Oud Ispahan Dior for women and men

Excellent scent - I love it.

Typically, I don't care for floral scents and I've only smelled one other Oud-Rose combination, which was a bit too feminine for me. Not this one.

The oud is dominate here and a bit harsh in combination with the rose. While there is a floral-rose scent, it stays in the background and is light enough to where men can wear it and not have to worry about smelling too feminine.

It has immense projection and longevity. Expect to get 12+ hours out of it.

I'm not quite sure what I think of this. The 'jammy' rose is quite prominent at the start - in fact it smells a bit like Indian Rose Syrup. This contrasts with something burnt, slightly ashy and a potent faux oud that morphs into a dusty, dry patchouli base - and yes, the base is a bit like the one in Leather Oud. Roughness with smoothness.

It's one of those fragrances that is strong enough to disrupt a nice meal so it has to be used with care; it's very heavy, ultra powerful and gets comments (but not compliments in my experience so far). On the whole I prefer Leather & Oud's combination with beeswax and saffron rather than rose but this is still a very good fragrance.

Update: I have done the three times test where i have tried this again (now several times) and am still besotted. I have smelt this on people at work and it still hypnotizes me. Just love the smoke rose and oud in this.

Nothing special !! even the combination of rose and oud was a bad idea !

The two prominent notes in OI are rose and oud. OI basically begins with an overpowering rose note, not the floral rosy smell that you would find in women fragrances, but a dirtier and darker rose scent (it may be the oud in the background pulls it a little to the "darker side"). OI also opens with a very enticing sweet, ambergris scent, which I think comes from the labdanum and keeps the oud from opening too loudly (the oud is quite noticeable from the beginning, but is not as overpowering as it is during the dry down phase). A very simple combination of scents, but the proportions and the quality of the ingredients make the opening ultra elegant and enjoyable, despite its strength...a very unisex opening.

After about 1 hour, the rose and the labdanum scents begin to fade slowly to give path to the oud, which increasingly takes over as the dominant note until the end. Here is when OI gets more masculine, as it gets warmer, woodier, and smokier.

I agree with Ifmars98 in that Oud Ispahan finishes like Leather Oud. Dior's Leather Oud begins with an strong burnt tobacco and leather scent, over time those notes tone down giving path to the oud which comes out as the dominant note during the dry down. I could not tell much of a difference between OI and LO at the peak of their dry down once the oud becomes the reigning king--it takes a few hours to get there. They both basically smell like straight oud at that point. So, if you prefer an animalistic and very "cave man" type of opening, go for LO, if you like a middle eastern rose, with an European (Dioresque) elegant opening, go for OI. At the end, both smell the same to me.

I am an heterosexual male who does not like rose notes in his fragrances. But the character and blend of OI's notes are such that it has become an exception. I really love the rose/oud combination here. It is done with Dior's cachet stamped all over.

Because it is a powerful, loud, and long-lasting fragrance, it is not for injudicious, casual, or imprudent fragrance wearers. As with any fragrance, but particularly with OI, you have to know the place and time to wear OI.

I have heard a lot of criticism about OI being another rose/oud composition and not being innovative at that. I think one needs to approach OI without bias if you have experienced other rose/oud fragrances. You will see OI is done in an upscale European style and interpretation. OI stands on its own pedestal of hauteur and distinction.

I'm with Conifer lover on this one. Oud Ispahan has a raspy, abrasive synthetic woody note that I just can't stand, and it's overwhelming. Maybe karanal? I read somewhere that women tend to be more sensitive to it. Too bad, I love me a good oud.

It's very nice. I'll compare it to Dior's Leather Oud that I wore a day earlier. The oud here is stronger at the start and it's slightly sweet and smokey. The rose does come out during the drydown to balance out the oud. I think it's a lot more wearable than Leather Oud or Montale's Black Oud. It has good projection and I get 10+ hours on my skin. This might be my rose-based fragrance to buy. 2 for 2 on my Dior samples. 8.5/10

DEAD SEXY!!!
Oud mixed with Arabian rose, very smokey - for men and woman.
Outstanding sillage.

