Kalemat Fragrances Arabian Oud

I think people saying this doesn't last either bought a fake or (more likely) are going nose blind. Try spraying -less- and spraying further from your nose (never above the chest) if you have this problem, and make sure to air your house regularly to get the perfume that's already there out. You tend to stop smelling what you're used to.
I'm inbetween on this one. It's slightly fruity, and fruitiness is something I can (almost) never stand in perfume, but the lovely, rich deep amber draws me in.
Edit: Getting used to the fruitiness, which dies down considerably for me after the opening. I like it. Maybe it'll even become a love...

This is the first perfume since Angel by Mugler was released that made me feel obsessed with a scent. I got my first bottle in 2015, gifted to me by a neighbour and I couldn’t stop sniffing myself. I had never smelt anything quite like it - sweet, sophisticated, alluring, powerful, bold, indulgent, confident and rich. It was truly love at first sniff. I begged my husband to buy me another bottle from Dubai Airport in 2018 and i only bring it out on special occasions because I don’t want it to become “common” and “familiar”. I have the oil version too and I always feel like a Queen whenever I wear it. I live in Nigeria where the weather is hot 90% of the time and I get compliments whenever I wear this perfume. If you are a hugger like me, don’t be surprised when people are reluctant to let go of you when you wear this perfume on your neck and behind your ears.

Now that there is a plethora of Arabian scents in the market from Lattafa and Fragrance World, I will save my Kalemat for special occasions because of the price point. The packaging is in a class of its own, so if you buy this as a gift for someone, they will think expensive when they receive it.

Love, love, love this perfume and I will never get tired of it. I hope they don’t reformulate it and ruin this beautiful scent.

Living in Dubai, UAE, I have the opportunity to sample a lot of fragrances. We have the usual European and American fragrances in the major retail outlets, as well as the indigenous Arabic perfumes obtained through a host of Gulf-based perfume houses, each with their own characteristic styles and fragrances to appeal to the massive market for fine fragrances in this region. It is no exaggeration to state that I am spoiled for choice and even within a few kilometres from my house, I can obtain the best of designer, niche and local fragrances (mukhallats, attars, etc) as I wish. Indeed, it is a terrible temptation.... :)

Every now and then, however, a cross-over product appears...one which tries to merge something from Western and Middle Eastern perfume traditions to give an expression which is greater than the sum of its parts. Needless to say, the history of perfumery is littered with the wreckage from this risky Franco-Arabian stratagem ...

But once in a while, one such adventure succeeds.

To my mind, Kalemat EDP by Arabian Oud is one such fragrance and one which deserves truly stellar acclaim. For a start, this is an oriental fragrance from the Gulf but one without oud, the characteristic Middle Eastern fragrance note that can often be too much for Western noses. Instead, the focus here is upon honeyed-amber, an absolutely delicious concoction which spells out beauteous luxury and sensuality. It is very, very special.

The opening here with blueberry and anise quickly becomes engulfed by honey rising from the base. I found myself thinking of of the honeyed-tobacco of Pure Havane, though this does inevitably go in a different direction. When the amber and rosemary follow through, it becomes clear that this is a really superbly blended fragrance, and a real treat for those who like orientals without them being too traditional. With Kalemat, it also has the feel of an Arabian fragrance but it never becomes offensive to an open-minded wearer. I agree with the comments that suggest it is a comfort scent, which may feel like it sits close to the skin - yet it is projecting all the time. As a man, I find that the anise - which very often can veer a fragrance towards a barbershop vibe - is very modest and well-balanced, giving it a focus more like the anise in L'Instant de Guerlain rather than YSL Rive Gauche PH or Azzaro PH. This masculine note certainly does not get in the way of a woman wearing and enjoying the fragrance.

All said, Kalemat EDP by Arabian Oud is definitely worth a try if you have the opportunity. Here in Dubai it is very often the case that the Arabian Oud outlets have 50% discount sales going on in this competitive market. So I was able to purchase a 100 ml bottle for just over $40, but it is clearly worth so much more (and the presentation is lovely as well).

Highly recommended try for a beautiful oriental.

This is the perfume that got me into perfumes. My dad was at work one day, when he walked into the elevator. He said it smelled like literal heaven. He went up to his floor, only to find that his friend was the one wearing it. He asked him what he was wearing and he bought it on the spot online. A week later, I went to see my mum, and I was surrounded by the most glorious aroma. The definition of intoxicating.

