White Aoud Montale for women and men

I'm enamored with White Aoud. It starts out with such strong out that I always think it will be inappropriate at work (who wants to smell like burnt rubber in the office, right?), and I also think it's not that great in general. But after about 20 mins, a soft vanilla sets in with some bright pink roses, then I start to swoon. The vanilla seems a tad powdery. The perfume reminds me of dark winter woods covered in pure, white snow. The oud gives the perfume an edge of sophistication that makes it very inedible. It's borderline gourmand, not like Red Aoud, which smells like candy.

The strange thing is that when I smell my skin up-close, it doesn't smell much like vanilla, yet the scent of vanilla is very clear when it drifts past my nose. So I find this to be an ethereal vanilla.

While it lasts and lasts like most of the other Montales, it's not as potent as some of the others I've sampled, so I am comfortable wearing it at work, as long as I don't over-spray.

I LUV this perfume aoud. When I wear it, I feel like a sultry, self-sufficient, confident and independent woman. It's the perfect mix of woods and creaminess. I hardly notice the rose- I'm not a huge fan of too much rose- the rose in this one just balances out the harshness of the woods. Gorgeous. I'd feel like walking around my own private condo with candles lit at dusk, all windows and doors open, wood floors, gentle breeze wearing a white gauzy silk ensemble.

Perfect :x
I love...
Very interesting, fantasy...
best of Oud

The openning was harsh and strong, something medicinal but if you have patience to wait until it settles, about 30 min, it's actually very soft and sensual. Don't want to keep my sample, so ask if you want to swap.

Old houses in the Deep South have a particular scent to them. They smell woody, but they also smell musty in a distinctive way as a result of the oppressive humidity especially during the summer months. They smell a bit like rotting wood, but also a bit like dust. The opening of Montale WHITE AOUD very well captures that scent. I am not sure what is creating this effect, but the light aoud note may be one contributing factor.

The roses are perceptible as well initially, but they seem far away, like dried petals pressed within the crumbling pages of old books. The overall olfactory experience ends up reminding me of my grandmother, a bona fide Southern Belle. I realize that this makes it sound as though I am calling WHITE AOUD an "old lady perfume", but this particular instantiation of that idea is very different from what most people appear to mean by the expression. No aldehydes and no oak moss here. Nor does this smell anything like SHALIMAR or L'HEURE BLEUE, which some have remarked is the dominant scent of senescent women in retirement homes.

As WHITE AOUD dries down, the "old house in the South" effect fades a bit, and the rose and patchouli come forth much more. I like some other rose-patchouli perfumes better than this one, but WHITE AOUD is nice for the trip down memory lane which it affords.

Urrggh, this is SOOOOO cloying, I want to puke! It seems that cloying sweetness is the signature for Montales. Sure you can smell the medicinal aoud in this one but only for the first 30 minutes as the rose pleasantly plays peekaboo with you, whispering sweet nothings about a fairytale trip ahead.... which you soon realize is a trick because once your blindfolds come off, you find yourself at the destination of cheap, cloying and generic $5 perfumes!

One of the best releases of Montale. The drydown is simply wonderful rose with oud surrounded by vanilla with hints of saffron. Unisex and sexy. Masterpiece.

This is the nicest aoud I have ever smelled. Very soft and nice, not "funky." I don't think I could wear it but I appreciate the deftness of its construction.

This last weekend we took my son to the racetrack to see if he has any interest in racing. My husband races, and we thought it would be a fun family sport. While we were signing him up I noticed this wonderful smell coming from the couple in front of us...couldn’t tell whether it was the woman or the man...unisex and lovely scent. Every so often I got a waft and I almost went up and asked what it was. They were from somewhere in the UK (I noticed their accents) and I was sure it was something niche and different. We got busy and I didn’t ask.

Then a bit later I was standing by some other people and amazingly another of the group smelled awesome as well...wait a minute...they smelled the same....wait another minute...HEY, that’s ME that smells so good! LOL What sample did I try this morning? Montale White Aoud. Smelled rosy and medicinal when I first applied, but my husband assured me it wasn’t offensive. I put a dab on each elbow (so I wouldn't get any on my infant son) and forgot about it. Later it had developed into the most beautiful scent...not rosy, not woody, not patchouli, not exactly vanilla, but they were all there in equal parts just making a scent that was all it’s own. And the sillage was just right to waft every now and again to my nose.

