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zpb322JeomiWogkig – :
Simply wonderful.
The only real oud I had the chance to smell. Pure barnyard fecal oud. Very strong, heavy projection.
Unfortunately only a few persons in the world will be able to appreciate this one, and thus makes it unwearable in public.
I am deeply in love with The Night. That said the price point ($1,500) is a little bit extreme to acquire it only as a “Sunday evening at home” fragrance. Unless you’re a Saudi billionaire or an unreasonable immature finance guy in early career that needs to tell his former frat bros he spent $1,500 for a single bottle.
30+ rich guy, fall/winter evenings
dionisiy – :
If you are not experienced with natural oud, then avoid it. This is not the typical synthetic Westernised oud, this is the medicinal skanky oud smell that actually smells closer to real natural oud. A very bold statement from Frederic Malle. Only for true connoisseurs.
ddv-vdv – :
Animalic, rosey-ish, sweet-ish, fecal oud.
Although it smells better on skin than on paper (like most Frederic Malles), please do not wear this anywhere close to me.
Thanks!
chaika – :
The price of this makes oud 27 by Le Labo appear affordable. This is a dirty animalic oud that is full and voluptuous!
kasik – :
This smells much like the affordable Montale Aoud Cuir d’Arabie.
white130489 – :
This smells like a goat pen. Dirty wet goat fur, feces and hay. After two hours it dies down enough to allow a charred wood note to come through, softened only slightly by rose. The price is a disgrace for what is an unwearable fragrance for public occasions. Oud die hards may enjoy it in private, but should these poor souls be forced to pay the punitive price?
lgs041elipseskism – :
Yes yes yeah, finally fm got one right, if you want oud this is it, true scent, true oud, powerful and a great elegant statement.
Nothing like it. Just a must for collectors.
смит123 – :
Opens like freshly used toilet paper. Smells dirty and fecal for a good 20 min. After that it dries down to a high quality rose oud combo. Very well done if boring and unoriginal. Smells like Kilian Eternal Oud or perhaps a better version of Montale Black Aoud. Big sillage and last over 24 hours. Wore this last night on Boston Commons and got several comments from people at least 10 ft away.
portas – :
I visited the FM shop in Paris today and tested several things, first on paper then on my skin …. I seem to like the Dominic Ropion scents so while I was checking out the SA said I might like to try the “other” Ropion scent with its name in Arabic on the bottle (funny because it’s hard to tell the dif between the two with no Roman letters at all 🙂 I said it’s the really really really expensive one right? He nodded. I said I like Oud so first I smelled it on a card and loved it, so he gave me two sprays in my neck as I left the store, and I have enjoyed my own scent cloud for 5 hours and counting.
Honestly the actual scent is pretty close to the MFK Oud Silk Mood I sprayed on this morning, with a little POL thrown in for the Rose aspect …. But it really lasts and being essentially Funk Blind I love it …. For much less than its price I can just reapply the MFK more often perhaps with a POL topper instead.
sex_viking – :
@ 98tacos
Factually you are not correct re IFRA’s stance on oud oil percentage in any given perfume.
There is a recommended maximum level of 4 percent oud oil for any composition but nobody is being prevented from going higher by IFRA regulations per se; it’s just that the price of oud is extraordinarily high making brands’ decisions to limit themselves to small amounts of oud or to use its cheap substitutes one that is based purely on economics – which by the way is the obvious reason that you won’t find real oud in recognisable quantities even in the W series, and certainly not in the cheaper Arabian brands segment that you mentioned even if they’re not bound by IFRA regulation.
Getting back to Al Layl though, whilst it may seem unlikely that Malle’s claims re unprecedented quantities of real Hindi oud used in this composition would stand a test based on evidence and facts (and he has a history Of being overly confident about other quantities he uses, too, eg tuberose), your argument doesn’t hold. There is simply no way to credibly state that Al Layl only contains 2-3 percent of real oud; yet instead of backing off you go further by claiming that the Arab cheapos smell the same whilst containing much more oud asking for only $100, which is nonsensical and contradicts the laws of the market.