I bought a bottle for myself that night. I have spent YEARS trying to find the perfect perfume, nothing quite really hitting the mark, until I smelled this. It comes in a box that looks like a book. You open it up, and you see another book. Underneath it, is the bottle, wrapped in a small ribbon. "Kalemat" means "words" in Arabic, with words like love, feelings, beauty, happiness, and respect also engraved on the bottle.

The atomiser dispenses a generous amount of fragrance and it comes out in a fine mist. On the first spritz, it's a sweet aroma of... nothing you can quite make out. It's so well blended, I can't smell anything separately. And there's no other perfume that smells quite like this. The easiest way to describe it is a honeyed, cashmere amber. It smells like heat. The sweetness and smokiness is so well balanced, its the most unisex thing I have ever smelled. The blueberry sweetness only slightly appears on the first spritz, but I only say that because it gets deeper, darker, muskier with time. That's what it "smells" like, but it's so much more than that. This just hits the pleasure centers of the brain, like a drug.

I can see how this might just smell "nice" to some people, but it truly is unique and an amazing composition. I don't know how they did it. "Kalemat" is and is not the perfect word for it. You can't describe it with words, and yet it can only be described as poetry. The old Arabs were masters of poetry, writing about life, love, happiness, fear, the divine, and Kalemat is the embodiment of poetry. Not any specific poem, just poetry in general.

This might be a little cloying in the summer, but I honestly don't care. I will wear this all day, every day. I want to smell like someone out of Aladdin, a personification of Arabian Nights.

The projection, as demonstrated above, is enormous. One spray is enough to fill two rooms and a half, any more and people will smell you from across the street. It will also last until you take a shower (or two) or wash your clothes (with some heavy duty detergent). If it doesn't last or project this long, something's wrong with the juice (or your nose).

Arabian Oud, I don't know what sorcery this is, what heavenly compounds you used to compose this, but please keep using them.

2013, I was in a doctor’s waiting room in Saudi Arabia, when a young couple walked in holding hands. The room became filled with a most heavenly, delicious scent. I wasn’t sure if it was coming from the man or the woman (probably both). It was a sweet, warm, fuzzy aroma..rich, soft and intoxicating. There was a sensual and mystical quality to the scent, it wasn’t your ordinary sweet scent. For a split second, I actually wondered if it was one of the exclusive Mugler scents (Mugler is popular there, so it wasn’t too far-fetched of a thought). Anyways, back to the aroma, it smelled like clouds, golden fluffy clouds, made of amber, honey and vanilla...that smell became imprinted in my memory for years. I smelled a light touch of booziness or spice? Maybe resin or incense? I wasn’t sure what it was at the time. I couldn’t muster up the courage to ask what fragrance it was, but I went on Fragrantica as soon as I got back home (with my old account), I did an extensive note search, and even posted in the forum, describing what I’d smelled and asking for suggestions. All of this effort, led me to believe that the couple were wearing Gaultier 2, and the notes and reviews fit. I excitedly ordered a bottle blind (it was expensive too), and was sorely disappointed when I recieved it. Nope. It was a harsh vanilla, thick, boozy and masculine. Where were the fluffy amber clouds of honey? I gave away that bottle to a male friend. I went to my favorite perfume guy next, and he recommended Guerlain L’Instant (very lovely! But nope, not it either). So I gave up. Fast forward to January 2020, I have FINALLY found it!! THIS! Kalemat! This is it! And Gawd, it’s scrumptious. Looking at the notes, I now know that the ‘fuzziness’ of the scent was the cashmere wood note. I can’t believe vanilla isn’t listed, because I sure do smell it. I have been staying at my mom’s for a while, and she recently pulled out two bottles hidden away at the back of her closet, Kalemat and Kalemat Black, they had been gifts and she told me they were too strong for her tastes. What a marvelous twist of fate. She’s become more sensitive to smells with age, favoring light florals and soft white musks, so I could have them. I am ridiculously happy about this. They’re both similarly delicious and warm, with Kalemat Black being abit smokier and darker (I’m thinking maybe the couple had worn a combination of the two). I love them both, they’re totally unisex, but for Westerners, these scents probably lean feminine. I highly recommend these to lovers of sweet, warm, and cozy smells...sillage and longevity are both beasts, but your nose gets used to the smell...trust me, people over 6 feet away can smell you, and they’ll be able to smell you many hours after (or many years later :)