Areej le Doré : The Official Discussion Thread

[JBS1]

Areej Le Dore (now available) at LuckyScent

] View attachment 73506
View attachment 73507
Oud Picante is listed for $285

Here's the link.
https://www.luckyscent.com/brand/784/areej-le-dore
Have a great day

 

[Diamondflame]

Thanks for the link, JBS1. I see the marked up prices. I wonder what is Luckyscent’s cut...

 

[JBS1]

Thanks for the link, JBS1. I see the marked up prices. I wonder what is Luckyscent’s cut...

LuckyScent has the FREESHIP Code
So it works out as the same price as it would with EMS shipped directly from Russian Adam.
The good news could be that we here in the US might get our samples from LuckyScent.
Much faster shipping times, but it might be a couple bucks more in shipping as compared to STC.
STC might still have deacants, but I get mine from strifeknot here on basenotes.

 

[strifeknot]

It's great that Russian Adam has a U.S. distributor now, but it's a shame about the marked up price. It's still cheaper buying directly from the house if getting more than one bottle.

 

[JBS1]

It's great that Russian Adam has a U.S. distributor now, but it's a shame about the marked up price. It's still cheaper buying directly from the house if getting more than one bottle.

You wanna talk about marked up prices , take a look at how much they charge for Heeley's Eau Sacree .
Here they charge $230. You can get it directly from Heeley for 140 euros .
Yes there is a conversion rate, but with that,plus shipping, it came to just under $180.
Heeley sent a bunch a sprayer samples with my order too.
$180 is actually a lot for Eau Scaree, but $230 is ,well you can fill in the blank stife .
Right now the AUD to USD conversion rate is in our favor.
Looking for some boutiques because of this.
Seriously thinking about Amber Absolutely .
I am mentioning this , for it keeps with the thread/stream.
Yes, it's cheaper in many ways, because what they charge us here, to buy niche from the houses themselves over there.:huh:

 

[Vmaster]

You wanna talk about marked up prices , take a look at how much they charge for Heeley's Eau Sacree .
Here they charge $230. You can get it directly from Heeley for 140 euros .
Yes there is a conversion rate, but with that,plus shipping, it came to just under $180.
Heeley sent a bunch a sprayer samples with my order too.
$180 is actually a lot for Eau Scaree, but $230 is ,well you can fill in the blank stife .
Right now the AUD to USD conversion rate is in our favor.
Looking for some boutiques because of this.
Seriously thinking about Amber Absolutely .
I am mentioning this , for it keeps with the thread/stream.
Yes, it's cheaper in many ways, because what they charge us here, to buy niche from the houses themselves over there.:huh:

Nine times out of ten, it's cheaper cutting out the middleman.

 

[JBS1]

Nine times out of ten, it's cheaper cutting out the middleman.

Very true, although you can get Eau Sacree for around that price from the European boutiques .
I just liked Heeley's deal a little better.
I just hope we can get are samples of Arrej Le Dore from LuckyScent.
I am glad for Russian getting this deal, for I was worried about a possible inventory build.
That said, Oud Zen is sold out.

 

[kyloe]

I've just had Oud Picante and Inverno Russo delivered

No. 31 & 63

Can't wait to wear them

Oud Picante is extremely dense, it looks like a mixture, a suspension

View attachment 73526

 

[yellowtone]

I received my splits from strifeknot and am wearing Inverno Russo today. So far, I'm loving it! Definitely related to Siberian Musk, but the oud gives it a fantastic bite. I understand the "butt" references, but I personally love that barnyard, goat-like accord.

 

[Starblind]

I received my splits from strifeknot and am wearing Inverno Russo today. So far, I'm loving it! Definitely related to Siberian Musk, but the oud gives it a fantastic bite. I understand the "butt" references, but I personally love that barnyard, goat-like accord.

Thrilled you love the IR, yellowtone! I think its animalic nature will make it perfect for oud-lovers.

 

[yellowtone]

Thrilled you love the IR, yellowtone! I think its animalic nature will make it perfect for oud-lovers.

