell the rose which in my books is a good thing.

Yesss, I finally could get my hands on this wonderful scent - after searching a possibility to buy it and after numerous inquiries to London, Paris and here in Germany (where, b.t.w. OR is not available at all) for about 6 months.

It is a dark, warm and spicy-woody scent. Cosy and yet unisex. Unsweet but not manly. Ambery but not too much on the feminine side. Wonderfully balanced with all its oud notes, spices (cardamamom, cinnamon, saffron) and the sandalwood-incense combo.
This oud is NOT harsh or medicinical as you know it from Montale. It has a slight rubbery note, yes, but it vanishes after the head note. Oud is always a rather special thing, you either like it or not and if you are into the stuff you might really enjoy OR.

To be frank, in the beginning OR very much reminds me of Ambre Sultan/S.Lutens and in the drydown I find bits of Black Cashmere/D.Karan but these are only fragments of a beautiful "flying carpet" (considering scents fly in the air and that this perfume should depict 1001 magical nights).
These herbal notes haunt me - this was totally new to my nose. The further the drydown develops the warmer and spicier OR becomes. After some hours I noticed a mild peppery note which I like a lot.

Very longlasting (it´s an EdP intense, whatever that may mean in detail) on my skin and with medium sillage only (so you could wear this during daytime).

The only downpoint (besides the price) is its limited, very limited, availability. You must either have great connections or a patient mind to get it.

I am very much enjoying my happy ending on this one.

This is definitely not a casual scent, it's what I will wear to an academy award event or a black tie gala.
Again, rules are meant to be broken, I'm rocking this one casually and hope for the best. This is the fragrance I got the best and worst reactions from on the same day. It's a surprise to people smelling oud for the first time and a delight to connoisseurs. This is one to sample first before any attempt to buy.
For me, it's a top shelf fragrance that I pull out when I want to feel like the king that I am...lol...Oud like no other, light enough for nubie yet complex for an expert.
Mainly Saffron and Oud, garnished with some Sandalwood, Rose, and "itty-bitty" Amber notes. Wonder in a bottle.