Revelation
- Thread starter John
- Start date
I started doing research about finding authentic Oud. I happened to stumble on the oriscent website and the more I read, it drew me closer wanting to find out more. I made the initial call to Ensar in 2008 and wal la, he answered and talked to me in such a professional manner, knowing all the answers to my questions. He told me about his vision of Oud and I asked him to recommend me to a Oud of his and boy did, he recommend me to the most beautiful one I have! The lovely one and only Borneo 3000. I ended up buying 3 bottles back then. Should have bought like 10 for the price I got it for.
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I knew I loved oud from being in the Middle East when I was in the Navy. And started looking for the genuine article. Found Ensar.. the rest is history.
PS: I put Oud Yusuf on at 0630 Arizona time, yesterday morning. It is now 0305 the next morning and I am still smelling it. Therefore... I have now had perma-grin for almost 24 hours. ^_^
PS: I put Oud Yusuf on at 0630 Arizona time, yesterday morning. It is now 0305 the next morning and I am still smelling it. Therefore... I have now had perma-grin for almost 24 hours. ^_^
I regret arriving so late to the scene. I have missed out on so many amazing oils, but I know more is yet to come 
Found out about EO, AA and FO when I deepened my search about the REAL dehn oud. I started to wonder how it's possible to buy "pure oud" for so cheap from the ME Houses - then I learned that they're probably thinned with other oils or boosted with synthetics, or both. I immediately lost interest and switched to artisanal oud.
I also love the fact that EO, AA and FO's websites not only feature their oils, but also strive to educate people on the cultivation and status of Oud. Their passion for the stuff truly attracted me.
I don't want to just buy, I also want to learn.
Found out about EO, AA and FO when I deepened my search about the REAL dehn oud. I started to wonder how it's possible to buy "pure oud" for so cheap from the ME Houses - then I learned that they're probably thinned with other oils or boosted with synthetics, or both. I immediately lost interest and switched to artisanal oud.
I also love the fact that EO, AA and FO's websites not only feature their oils, but also strive to educate people on the cultivation and status of Oud. Their passion for the stuff truly attracted me.
I don't want to just buy, I also want to learn.
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Oud is a traditional and familial thing for me so I took it's presence for granted. Once older family no longer traveled for Hajj and especially when I left home, I didn't have access to it. I'd ask about oud at every masjid I'd attend and from anybody I'd meet from the ME. Every now and then I'd find an "oud" CPO but I'd end up telling the person, "this isn't oud".
I got into designer and mostly niche perfumery but really wanted oud. When I found the internet in the mid 90's I'd search for it and found Arabian Bazaar and some other outlets, too many to list. I'd order the products and waste money only to realize, "this isn't oud". At that time I had no idea oud could be faked, knew nothing about how it was made, etc. but I knew that what I had wasn't oud, Masha'Allah I didn't stop trying. Oriscent was a similar discovery i.e. find the website, order a product(sample as opposed to full bottle, which nobody else at the time offered) and not expect anything groundbreaking, but I was wrong. When I received the sample I was blown away with joy, "this is oud". That oil was Archipelago Supreme. @Ensar do you recall when you released that oil as I'd like to get a timeline, IIRC I've had it ~10 years if not more.
I got into designer and mostly niche perfumery but really wanted oud. When I found the internet in the mid 90's I'd search for it and found Arabian Bazaar and some other outlets, too many to list. I'd order the products and waste money only to realize, "this isn't oud". At that time I had no idea oud could be faked, knew nothing about how it was made, etc. but I knew that what I had wasn't oud, Masha'Allah I didn't stop trying. Oriscent was a similar discovery i.e. find the website, order a product(sample as opposed to full bottle, which nobody else at the time offered) and not expect anything groundbreaking, but I was wrong. When I received the sample I was blown away with joy, "this is oud". That oil was Archipelago Supreme. @Ensar do you recall when you released that oil as I'd like to get a timeline, IIRC I've had it ~10 years if not more.