I agree! I would not call myself an oud-lover per se; the oud attars and oils I recently tried were fascinating, but not something I would choose to wear on its own. Having smelled those does help to identify the strands of oud that are quite present in this fragrance, and they just perfectly match the rest of the notes to create a balance that I find lovely! Now I am contemplating a full bottle (yay! sais the heart, nay! sais the wallet).

I just put on Flux de Fleur to test, and although I do get the syrupy sweetness and the tropical flowers that others have noticed, I also seem to detect some notes that I haven't heard mentioned before for this fragrance: some leather and a touch of soapiness, a hint of smoke even? I'm happy with that, because it keeps the scent from going too sweet, at but we'll see how it develops...

 

[kswer]

deleted

 

[kyloe]

The quality of musk used in Inverno Russo and the way it is executed are absolutely stunning. I find it neither sugary nor syrupy - after having read Kafkaesque's review I was curious about how Inverno Russo would develop but on my skin but I also had certain doubts as I didn’t really want it to be that sweet. Fortunately on my skin it is spicy, deeply floral, little funky as the musk is dancing with ouds and animalic ( civety sort of ) nuances but also extremely well balanced. I don’t get any notes of chocolate.

I understand the "butt" references, but I personally love that barnyard, goat-like accord.

It is indeed little barnyardish in the base, where the mahogany, spicy and fruity, kind of fermented ouds start to emphasise their presence, gently growling :happy:

There is some resemblance between Inverno Russo and Amouage Gold but Gold is nowhere near the quality and sophistication of Russian Winter

I love the way Inverno Russo opens with peppery rose and other florals and then transforms into an opulent, cozy & warm, gentle oudy - animalic creature. The manner in which it develops all different blends and layers - musk, florals, ouds & subdued spices engulfing each other - I think it’s just breathtaking

 

[Diamondflame]

Thank you, kyloe for your thoughts on Inverno Russo. You described it well. I wish I could test it in a colder more frigid environment though.

My Areej le Dore decants from Strifeknot arrived in the mail yesterday. Hooray!! :smiley:

 

[CookBot]

Question for you Areej-niks:

Pelle and I were just chatting, we both received our packages of the free samples that Adam offered:
http://www.basenotes.net/threads/44...ore-(closed)?p=4233134&highlight=#post4233134

Part of the deal was being virgins to this line, and agreeing to discuss reactions.

Do you think we should start a separate thread for that? This thread here seems awfully long already.

+ + + + + + +

Edit: Nevermind! I just saw the Feel Oud thread in the Oud Forum, and MikeP's message there:

UPDATE: Those receiving the Feel Oud samples please post your impressions on this thread!

 

[Vmaster]

Do you think we should start a separate thread for that? This thread here seems awfully long already.

24 pages is not too long.
You are always welcome to post here!

 

[Vmaster]

Double post.

 

[pelle]

Ok. So. I got my samples late yesterday, and today I wore Atlantic Ambergris from the dabber sample.

First: I have to admit to Starblind´s review - I definitely see the connections to Blackbird/No 1.

Second: I have no experience with real ambergris, except from wearing/owning some vintage Creeds which are known for their ambergris content. One or two of us might be suspicious about the Creed ambergris being natural or synthetic, and I have no clue. Important part though - as much as I like my old Creeds, I don´t get any connection whatsoever in any aspect, from any of my Creeds to this Atlantic Ambergris. Totally different animal.

I don´t know if I got slightly anosmic to AA, I put on a great deal, but dabbers are always difficult I think. During the day I got the Blackbird similarities coming when I smelled my hand up close, but not very strong wafts, but they must have been pretty present as I...

Third: got more compliments than I ever recall from before! From colleagues, and my hairdresser, who said I smelled extremely good "and familiar". I then told her about ambergris and it´s origin

Fourth: What I did smell from time to time was a some clean barbershop-y wafts (almost like another fragrance), that were otherworldly beautiful. As it happened many times throughout the day, in different places and situations I figure it must be me.

Summary: what I did smell clearly was very pleasant - a dark pretty smoky fresh floral piney-ness. Maybe a little weak at times, but I blame that on fatigue/dabber sample issues. The amount of compliments and the random wafts of "that other fragrance" makes it clearly a contender for a decant or more. But to justify the price of a full bottle I need to wear it a little more. For this money I want presence all day, and maybe I would get it if sprayed...