Perhaps my sample vial has turned but this fragrance smells wicked and not in a good way. It's very strong, offensive, and smells toxic to my nose like sulphur mixed with toxic chemicals.

The poor little dainty roses and sandalwood dont stand a chance against this mighty agarwood which threw his weight around and dismissed them as they were nothing.

My body went through a mild state of shock as the headache turned into a stomach ache.

For those of us curious about Oud, I can safely say that we shall stay away from this one until our noses have matured enough to accept this strong, off the charts, chemical plant material. I'm pretty sure no one wants to smell this bad. If you still feel the need to sample it, I strongly recommend wearing a safety suit.

The old blind soothsayer’s breath fell upon the sands that were spread over the silver plate. The glittering grains moved slowly, almost imperceptibly. The Princess, daughter of the Caliph of Bagdad leaned closer to the shifting sands to see a shape begin to appear, the shape of a perfect rose.

“The sands foretell my princess, the one who will win your heart and your hand; he shall be the first to touch the rose.”

The thief Ahmed perched in the highest branch of an agar tree that stretched out over the palace walls watched his beloved receive her fortune. She whom he loved from afar since his eyes first beheld her veiled beauty in the bazaar of the silk merchants, she who was so far above him, she whom he dare not dream of.

“The rose?” the Princess looked up into the face of the blind man.

“Yes the rarest rose in the garden of your father, the Persian Rose of Ispahan.”

The Princess glanced across the garden of her father and beheld the perfection of pink and perfume which was the very rose the soothsayer spoke of. There by the palace wall near the old agar tree set in a planter made of sandalwood it bloomed in the sun. Its beauty only surpassed by its magical aroma that filled the garden.

“How can that be?” The princes looked back to the old teller of impossible tales. “No man but my father is allowed near his precious rose. It is forbidden to all but him.”

“There is one, I see him, and he is very near. Even now my Princess, even now he knows of this rose. The having of it is the key to unlock your love. He will bring the rose to you in the lowly leather satchel of a thief.”

The Princess laughed and dropped three silver coins in the hand of the soothsayer. “A thief? You are mad my dear old one. Sweet and full of fantasies but quite mad. Now off with you and come back tomorrow to tell my fortune again.”

Ahmed watched as the ancient blind one was lead away by the princess’s servant. He watched as the princess walked thought the garden past the green patchouli and the fragrant labdanum flowers. When she came to the Rose of Ispahan she bent down to smell it and as she did, one tear fell from her cheek onto the perfect petal of the rose.

“If only it were true.” She whispered. “Allah, please make it so.”

That night in the cover of a moonless sky with only the light of the stars to guide him the thief Ahmed again climbed the agar tree. With the aid of a magic rope he had stolen from a magician in the marketplace he dropped silently into the garden of the Caliph. He easily moved along the shadows of the blue night to where the rose grew. In one swift moment he snatched the bloom from the bush and gently placed in into his leather satchel.

“Who’s there?” a voice rushed across the darkness. The Princess stood at the gate of the garden holding a sputtering golden lamp.

* * *

Oud Ispahan by Christian Dior is a tale from the Arabian Nights. The perfume that Scheherazade might wear to tell her tales to the King and in so doing weave an even more enchanting spell over him. It is also the perfect rose scent for a thief of Bagdad to steal and wear to woe a princess. It is magical.

In this floral oriental there is all the beauty and splendor to be found in the gardens and bazaars of the Near East. The rarest and most romantically pungent and intoxicating oud is at the center of this fragrance. For it is all about the oud and the tale it tells here in conjunction with the other notes. This base note is the solid foundation upon which all else is presented. The perfume opens with the lush and overtly sensual labdanum (the very scent Madame de Pompadour used to seduce King Louis XV) it is rich and wonderful and smells of sexy warm flesh. A garden of exceptionally wonderful patchouli comes in to warm the middle and plays counterpoint to the song sung by the labdanum. Up then from the base floats the beautiful Damascus rose and very fine sandalwood. This rose, sandalwood and oud are fantastic together. Out of the bottle or sprayed on a blotter it is beautiful. When it hits the skin it is a perfume of resplendent rose and agar wood oud of the most perfect creation. It is miraculous.

