Arabian Oud Kalemat Floral & Kalemat Musk

Lush, almost tropical florals drenched in honey and cocooned in golden amber. Clean, sugared roses laced with black incense and woods. Those are the faces of Kalemat Floral and Kalemat Musk from Arabian Oud. One of them is a variation on the theme represented by the gloriously opulent Kalemat Amber. The other is not. I’ll take a look at each one of them in turn.

Trio of the Kalemat oils at the Arabian Oud London store. Source: Arabian Oud London.

Trio of the Kalemat oils at the Arabian Oud London store. Source: Arabian Oud London.

KALEMAT FLORAL:

Source: shikhalal.com

Source: shikhalal.com

Kalemat Floral is an attar or concentrated fragrance oil that was released last year. Its notes on Fragrantica are incorrect, judging by the information provided to me by Mr. Ahmed Chowdhury of Arabian Oud London who kindly sent me my sample. He said the perfume pyramid is officially:

Top notes: Heliotrope, Jasmine
Heart notes: Hibiscus, Rose
Base notes: Vanilla, Cedar Wood & Musk.

Hibiscus. Source: 1ms.net

Hibiscus. Source: 1ms.net

A brief word about the hibiscus note. I don’t recall the actual flowers having any smell at all. Furthermore, the “hibiscus” bath or body products that I’ve tried smell primarily like frangipani or plumeria. On Fragrantica, hibiscus is defined as a “soft note of flower recreated in the lab.” In a discussion on the Fragrantica boards, Doc Elly of Olympic Orchards Perfumes bears out my view that the flowers have no scent and that the “fantasy accord” is primarily based on “tropical flower notes like frangipani,” unless the goal is more of a musky scent in which case ambrette seeds might be used. Here, in Kalemat Floral, the aroma is absolutely the tropical one of frangipani (or plumeria).

Source: etshoneysupliers.

Source: etshoneysupliers.

Kalemat Floral opens on my skin with honey, lots and lots of dark, raw, sticky honey in a heavy, thick stream that feels as dense as molasses. Trapped inside, like flies caught in amber, are a slew of flowers dominated first and foremost by what really seems to be orange blossoms. To be precise, orange blossoms splattered with the sweet juices of sun-ripened oranges, as well as Middle Eastern orange blossom syrup and more honey. They’re a smoother, deeper, more fruited but a less shrill, overpowering and nuclear version of the note in Ghroob, which is clearly an orange blossom fragrance. Arabian Oud makes no mention of the flower in its notes, but then again, they don’t mention the roses that are such a clear part of Kalemat, either. Regardless, every time I wear Kalemat Floral, “orange blossoms” are what come to mind in the opening moments, and I wasn’t the only one. When I brought the oils to a family testing session, my father had the same reaction.

Pink plumeria via nature.desktopnexus.com

Pink plumeria via nature.desktopnexus.com

There are other elements as well. Trailing behind the orange blossoms is a heady, slightly lemony, pink-white floral that has both a tropical character and a liquidy feel, much like concentrated frangipani or plumeria absolute. Lurking on the sidelines is a sweet, slightly syrupy rose, flecked by the lightest, thinnest streaks of cedar, then sprinkled with a few drops of clean musk. Once in a blue moon, in a few of my tests, I also detected something that smelled like fresh, raw almonds, but there is never an actual heliotrope note on my skin, at least none so visible amidst the sea of honey that I can recognize it.

background-pictures.picphotos.net

Source: background-pictures.picphotos.net

10 minutes in, Kalemat Floral changes the order and prominence of its notes. The rose grows stronger, wrapping itself around the juicy, fruited orange blossoms, as the honey pipes down a notch. Both the perfume’s vibe and its focus have shifted away from being centered predominantly on honeyed sweetness towards something that is now more overtly floral. There is an even stronger sense of something tropical about its richness, a sort of pink-white, liquidy, lushness that is both heady and narcotic. It’s more than just frangipani, though. All the flowers have started to overlap, creating a mixed accord that sometimes skews more rose-like in nature, sometimes more towards the orange blossom, and sometimes is merely a “tropical” white, floral sweetness.

