All Things Ensar Oud

[RedPillFrag]

Purple Kinam PP is a completely different composition, I have a sample of it, Purple Kinam has a lot of floral notes. Have never try Purple Rain, which is based off of Iris Ghalia, a semi-bespoke as Naylor mentioned. I'm a huge fan of Iris Ghalia, that stuff is fire, but have never smell any Purple Kinam oil neat.

I have purple rain attar it is Iris Ghalia with a blue emerald kinam note in it. First thing I thought was this smells like Iris Ghalia infused with Taha Mithikina4k...don't know if you have ever tried that oud..pretty amazing stuff.

 

[Castingshadows]

Thanks for taking the time to write me here and by DM, Castingshadows.

I do not hate you; I don’t even dislike you. Au contraire… And we had, if I am not mistaken, some good conversations in the past, being Dixit & Zak and Tsvga topics among of them.

I just felt that you are (or were) too involved with EO Parfums and Ensar’s defense and it started to become a bit annoying for me and maybe others, as you are reading today; plus, it is also not good for the brand in my opinion. Ensar does not need you all speaking for him. He is smart and reads [and perceives] everything, and he always takes one path or the other after a while. I ‘know’ him since the Oriscent times on Ebay, and I have been a silent voyeur of his poetic descriptions for years, that’s how it started my approach to oud and to the man himself, and I mean: ten years ago or so. I’ve seen his evolution, and there was a time, during the lockdown, when I strongly disliked his behavior, but he simply understood what he was doing and led EO to a new different level since then. He is a wise and moral person most of the time (as we all are) now that he got his own and undisputed place in the artesanal corner —thanks, in part, to Basenotes, since the idea of selling oud for the western market, not by its own, neat, but a little blended and/or under the form of a sprayable format, was said for the first time here— and, as I though and wrote last year, it did finally happen. His transformation, I mean. He now only tries to be Ensar, not Adam anymore.

Once again, my apologies if you felt attacked. You are a knowledgeable person when it comes to oud, I am certainly not at that level of love for this material, and always follow your videos and descriptions —oud by itself is still not enough for me, even if I love a few of them, but I don’t give up and keep trying—. We both also share the passion for Zak’s work since the very beginning and you are even starting to appreciate Antonio’s (Gardoni) art, a friend I do really appreciate and whose public and private workS I do admire like very few others. So let’s reset our relationship.

I really appreciate this response. I’m still learning as well not only about perfumery but also how to connect with others.

I can definitely see how my behavior in this group has caused friction and that’s not something I want to perpetuate. I need to give more space for others to be passionate as well and to really just take a more relaxed approach. It’s pretty clear at this point Ensar doesn’t need my help advocating for his perfumery and honestly that should be left to his employees anyways. Im not a fan of the words “safe space” but I do believe basenotes should be a space where we should all have fun and enjoy our passions that we love so much.

I’m glad that we can all clear the air and hopefully make a much more fun experience for everyone. It’s cool to see that happening already.

As for Antonio Gardoni wow! Easily one of my favorite perfumers. I’ve been so hyper focused on Oud lately but Gardoni’s work is just immaculate. Absolutely lovely stuff.

 

[HabibiGotIt]

After trying EO3 at the NYC OudFest, I was determined to get my hands on a bottle. Having only purchased 9.5ml testers of the original EO1 and EO2, I regretted not getting full bottles and promised myself I wouldn't make the same mistake again. A fellow traveler here had a bottle for sale and I picked it up. I love it. It may be my favorite Ensar Oud perfume. Right now it feels that way.

I began my perfume journey with an obsession with rose. My first "niche" perfume was a small bottle of Le Labo's Rose 31, which I purchased from the first store in Nolita, not long after the brand launched. That purchase preceded my first trip to India and Mumbai, where I was introduced to oud in the small streets of Colaba via the various vendors there, both big and small. I treasured that tiny bottle of Le Labo and my first pitch-black Dehn Al Oud, which today seem almost (but not quite) trite.

