The designer scent "Versace pour Homme Oud Noir", which I sprayed directly onto a test strip and which I liked more than the first time I sniffed it and also later on - but for the UVP of 120€. I was not willing to pay this price, so I went home disappointed about the "not buying", but then I bought it with all the more joy and enthusiasm for less than half (under 60€ as a rule) from the biggest online perfume dealer in Europe. Over the years, as I gradually developed into a true perfume enthusiast, I inevitably came across the ingredient "Oud", which can be found at least once in almost every perfume portfolio of every perfume-producing brand today More and more I was concerned with that ingredient that is loved by some and hated by others; to me it seemed worthy of a glance or a snoop. As a result, I didn't have the "courage" to buy a (designer) fragrance with "Oud" in its name, and certainly not an expensive one from any niche perfumer.

The durability and the silage get 7 points each from me, because the scent projects on my skin 1 and on the clothing 2 hours over one meter and lasts / is perceptible on my skin 7 and on the clothing 10 hours. This could be a bit stronger in my eyes, because I usually spray three times and it is still an eau de parfum and not an eau de toilette. The performance could be stronger, while still being (more than) good. Let's be honest, this is, above all, a leathery-spicy fragrance. Oud is there (mostly in the top notes) just to make it more exotic and intense. This is actually a leather-oud accord, as stated by the brand. Not the chemical, sometimes harsh shade you sometimes get with oud, but a spicy, nose-tingling peppery opening. After that, oud is leading the way to a rather soft drydown with hot, dry labdanum. It's not too complex but delightful in a simple and sensual way. If you were expecting a loud scent, reminiscent of Oriental souks with sweaty hairy men selling you spices, you are in for a disappointment. This is refined masculinity at its best.Versace pour Homme Oud Noir (2013) is really close to the discontinued Versace Man (2003) to my nose, so much that I believe that one may have been discontinued to give this one some space on the market, and to basically re-market an idea that didn't do so well a decade beforehand with an upscale twist. That upscale twist of course, is the claimed oud note, which in the mostly-Versace-Man-on-steroids build of Versace pour Homme Oud Noir reads like peppery woods a la Creed Royal Oud (2011), after which this may also be chasing. As a downmarket alternative to Royal Oud, I can wholeheartedly recommend Versace pour Homme Oud Noir as well, as the scent really does feel like a mix between it and the erstwhile original Versace Man. It's really just that simple. People compare this to Tom Ford Oud Wood (2007) and I don't see it. Now this is a traditional combination: oud and rose. But don't expect the same result as all other combinations based on these notes. Oud Oriental is more complex and subtle than that, and it's a gender-bender that will please all floriental lovers. Rose is the star of this creation, but it is masterfully distorted with freesia and violet to make it more spicy and sweet. This peppery, spicy-sweet rose makes the perfect pair for a very balmy and medicinal oud note that goes away with time, developing slowly on the skin and becoming slightly animalic (leather) towards the end. The sweetness of vanilla and heliotrope brings out the powdery aspect of Oud Oriental. For this reason, I give the fragrance 9 points, half a point because of the choppy / disharmonious transition between the head and heart notes, and another half point because of the oud, which could have been a little bit, but not much, stronger. The oud itself I do not feel as animalistic or faecal, it rather goes into the medical direction and appears "noir" and woody and smoky, although it is also not, as mentioned, THE main theme of the fragrance.

I received compliments from both sexes, but more from the women - and plenty of them, as long as I did not overdo it with the dosage; 3 shots are quite sufficient.The opening is all peppery woods and smoke, a really nice kind of somehow clean and fresh smoky oud, in spite of how contradictory that might sound. Eventually these darker notes give way to sweeter neroli and some bigarade for counter-balance, all of which replaces the grape leaf opening of Versace Man. The familiar saffron and cardamom from Versace Man floats into view, with the tobacco note of Versace Man died down to a nondescript tonka to support a greater presence of patchouli and woody-amber materials judiciously applied (no sandpaper scratch here). Beyond that, traces of Amouage-like incense (the highest-quality note in Versace pour Homme Oud Noir) really hit home the purpose of this being a "premium" upgrade from the usual masculine Versace fare. Performance is perfectly fine, although this gets quieter after hour two.