Montale
Montale
106 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The mandarin arrives with immediate brightness, its citrus acidity cutting through the osmanthus's honeyed floral haze—think candied fruit suspended in cream rather than raw citrus juice. Within moments, you're aware of something aquatic threading beneath the top notes, a cool undertone that signals the lotus and tiare waiting in the wings.
The florals bloom with a distinctly watery character, the lotus providing a clean, almost soapy minerality whilst the tiare adds creamy richness without cloying. The Haitian vetiver has emerged fully now, grounding the composition with drying, grass-like earthiness that prevents the florals from floating away; this is the fragrance's most balanced phase, when all accords coexist in genuine equilibrium rather than hierarchy.
The woody base has claimed dominance, with gaiac wood's subtle warmth and oakmoss's leather-like dryness creating a softly resinous shell. The citrus has virtually dissolved into the vetiver's earthy skeleton, leaving behind a skin scent that hovers somewhere between damp soil and pale wood—intimate, understated, and finally at peace.
Aoud Lagoon occupies an intriguing middle ground between aquatic freshness and woody restraint—a fragrance that refuses to commit fully to either camp, which is precisely where its appeal lies. The Sicilian mandarin and osmanthus opening promises brightness, but this is no cheerful citrus romp. Instead, the osmanthus lends a slightly honeyed, almost floral diffuseness to the mandarin's initial pop, creating something that feels simultaneously fruity and powdery, like citrus filtered through silk.
What makes Aoud Lagoon genuinely compelling is how it pivots into its heart. The lotus and tiare emerge with a watery, slightly soapy quality—not aquatic in the ozonic sense, but rather as if these florals are being perceived through a thin veil of cool water. There's a botanical cleanness here that prevents the fragrance from becoming sweet or heady. The woody base begins asserting itself early, with the Haitian vetiver introducing a dry, grassy earthiness beneath the florals, whilst the gaiac wood contributes a subtle warmth without resorting to obvious woody clichés.
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3.4/5 (80)