I´m going to bed soon but couldn't´t resist dabbing on some Flux de Fleur. This seem really impressing too...

 

[mikeperez23]

...Edit: Nevermind! I just saw the Feel Oud thread in the Oud Forum, and MikeP's message there:

:thumbsup:

I would think reviews of the Areej fragrances belong on *this* thread and the Feel Oud ouds belong on that thread (since they're in the relaunched Oud Forum now)

 

[mikeperez23]

Ok. So. I got my samples late yesterday, and today I wore Atlantic Ambergris from the dabber sample.

First: I have to admit to Starblind´s review - I definitely see the connections to Blackbird/No 1.

Second: I have no experience with real ambergris, except from wearing/owning some vintage Creeds which are known for their ambergris content. One or two of us might be suspicious about the Creed ambergris being natural or synthetic, and I have no clue. Important part though - as much as I like my old Creeds, I don´t get any connection whatsoever in any aspect, from any of my Creeds to this Atlantic Ambergris. Totally different animal.

I don´t know if I got slightly anosmic to AA, I put on a great deal, but dabbers are always difficult I think. During the day I got the Blackbird similarities coming when I smelled my hand up close, but not very strong wafts, but they must have been pretty present as I...

Third: got more compliments than I ever recall from before! From colleagues, and my hairdresser, who said I smelled extremely good "and familiar". I then told her about ambergris and it´s origin

Fourth: What I did smell from time to time was a some clean barbershop-y wafts (almost like another fragrance), that were otherworldly beautiful. As it happened many times throughout the day, in different places and situations I figure it must be me.

Summary: what I did smell clearly was very pleasant - a dark pretty smoky fresh floral piney-ness. Maybe a little weak at times, but I blame that on fatigue/dabber sample issues. The amount of compliments and the random wafts of "that other fragrance" makes it clearly a contender for a decant or more. But to justify the price of a full bottle I need to wear it a little more. For this money I want presence all day, and maybe I would get it if sprayed...

I´m going to bed soon but couldn't´t resist dabbing on some Flux de Fleur. This seem really impressing too...

I have smelled real ambergris tinctured in Mysore sandalwood - AMAZINGLY good stuff. Rising Phoenix let us smell it in their Sample Pass...and almost everyone loved it, but it ain't cheap (It's called Yeti Ambergris Attar 2012 and it's currently priced at $99 for .3 grams [yes...a third of a gram!]). And no...it smells NOTHING like the Creed ambergris accord that I am also very familiar with. I am not suggesting that the Creed ambergris note is not 'natural' - who knows maybe it is!?

 

[JBS1]

Everyone and anyone ;
A bottle of Siberian Musk was just put up for sale here on the Basenotes Forums Items for Sale page.

It's listed for $350 . :grin:

Her's the link .
http://www.basenotes.net/threads/445419-Areej-ledore-Siberian-musk

It's been SOLD

 

[Diamondflame]

It's been SOLD

Lucky sod! Congratulations, whoever snagged it. :smiley:

 

[mikeperez23]

I wore a tiny dab of Flux de Fleur, twice yesterday. Not enough to really call a 'full wearing'...I always prefer SPRAYING on fragrances so I will decanting this into an atomizer next time I wear it - but for now I have some thoughts:

- If I had to compare it to any fragrance it would be Poison by Christian Dior (vintage juice). That white floral note that sort of smells like grape bubblegum - that is spot on lifted from Poison. I have a mini of Poison, the Secret de Parfum version which is even stronger - I have to really be in the mood to wear it but when I am nothing else satisfies. So I sort of assume FdF is going to be one of 'those' scents for me
- I find it sweet
- I didn't get any smoke at all - maybe I will when I give it a full wearing
- I get the 'tropical' aura and vibe that some of you have mentioned - there is that Les Nez scent, Manoumalia...that does the same thing with it's white floral notes. It's not specifically channeling a cocktail or a smoothie...but of course, it's hard not to think of those flavors when you're smelling the fragrance.

 

[Dorjeee]

moved

 

[CookBot]

Okay, now I'm really confused.

