Joined in 2023 
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63 About this deal
In terms of the Oud specifically, it leans towards medicinal, but it's certainly not the most medicinal I've smelt personally - Penhaligon's Oud De Nil was more in that direction (and, note, this is not a criticism, only a comment - I like Oud De Nil). I do find it exceptionally heady though, to the extent that the inhalation of too much of it makes my eyes go funny. That's less appealing. The funny thing is that this opening isn't unpleasant to me - the overall combination is akin to the smell of something like the brandy that you'd pour on a Christmas pudding (I don't mean it has brandy notes, I mean it smells of brandy - alcohol and all). It is not, however, the sort of thing that you'd traditionally look for in the opening of a fragrance. Shaghaf Oud is, therefore, unsurprisingly made up of synthetic ingredients. There are tons of 'synthetic oud' compounds out there though and they can often behave completely differently to each other (as can different types of natural oud). Because of that, I don't think listing 'agarwood (oud)' is particularly helpful as it isn't agarwood. It'd be more useful to classify the nature of the synthetic oud, or to describe the note profile of it in more detail. Ouds can range from medicinal (smelling something akin to antiseptics like TCP) to 'barnyard-y' or 'woody'. Or potentially all of those and anything in between. Would I buy it if I'd got to know it first? Probably not, no. That's not because I don't like it - as I say, I do - I just prefer to wear my other fragrances. Because of that, Shaghaf Oud is currently something I wear to bed on occasion (and very nice it is too!). You could assume from the above that my issues were concerned with the opening but they're not, actually. My general opinion of this fragrance is that it's pretty masterfully made. It does not show its seams. Nor have I actually smelled Oud Bouquet, so I can't compare it to the thing it's duping and criticise it on that basis.
Carrément Belle: 555, Alfred Kafé, Alõ, Enkor, ïōdé, Ippi Patchouli, Ippi Patchouli Clair, Label Rose, Musc, Musc Originel, So, Vanille For a fragrance to achieve this at such a low price point is actually pretty exceptional, and I can see why a lot of people are in love with Shaghaf Oud. I'm not in love though. I like Shaghaf Oud.Basenotes, meanwhile, adds Oud as a top note and suggests that the praline is actually in the middle. I have a slight issue with some of these descriptions though as Shaghaf Oud does not contain oud. At this price point, there's no way that it could do. The collection of agarwood, which is where oud comes from, is actually illegal in most places nowadays and the price of real oud (which is grown on plantations) is, therefore, ridiculous. For that matter, the price of saffron is too - it is worth more than gold by weight. You are not going to find these two ingredients in a bottle selling for just over twenty quid. Meanwhile, I have had three fragrances from Swiss Arabian, as all are reasonably affordable (in comparison). This is the only one that may remain. Before that, I had the Shaghaf Oud, in the gold bottle. An absolute beast. So far with me unsurpassed room-filling, which made him but also barely bearable. Then now at the same time also the Shaghaf Oud Ahmar = Kirke Light, which is ok, but I do not like 100% (like Kirke also not so), and now so this one. Le Jardin Retrouvé: Citrus Discovery Set (Inc. Citron Boboli, Eau des Délices and Verveine d'Eté), Floral Discovery Set (Inc. Jasmin Majorelle, Rose Trocadéro and Tubéreuse Trianon), Oriental Sans Souci, Woody and Leather Discovery Set (Inc. Cuir de Russie, Bois Tabac Virginia and Sandalwood Sacre) Penhaligon's: Agarbathi, Babylon, Blenheim Bouquet, Bluebell, Cairo, Castile, Changing Constance, Douro, Elisabethan Rose, Empressa, Endymion, Endymion Concentré, Halfeti, Halfeti Cedar, Halfeti Leather, Iris Prima, Juniper Sling, Lily of the Valley, Luna, Monsieur Beauregard, Much Ado About The Duke, Opus 1870, Orange Blossom, Oud De Nil, Quercus, Racquets, Sartorial, [Savoy Steam]( https://www.reddit.com/r/fragrance/comments/lm5mlw/penhaligons_savoy_steam_review/, Terrible Teddy, The Bewitching Yasmine, The Blazing Mister Sam, The Coveted Duchess Rose, The Impudent Cousin Matthew, The Ingénue Cousin Flora, The Inimitable William Penhaligon, The Tragedy of Lord George, The Uncompromising Sohan, Vaara
My problem with it is that it's very linear. That wonderful powdery praline scent that I describe is exactly what you get and nothing more. That means that Shaghaf Oud can actually become a little bit boring once you're used to it. In comparison, I've been fortunate enough to have had the pleasure of smelling a number of pricier works that utilise synthetic ouds and, honestly, they can be exceptional in their richness and depth (particularly those with wood and spice accords). When I smell them next to the Shaghaf it just feels plain. Indeed, I'm actually really tempted to sample Oud Bouquet just to see how close Shaghaf Oud gets to it because, to be honest, if it is like-for-like, I'd deem the more expensive option to be ridiculously overpriced. Something tells me that won't be the case, however.Shaghaf Oud is an oriental oud fragrance that surrounds your passionate heart with the peerless beauty of rich, golden oud.
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