I have since smelled Midnight Oud from JHAG, and understand the "bandaid" associated smell of the oud opening. These two smell quite alike in the beginning to my nose, but develop in a completely different way. Montale White Aoud is beautiful and creamy. I can see this becoming a go to scent this summer.

I purchased a full bottle, and luckily got a set of 7 Montale samples along with. I should be set for another week....

Never really was that into aoud, or so i thought. Apparently i just didn't know what real aoud smells like n how well it dries down. at first spray, i wasn't excited bout this, but then the dry down got me going crazy. I think i finally understand the beauty of aoud. Jeca describes the fragrance well. its scent is just how she described it.

I'm not an expert regarding oud, I also believe that this is an over spoken note in perfumery nowadays and this is a strange fact because all the literature I've turn to, regarding oud, says that -the natural one- is a very rare and precious ingredient and consequently highly expensive; but also a 50 and 50 natural/ synthetic oud can be quite dear all the same. In any case I 've been really impressed by Montale's W.O! I knew about the first shoking impression, all the 'medicine' evolution but after that my skin and my impression would be really positive towards it. I like it and I like all the pleasant surprises it brings if you're relaxed enough to 'listen' to the fragrance quietly as normally should be before shooting some words or passing any judgement ; ) Saffron and rose (on my skin) are quite evident in the dry down. Nice sillage and persistence also.

Well, I received my bottle of White Aoud in the post this morning, having purchased it blindly from a lovely shop in Canada. On first spray this struck me as quite harsh and as other reviewers have said 'chemical/medicinal'. In fact it reminded me of pink paraffin with some cardoman peeping through. Unexpectedly, it's not unpleasant, but for me the true beauty of this perfume lies at its heart when it has settled down. After about half an hour all harshness disappears and it morphs into an edgy,creamy rose. It is almost like warm almond milk with a touch of whiskey - velvety smooth, slightly sweet, with an almost boozy / spicy twist (possibly the saffron). To me there is more than a hint of heliotrope, however I see there is no mention of heliotrope in the listed notes. I would definitely wear this on a night out - it's all out glam which I adore. It's very 'darkly' feminine - devilishly so!! This is a woman who knows exactly what she wants,and just how to get it...sumptuous and lush!!

Less of the medicinal than some other agarwood fragrances I've tried. I like this oud a lot. The agarwood is well balanced with vanilla, saffron and a really nice rose. Reminds me of the fragrances swirling around the old department store perfume bars thirty or forty years ago.

I have just received my White Aoud and it does have this medicinal smell along with hints of amber. I can even tell you the name of this medicinal smell,Geritol! lol I don't know why it smells like this but I had hoped for something a little more surprising than this. I"m gonna try 2 more of Montale they are Chypre Vanille and Dark Purple and hope for the best. If its not gud than I'm back to Western perfumes i.e. Tom Fords, Bond No 9.

It's oud-y, amber-y, and a little hint of rosy on my skin. I am pretty bad at detecting notes, so all I can say is: "What on earth did they do with the scents so that it smells sooooo GOOD?"
Warm, close to skin, and very well-blended.
I just love it.

Generally, anything with “white” in the name doesn’t appeal to me, so White Aoud came as a huge surprise. Woody, oud-y, and rosy, it starts out as a gorgeous, strong, Arabian-style rose scent. There’s a lot of vanilla to warm it up, a lot of saffron and some spices to spice it up, and the rose note is one of the very best that I’ve smelled anywhere. This combination is as near to perfect as it gets.

It’s assertive but comfortable and soft, something that would feel right for just about any occasion simply by adjusting the amount applied, but it’s not in any sense a generic or conservative perfume! If it has a down side, it’s that it is not as long-lasting as an oil perfume, which would be more in keeping with the genre.

I consider White Aoud full bottle-worthy, and have acquired a decant to go with my decant of its sib, Black Aoud, which I also love. Especially if you are a fan of rose scents, but also if you are a fan of Arabian-style scents in general, I strongly recommend that you sample White Aoud.

Not as powdery as the description suggests, this is initially pungent before evaporating into a delicate oud which didn't last very long (a few hours). Whilst the scent was there, it was gorgeous but I would have liked more longevity from this fragrance.