I am not posting this to create a stir but since you haven’t shied from making confident lengthy public statements holding very strong opinions it is fair game to challenge your incorrect assumption re the IFRA stance on oud and some of your held beliefs on the use of oud by those outside of the IFRAsphere.
teramoto – :
@98tacos
Actually, in case you wanted to know, there is exactly 21% of real Agarwood in this composition. I suppose you could say 2% if the concentrate was then diluted to a 10% concentration…but that’s no longer eau de parfum territory. Just thought I should let you know. And I wouldn’t say this smells much at all like a cheap rose/aoud attar…strange you think so. Every nose is different I suppose. Happy smelling though
Dellgirlo – :
The best perfume – amazing Oudy Rose smell – its not over powering but it is very very seductive –
pemewearneRar – :
I’ve compared this to “cheap attars,” dahn al oudh and mukhallat sprays from reputable Middle Eastern brands, and top-of-the-line Western ouds (Kemi, Xerjoff, Roja, Boadicea, etc.), and I haven’t found anything as good as this. If they somehow smell the same to you, all I can say is sorry. To me this is the next best thing to real Indian oud, and no cheap imitation can come close.
vd-mn – :
@Q80: Actually, according to Malle’s statement about The Night and according to my own knowledge about different ouds (having livid in Saudi and currently living in Malaysia, with a good access to oud oils and chips), it is predominantly Hindi Oud in this one (notoriously) more skanky and barnyard-y then the sweeter Cambodi Oud. While I also think there are quite a few similar and even better smelling oud fragrances for a lot less (by Arabian houses), I do think that Ropion and Malle have captured the Oud in the Arabian interpretation quite well. Also, rose actually plays a big part in this as well, after the opening…
sanuch – :
In short, this is a Cambodian oud, the exact Cambodian oud.
If he created it with materials from scratch without using the Cambodian oud then this is genius, but he added the Cambodian oud then it’s nothing but Cambodian oud with more alcohol to lighten it up.
This type of oud is widely available in GCC countries (Gulf Cooperation Council) it’s from their heritage and their tradition as well. It’s available there in bulks and it’s much stronger and quarter quarter the price of this one here, you can get the essential oil of Cambodian oud for 50$ and a 50ml spray for even 30$.
Again, if he didn’t use Cambodian oud in this fragrance then it’s genius, but if he used it in then it’s an extreme shame that “Dominique Ropion” created a fragrance like this for Arabs and named it in Arabic without having the simplest knowledge of the region that this fragrance is dedicated to or created for.
But what to say! that proves my theory that the one who sells what he claims ART to big companies for more money isn’t an artist, he is just a money digger who names himself an artist.
gtl355bedyWelty – :
I sniffed at the store and i found it quite strong! I have to say that its smells like real oud oil and i can understand why its price tag is too much! In perfumery, no one has a real oud even if they claim their perfume as a oud but Frederic Malle did it. I can say it is amazing but not for me!
boriwolf – :
The opening of The Night on my skin is phenomenal! I do get the “barnyard” reference, with its slightly sour, animalic, leathery, even rubbery nuances. But to my nose, it also has a somewhat fatty aspect that makes it more savoury, like a sort of matured goat cheese.
I happen to enjoy this type of aroma. Moreover, the majority of “oud” fragrances that I had encountered were typical synthetic iterations, either tooth-achingly jammy rose “oud” or abrasive smoky “oud”. Therefore, the wild opening of The Night with its complex aroma feels authentic to me, and I couldn’t stop sniffing during the opening.
10 minutes in, the savoury, animalic aspects of oud start to mellow. The fragrance becomes more deep woody instead of rubbery leathery. There’s occasionally a profound, suave whiff like dark chocolate on my skin.
