Aoud Gourmet M. Micallef

Source: flickr.com

Equal measures of "aoud" and "gourmet" seamlessly blended and of good quality, Aoud Gourmet reminds me a little of Sådanne in the sense that both are nicely balanced between happy light-heartedness and a brooding darkness. Sådanne is fruity sweetness with leather whereas Aoud Gourmet is an earthy oud and honeyed candies that remind me of baklava. The oud is the predominant note at the beginning, it is so potent that those who are wary of the note may be put off but the strength wanes quite quickly on me and the scent maintains an equilibrium between gourmand and the noble rot for the rest of its lifetime which is about 12 hours on me with an average projection. Aoud Gourmet has a welcoming warmth that is imparted by the obvious oud and baklava as well as a woody musk that becomes more prominent as time passes and the scent lulls one into a soothing calmness.

Despite its obvious positive qualities, I am still on the fence with this one after going through two large decants. It is without a doubt lovely and every time I wear it I add it to the want list in my head, but once out of sight, out of mind it becomes again. Perhaps it is because I find Aoud Gourmet too muted, too tame? 

Night Aoud M. Micallef

Possibly my favorite from Micallef so far. I wasn't too enamored of Mon Parfum (original and the Cristal version), I'm undecided about the bubble-gum note in Watch (Time for love) and Aoud Gourmet is nice but I prefer Night Aoud by far. Unfortunately I've read gossip that it's been discontinued but I managed to swap for an almost full bottle. 

It's a very pleasing oud/floral combination, warm, plush and has a gourmand feel to it, something akin to Aoud Gourmet, almost a fruity gourmand ( soft ripe peaches and vanilla). It opens with a blast of heady and sweet ylang ylang but the scent gradually mellows and settles into an woody-oudy-floral, touched by a glowing amber. Overall I smell approachable, even friendly.

Night Aoud projects very well the first hour or so and subsequently stays as a skin scent for about six to eight hours. Despite it's name, Night Aoud is suitable for day wear and for all occasions be it work, grocery runs or date nights. Oud based perfumes can be potent and almost overwhelming but not here where in spite of the oud, the scent remains light. I find it leaning towards the feminine side of the scale, in part due to the sweetness of the fruity-floral aspect but any self-assured male could carry this off very sexily too.