"Fractal Orange Blossoms" by wolfepaw on Deviantart.com. (Website link embedded within photo.)

“Fractal Orange Blossoms” by wolfepaw on Deviantart.com. (Website link embedded within photo.)

Thick, raw honey continues to coat their petals, but other elements arrive at the end of the 1st hour and the start of the 2nd. There is now a citrusy brightness to Kalemat Floral that feels as though concentrated, juicy, green neroli has replaced some (but not all) of more floral, sweeter, feminine orange blossoms. At the same time, the jasmine surges forth from the base to dance alongside the rose and frangipani on center stage. Meanwhile, the amber wakes up, and starts to emit caramel nuances that slowly alter the fragrance’s honeyed veneer. In fact, the honey weakens as a whole, feeling less thick and dense, more akin to some sort of spicy, saffron-sprinkled, honeyed, neroli syrup instead. It works beautifully with the other notes, and gives Kalemat Floral a more interesting nuance than mere honey alone.

Source: fond-ecran-image.com

Source: fond-ecran-image.com

By the middle of the 2nd hour, Kalemat Floral is dominated by a quartet of rich roses, frangipani, jasmine, and orange blossoms, laced with neroli and cedar, lightly sprayed with clean musk, and then enveloped in a honey-drizzled haze of golden amber. It’s smooth, luxurious, bright and sweet, but also sensuous, narcotic, and infinitely feminine.

It is also incredibly strong in sillage and very full-bodied. Using 3 smears of the wand, equal to roughly one-fourth of a 1 ml vial, Kalemat Floral opened with 3 inches of projection at first and a foot of sillage. Like a wine blooming as it airs, those numbers quickly ballooned. Within 20 minutes, the projection was 5 inches, but the scent trail felt like it was about 8 feet. Yet, Kalemat Floral has serious presence even if you only use a little. When I first received the fragrance, I was actually testing something else but curiosity led me to open the little vial bottle and take a sniff. I accidentally got a few, tiny drops on my fingers and, for the next 3 hours, I kept smelling orange blossom honey wafting around me. When I took the Kalemat oils to my parents’ house for a family test session, two small smears on my father (whose skin amplifies sillage) created such a monster cloud of scent, I could smell him from across one room and into the next. When my mother tried it, it was a similar story. Going outside, the air seemed to carry Kalemat Floral in waves ahead of her.

Photo: my own.

Photo: my own.

I cannot emphasize enough how much Kalemat Floral carries in the first few hours, how heady its aroma really is, and just what an impression the fragrance makes. It made my father do a triple take, talk appreciatively about just how “beautiful” and “feminine” it was, and then insist that my mother buy it for herself. “This is a good fragrance,” he announced, and that says something because he usually just sighs when I make him smell something, rolls his eyes, or simply shrugs. It can be the most expensive luxury scent, it can be something I love or hate, but my father is rarely moved enough to even bother commenting. Yet, Kalemat Floral truly impressed him. And I’ve gotten nothing but compliments from other people every time I’ve worn it. Two of my neighbors, my post lady, the UPS guy, and several people in a store. I rarely get one compliment on my fragrance, let alone so many! Then again, few scents carry quite like Kalemat Floral does in its first few hours. The projection may shrink to 2 inches after 2.5 hours, and the scent trail may drop to only two and a half feet, but something about this fragrance turns heads again and again.

Kalemat Floral continues to change as time passes. At the 2.5 hour mark, the perfume feels somewhat woodier, and there is a slightly synthetic streak from the clean musk, though it is very minor. By the end of the 3rd hour, the honey has almost dried up, a caramel-flecked amber has taken its place as a core element, and both the jasmine and the woodiness have grown quite pronounced. From afar, Kalemat Floral smells primarily like jasmine, rose, and orange blossom atop a woody, musky base and cocooned within a haze of caramel-nuanced, ambered goldenness.