Here are your exact order details:
Oriscent
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Order Number: 5249
Date Ordered: Sunday 19 September, 2010
Products
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1 x Archipelago Supreme Vial () = $79.95
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $79.95
Shipping (USPS Priority Mail): $7.95
Total: $87.90
Oriscent
------------------------------------------------------
Order Number: 5249
Date Ordered: Sunday 19 September, 2010
Products
------------------------------------------------------
1 x Archipelago Supreme Vial () = $79.95
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $79.95
Shipping (USPS Priority Mail): $7.95
Total: $87.90
I found him kinda twice at the same time.
First, I was a big perfume and cologne collector, but started to despise the newer releases with all the synthetics. It became more and more intense for me. I finally found Sultan Pasha who makes nearly all natural blends, some very very good. One of his best contains Ensar's Encens d'Angkor, I believe. The drydown of his attar was divine, I assumed that to be the oud. My experience with oud had always been nasty synthetic stuff, so I was very hesitant, but I started reading Ensar's website.
Second, I've always loved genuine Mysore sandalwood. I never thought anything would steal my heart away from it, boy was I wrong. I found some of Ensar's sandalwoods as well.
I figured, what the heck. Ordered the sampler and the first genuine oud I ever tried? THE Purple Kinam. I do not begin to tell you I had a clue of what I was smelling. Heck, I barely do now. But I knew I needed more!
First, I was a big perfume and cologne collector, but started to despise the newer releases with all the synthetics. It became more and more intense for me. I finally found Sultan Pasha who makes nearly all natural blends, some very very good. One of his best contains Ensar's Encens d'Angkor, I believe. The drydown of his attar was divine, I assumed that to be the oud. My experience with oud had always been nasty synthetic stuff, so I was very hesitant, but I started reading Ensar's website.
Second, I've always loved genuine Mysore sandalwood. I never thought anything would steal my heart away from it, boy was I wrong. I found some of Ensar's sandalwoods as well.
I figured, what the heck. Ordered the sampler and the first genuine oud I ever tried? THE Purple Kinam. I do not begin to tell you I had a clue of what I was smelling. Heck, I barely do now. But I knew I needed more!
I had heard about agarwood originally via trygve harris, who runs an essential oil shop in nyc. I'd smelled diluted imitations and unsurprisingly none of them really motivated me to seek out and drop the cash for the real thing. it wasn't bad, it just wasn't inspiring.
a few years ago, I smelled a friend's perfume from a company called nocturne alchemy, who claimed to use oudh oil from a private agarwood plantation... in egypt! (is this a thing? I think that nocturne was lying and that you can't grow agarwood in egypt; please correct me if I am wrong!). real or fake, the scent itself was pretty enough to motivate me to branch out and explore oud. katlyn breene (who makes outstanding incense at mermade magical arts) used a bit of Rising Phoenix oud in a perfume blend, so i snagged a few samples from the RP shop. oudimentary is sort of in my neighborhood, so I snagged a couple of samples from them. nature's gift, a good source for essential oils, was having a nice sale, so I snagged a 2oz bottle from them.
then I heard about nikhil of exotic scents/scented souls, and he spoke very highly of ensar's ouds, so I snagged a few samples, which was the best education of all.
it wasn't so much one oud scent that hooked me, but rather the wonderful variety that hooked me. what a beautiful, fabulous hook!
a few years ago, I smelled a friend's perfume from a company called nocturne alchemy, who claimed to use oudh oil from a private agarwood plantation... in egypt! (is this a thing? I think that nocturne was lying and that you can't grow agarwood in egypt; please correct me if I am wrong!). real or fake, the scent itself was pretty enough to motivate me to branch out and explore oud. katlyn breene (who makes outstanding incense at mermade magical arts) used a bit of Rising Phoenix oud in a perfume blend, so i snagged a few samples from the RP shop. oudimentary is sort of in my neighborhood, so I snagged a couple of samples from them. nature's gift, a good source for essential oils, was having a nice sale, so I snagged a 2oz bottle from them.
then I heard about nikhil of exotic scents/scented souls, and he spoke very highly of ensar's ouds, so I snagged a few samples, which was the best education of all.
it wasn't so much one oud scent that hooked me, but rather the wonderful variety that hooked me. what a beautiful, fabulous hook!