Are we supposed to post reactions to the recent Areej sample packs here, or on the thread in the Oud Forum?

 

[pelle]

Both, I think

The samples that contain just a tiny drop is from Feel-Oud, and should be in the other thread, and the four ones with more in the vials, the Areej le Dorée ones, should be posted here.

A little confusing as there are samples from both lines in our packages...

Okay, now I'm really confused.

Are we supposed to post reactions to the recent Areej sample packs here, or on the thread in the Oud Forum?

 

[CookBot]

Both, I think
The samples that contain just a tiny drop is from Feel-Oud, and should be in the other thread, and the four ones with more in the vials, the Areej le Dorée ones, should be posted here.
A little confusing as there are samples from both lines in our packages...

Alrighty then! I'm taking this plus MikeP's post #699 in this thread as the final answer. Fragrance tests here, oil samples in the Oud Forum thread.

 

[CookBot]

I tested Flux de Fleurs yesterday and Inverno Russo today. Experiencing these two scents over 17 hours this weekend was rather exhausting. I think I'll have to wait a day or two before venturing into the other scents in the sample set.

It's made me think about the cultural bias of my own reactions to scents. I know that the materials used here are highly regarded in parts of the world unfamiliar to me (Asia, Middle East) and that becoming accustomed to them may take some time, just as it would if you were thrown into a region whose foods were totally unfamiliar to you. I'm certainly willing to make multiple tries to get acculturated, and to see if my Western nose can become a little more cosmopolitan in the process.

I don't think my sniffing notes will be of interest to the experienced noses on this thread, but I'm going to publish them here in case they might be helpful to others who, like me, are absolute beginners to the world of these exotic scents. In summary, my first outing with them yielded a neutral on the Flux de Fleur and a thumbs down on Inverno Russo.

Flux de Fleur

1:30pm -- Dabbed fairly lightly from vial, applying maybe 1/6 of vial. Well, clearly this is a whole new world of perfume for me. So this is real francincense, huh? Heady stuff... Can't really associate it with anything except stick-type Asian incense. There's a fruity undertone, but not grapefruit to me, more a vegetal smell. Both elements are pleasant, but a bit overwhelming.
Do I like it? Not sure.
2:10 -- The floral heart begins to emerge. I'm normally not a fan of jasmine or tuberose, and fortunately for me the dominant floral I'm sensing is the ylang. Maybe I don't really know jasmine sambac, because this jasmine is very pleasant, not too indolic. Since I don't know ouds, I can't tell if it's their influence on the florals that is ingratiating them to me. But something is "lifting" these florals almost like aldehydes would, they're taking on an airiness I just don't associate with big white florals.
Do I like it? Still not sure.
5:00 -- Can't detect any further development over the past 3 hours, except maybe a slight retreat of the florals behind the ouds, and an increase in sweetness. If the woody tones I'm sensing are the Cambodian and Sumatran ouds, I must say they're quite pleasant, but not too radically different from the common woody notes in Western perfumes.
No diminishment of strength over that 3 hours, either.
7:30 -- not experiencing anything listed in the base notes, no musk, no castoreum or vetiver, just a seeming gradual fading of the heart notes. Am I missing something subtle?
11:00pm -- Well, it certainly gets points for endurance. It's just now fading away, but I can't say I ever detected anything that's listed in the base notes, a pity because they all sounded appealing to me.