Creme Anglaise. Source: jujube-en-cuisine.fr

Creme Anglaise. Source: jujube-en-cuisine.fr

It’s beautiful, but the best part is yet to come. Half an hour later, the vanilla awakens in the base. It smells as silky as French Bean ice-cream or rich crème anglaise sauce, and it transforms Kalemat Floral into a soft, incredibly creamy scent. The amber has turned musky, but has also taken on the tiniest chocolate-like nuance that works really well with the vanilla, especially in conjunction with the dry woods acting as a counter-balance on the other side. The latter is starting to sink into the base more and more and, by the middle of the 5th hour, the vanilla replaces it amongst the top notes. There, the florals have turned into a haze, and you can’t really pick apart the individual elements, but the overall effect is lovely. The fragrance is now primarily a mix of creamy florals infused with crème anglaise vanilla atop dry cedar-ish woods and nestled within a soft, caramel-nuanced amber cocoon. The projection is only 0.5 inches, but the sillage is still half a foot.

Source: rgbstock.com

Source: rgbstock.com

Kalemat Floral’s drydown begins roughly at the start of the 8th hour, and marks a complete change in focus. Suddenly, the fragrance is barely floral, and is now primarily a mix of creamy amber with woodiness and a trace of sweetness. The amber doesn’t smell like labdanum, ambergris, or even a benzoin mix but, rather, like soft warmth that is both golden and creamy. It’s hard to describe because the fragrance definitely gives off an “amber” vibe, and, yet, it doesn’t actually smell of the materials which traditionally constitute that note. It’s certainly not as explicitly and clearly ambered as the main note in the original Kalemat’s drydown, nor is it as musky, wooded, or dark. Yet, it’s far more “ambered” than mere vanilla or benzoin could ever be. Whatever the precise components, as time passes, all that is left in Kalemat Floral’s final hours is a creamy, incredibly plush, golden softness with only the most miniscule suggestion of something woody.

As noted above, Kalemat Floral has monumental sillage (at least in its first stage), but its longevity and its overall projection aren’t quite at that level. Using 3 smears from the glass wand, the fragrance lasted just under 11 hours on me, though the number was a little higher (12.75) when I used a greater quantity. Kalemat Floral became a skin scent on me 6.25 hours into its development, but was still very easy to detect up close without much effort for a while to come.

I’ve found no blog reviews for Kalemat Floral, and the perfume’s Fragrantica page has no entries, either. However, Sultan Pasha, a London friend who is intimately connected to the Middle Eastern fragrance scene and knows Arabian Oud products well left a comment briefly discussing Kalemat Floral and Kalemat Musk in one of my Arabian Oud reviews from last year. He loved Kalemat Floral, far more so than the Musk, but I’ll quote his assessment in the final section of this review where I’ll talk about both scents as a whole.

KALEMAT MUSK:

Kalemat Musk via rose-and-musk.ru

Kalemat Musk via rose-and-musk.ru

Kalemat Musk is a completely different fragrance from the original Kalemat (or its oil), and the two have absolutely nothing in common in my opinion. The note list bears that out. According to Mr. Ahmed Chowdhury of Arabian Oud, the perfume pyramid is:

Top notes: white musk.
Heart notes: sweet musk.
Base notes: frankincense & wild rose.

Kalemat Musk opens on my skin with clean musk that smells like Bounce laundry dryer sheets, mixed with sweet musk. The latter is something that I’ve never encountered before because it is almost literally like sugared cupcake icing (only a hair less sweet) mixed with fabric softener musk. Its cleanness is completely separate from the other clean musk, and feels as though white sugar granules had been mixed into a musk base. Anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time knows how much I despise white musk, and that I’m not keen on sugared icing sweetness, either.