EO3 has returned me to the best parts of those memories, of experiencing rose and oud and other scents familiar and exotic. I stopped wearing Rose 31 a while ago and this is the first rose perfume I've purchased since. It is enthralling. Simple, yet blooming and complex, at the same time. I sense pepper, musk, a creamy woodiness, and a rose accord unlike any other, and yet decidedly ROSE. I don't know if it is the Taif, but this rose is exotic to me. It is also masculine with a feminine flair. Or vice versa. The longevity is wonderful. I sprayed some last night and awoke this morning in a bed of delicate rose, with the low growling oud/musk in the far drydown making their appearance.

This perfume will age beautifully and I will want more of it. I'm already saddened that it won't last forever.

 

[besimistic]

By the way, I just confirmed with Thomas that we stopped taking reviews from forums a while ago. We primarily take it directly from customer emails, our Fans pages and from individual FB and IG posts that tag us (I'm blown away by how talented some of our customers are with their cameras). So feel free to say as much, good or bad, as you like. No hard feelings.

We also started to use a 3rd party review app to improve the transparency this past month so that customers can see 100% real and raw reviews unfiltered. It was a trial period to test it out for the time being so I think only the first 100 or so customers this past month got the invite, but once OudFest is over we'll do the full integration and it should send a review request to all customers once we finish setting it up next month which will be available for the world to see.

I think overall the team has gotten a tid bit older and wiser over the years and our main participation here is just for help, clarification and to resolve any concerns that pop up on these forums (and for me to kind some brilliant ideas for improvement in any area of the business) and hopefully make a few new friends.

 

[FragSyndrome]

Good to hear that besimistic. So only thing that's missing is negative feedback suppression and user bans on facebook.

 

[besimistic]

One thing at a time.

Hopefully if others would stop coordinated trolling our admins will open it up a bit more. Let's see how things go in the upcoming months.

 

[FragSyndrome]

One thing at a time.

Hopefully if others would stop coordinated trolling our admins will open it up a bit more. Let's see how things go in the upcoming months.

That's not good enough. Your admins are not bots, they can tell the difference between a malicious troll and a customer posting their feedback on your fragrances. Imagine how you would feel if you just paid $1500 for a 30ml fragrance, found it underwhelming, made a FB post about it to then have the the post deleted and find yourself banned from the group? Talk about adding insult to injury... not only are you going to lose customers but make enemies with that feedback suppression campaign. Also, suppressing people's feedback and banning them just feels wrong - mortally wrong; is it really worth it to engage in such behavior?

 

[98ViperGTS]

That's not good enough. Your admins are not bots, they can tell the difference between a malicious troll and a customer posting their feedback on your fragrances. Imagine how you would feel if you just paid $1500 for a 30ml fragrance, found it underwhelming, made a FB post about it to then have the the post deleted and find yourself banned from the group? Talk about adding insult to injury... not only are you going to lose customers but make enemies with that feedback suppression campaign. Also, suppressing people's feedback and banning them just feels wrong - mortally wrong; is it really worth it to engage in such behavior?

Why wouldn't you just post your review on such a platform as this, which is designed for just that purpose, instead of clogging up the Fans Facebook page with negativity. Or just sell your bottle if it doesn't suit your taste, and move on?

 

[Diamond Joe]

That's not good enough. Your admins are not bots, they can tell the difference between a malicious troll and a customer posting their feedback on your fragrances. Imagine how you would feel if you just paid $1500 for a 30ml fragrance, found it underwhelming, made a FB post about it to then have the the post deleted and find yourself banned from the group? Talk about adding insult to injury... not only are you going to lose customers but make enemies with that feedback suppression campaign. Also, suppressing people's feedback and banning them just feels wrong - mortally wrong; is it really worth it to engage in such behavior?

Exactly! This was what happened to me. Am I going to be let back into the FB group, or not?

 

[cpatrick44]

Boy oh boy what drama! Tough to even keep track of all the issues! I came to post because I was wearing EO Green today and really feel this is the unsung masterpiece of the house. I wonder if part of the success of this one is it appears to have started as a top-down fragrance with an idea first, rather than a bottom-up where the composition is built around one or two ingredients and everything else is used to prop-up, compliment, or highlight the stars of the show.

