Arabian Oud Kalemat Black (AKA Sehr) Oriental EDP Spray, 100ml

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It’s no technical masterpiece—nor is it particularly inventive—but it’s very comfy, easy to like, and reasonably unique on the Western front. I hope to re-visit this fragrance soon as I still remember how amazing this smelt and even though I don't remember the exact scent, the memory of this being unique and besotting still remains with me. If you don't believe me about the projection and longevity, spray once or twice on a piece of tissue and place it on the opposite side of a room. The notes sounded promising to me, but it seems like, at least for you, it was a case where the whole was less than the sum of its parts, if that makes any sense. I didn’t because of I didn’t experience any herbal qualities in Sehr, but that one chap at Notable Scents seems to have done so.

It is more of an amber fragrance with that tiny touch of oud, some spice, a bit of booze, there is honey, vanilla etc. The soothing scent of delicately sweet vanilla transports you to the heart of this fragrance, perfectly balanced with long base notes of smoked oud. What does appear instead, especially if a very small amount of Sehr el Kalemat is applied, is cocoa and an almost cold, metallic scratchiness. For me it’s VERY similar to Arabian Oud’s ‘Arabian Nights Black’ with a tiny little something of ‘Majestic Woody Intense’, but being all from the same house, it’s got to share some kind of familiar DNA. And then about an hour the Oud and the Vanilla and the amber and the Basil rise up imploding from your skin into your aura.The saffron, oud, and burnt guaiac dance all around, weaving in and out in the smallest of ways, but they are increasingly hard to detect in any individual, substantial way. Those with a different skin chemistry may experience an even drier version of Sehr el Kalemat than I did, so please keep that in mind. If you have any questions, or are concerned about potential allergens or other ingredients, message the seller. On the drydown I smell hints of amber and vanilla as well but mostly it's still the dark chocolate oud.

Performance on Kalemat Black is so NUCLEAR that I am getting worried about Arabian Oud company offices in London getting raided by the MI6 ! For example, some top note citrus scents smell stronger immediately upon application, while a lavender middle note may be sensed after some time from application as the top note evaporates.

The first time I tested Sehr el Kalemat and applied only a little, the bouquet after 15 minutes was of cocoa-dusted berries with saffron, vanilla, synthetic dryness, honeyed amber, slight smoke, and a faintly oud-y wood. Excellent and beast mode fragrance even during hot and humid weather in South East Asia, easily lasting 8 hours. There aren’t really any in-depth, detailed reviews for Sehr el Kalemat that I can provide for comparative purposes. For the most part, the fragrance is exactly the same, minus some minor variations on the opening with a lesser amount (2 sprays). As for the details, well, for me, it’s like describing food: texture, feel, little subtleties from spices on top to what the meat may be infused with.