"Flower Power" by Etsy store, MatamuaArt. (Link to site embedded within photo.)

“Flower Power” by Etsy store, MatamuaArt. (Link to site embedded within photo.)

Other elements float behind this difficult, strange, multi-faceted cleanness. Most surprising is a greenness that resembles mineralized lichen or oakmoss, mixed in with a few drops of equally mineralized vetiver. There is also a distinct woodiness, as though cedar had been added to that green base. Lying atop all his is a rather abstract, thin pink rose wrapped up with a ribbon of black incense. Something about the green-tinged rose feels almost chypre-like in nature, but the main, driving force of the fragrance is the namesake musk note. It takes only a few minutes for all the competing elements to merge together in a single bouquet. The two forms of clean/sweet musk pipe down a hair, while the green-tinged, rose grows stronger. The woods fuse into the flower fully, creating one of the key accords for the rest of Kalemat Musk’s lifespan: a woody rose.

Bounce dryer sheets.

Bounce dryer sheets.

Unfortunately, the musk is the other side of the coin and still incredibly strong. To give you a sense of the balance of notes and the perfume’s composition, let’s imagine a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the strongest. The clean laundry musk would now rank a mere 8 instead of a solid 10. Same with the sugary sweet musk. The woods and rose would each be a 5.5, while the incense would come in at 2. So does the vaguely mossy greenness, though it weakens near the end of the first hour and vanishes completely at the 75-minute mark. At that point, Kalemat Musk is primarily a very, very, very clean and sweet woody rose, laced with the tiniest wisp of incense.

"Rorschach Bean" by Alex L'aventurier on Flickerhivemind.com

“Rorschach Bean” by Alex L’aventurier on Flickerhivemind.com

Kalemat Musk remains that way for hours and hours to come. There are small changes in the nuances or strength of certain notes, but not by much. The rose turns wispier, hazier, and more abstract near the 5th hour, while one of the musks feels a hair less sugared. The incense fluctuates in its prominence, sometimes giving Kalemat Musk a small but noticeable streak of smokiness, but sometimes fading away into the shadows. For the most part, Kalemat Musk merely turns more and more woody in focus with the ever-present blanket of cleanness on top.

"Scanner," art installation by Matej Kren. Source: boingboing.net/

“Scanner,” art installation by Matej Kren. Source: boingboing.net/

I don’t have a detailed breakdown of how Kalemat Musk smells from the 5th hour onwards for a few reasons. First, as should be clear by now, none of this is my personal cup of tea because I find clean musk fragrances to be incredibly difficult to handle, so I tried to block some of it out. The hint of something vaguely chypre-like with that tinge of green amidst the woody roses initially kept me interested, but it’s merely a brief and miniscule flash. Second, the rest of the fragrance is a very linear one with a singular, laser-like focus on clean and, sugared musks infused with woodiness and a streak of incense. It really doesn’t change drastically. The woodiness simply grows stronger during the late part of Kalemat Musk’s development, bringing with it an increased sense of dryness. The incense is more noticeable, too, and smells a little sharp at times.

But that’s about all I can tell you because I didn’t last all the way through to the final hours. The first time I tested the scent, I tried to go sleep after the 5th hour just so I could avoid smelling it, but Kalemat Musk chugged on, seeping all around me and keeping me up with its strong sillage. (Even worse for me, the scent imbued all my bed linens, and Kalemat Musk lasts forever on fabric.) I didn’t take my usual detailed notes of every subtext or nuance, but the general gist was very clean, very sweet woodiness with a streak of incense. In my subsequent tests, I tried to determine any additional nuances in the later hours but, in all candour, I couldn’t focus because I just wanted to scrub it off. I know some people really love clean, fresh scents and white musk, but I’m afraid there is far too much of it here for me personally, especially when mixed with that utterly disconcerting aroma of sugared Bounce dryer sheets. I simply gave up after the 8th hour.

