Aoud Blossom
Montale (2008)

The opening combines the oud with a brighter citrus-dominated component - I get bergamot and a tangerine mostly - and the two go together rather well.

The drydown flicks a switch, and I am suddenly surrounded by a bed of flowers: a rose with a dry ylang-ylang and violet that has quite a bit of character. Somehow none of the individuals florals is exactly bowling me over, but the mix works surprisingly well on me. This is a case where the whole is more convincing and the sum of the individual components.

The base is a combination of sandalwood, but I wonder the Mysore was added in quite stingily. I get the oud throughout the longitudinal delvelopment if this olfactory composition, but it is fading gracefully towards the end.

I get moderate sillage, very good projection and eight hours of longevity on my skin.

The base of this scent for warmer autumn day is the weakest part; rather thin and pale, but the rest is fine and not without a touch of originality. The oud is not intrusive or particularly harsh; it is a good team player, which cannot be said of all ouds.
Overall 3.25/5

I caught a whiff of oud in the beginning but it recedes rather quickly behind the curtain of florals. Which is not necessarily a bad thing for the floral blend is competently done. As a tuberose fan, I may be a little disappointed by its lack of presence but this is more than made up by the overall balance of the composition. Much like classic Fendi, AOUD BLOSSOM has a similarly classical floral oriental feel about it with oud giving it a base which is deeper and spicier compared to the more conventional cedar/amber/sandalwood combo.

I don't get the negative reviews though. All things considered, this is a smooth unsweetened spicy floral suitable for either gender.

Notes:
bergamot, Sicilian mandarin, ylang ylang, violet, jasmine sambac, tuberose, rose, Mysore sandalwood, Arabian oud.

On my skin this is completely dominated by the aoud. l get a whisper of tuberose, but none of the "creamy, sensual & intoxicating" florals l was expecting. lt pains me to give a Montale a negative rating, as l love this house, but l guess aoud just isn't for me. To my nose it's too masculine, but l think this fragrance would be great on a man.

After longish disfavor against the white flowers, I took a deep breath, and started to approach gingerly. As a Montale-fan, what else than Aoud Velvet,and now Aoud Blossom is on the carpet.Bergamot, sicilian mandarin/ ylang-ylang, violet, jasmin, tubereuse, rose / sandalwood, gurjum, white musk......Don't be bamboozled! Aoud is firmly there! It opens with the well-known medicinal - still rich, balsamic note. This covers the flowers for a while - 30 minutes - than comes the bouquet! Jasmin or tubereuse.... I can hardly find my sweet ylang-ylang (what I love so much in Aoud Velvet) and rose is effaced. This scene is a bit loud, but very fresh and feminine. And barely after an hour - the scent becomes a truly nice, quiet, calm, flossy, elegant beauty. A french-kind fragrance, from a talented man.

Too much Aoud.. sniffed if off a decant and it stings..Montale Crystal Flowers would be a better balance of Auod and White flowers.The Aoud on this has overwritten the flowers

Aoud Blossom opens with a blast of Aoud, citrus and flowers. After about 30 minutes (on my skin), the Aoud steps back and the flowers, primarily tuberose and gardenia, come to the foreground. It is at this point, that Aoud Blossom begins to smell like Fracas with a additional Aoud note. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Let me just say that I am not a fan of Fracas. It's too sweet and too linear for my tastes. With Aoud Blossom, the classic "white floral" fragrance is transformed into a fresh and delicate floral oriental. A nice choice for every day wear.