The aoud in this one lasts less than an hour on me. After that, it's pure labdanum and sandlawood with little bit of rose in the background. I'm not a big florals person, but the labdanum in this grounds everything in a smooth and creamy base that's captivating. I really, really like it; it's elegant and also cosy, but I'm looking for an oud fragrance and that's not it.

Even though the word "aoud" is in the name and the first burst of fragrance is of mothball-ish oud aromachemicals, the oud fades into what I can best compare to the wrapping on a gift of olfactory delights.

For me, both the oud and the saffron are much softer than for others - really a sort of platform for the other ingredients than a central theme.
What is a marvel is the synergy of the combination - the vanilla, rose, jasmine, cardamon, labdanum and, way in the background, the sandalwood. It makes White Aoud not just another pretty and interesting scent, but really beautiful, soft and very feminine.

White Aoud was one of those very rare samplings that resulted in an immediate search for the biggest bottle I could find, after having sampled Montale's Black Aoud - too musky, Red Aoud - too fruity, and finally White Aoud, with which I had a real Goldilocks moment - because it IS just right...

It also lasts forever, fading 10 hours later to a warm, ambery, sandalwood, and projects beautifully for a very long time.

My husband says it reminds him of a `Bar-mitzvah`
when all the aunts start to kiss you :-)
For some reason I really like it
I can where it in the summer.
I like the powdery dry down and I am not a powdery person nor a rose lover
but something magical here comfort me and makes me feel good.

Edit: A year later. I dont like it anymore,it was a short love afair.
got to strong and sweet for me.

This is the best balanced and dreamiest aoud i've been smelling and wearing so far. Many aouds are very harsh and need a long time on my skin to calm down. This one is perfect after a short while, extremely long lasting and absolutely exotic. The vanilla, resins and white florals are a perfect addition to the agarwood main-theme.

lovely but not so original, it smells a bit like Attar from the same brand but less good than it ! too conformist kind of perfume

Clear aoud notes at the beginning-sharp, almost musty wood--fade rapidly to woody rose, which in turn mellows into a disappointing talcum powder rose. This didn't work on me at all

For me it starts out, soft and subtle. I cannot detect any unpleasant note at all. Then it develops into a rich, creamy scent that lasts very well.I got this as a sample from Lucky Scent and I just love it. It will definitely be on my wish list. The different experiences from testers are really interesting. On me, there is no medicinal or harsh notes, just a beautiful development during dry down and beyond.

My first niche frag, and the favourite of mine. Even in hot weather I like it.

you can read the notes, but no words to subscribe this scent. this marvel reaches the acient sexuality of the woman deep inside. If you wanna meet the rampageous female in yourself this shameless elixir is the right choice.
OMG, I love you sooooo much White Aoud!

I found this wearable more by a woman than from myself. I prefer Aoud Flowers, Attar, and of course Black Aoud. But this one is pretty nice for a lovely woman who want a soft, powdery-floral scent with a little touch of aoud to make this a slightly above average longevity-sillage fragrance.
I like it but maybe not enough to buy a full bottle.
My GF will need to try this one too because I like the safron drydown on a woman more than on me. Maybe my note will change depend how her skin react.

edit: will buy it.



5/5

i agree with Kankuro

begining is so synthetic and medicial. it last way to long for waiting the drydown.
You may not stand the top/middle notes. Drydown is not enought - it can't recompense you those several hard and unpleasant hours of chemist's shop.

In the begining, White Aoud is very synthetic and almost medicinal. Then, after a few hours it gets more soft and I can smell the amber and vanilla. The lasting power is incredible!

This fragrance is not for me, I dont like its opening and dont care for the drydown.

White Aoud has that same opening as Black Aoud. The uni-sushi plasticky thing going on there, but mixed with flowers. Then after about 2 hours, the oud stops making me sick, and it turns into a lovely vanilla/sandalwood/jasmine fragrance. 'Still going strong almost 9 hours later! Is it worth it for the drydown? Well, yes. But is it worth it for the drydown + price? I dunno! Not for me, cuz I'm broke right now.

Velvety soft and warm fragrance with the intensive slightly medicinal opening of agarwood. I compared it with Velvet Aoud, the second is more complex and darker.