Reviews of Black Aoud by Montale

I tried it today and after 60 minutes it is just rose and rose and what? another dose of rose. not for me....... passing this one

I had high hopes for this disaster of a fragrance, after seeing numerous vlogs praising this juice in the black aluminum can. So with reckless abandon, I ventured and received a sample of the stuff from luckyscent. Out of the bottle, it is so fresh and aromatic. The rose just blooms before your nose and is ever so fragrant. I don't think I have ever smelled a rose that comes across so strongly. I smelled the rose before I even opened the vial. Things were looking pretty good so far with such a fantastic opening. Once the vial was opened it literally filled up the entire office. Very nice! I dabbed some on my wrists and I was wowed and amazed at the projection. This stuff projects very far and away, a couple feet in fact. Then, it starts going downhill with the oud creeping in sinisterly. I was overcome with this strong dark medicine-like odor. Which was very unpleasant. Kinda smells like camphor, which is in Vicks Vapor Rub and other cold medicines. After smelling this camphorous medicine note for a while, it started giving me a headache and I have not worn it since. The oud is this is much too strong and potent for me. When added to the overly fragrant rose it is nauseating. People who are thinking of picking this one up. Do yourself a favor and sample this one before you buy. This is not a blind buy.

this is the best there is!!! no need to talk about it! powerful juice ! my favorite so far

I so wanted to love this fragrance and couldn't wait to get my hands on some. I'd read all the reviews and knew what to expect - the initial medicinal/band-aid blast - check (it lasted about 5 minutes) then came the synthetic rose fast on its heels (it actually smells like some very, very cheap toilet cleaner). After roughly one hour this rose fragrance died away and i was left with - well i don't exactly know what it was - it didn't smell bad, it didn't smell good it was just there - but very, very subtle. I'd read about the monster sillage and projection, i'd had two good squirts - but nothing after two hours the smell had completely disappeared.

Not to to deterred, the next day before work I gave myself 3 blasts - started the same - band-aid, rose for one hour then fade. Next - nothing, nobody commented, said they could smell anything - eventually two hours after applying it, I asked a few of my co-workers if they could smell anything - a few said they could vaguely smell something very subtle and some said they could smell nothing.

Whats going on?! I so wanted to love this, but unfortunately I can't - It's expensive and for the result's im getting, i might as well have bought some cheap air freshener - it might have lasted longer

Want something fresh and light? Soap up a helium balloon.
This is a strong, attar rose (far removed from the real thing due to the concentration/amplification) layered onto a serious resinous and sweet wood backdrop, with a touch of musk and cured tobacco for additional warmth. End of story. But what a story. It has the consistency of fudge, yet darts up the olfactory passages like some mentholated fiend. The richness is velvety, pitch black and head-spinning, and acts as the prompt to heightened emotion and lust for extremity that some drugs must achieve for some people. Warms and softens beautifully over time.
In me it evokes memories of gutka – the mixture of highly perfumed sweetened betel-nut and little sugared bits that our parents warned us would crack our teeth and give us throat cancer (and to be honest, it does), but which we as junior school kids found irresistible. I'm sure it was the fumes that went through one's being when consuming the stuff that had us hooked and high. Elevatory.
(The bottom of the box contains the injunction to ‘consume without moderation', which, given this perfume's strength and staying power, is surely the company having their little joke. On the other hand, this is definitely not the knock-you-dead perfume some have suggested – it may give that impression on a card, but it blooms exquisitely on the skin and I can usually wear two or three sprays without anyone complaining or getting a headache myself. )

This starts so medicinal, as many Montale fragrances .Then comes a strong rose smell , like many old woman fragrances .The best part is the dry down , when that strong smell of rose disappears .
Longevity and projection are really good .
Yes , I would say this is quite dark or gothic .

Smell:6
Longevity: 10
Projection: 8

Black Aoud - the promise of everlasting youth and self-renewal.
Black Aoud - its beauty certainly is genius.
Black Aoud - it seems immortal to me.

On application I get a strong blast of rose and patchouli making the fragrance smell dark and gothic. Later on I can smell white musk and another note that comes into play which helps brighten the dark rose accord. This scent strongly reminds me of Hdp's Noir Patchouli.

I cannot really smell the Oud as the rose/patchouli dominant the composition. This fragance has monster longevity and projection but it is just not to my taste at all.

