24 Gold Oud Edition
ScentStory FZE (2013)

Smells very similar to 24 Gold, just not as sweet maybe? If you like 24 Gold, you should like this but everyone else should sample before buying. Projects very well and lasts all day. You will not need many sprays of this. Could be cloying if over-sprayed.

Having smelled both 24 Gold and Gold Oud, the natural starting point is to compare Gold Oud to Gold, and I did this by trying one on each wrist.

Gold is obviously a sweet gourmand and seems be by far the most popular fragrance in the 24 line. I'd argue that Gold Oud's deviation from its predecessor is pretty limited--say, 25%--so they're very similar in terms of their smell and generally vibe. However, while Gold is a breakfasty, syrupy gourmand in a more purely sweet sense, Gold Oud is understandably much spicier and is more of a mixed bag. I don't detect very much oud itself in Gold Oud, but just a noticeably longer spiciness--the pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg in the top notes listing could certainly account for this. Gold Oud isn't just spicier in its opening, though, but also throughout its lifespan. Most of the heart and base notes are pretty neutral (it has a similar amber-based dry down to Gold) but it definitely retains some of the spiciness that distingiushes it from Gold, and that respect, it must be the oud that I'm smelling that separates it from Gold.

So it's understandable that Gold's simplicity as a gourmand have made it more of winner and that Gold Oud may be found by many as overwhelming, because it gives the strength, spiciness, and sweetness. I prefer the original slightly but Gold Oud is fantastic in its own right. And both are powerhouses, strong in both projection and longevity. Great value for the money (each ring in at $65 for 100ml on FragranceX, though I was able to buy Gold Oud for a third less on BeautySpin), as well. These are mainly useful in the colder weather and should be sprayed sparingly. I regard both as versatile between formal and informal, night and day, but I'm assuming preferences on this could vary.

8 out of 10

I wasn't sure what to make of this one when I first sampled it. The opening reminds me a lot of PR One Million (which I'm not too fond of), but this is certainly not a knockoff of Rabanne's juice. After the sweet, spicy, woody opening the cedar really comes to the forefront - kind of in your face, but in a pleasant way. I do get the Oud - slightly synthetic but nice nonetheless. Up to this point the fragrance is pretty decent, but after about an hour it settles down into a really nice, slightly sweet, woody scent for the duration.

Projection and sillage are well above average but the longevity isn't as good as I'd hoped for. Please note though that I live in the desert and many known powerhouse frags don't perform well on me. So, most users will probably get above average longevity out this one.

Overall impression: pretty decent fragrance for the money. Not in my top five, but definitely bottle-worthy.

This is a hidden gem. Spicy, warm, dark... I had low to no expectations from this, but it has completely impressed me. I love the semi-sweetness, that actually isn't very sweet at all, and the spicy darkness. I have so many choices in my collection that my wife rarely compliments anything I wear, but she immediately remarks on this one every single time I put it on. A great and surprising find.

Cinnamon, Vanilla, Wood and Oud
Nice Smelling Fragrance
Wish I could define it better..
Huge Silage and Great Longevity
This was a blind buy for me and no disappointments..

I'll sum it up first by saying: This is basically an "amplified" 24 gold. That means you take every aspect of the original 24 Gold and amplify it.

- It's spicier than 24 Gold, thanks to a huge load of cinnamon and some nutmeg.
- It's much woodier than 24 Gold. Birch and Aoud are the main players here. The aoud is much more present in this than the original.
- It's more "intense" in its gourmand facets. It's not sweeter per say, but it smells "thicker" and darker with its sweetness... if that makes sense.

Evolution:

Opening: The raspberry blast is now toned down(but not completely gone) and replaced by sweet cinnamon rolls and spicy nutmeg.

Heart: It's all about the birch. Imagine the same woody heart of the original 24 gold but with added birch, and tons of it.

Drydown: It's here where things get interesting. You'll get this huge backbone of Aoud mixing with a darker "thicker" vanilla. The whole combination kinda gives a toffee or a cappuccino vibe.Really really warm, dark and enveloping.
If you thought the original 24 Gold was good for cold weather, wait till you wear this!

Longevity and Sillage, as expected, are both fantastic.