Happy Friday everybody! What fun plans does everyone have for the weekend?

It's a cold and ice-rainy day here weather advisories have been blowing up my phone for the past two days - so taking a break from my Sharini sampling to try:

Areej le Dore Agar de Noir - A smokey dark oud with a hefty dose of toasted spices.  Opens with a slight medicinal, very lightly mentholated note.  The oud is a mix of Indian and Laotian, but without any of the characteristic animalic funk of Hindi oud.  Is there Indian oud that is not Hindi oud? I'd guess so based on this perfume, but I am by no means an oud expert.

Not animalic but it’s warm and dark and earthy.  A touch of intensely rich roasted whole coffee beans infuse an incredibly thick, resinous base.  The spices are cardamom and a bit of saffron, but they are fragrant and smooth and not at all prickly - as if just lightly toasted in the pan before added to the pot.

After 15 minutes or so the floral character of delicate violets starts to permeate the oud cloud.  After about an hour both the mouthwatering coffee note and the soaring violet accord intensify.  The oud doesn’t seem to be fading though - but rather, the violets and coffee get stronger. 

Very lovely so far. Leans a touch masculine, but nothing too crazy. Not as challenging or abrasive as many other ALDs. Perfect for this abysmal weather.

Sample courtesy of the very generous u/bust_nuttington1211 again ❤