I haven’t found blog reviews for Kalemat Musk, but there is a comment on Fragrantica. There, “Alyaa” writes, in full:

This seems to me to have no similarity with the original Kalemat. It comes as a 20ml oil in a beautiful metallic bottle covered in Arabic writings. The applicator is glass and picks up a generous amount of the oil. This is a gorgeous scent which starts with a strong animalic musk mixed with a sharp gardenia. The scent takes about 30 minutes to quieten down and thats when the vanilla surfaces and takes over the scene. I dont find this to be overpowering but is very longlasting and can smell it on my clothes on the next day.

I wish I’d experienced both gardenia and an animalic, dirty musk, as those are two things I enjoy, but Arabian Oud’s official note list has no gardenia for the scent, no vanilla, and nothing animalic. At least she and I agree that Kalemat Musk is nothing like the original.

ALL IN ALL:

Photo: my own.

Photo: my own.

In my opinion, Kalemat Floral is the one to choose out of the two. It’s a heady, bold, intoxicating show-stopper, as well as a more luxurious, higher quality scent. A friend of mine who knows Middle Eastern fragrances extremely well and who owns most of the Amouage attar line concurs. Last year, Sultan Pasha wrote a brief blurb on four of the Kalemat oils and how they compare in the comment section of my review for Arabian Oud’s Ghroob, Woody, and Misty Wood:

I’ve fallen in love with Kalemat Floral and Amber. To me Kalemat Amber is the very best of what the original Kalemat spray had to offer, and [the] floral to my nose is a rather deep rose/pandanus rendition of kalemat….. by the way avoid kalemat musk and oudh if you can…..too Cynthia(synthetic) for my liking. [Emphasis to names added by me.]

Source: utahnewfurniture.com

Source: utahnewfurniture.com

He’s right. Kalemat Floral does have a “pandanus” (tropical) feel in addition to its roses and general Kalemat vibe, while the Musk is too synthetic. If you love intense cleanness and laundry freshness in the general “floral woody musk” genre, you may enjoy it, but I think the fragrance lacks the quality, luxury, and distinctiveness that characterize the other two Kalemat oils. If I were you, I would stick to either Kalemat Floral or to the equally enjoyable and opulent Kalemat Amber that I reviewed yesterday. If you want a lighter version, perhaps for summer use, then try the regular Kalemat eau de parfum because the oils are very concentrated indeed.  [UPDATE 3/25: Right now, Arabian Oud has a 30% off sale that lasts until April 6th. The Floral is only £56 and the Amber is £63.]

Unfortunately, none of the Kalemat oils are easy to obtain if you don’t live in London, Paris, or parts of the Middle East (especially Dubai and Saudi Arabia) where Arabian Oud has its stores. However, I’ve worked out a deal for my readers with the manager of Arabian Oud’s London boutique, Mr. Ahmed Chowdhury, who has kindly agreed to ship small packages of any fragrance oils world-wide. There are some caveats, though, so please make sure you read the Details section below carefully.

Arabian Oud products are also available from Zahras, including all the Kalemat oils for $99. However, I should state that the site has received mixed reviews on Basenotes, seems to ship primarily from Bahrain, and one commentator said they did not ask for PayPal or credit cards but something called BACS (direct electronic bank deposit). In addition, one of my readers didn’t receive an Amouage attar in the quantity or size that was described. I personally haven’t ordered from them and was advised by a friend to be careful, but their prices are affordable so it’s up to you.

So, that’s it for Arabian Oud for this week. I’ll cover the other fragrances at a later point, since almost all of them are alcohol-based eau de parfums which couldn’t be shipped out to you from London anyway. I do hope that I may have tempted you with two of the Kalemat oils, though. Both the Floral and Amber oils were really a joy to wear.

Disclosure: My samples were kindly provided by Arabian Oud in London. That did not influence this review. I do not do paid reviews, and my opinions are my own. 