I bought this about 6 months ago directly from Montale in Paris. And yes, I got extra concentration. So this grandiose fragrance is even stronger! And..I love it. One spray, maybe two is all I will ever need to smell wonderful.

For me this is a dark and mysterious rose scent complemented by the Aoud. A deep earthy patchouli brings down the rose and integrates well with the Aoud. After several hours the musk adds its sweet presence to the blend with a hint of labdanum. All these together create an aura of intrigue which is both heady and very masculine, although a woman can definately wear this too.

Silage is amazing on this and longevity is also phenomenal lasting over 12 hours. Lasts forever on clothing. Certainly one of the best if not the best from Montale.

Definately best in the cooler months but I can also see wearing this clubbing in the summer, but go light on the trigger at all times or even decant some and dab on a little bit. Nobody will miss smelling this fragrance and you don't want to kill them by wearing 6 sprays! This one will not disappoint unless you over apply.

Searing rose, like an old lady soaked in isopropyl.

Then you wait two hours...

Then the most wonderful, earthy, woody, DIRT smell overtakes everything.

I'm glad I didn't scrub it off, but I'm loathe to reapply...

I do like rose, but I like L'Artisan Voleur De Roses better - the rose is more pronounced.
This stuff is ok, but I have had people tell me that it smells like an old woman. I don't think it does really, but this does destroy everything in its path. not soft. not subtle.

Black Aoud is the most astounding fragrance I've ever smelled. Similar to others first I thought, this is too much for me...but now, I am in love with this divine scent!
Some think it is masculine, but I think it is rather feminine, because of the tons of rose. I adore it on me, but interesting, I adore it on my boyfriend too. Cannot wait for my 50ml birthday parfum! :)
An absolute favorite one!

A perfect composition for the rose lover. A wonderful fragrance that have an insane lasting power on me. Can be compare to No. 88 from Czech & Speake, but Black Aoud is better imo.

I really thought I would love Black Aoud by Montale. It was said to be similar to the more recent release, Portrait of a Lady by Frédéric Malle that I absolutely adore, so if so, how could I *not* love this too?

Well, after now trying the Montale, I do see where the comparisons are coming from with both scents relying on a rose, patchouli and Oud combo to create their dark rose accords... Unfortunately, that is where the comparison ends, IMO... Black Aoud's synthetic Oud note that mixes with the rose early on immediately strikes me as a bit bizarre. It makes the rose a more watery, "feminine" and slightly rubbery that just does not fit my tastes much. A nice dark rose scent to be sure, but hard to wear, IMO. With Portrait of a Lady I find a much deeper and natural smelling rose opening with a superior quality patchouli heart that makes it a lot more easy to wear and appreciate for me, at least. Black Aoud has very good projection, but longevity is somewhat lacking on my skin. I get about five hours longevity with it at decent strength and that is well-below average for me.

So the bottom line is Black Aoud is a good scent and it deserves a lot of credit for bringing attention to the rose, patchouli, Oud combo that is so popular nowadays. That said, Portrait of a Lady perfects the blend with much better quality IMO, and adds raspberry to the mix for good measure for a more wearable and balanced package. Portrait of a Lady would have to be a "must sample first" before buying Black Aoud, IMO. A weak thumbs up for Black Aoud by Montale and a 3 stars out 5 rating.

Pungent rose. That is what I get from this scent. If you do not absolutely love rose, this is probably not for you. This gets a big thumbs down for me.

I bought this a few hours ago and I'm loving it more and more as time passes. I'm a big fan of rose scents, and this smells almost like a fresh, flowery soap on me, but a bit more masculine. Don't buy this if you don't like aoud (obviously), and don't buy this if you don't like rose. The initial blast is that rose, the middle becomes woody and slightly leathery, and the dry down is deep and woody, like smelling dirt in the forest. According to the nice people at MiN, this is a "french" aoud, whatever that means. Very classy scent,though admittedly a little on the feminine side. Most people seem to call this a projection monster, but I think I can safely wear 3 or 4 blasts of this. Beautiful!

Simply sublime. Not for the faint of heart. Roses and Oud in a combination unlike anything else on the market. On the gothic side, reminds me of something Anne Rice's vampires would wear. Without a doubt, try before you buy...I am sure there are lot's of people who would be turned off by this scent but if you are looking for a real attention getter, this is it.

I just can't get past the huge Rose note in this that blasts in from first application and lingers for many, many hours. It's reminiscent of Amouage Gold Men and I'm not into that either. Powdery rose and men just don't go together. Call me old-fashioned, I don't care. If you want a masculine rose that doesn't make you smell like you raided your grandmother's fragrance collection, seek out some Iquitos and wear that.