Inverno Russo

11:30am -- Dabbed fairly generously from vial, maybe 1/5 of total juice. It's certainly rose, with a fermented edge to it. The pepper here smells exactly like the kind of white peppercorns I know from culinary use, and it's not a smell I like. In fact, I won't use white pepper in cooking because it has a vomitous smell to me. So fermented rose plus vomit is NOT a combination I'm finding appealing. Hope this moves to the heart faster than the Flux did.
12:15pm -- Thankfully the white pepper is retreating. Osmanthus shows itself, which pleases me, but peach blossom isn't apparent, sadly. I think yesterday's experience of the frankincense is enabling me to detect some of it here, too, along with some lovely sandalwood. No spices or animalics yet. It's projecting like crazy, with a dense temple-like cloud all around me. Fortunately I'm not inclined to get perfume headaches.
12:30 -- oh my, this scent cloud seems to be getting bigger and louder by the minute. I think it's even making my eyes water a bit. And here comes the clove and civet (and is that incense?), and a powerful sweetness. It's making me slightly nauseated.
2:30 --still no animalics or barnyard notes, which saddens me. The huge cloud has retreated somewhat, become less nauseating. Fairly large white floral presence, blurred so I can't pick out individuals. Not yet detecting any ouds or other woods, and overall there's just too much sweetness for me.
5:30 -- I'm trying to stick it out for the drydown, but the nausea factor just isn't going away.
7:30 -- Everything seems to be devolving into a simple, soft musk scent with just hints of rose, and the white florals have disappeared, taking my nausea with them. But 8 hours of this was enough; it pains me to do it, but I'm going to scrub it and give my nose a break for the rest of the evening.

 

[Diamondflame]

Wow. Sounds like you had a pretty rough time with those two, cook.bot. But Inverno Russo does have that sugar-laden feel about it especially when the weather gets warm and muggy.

 

[CookBot]

Wow. Sounds like you had a pretty rough time with those two, cook.bot. But Inverno Russo does have that sugar-laden feel about it especially when the weather gets warm and muggy.

Yeah, it was tough sledding at times. And it was rather warm here today, for November.

But I'm not ready to surrender yet! I keep reminding myself of the first time I ever ate an oyster.

 

[kswer]

Yeah, it was tough sledding at times. And it was rather warm here today, for November.

But I'm not ready to surrender yet! I keep reminding myself of the first time I ever ate an oyster.

And you have Oud Picante to go yet! Best of the second round IMHO.

 

[kyloe]

I tested Flux de Fleurs yesterday and Inverno Russo today. Experiencing these two scents over 17 hours this weekend was rather exhausting. I think I'll have to wait a day or two before venturing into the other scents in the sample set.

It's made me think about the cultural bias of my own reactions to scents. I know that the materials used here are highly regarded in parts of the world unfamiliar to me (Asia, Middle East) and that becoming accustomed to them may take some time, just as it would if you were thrown into a region whose foods were totally unfamiliar to you. I'm certainly willing to make multiple tries to get acculturated, and to see if my Western nose can become a little more cosmopolitan in the process. [..]

I don't find Inverno Russo particularly exotic or challenging in terms of how it could be perceived in the context of Western olfactory bias you've mentioned. Obviously the natural musk and the ouds are not widely used ingredients but to me the IR as a genre is more like French style old-school woody - animalic floral.

I believe that you may have overapplied it and/or weather conditions were highly unfavorable. These fragrances perform differently depending on how much and from what distance you apply them so that might be the reason why you've had such hard times with Inverno Russo.

BTW. I wonder how Musc Ravageur would smell like if it was made with the same quality musc as Inverno Russo

 

[mikeperez23]

Wearing Oud Picante today. This was, from the 4 new releases, the one I was most interested in smelling.

I am going to post my full thoughts later, or maybe after a 2nd wearing.

Some small points, after like a couple hours on skin (I decanted my vial into an atomizer and sprayed it on):

- The oud is not my favorite type of oud. It's powdery and slightly barny with a yeasty, sour quality and not enough wood, sharp, savoriness to balance it out. Is this Indian oud (I am too lazy to scroll up and find it lol)?
- The spices are great!
- I smell amber, but it's not an amber prominent scent
- Projection and radiance are below average - which I am OK with. It's staying very close to my body.

 

[Starblind]

Yeah, it was tough sledding at times. And it was rather warm here today, for November.

But I'm not ready to surrender yet! I keep reminding myself of the first time I ever ate an oyster.

I do think that IR is a very divisive scent, and I think that unless you enjoy Chinese oud mixed with very sweet florals it is going to be rough going. I found it simply beyond my ability to enjoy easily.

 

[yellowtone]

Wow, Cook.bot, those have been two hard testing days for you, I'd say a day of rest for your nose is in order!