DETAILS:
Cost & Availability: Kalemat Floral and Kalemat Musk are concentrated oils that come in a 20 ml dab, non-spray bottle. Each scent costs £80. Zahras in Bahrain sells Arabian Oud, and has all the Kalemat oils for $99. I should state again that the site has received mixed reviews on places like Basenotes, and I’ve been told by a friend to be careful. Still, their offerings are affordable, so if you’re interested, click on the Arabian Oud logo on their main page, go to that page and scroll down to see their choices. Email them to buy at: info@zahras.com. Otherwise, if you live outside one of the cities where Arabian Oud has a store, Mr. Chowdhury of the London boutique has agreed to ship small packages worldwide so long as the item is an oil product. (The Royal Mail seems to make an exception for oil-based items, and doesn’t confiscate those packages. Their issue is with alcohol products like eau de parfums.) Mr. Chowdhury would prefer to limit orders to items that are 20 mls or less because it is less risky that way. However, he also told me that he might be willing to send a few 20 ml bottles if (IF) customers were willing to take that risk. You should discuss that with him. A reader has said that packages over 30 ml do go through, but they are sometimes delayed because they’re occasionally opened up to ensure compliance with the anti-alcohol rules. In any event, Arabian Oud’s shipping is a flat-rate of £30 per package. To place an order, email him at: ac@arabianoud.co.uk . He has asked that you please write Kafkaesque in the subject line of the email, so that he knows you are one of my readers and can attend to your order right away. U.K. readers can obviously order from the UK Arabian Oud site. It has most of the Kalemat oils, including the Floral and Musk. I can’t provide a direct link because the url just loops to the home page, so you’ll have to do a word search by name. (If you go to the site, you may want to mute the volume, as it plays annoyingly repetitive music incredibly loudly.) For those of you in mainland Europe, you may be able to order by phone from Arabian Oud’s Paris store whose phone number is: +33 1 43 59 59 59. I don’t know for certain, but it’s worth a try. In general, you should also check eBay often, because the Kalemat oils do show up, especially the Musk. However, I’ve rarely seen Kalemat Floral, and no seller is currently offering it at the time of this review. The Saudi Arabian Oud site has only a handful of Kalemat-related items. Right now, it only lists Kalemat Oud and Kalemat Musk from the oils. Their Shipping Page seems to provide the option for packages to other countries, but you can’t really order from them because the check-out process doesn’t allow you to input a foreign country. I tried as a “Guest” and with a registered account, but Saudi Arabia was the sole option for shipping or billing. Separately, the reputable Kuwaiti retailer, Universal Fragrances, has a lot of Arabian Oud products, but only a handful of Kalemat-related ones. They do not have any of the Kalemat oils at this time. Samples: Zahras sells samples.

32 thoughts on “Arabian Oud Kalemat Floral & Kalemat Musk

  1. Dear Kafka, these oils sound fantastic. Although I am not a lover of oud I will have to try these oils. They sound beautiful. My dislike of oud notes is only in Western perfumes, not in Arabian oils. Thanks for making us aware of these lovelies.

    • You’re very welcome, sweetie. Just as a side note, none of these oils have an oud note. The company’s name may lead you to think they put oud in everything, lol, but they don’t. 🙂 And from what I know of your tastes, I think you’d go wild for Kalemat Floral in particular.

  2. Really enjoyed reading about your father. How wonderful to have a “family test session!!”

    Ju thoroughly enjoyed this post. Loved the graphics. Kalemat Floral sounds heavenly and worth trying, even if I’m generally almost fearful of heavy floral scents, but this sounds like it might be okay. I love Orange Blossom and sometimes I can tolerate jasmine. This sounds so luscious and wonderful that I think it’ll be worth taking risk and trying it!!!