A fruity, prune-like ruby rose, not unlike the rose in Portrait of A Lady, also starts to peek through the immense shadow of oud. At first, the oud clings on the rose like a pack of wolves on their prey. However, as the intensity of oud is significantly reduced during the first hour, they soon strike a balance between the woody, slightly salty oud and the velvety rose with sweet berries nuances. Unfortunately, this combination easily reminds me of a few jammy rose “oud” or rose fruitchouli. Although The Night is much more smooth and much less saccharine, it isn’t transformative to me, either.
The Night then remains this mild woody rose skin scent during its long dry down, reaching a longevity of almost 11 hours. The sillage is moderate bordering to heavy during the first 30 minutes, but it soon rests very close to skin after about 1 hour.
Personally, I was blown away by the feral opening, and I loved it precisely for its “barnyard”, cheesy glory. However, the dry down seems largely uninspiring to me. If you happen to be interested in exploring the animalic, “manure” aspects of oud within well-established western brands, The Night might be an option to investigate.
P.S. I also tried the hair mist, which smells like the dry down of the perfume, but with less rose and more woody aspect of oud, and devoid of the phenomenal (or “foul”, depending on your taste) opening. Since I find the opening of The Night the most interesting part of its entire evolution and the hair mist’s price is still pretty high, I would not particularly recommend it over other more accessible oud fragrances.
labada – :
It’s so inexpensive we better all buy a few bottles before the prices rise, if it is discontinued!
davbur – :
when i wore this from a sample my girlfriend qualified it as “revolting”… guess I saved more than 500 euros!
Bomjik – :
Having now tried tons of real Indian/Hindi oud oils I Must say that the marketing is pretty serious when they say they used a significant amount of real Indian oud. The first hour or so is full frontal assault of oud, the oud that I smell resembles largely of the real Indian oud oils I’ve tried, which means it has the strong barnyard opening, and then transforms into wet logs and then the remaining stage is all about hay/straw.
But what shines in The Night is that Ropion manages to blend in the true beauty of oud but makes it wearable by adding in some delightful Turkish rose and sweetens it further by adding a little bit of amber, and the result brings out the best part of the oud and the rose. This is just blended to perfection.
I know you can just go and buy the real stuff, but the real stuff is hardly wearable, it would purely for self-enjoyment. But this, this is a true oud fragrance that would constantly have people stopped in their tracks and ask you what the heck is that you’re wearing because they’ve never smelled anything so deep, so unique yet so delightful and breathtaking!
mjvcjgrvuyj – :
Smells (on me) like a horse barn in desperate need of mucking. Layer it with FM’s Dries scent, and it’s much more tolerable. $600 for the mist version and $1400 for the small perfume. Definitely not for me.
kirman – :
Is it serious, U$1,110.00 for a bottle of 100ml? It is INSANE…a joke, come on.
vantuz555 – :
So the body cream is $770 & there’s a $600 hair mist! Wow.
lusse – :
This oud is INCREDIBLE!
Nikki Belucci – :
This is straight OUD with rose!! Very harsh and barnyard scent. This would be perfect in the colder months to layer with something sweet.
Fair warning, this leaves a beastly projection and sillage, it can clear a room, spray…better yet…dab in small amounts!
slyubaev – :
A very medicinal oud almost verging on phenolic. The fragrance is extremely linear and not interesting at all
tash – :
A powerhouse of real oud… “barnyard” imagery, with tapered edges. No, not horse poo, but you’re on the horse that stepped in it and then went running through a field of roses.
Impressive, but… “late to the party” I’d say. Because, as BNL once said “It’s all been done, before!” Why did Malle bother? Perhaps the well heeled boys ignorant of the Middle East fragrance world wouldn’t know about it otherwise, I guess.
Pass, because the price is just ludicrous.
qqu546speagoessenda – :
just imagine a whole ton of horse pong was laid on you…..
pograna999 – :
Straight from the get-go it’s oud! A somewhat difficult oud that doesn’t seem to have any other notes balancing it out. I did not find it very interesting. The oud here reminds me somewhat of Xerjoff Gao, but Gao is so much more palatable and interesting.
naigmaSem – :
oud that smells like cow dung, stable, plastic and medicine.
excellent longevity and silage.
for those who really like oud, at its most dense and dirty look, worth a sniff.