My experience with IR so far has luckily been very different: I really see this as a Siberian Musk cousin with a sharper opening (the pepper possibly?), and a stronger presence of florals in the heart; creamy white and almost spicy, but not easily distinguished. I don't get any rose though. The oud plays an important role throughout, giving the scent a warm, animal ass (goat, specifically) type funk, and a smokey quality, both of which I find very addictive. Starblind probably has a good point that this may be a divisive factor. I believe I have a very low tolerance for sweetness in scents, but I detect not too much of it here. The sweetness that I do get is the dry sugary musk that makes Siberian Musk so comforting to me. The jury's not yet out, but I might like Inverno Russo even more than Siberian Musk.

Tomorrow I'm doing my first proper testing of Flux de Fleur, (got sidetracked by some vintage Dior there for a while). This I did find quite sweet and dense on the first try, but we'll see how it goes.

 

[exoticscents]

Wore the good old Oud Zen today. And I regret not getting a backup bottle. How I love this fragrance ? A powerful sweet smoke supported by a dense Thai oil and loads of cumin. Sweet and floral in nature. A powerful natural rind of bergamot almost juicy supported by a very classy tan leather barn of a glorious Indian Oud. The development is slow and layers slide above each other shyily like amateur lovers. The fragrance ends with classical sweetness of Oud core supported a spicy sandalwood. The sandalwood and a very precious ruby red aged Indian Oud are caught in an inseparable embrace. The balance is such that they seem one. Haunitngly beautiful scent improving with age. Olfactory romance written by the hands of a true fragrance connosieur. The quality is fabulous. Regal. Powerful. On the merit of the quality of inividual ingredients alone this a classical piece. It becomes a part of my skin just like pure oils. It comsumes me completely. I shall wear Flux De Fleur tomorrow .

 

[Vmaster]

Wore the good old Oud Zen today. And I regret not getting a backup bottle. How I love this fragrance ? A powerful sweet smoke supported by a dense Thai oil and loads of cumin. Sweet and floral in nature. A powerful natural rind of bergamot almost juicy supported by a very classy tan leather barn of a glorious Indian Oud. The development is slow and layers slide above each other shyily like amateur lovers. The fragrance ends with classical sweetness of Oud core supported a spicy sandalwood. The sandalwood and a very precious ruby red aged Indian Oud are caught in an inseparable embrace. The balance is such that they seem one. Haunitngly beautiful scent improving with age. Olfactory romance written by the hands of a true fragrance connosieur. The quality is fabulous. Regal. Powerful. On the merit of the quality of inividual ingredients alone this a classical piece. It becomes a part of my skin just like pure oils. It comsumes me completely. I shall wear Flux De Fleur tomorrow .

Out of curiosity, which do you enjoy more, Oud Zen or Oud Picante?

 

[rynegne]

That's the best part!

Wearing Oud Picante today. This was, from the 4 new releases, the one I was most interested in smelling.

I am going to post my full thoughts later, or maybe after a 2nd wearing.

Some small points, after like a couple hours on skin (I decanted my vial into an atomizer and sprayed it on):

- The oud is not my favorite type of oud. It's powdery and slightly barny with a yeasty, sour quality and not enough wood, sharp, savoriness to balance it out. Is this Indian oud (I am too lazy to scroll up and find it lol)?
- The spices are great!
- I smell amber, but it's not an amber prominent scent
- Projection and radiance are below average - which I am OK with. It's staying very close to my body.

 

[CookBot]

Inverno Russo
I believe that you may have overapplied it and/or weather conditions were highly unfavorable.

That seems entirely possible. However...

I found it simply beyond my ability to enjoy easily.

...and unlike me, she lives in a quite cool climate, and has a history of loving Areej scents.

(got sidetracked by some vintage Dior there for a while).

The very best kind of distraction, IMO.

 

[exoticscents]

I would have to say Oud Zen. Ouch

On the other hand, I wore Flux de Fleur. I will need time with it. The artisanal One Million smell is a bit confusing. I find the opening with the mandarin vibes from Green Hojari a bit unfitting. I also get hints of Atlantic Ambergris in the base. I don't know why. I was preparing myself to be blown away but, perhaps, another day . The previous Oud Zen has stolen my heart with the romantic duo of Indian Oud and Sandal in the drier phases. The magnificence of pure materials just melts my Oriental heart. Pure Bliss.