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mistix – :
The smoke does remind me of The Sum White, yet this is dark (black) woodsy rich , warm, spicy, not as clean and cold as White, but definitely has The Sum unique smoke – and the amazing metallic edge.
There is not huge projection, “heating up” does make it more noticeable , and the aura then grows but still stayed within my bubble.
The longevity is superb. Hours and hours, and overnight. I was quite pleasantly surprised at the major wear , and the richness did not wane.
I would recommend to someone who likes or wants a balsamic woody oud `n spice , one that stays more intimate and personal.
I have passed the 1/2 vial left onto my husband , but it is a unisex frag.
Many thanks to The Sum and Fragrantica for the experience 🙂
Раян – :
I received my sample of this today. I see looking at the notes on here…OUD..is supposed to be the prominent note…????….I do not get that at all. But, I really like the scent! I get the birch-tar note someone else mentioned as well. I get a fore sure leather vibe too. Kinda like Bvlgari Black vibe…but better. I am eager to try the RED and WHITE next.
Elomoclarlili – :
The Black rounds out the trio of fragrances released by The Sum in 2016 and created by perfumer Josh Meyer of Imaginary Authors fame. Its dark character is a nice alternative to the relative lightness and relative spiciness of The White and The Red, respectively.
Oud is the only listed note but I detect a certain birch tar type of vibe. It’s certainly not only oud-like but also woody as well.
Performance is decent, as with The White and The Red, but not overwhelming.
As with the other fragrances in The Sum’s small catalog, at $75 for a 30ml EDP, you’d really need to like it a lot in order to buy it, even with the nice presentation and provocative marketing. I do like this but would need to sample it further to determine if it’s bottle-worthy. As of now, I lean toward The White being my preference among the three.
7 out of 10
dima366 – :
This is a truly alchemical fragrance. The words Elemental, and Organic come to mind. This also happens to be the lightest and most wearable oud I have ever experienced. Light, smoky, woodsy and slightly metallic. This scent composition is amazing.
naiv – :
Thank you to The Sum for the opportunity to try The Black. Excerpt from my article on The Sum fragrances (search Articles for the full text):
I have found just two oud-dominant fragrances that I truly enjoy and as it happens, they’re both from American perfumers (The Black is one of these). The Black may not be a traditional Middle Eastern treatment of oud but in my opinion, it’s all the better for it. Other oud-shy perfume fans like me will be delighted by The Black’s wearability.
The barnyard aspects of oud are fully tamed and noticeable only upon first application. From there, it becomes a natural-smelling, pleasant, gently sweet aroma of wood and smoke. There’s also a hint of something metallic here that serves to diffuse the wild side of oud. Over time, the fragrance melds with the skin and takes on salty and even leathery aspects.