I've been critical of Ensar in the past (the guy once compared using the word "oud" in the name of perfume that didn't have any real oud, to rape and murder), but I don't understand how someone could be upset with him for throwing what appears to be a kick-ass event in NY to promote his wares. Looks absolutely awesome. The other gripes about censorship and intimidation seem much more troubling.

 

[Diamond Joe]

Why wouldn't you just post your review on such a platform as this, which is designed for just that purpose, instead of clogging up the Fans Facebook page with negativity. Or just sell your bottle if it doesn't suit your taste, and move on?

Because its annoying - and misleading - when you see post after post extolling - gushing - about a release that you don't think is that great. You want to give a counter-point; hey, not EVERYBODY thinks this thing is the greatest thing ever made!! So that Joe Schmoe reading about it and debating on whether or not to buy it, gets both sides to the story.

But now I realize that no negative reviews are allowed on the FB page (which is stupid IMO but I guess I understand, they wouldn't put negative reviews on their website). Nobody mentioned that - at all - before I was blocked though. How can you follow the rules if you're not aware of them?

 

[FragSyndrome]

Why wouldn't you just post your review on such a platform as this, which is designed for just that purpose, instead of clogging up the Fans Facebook page with negativity. Or just sell your bottle if it doesn't suit your taste, and move on?

There's a difference between clogging up the "Fans of Ensar Oud" FB page with negativity and posting your honest feedback on there - be it positive, neutral, or negative. Perhaps the people paying $600-$1500 for their 30ml perfumes are "fans of Ensar" don't you think?

Luckily we have this platform but that's only the case because Ensar cannot have control over it. If they did it would be just another circle-jerk.

 

[98ViperGTS]

Because its annoying - and misleading - when you see post after post extolling - gushing - about a release that you don't think is that great. You want to give a counter-point; hey, not EVERYBODY thinks this thing is the greatest scent ever made!! So that Joe Schmoe reading about it and debating on whether or not to buy it, gets both sides to the story.

But now I realize that no negative reviews are allowed on the FB page (which is stupid IMO but I guess I understand, they wouldn't put negative reviews on their website). Nobody mentioned that - at all - before I was blocked though. How can you follow the rules if you're not aware of them?

It's called a "Fans" page for a reason. Guess that's a little hard for some people to understand. Taste is subjective and personal when it comes to a lot of these fragrances. Basenotes, fragrantica, and Parfumo are all designed and well known to people that are interested in reviews. Again, clogging up a Fans page with negativity doesn't make much sense. And if you're really not happy with that $1500 purchase that you made, sell your bottle. I'm sure somebody would appreciate it 😊

 

[Mak-7]

It's called a "Fans" page for a reason. Guess that's a little hard for some people to understand. Taste is subjective and personal when it comes to a lot of these fragrances. Basenotes, fragrantica, and Parfumo are all designed and well known to people that are interested in reviews. Again, clogging up a Fans page with negativity doesn't make much sense. And if you're really not happy with that $1500 purchase that you made, sell your bottle. I'm sure somebody would appreciate it 😊

"Fans" is not the same as "heard of sheep". As you have said taste is subjective, and Joe Shmoe like me wants to know all sides of the story, especially from those with alike tastes.
600-1500 is not a pocket change for everybody, so people want to make informed decision before paying that cost, and re- selling afterwards is not that easy.
Maybe you would like to make a purchase from people who didnt like the expensive composition?

 

[Diamond Joe]

It's called a "Fans" page for a reason. Guess that's a little hard for some people to understand. Taste is subjective and personal when it comes to a lot of these fragrances. Basenotes, fragrantica, and Parfumo are all designed and well known to people that are interested in reviews. Again, clogging up a Fans page with negativity doesn't make much sense. And if you're really not happy with that $1500 purchase that you made, sell your bottle. I'm sure somebody would appreciate it 😊

Its not hard to understand at all. As FragSyndrome said, there's a difference between "clogging up the Fans of Ensar Oud" FB page with negativity" and posting your honest feedback on there. I'm not a "fan" of Ensar because I don't like one or two of his perfumes, despite owning and loving many others?? Thats just stupid.