Unfortunately the price is prohibitive. When launching in 10 ml sprays I buy.
Sergey1969 – :
I’ve been so intrigued by the various – positive and negative – reviews that I ordered a sample. While I appreciate the uniqueness of this fragrance, I cannot say I find it appealing. As described by various other reviewers, the top note is a blast of harsh and pungent oud mixed with an almost imperceptible rose hovering in the background. After a while the rose becomes more prominent but never enough to cover the harshness of the oud. A friend of mine has a little café with lots of regulars. The other day I took a snap decision and sprayed a little on a paper strip and on my wrist, then I went around and asked everyone I knew – about 10 people – what they thought of the fragrance. The words most often used to describe the smell of “The Night” were “manure”, “barnyard” and “dung heap”. Needless to say that after smelling it on paper and on my wrist, nobody (!) wanted to test it on their skin. After more than 24 hours the paper strip still smells quite strongly but now the prominent note I get is burnt rubber with a bit of rose. Depending on a person’s skin chemistry, “The Night” might develop into an acceptable – even interesting – fragrance but I doubt it will draw a lot of compliments. I don’t see it as a “crowd pleaser” and ultimately believe that for most people it would be unwearable.
beryoza – :
What’s the point with The Night? I mean, why buying oud from Estee Lauder?
Yes, it surely smells more truly oudy than anything else offered by a westerner brand but, trust me, for the same price you can get quite a dollop of the real thing.
Good but ultimately pointless.
Rating: 6/10
mvbmymom – :
good quality synth oud, interesting but to me unwearable, the barnyard note will make those around you think you have s*#t your pants…way overpriced!
czd858Diobtetty – :
most likely a real take on oud…but it’s so heavy and the fecal note is overpowering, great duration and sillage/projection, people will think they didn’t change your diapers!!!
oksana-bobyreva – :
A lot of the critiques below are based on the fact that it´s an expensive fragrance, possibly unobtainable, therefore crap. Too simple!
I tested this fragrance recently in Berlin and fell totally in love. It was just a question of time before I had to have it.
Fragrantica should be the website where this kind of desire should find some understanding. First of all we all share the same passion and should know what it feels like when we get a hit, the scents may actually speak to a subconscious level in our deepest selves.
Seondly because real oud in the generous amount you find in this perfume certainly has its price, most people don´t see the difference between the synthetic oud most brands use when creating “oud perfumes” and the real thing.
This little treasure starts off like a full blooded oud should, rather offensive for most people, but then, in the next hours the magic happens! Rose and amber spread their wings and take off on a journey that lasts for almost 24 hours. Fragrances on this level touch me deeply and keep changing every time I wear them. I now know what the real “oud heads” keep raving about and it took some time to get there. Oud is definitely an aquired taste.
Anybody with a real passion for perfume, and ouds in particular, can understand that this kind of experience doesn´t spring from cheap materials. Malle´s perfumes all vary in price, depending on the cost of the raw materials, so let´s be grateful that less expensive scents have not become more expensive to finance experiences like The Night.
After all, nobody is forced to buy a perfume, so saying something is foul or crap simply because they cannot afford it is unfair. I can’t afford to buy a Tesla (maybe because I spend my money on perfumes?), but I still won’t claim it’s a bad car.
HigCoonee – :
a wonderful oud-rose parfum. wear it at night. so special. 1 spray is enough for a long time. opens constantly and plays brilliant.
barkas-yug – :
There’s a $600+ body cream now. Yikes.
FM’s body creams are wonderful though & I wear my MR cream like a solid perfume.
Grybiyan – :
yeahh this is real hardcore oud thats why nobody likes it but i love it…….. skanky cheesy oud …whooooooooooo
u40in – :
@4drewjr right about this one…wasnt impressed at all,nothing special and considering the price there is no way in hell im going to spend that kind of money for a fragrance smelling exactly like black Aoud by montale.Beware,this is the most powerful extract i’ve ever come across,half of a spray is too much..DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF SPRAYING THIS ON CLOTHING it might take one year to totally disappear,this is insanely powerful and last forever..
