Notorious Oud
D.S. & Durga (2019)

So you got some of that synthy medical oud augmented by its saffron counterpart. The camphor is there, just lingering far in the back. There is something sweeter that levels some of these fake ouds oud, like a pink pepper, just not exactly that. I don't know. I don't even know what white galbanum is supposed to smell like. it does smell like a better blended lartisan al oudh, with the edges sanded off. Almost like a douchafor minus one ingredient. Eh, thumbs up I suppose. Seems decent. Proper weight, heft, and depth.

Smells like a smoky jacket from the thrift store. Delightfully nasty.

I dig this latest release from D.S. & Durga, Notorious Oud, named for who other than Biggie himself. It's a dry oud that is pretty darn boastful at the onset (I went easy on the sprays) but dries down rather comfortably to become of a sober take on oud, with some of the familiar accompaniments of saffron, rose, and resins (galbanum, in this case), along with the reliable lavender and few more provocative additives that I don't detect much of at all, like camphor and civet.

In that I don't get much of the civet on my skin, Notorious Oud is smooth and not all that dirty. It does have the spicy, floral, and resinous touches, but it's mostly smooth oud, just less so than, say, Pure Oud By Kilian.

It's a good performer, surely not Roja-esque in terms of the loudness of the oud, and probably not even analogous to the Kilian offerings, but still robust enough and frankly a bit easier-to-wear because it's not so over-the-top oud-heavy. I could see this being a big winner for the house.

Overall, it's a very nice fragrance, teetering on the edge between a “like” and a “love” for me. I'm glad that its pricing is at least consistent with the current lineup, at $260/$175 for 100ml/50ml, respectively.. at its usual points of sale (i.e. Luckyscent, Twisted Lily, etc.).,

7 out of 10