Montale - Red Aoud

Now I have had some time to get to know my Montale samples. And it seem like I wont get along with Black Aoud, so I think I just leave it for a while. Red Aoud on the other hand only getting better and better for each time I try it. And now it is really, really good.

I´ve got some info from Bipbap on how to order directly from Montale´s homepage, and even if it seem a little tricky I guess it´s the best way to buy Montale perfumes. Here´s a link to Montale: http://www.montaleparfumsparis.com/

Now I happened to order a bottle of perfume just the other day, but anyway, Montale seem to have quite a lot to offer. Until yesterday I tought if I was about to order anything from Montale it would be a bottle of Amandes Orientales with a small bonus bottle of Red Aoud. But today I think it would be the other way around.

What kind of music do you listen to? I listen to a little of this and that, even tough I having hard times to appreciate some, for instant j-rock, experimental jazz, navel-gazing electronica, hammering screaming-metal, swedish dancemusic and boring gangsta hiphop. Since listening to music is a big pleasure in my life I also like to think of why I don´t like or understand some kinds of music, even tough I, in some cases, can hear that it´s good and interesting. I guess I miss some link to that kind of music. Like I haven´t listen enough on music that reminds of it to fully appreciate it. I know I am about to wondering off to a totally different subject now, sorry...

What I really want to say is that Red Aoud is like one of those strange, but also beautiful oriental tunes. Nothing in it is really like I am used to. The first time it is unknown but also interesting. The second time I could feel patterns and melodies, and the third time I sit with a smile on my lips and trying to sing along in a foreign language.

That is how I responded to Red Aoud. Now, when wearing it I can´t even understand how I thought of it as foreign at first. It is warm, friendly and and familiar. Red Aoud is really a perfume for evening-or night wear. Red Aoud is like Ayer´s Rock in moonlight, red desert sand, a warm wind in the dark night, a intricat pattern of henna on a beautiful hand, a big bag of red safron pistilles.

Red Aoud is despite of it´s sensual heaviness and spicyness also a strangely light perfume. Black Aoud is light in the same starnge way, but while I find Black Aoud bland and watery, I find Red Aoud kind of cool, like a sensaul caress. Black Aoud turns out some kind of strong rose water blended with tincture. While in Red Aoud, the rose become like a soft base for the notes to lean on.

I can have some troubbles with the note of rose in perfumes. Either I really, really like it or else I don´t care for it at all, there isn´t anything inbetween with rose for me. Red Aoud manage the rose just perfect. Only while writing this I realise I will have trouble living without Red Aoud.

I realise the hardcore aoud-lover may think of Red Aoud as a little to nice and sweet, but also to spicy at the same time. I suspect, or hope fot, that Red Aoud might be the bridge for further understanding and enjoying of stronger, heavier and more difficult oud-scents. I hope that Red Aoud is the key to unlock several oud-scents for me.

With notes of safron and vetiver it isn´t that strange that I like Red Aoud. But there is also notes of cumin, wich I don´t usually like that much. In Red Aoud the cumin is used with light hand and just enough of it to make the scent interesting.

Towards the base notes I experiences that the vetiver folds in to the other notes in an intersting way, like it´s doing it´s own thing, adding some smoke and also papery scent.

Red Aoud is very, very longlasting and with a huge sillage also. I have only dabbed on a few drops, and still it´s like sitting in a cloud of Red Aoud. Red Aoud, together with the Montale´s I´ve tried should be used with easy hand. Red Aoud would be nice on mens to, but it´s a little sweeter than Black Aoud.

Pic: Red Moon

Montale - Amandes Orientales

Lately I´ve read some other perfume blogs that are almost lyrical about Montale perfumes. I have been curious about them earler, and even tried a few but without being convinced. The few i´ve tried before hasn´t been some of the more well-knowned Montale´s, so I decided to order a few samples according to my own curiosity. The one´s I´ve ordered was Black Aoud, Red Aoud, Greyland, Mukhallat and Amandes Orientales. So, I have to admit that I am having big troubbles getting along with Black Aoud. On me i´t becomes strangely bland and watery, but also really strong. On the husband Balck Aoud becomes dark, velvety soft, warm and interesting! Red Aoud seem to work better on me, but even tough I like it, I don´t like it a lot, even if I think I might do that after a while. No, this far, Amandes Orientales is the one that manage to capture me the most.


Amandes Orientales is a contradictive scent. Notes of sweet vanilla and soft almond are blended with smoky notes, but on me the smoky notes turn musky, leathery and very skanky. Usually both almond and vanilla is soft, sweet, round, girly and almost innocent notes. I know that most perfume houses these days trying to come up with a grown up-vanilla scent and among others I am really looking forward to try L'Artisans new Havanne Vanille that will be released during this autumn. But before it become increasingly popular with grown up-vanillas, vanilla was a pretty, sweet and cherful little note. Almond is possibly even more so, even if we can find grown up-almond as well.


In Amandes Orientales the white, soft and sweet in vanilla and almond are working together with darkess and shadows from smoke, leather and musc. Very interesting, very well done and very sensual.


But once again, a perfumes as far away as possible from western pop-sensualism with teenaged RnB singers that preen in to short dresses in video after video. Amandes Orientales make me think of the sensualism you can find in arabic women. With or without veil, hijab or a like the eyes of an arabic women can be one hundred times more sensual, expressive and interesting than the whole little cutest western pop-princess. Well, no I wont discuss the political, religious or feministic aspects of the veil, hijab or burkha I stick to the shallow and estetic aspects right now. And really, I can´t think of any other garment that emphasize the eyes better than a veil.


In Amandes Orientales the almond and vanilla represent the practical, casual, sweet and well-knowned things while the animalic notes become a part of seduction, laughters in darkness, warm skin and caress. Amandes Orientales has more than it´s share of dark, vibrant and luring notes. If you like perfumes like Musc Koublai Khan, Dzing!, Kama, Rasa, Musc Ravegeur, Silver Factory and alike you must try Amandes Orientales! Amandes Orientales is as unexpectedly dirty as Silver Factory, but in a totally different way.


This can be quite and experience if you expect something sweet candied vanilla with some smoky notes as I did. I wan´t at all prepared for the animalic notes in it, so at first I tought it smelled bad. Interesting ok, but also strange in bad way. A little if you think you will drink a glass of cool grape juice, and instead have a glass of oak-aged Bordeaux from 1969 or something. Well, the Bordeaux is much better but if you expect grape juice you might not appreciate the Bordeaux fully.


Now, when I know what to expect from it, I like Amandes Orientales better for each time I wear it. Of course, if you haven´t tried anything from Montale yet, I think you should give some of the Aoud scents a try, but don´t miss Amandes Orientales.


A big plus for the staying power, over all Montale seem to make perfumes that are really longlasting. The aoud scents last for + 20 hours, or even more, but I usually take a shower and put on something else during that time so exactly how longlasting they are I´m not sure of. Amandes Orientales stays on for at least 10-12 hours. The sillage is a little below medium, but I dab it on so I think it could be better with a spray.


Do you have any Montale favourite? Or do you have any tips on how I can be friend with Black Aoud?

Pic: Arabic eyes