MadDog2507 – :
This is to familiar. Nothing special and for $800 per 50ml people want special, unique and this is neither. Sale lady at Barneys who states she works for Frederic malle sprayed some on me and instantly reminded me of several Rose/Oud scents I own. No Thank You!
летнаб – :
I just had the opportunity to test this at Barneys in Beverly Hills. Apparently they’re bringing a limited number here for sale at $800-$1300. This is Malle unleashed for sure and it really is a masterpiece by Mr. Ropion. Out of the bottle it is strangely reminiscent of a CPO oud that I got from the Middle East. Strong barnyard note initially but you have to give this time. The sales rep who gave me a sample card and then sprayed some on my skin said that Malle also took the notes from POAL less the patchouli when he created this one. Amazingly, that’s exactly what this smelled like about 20 minutes later. And then It changed to a strong oud again. And then it changed back. And again. It settles to a fantastic spicy oud that, yes, may be too much for some. Is it worth $800? No, there isn’t a fragrance on the planet worth that much. But it’s a one of a kind and it’s a masterpiece IMHO. Again, JUST MY OPINION.
Menvd037bedyWelty – :
Wow.
Opens with sour wood and an unpleasant and resinous oud. Strongly reminiscent of band-aids (sticking plasters).
This is a resemblance that others have mentioned in relation to oud, but that I have never personally experienced before. So… that’s educational. 🙂
There’s an element of rose running beneath and behind, but it isn’t enough to act as a counterweight to the oud, although it does sweeten and balance up a little over time.
Longevity and sillage are both substantial.
This scent is definitely unisex, and may even suit men better than women.
I can see a male doctor or lawyer wearing this to good effect. (Although probably not in the USA!)
On the whole this is an unbalanced, but distinctive and interesting, fragrance.
Especially if you like rose-scented band-aids.
Edit: I’ve been thinking about this one and basically it’s just a rose-oud that’s come late to the recent rose-oud party.
Maybe, in order to try to differentiate it from the crowd, they have bumped up the oud and hyped the marketing.
So it’s “different” rather than, you know, “nice”. 🙂
Cardinal – :
Why so much hate? Because of the high price?
I have sampled probably up to a hundred and probably more creations that beared the golden OUD spell, and still, most of them failed to touch me. Even some of the most expensive and luxurious. There’s this boring tune that you keep hearing and it bothers you in all of them. It’s when you notice that all pop songs are written on the same tunes. It’s about those, that are failing to try to be an individual while copying others. As a creative person myself, I can state that it is a painful and visceral process of creating art that you believe yourself in. And it comes in a hight price for you. But then, it begins to live a life of it’s own.
The night is a true genius of Ropion to me. He nails those thorns and pettals perfecly. And he has proved himself.
I only wish I could some day afford of actually having a bottle. But the experience is of a cost of nebula of stars.
Round, visceral, animalistic, dirty, gritty animal, that reveals ilself as an angelic soul.
boozy-woozy – :
Big hula boo over this in Bloomies in Dubai and for the life of me, I can’t see why. It’s clearly beautiful and if you give it the time it deserves, you’ll have every camel in Arabia chasing you. That being said, it’s priced for the Arabs. If it’s expensive, limited and no one else can have it, they’ll crave it. However, perhaps its one last hurrah for Mr. Malle as he bows out (or is that sells out) to Estee Lauder. Creative control and artistic licence give way faster than you can say “show me the money”. Perhaps I’m misguided, but I can see too few positive reviews here. Are you listening, Mr. Malle?