 

[Diamond Joe]

"Fans" is not the same as "heard of sheep". As you have said taste is subjective, and Joe Shmoe like me wants to know all sides of the story, especially from those with alike tastes.

Apparently, "Fans" DOES mean "herd of sheep" as far as the EO FB page goes. But like I just said to Besimistic, that should be clearly stated at the top of the group page - "This Group does NOT allow any negative reviews or feedback, so it is not an accurate representation of opinions. Head over to Basenotes or Fragrantica to got uncensored opinions of Ensars perfumes." Both for posters to know to not get banned, and readers to know when looking for opinions of new frags.

 

[98ViperGTS]

Its not hard to understand at all. As FragSyndrome said, there's a difference between "clogging up the Fans of Ensar Oud" FB page with negativity" and posting your honest feedback on there. I'm not a "fan" of Ensar because I don't like one or two of his perfumes, despite owning and loving many others?? Thats just stupid.

Right. But you also have other outlets to vent about such things. You're coming off as spitey and malicious, not being able to post negativity on the page designed for fans. What exactly would you gain from it, when there are other outlets for these kinds of reviews? Yes, you can be a fan, and still not like some of the creations. However, if you're that upset about something, you also don't have to be a member on the page. Or better yet, start your own page for honest reviews 🤔

Just my 0.02

 

[Castingshadows]

Right. But you also have other outlets to vent about such things. You're coming off as spitey and malicious, not being able to post negativity on the page designed for fans. What exactly would you gain from it, when there are other outlets for these kinds of reviews? Yes, you can be a fan, and still not like some of the creations. However, if you're that upset about something, you also don't have to be a member on the page.

Just my 0.02

i don’t think he’s being spiteful. I think he’s offering valid and constructive critique. But lately the mods view anything short of blind praise as negativity so it’s dishonest to say what Diamond Joe is suggesting is wrong or even negative.

I’m like you though I used to think that constructive criticism equaled negativity but there’s a difference from saying “this fucking sucks what a fucking rip off” and “I didn’t enjoy this and here’s the reasons why”. Two totally different approaches and we shouldn’t lump them all in to the latter. Ensar CAN improve on his craft as we all can improve on ourselves. Ensar has shown that he can take constructive criticism really well especially when this community asked about cheaper, lower priced perfumes at an affordable rate. Ensar does listen and it would be wise that we all push this community in the right direction.

 

[FragSyndrome]

Right. But you also have other outlets to vent about such things. You're coming off as spitey and malicious, not being able to post negativity on the page designed for fans. What exactly would you gain from it, when there are other outlets for these kinds of reviews? Yes, you can be a fan, and still not like some of the creations. However, if you're that upset about something, you also don't have to be a member on the page.

Just my 0.02

This isn't about being upset, it's about posting honest feedback. There are 1,900+ members on the Fans of Ensar group; I can assure you that some of them don't go to basenotes and fragrantica; "Fans of Ensar" is their access point to feedback on Ensar perfumes. Wouldn't you want to know before buying that new Thai Tabac about the incredibly abrasive and generally repulsive vetiver in it? Or that Purple Kinam didn't smell Kinamic? Well had you posted those things you'd be banned from that group and the people relying on posts within that group for feedback would be none the wiser.

Look 98Viper - you know how China, North Korea, and the late USSR censored information and stifled decent? Is that an endearing quality to have on a community group? I'm just wondering.... there's plenty of people living in those countries that I mentioned that support their control of information; if that's what you're into then that's fine.

 

[Diamond Joe]

Thank you CS, I was just writing

How am I coming across spitey (not sure thats actually a word, but hey) and malicious?? I'm politely giving valid criticisms that other posters are agreeing with?!? Have you noticed that everybody here is quoting YOUR posts, Mr 98Viper, to continue to explain OUR very valid points about censorship on the EO page?

Yes I think its unfair that I was banned for politely posting my opinion - unknowingly breaking an unwritten rule against anything other than gushing reviews. And yes, I also don't like being censored. I live in a free country with freedom of speech and having my honest opinion censored rubs me the wrong way - for all the reasons that I and Mak and FragSyndrome, and CastingShadows have articulated here.