The perfume has a wonderful life that lasts on my skin for many hours and even the next morning it lingers close to the skin in the most delightful and inviting way. As if calling you back for one more night in the garden of the Caliph. The projection is good but not overwhelming if you apply it with restraint; which is hard to do since it is so delicious upon the first application.

For me this is one of the top perfumes in the truly magnificent presentation by Christian Dior of the Privée line of fragrances. A masterpiece by a house I am coming to love even more with every new foray into each of their perfumes.


OUD ISPAHAN FIVE PLATINUM STARS *****

sure, oi is yet another jumper on the oud-rose bandwagon, but so what? that doesn't make it less likable. and it is a very likeable, strident and well-constructed edp(?) with demachy's fingerprints all over it. i get a very similar oud from his impressively barnyard leather oud (which i've taken to layering with with luten's ism to make it much more wearable) and that piquant and dry-fruity rose from ambre nuit. sillage is almost powerhouse on this and it lasts for days, which many others in the current oud/rose/patch game can definitely not say. and while i do enjoy portrait of a lady, its drydown earthiness can grate - i think i will be wearing oi more often, esp with the coming winter; i can see the astringency of the icy (synthetic?! who wears a photorealistic rose?) rosy heart shining brightly in the cold.
nice work from dior & demachy

On longevity; This fragrance is ridiculously long lasting. I sprayed it around noon and I can still get whiffs of it at midnight, after taking a shower with a deodorant body wash.

Definitely on the top of my favorites list! Not overpowering but had a moderate to strong sillage. I get the most compliments when I wear this fragrance. The oud and patchouli soften to a gorgeous, heavenly amber rose. Lovely. This is a 5 star scent for me!

At first I was repulsed. I know oud can have a rubber type smell, and this one does. That in combination with the labdanum makes it have an underlying smell of cigarette...yes, I found it odd. I told myself to just wait a few minutes and it would blend better and calm dowm, and it did. I was scared at first, but wait about 15 minutes and it is lovely. It is rich, sultry, the patchouli can now show its presence. It is a dark, sultry, sexy scent. I visualize black leather and lace....no, just black leather..that is the scent to me. I visualize this is something a dominatrix would wear to seize the emotions of her submissive victim.

I was so excited about this one. I have Ambre Nuit and I love it. Cant have enough. I thought that since both of them have rose in it, it will be somewhat comparable.
After long wait for a sample of this one, I finally sprayed it on my skin and now I know why everyone is talking about Middle East.
I love strong fragrances, but this one is way too overpowering. I felt like I just walked in some crazy store with incense, where they are burning 50 of them at the same time.
If you are wearing burqua, you def dont have to worry about your perfume not being recognized. This one will last forever. Sadly, it does smell like cheap incense store that you find in any flea market. Sorry Dior. This one is too predictable and generic.

Iran in a bottle...

This is good stuff. Arabian Rose and smokey Oud dominate this fragrance and make it very dense but delicate at the same time. The density of the smokey and sweetish Oud reminds me of the Arabian Bukhoor. 10/10!!!!

A burst of the fruitiest bubblegum note that thrilled and delighted me! A very strong and prominent dusty note follows and what is left is exact memory smell of firecamp and burning leaves and twig to me, it is simply a beautiful roasting scent, that has been done by Cartier in Baiser du dragon. While baiser unfolds into an earthier more creamy half gourmand-half gothica, sensation, Oud ispahan dives into a bed of dry parched patchoulli and medicinal oud with a scatter fragrant rose petals, the sillage and longevity in this is tremendous and could definitely me deemed as unisex. While it is true the rose-oud territory is more of a been-there-done-that cliche, this rose-oud certainly has a more feisty and defiant image

Happy to swap decants worldwide.

Yay, yet another old fragrance with just a new name on the label. Take some Portrait of a Lady and mix it with a tiny drop of Dark Rose. Shake for a a couple of minutes and then add a dollop of any of the twenty plus rose-oud compositions by Montale et voilà, here's Dior Oud Ispahan. Smells ok but it's trite, adds nothing new to the table and it's pricey....how it sounds?

Rating: 6/10