I finally finally finally got this.

Black Aoud

It's starts very strong. The oud casts a huge shadow over a darkened and mysterious rose garden.

As the oud slowly loosens up, we witness dark roses start opening up their personalities.

Patchouli assists the longetivity of the story. I also sense a bit of Musk.

What is this?

This is a somewhat daring scent. It's a strong, exotic and mysterious play whose actors are the best seasoned actors you can find. Think dark, think sultry. It is simply a fascinating fragrance that lasts such a long time.

I like this a lot. My 50ml will take me a long long way. I am glad it's in my collection.

I feel a little guilty posting this review. When I do write one I usually try to have tested the fragrance I'm reviewing on my skin at least a few times. I want to give it a fair chance to prove or disprove itself. But with this fragrance Black Aoud I only tested once for reasons that will become apparent. And so this review is a kind of first and probably last impression. I wrote down the word "sumptuous" to describe the scent's opening. Yes plastic. And rubber. Lemony bandaids. Leather. Disinfectant they spray on grocery store bins or at the hospital. I all sounds dreadful on paper or course. But with the rose note emerging behind it it is all raucously magnificent in some way. But as the rose emerges, the setting, the rest of the stuff in there settles into a horror. The rose is fine, nice, but not very deep. It is never captivating. And underneath is a smell of rubbery wet mud or cement and disinfectant. My mind search out a beautiful rose but my nose won't let it because of the interference of the accompanying cast. For me the other components do not enhance the rose in any way. At best it's the artificial scent of a rose candle from the grocery store. A rubber note is always a deal breaker for me. Malle's Vetiver Extraordinaire, a fragrance highly thought of by many of the more thoughtful reviewers here is a scent I cannot stand because of the rubber note I get from it. I don't know what's causing the rubber note in Black Aoud . I suspect Aoud is a contributor, and no I have never smelled a good Aoud oil so I have no personal reference. When I'd had enough of Black Aoud I scrubbed and scrubbed, soap, hot water, dawn. The rose washed right off but not everything did. Guess what was left ? Rubber. A very unpleasent rubber. I actually fantasized about covering the spot on my arm with duct tape. A lovely smelling duct tape of course. I would encourage anyone interested in interesting fragrances to give Black Aoud a try. Obviously many reviewers appreciate it. I may test it again someday. But for now or at least until this rubber smell wears off my arm I don't have the least desire to.

Black Aoud by Montale - The opening is a fantastic splatter of the harsh, camphoric aoud and a heavy, smooth leather, furnished by the sensual labdanum, wrestling with each other. This moody, thick and syrupy duet percolates and simmers for a time, and in the distance, a faint rose beckons to be recognized. Transitioning to its heart, this rose seemingly usurps the duet, and is joined by its accomplices, patchouli and some other dark fruitiness, to form a intriguing concoction. The aoud here works its magical powers to highlight the rose, not as a pretty and prim rose, but a dusty and dark rose, a rose harbinging a fully fragrant bloom soon to decay. After a time, this transfixing middle yields to the smoothness of the musk and an apparent sandalwood vibe, which may be the tiring aoud, to form its quieting base. The transitions aforementioned do not occur rapidly but develop over hours. Truly, saying this is a sensational adventure is an understatement. The projection and longevity are superior.

Black Aoud starts out with a pure medicinal note of Aoud accompanied by rose. Very, very strong! It basically screams to everyone else: AOUD+ROSE!!!!

Through time the Aoud note begins to decay (when talking about Black Aoud, decays = looses 10% of it's power) giving an even more evident space to roses where the fragrance starts to get better on my skin but even with this happening, I still can't enjoy this fragrance. Too overpowering to my nose, and with a lot of roses in it.

Advise: you only need the 20mL bottle of this fragrance. Anything more than that and it will stay in your collection for generations! 1, 2 sprays max and you're done.

Like a rose buried under asphalt.

I cant get into this one at all and Ive tried. It smells like the inside of a head shop. Lots of dark patchouli floating around, with wafts of inscense, leather satchels, rose oil, and the stink of the fresh laid tar. But theres also a medicinal note from the aoud to deal with. That eventually fads then its pure head shop in the drydown.

Its a dark scent, with major power. I love dark scents, but unfortunatly this one doesnt hit the right chords.