vx07 – :
Sampled this at the Frederic Malle boutique on Madison Ave. It wasn’t on display, but when I mentioned my fascination with oud, Giovanni said “Give me a moment, I’ll be right back.” Whoosh, off he want to the back room, returning in a minute with a standard Malle box bearing a beautiful Arabic script — The Night. One ($20) spritz on a card. First few seconds: strong, slightly sour, and very definitely smelling of cat poop. I don’t know oud too well, but I’ve read that its scent can at times be fecal, and while I hadn’t experienced that particular note before, it’s here in all its glory. It took a good 10 minutes for the poop smell to soften and give way to rose, and then it remained oud-rose for the next 24 hours. A very pleasant scent if you can get past the first few minutes smelling like you’ve smeared cat feces on your wrist, but I think there are better ouds out there at quite a bit less than this (~US$800). So far I’ve loved every Malle fragrance I’ve experienced, but this one’s just a like.
Donovan – :
not surprised no one’s wowed by this…Malle is now under the reign of oh-so-boring Estee Lauder.
gizerlamo – :
It reminds me of wine oak barrels from France. Botted at 80% (EDP). Mellow and rounded. Nice perfume but not outstanding. In my opinion it is worth $250/100ml, not more. However, it is exclusive to Dubai. Hence, it sells for $1,350/100ml. If you have extra $1,350 and do not know what to do with it, you know now what to buy. Pamper yourself.
ALANMAG – :
I had the displeasure of sampling this at FM in NYC and its a huge disappointment. Not one of Ropion’s best I’m sorry to say. And to come with a price point like that is just ridiculous.
vladimirsinvo – :
Fetid. Fecal. Foul.
It starts off accessible enough. My nose was primed for the ubiquitous dark, syrupy accord of rose and band-aids that has become so common in mainstream designer Orientals using synthetic oud. However, the first sniff led me to imagine a parched rubber tire resting in a warm barnyard. A waft of delicate pink rose petals fluttered past, only to land moments later in a thick, steaming pile of horse manure.
I pulled away like I’d been slapped, and then curiously went back in for a second whiff. The rank, cheesy pong of sweaty feet and dried manure was so bad I almost gagged! It’s like a bouquet of roses stuffed up a horse’s ass.
If this is what real oud oil smells like, then thank god for the synthetic stuff. I can’t recommend this to anyone.
Lok1x – :
It’s only Oud , Oud and Oud!
Nothing unique on this perfume to spend 750$ in 50 ml 🙂
replicae95945 – :
a regular oud perfume.. more oudy than rosy.. not as velvety.. or mellow.. or sweet.. its just like the smell of Indian oud with alcohol.. it smells very linear.. very straight forward.. its not oud with a heart.. its a deep oud in a dull connotation.. its oud fit for both males and females.. but i feel its more masculine.. better suited for male oud users ..for those who live in the gulf and have the ability to buy all those ouds from local shops ..i dont think the justification of spending 300 us$ is just ..when they can get this for under 50..for those who want to use a Fredric male oud that’s another story..
layael was launched particularly for the mid east market its available at lomingsdale Dubai mall and Harvey Nichols emerets mall ..
the perfume is similar to the roja dove oud with cleaner accords.. with less intensity ..and more refinement..its ironical for us.. oud wearers.. it feels like when the west tries to make oud blends.. as if we are transported back to the beginning of simple oud connotations..to the basics of oud.. while we have evolved and mixed oud with so many other accords.. so smelling oud in its simplest forms sometimes just doesn’t do it for us anymore.. for we ve evolved.. and matured.. and adapted a more frenchy approach to oud ..being layered with french.. with amber.. rose.. saffron.. musks.. and an endless array of colors..if we want plain oud.. we use pure oil ..not diluted in alcohol.. for alcohol destroyes the essence of oud ..unless its layered or in a connotation of so many other accords..that being said the layel oud is a well made.. straight forward.. clean.. simple.. oud with no undertones of much else.. it smells like Indian oud ..lacking the sweetness.. the depth.. the velvetiness.. the essence of oud..having top notes of oud more than base notes.. a lighter version of Indian oud an earthy pungent almost screechy oud..a straight up shot of oud in alcohol.
ipsat4360 – :
الخيل والليل والبيداء تعرفني **** والسيف والرمح والقرطاس و القلم