    Once again, I am impressed beyond measure at what you go through to test a fragrance. Why did you not scrub the Musk??!! Well, it’s over now. I hope your sheets were thoroughly washed asap. Thank you for saving us from having to go through the same experience!! What baffles me is how people *like* these dryer sheet scents!! And *those* are the ones, imho, that lead directly to the “fragrance free zone” signs I see in many places. Not gorgeous ones like Kalemat Floral. When the UPS man gives one a compliment on how you smell, well, it could be a problem, lol, but putting that aside, it is because perfume is a wonderful thing. Not that I need reminding, but with all the synthetic messes of office scents, dryer sheets, and too loud shampoos (etcetera), the world does.

    • Heh, my parents are both hardcore perfume lovers and were also the ones to really introduce me to all the great fragrances as a child. I essentially learnt from them and their vast collections, so it’s fun for all of us to test new things in a family session once in a while. I’m always surprised by what my father ends up responding to, though his usual reaction is just to shrug. He’s very, VERY hard to impress. Actually, both my parents are total perfume snobs. LOL. 😀 It’s not about price, though, but about quality, richness, intensity, or headiness.

      As for Kalemat Musk, I always ended up scrubbing it, though only after many, many hours each time. 8 hours was my max, because the thought of going all the way to the end and having 12 hours or more was too much for me to bear.

      My UPS man is very sweet, but he rarely stays around long enough to ever smell me, let alone be a problem. He’s utterly terrified of The Hairy German. Unless I have to sign something, he usually drops something on the doorstep, rings the doorbell, and then runs for his life. Let’s just say that strangers who come to the door are usually greeted by Cujo…. lol

      • Thanks for sharing more about your parents. 🙂 It’s delightful to read. I wonder if you’d like to share more about you all being “hardcore perfume lovers” in the future. I’m sure I’m not the only reader who finds this fascinating and would love to heard more about their “vast collection.” I suppose it’s rather personal, though, isn’t it?

        I believe I got my love of fragrance from my father. He loved good soap. He told me that good soap was a poor man’s luxury, and we’d spend an entire afternoon in New York City smelling bar soaps before choosing just one (yes, just one). In the year he went to Europe on occasion for business, he’d come back with enough soap for a year each time. I bought him cologne but he eschewed it; why wear it when there was beautiful smelling soap to wash with, that was not only good smelling, but useful? He kept a bottle of 4711 in his bathroom, but only because he liked the bottle. Interestingly, when I discovered there were better fragrances out there than what one could find at Macy’s, I brought my father some sample vials on a few occasions. I remember him inhaling deeply and being wowed. Maybe he’d never smelled a truly good perfume? It is possible.

        • I’ve written before about my parents, the impact of their perfume collections on me as a young child, the things they wore, and how they got me started at 5 or 6 with a perfume starter kit of sorts. 🙂 It was the Scented Memories post about six weeks ago, my dear.

          I love hearing about your father. Loved it. The soaps, the memory of you two choosing the perfect one, and soap sniffing in NYC. Wonderful! It’s a very special memory, and I’m touched you shared it. I wish he were here today to smell your perfumes with you. *hugs*

  3. Hi Kafka – living in the UK it would be very easy for me to order one of these – and I’m tempted to blind buy Kalemat Amber based just on your review. When I just checked the website I noticed there is a sale on at the moment and its down from £90 to just £63! You make them sound so delicious and I suppose if I didn’t like it I could sell it – any offers anyone??

    • Thank you for letting me know about the sale, Katie. That must have just popped up today or yesterday, as it wasn’t there before, but it’s super, super news. I’m so glad, because that will make the fragrances even more appealing for many, as it basically saves on the shipping cost. For you, living in the UK, it is even MORE affordable!

  4. Got my email reply from Mr. Chowdhury this morning, and he indeed reiterated that there is a sale going on right now. I think it was 30% off. Off to order floral! Right. Now.

    • Such super news about the sale. I’m glad it’s happening now. The timing seems like it happened after Arabian Oud London read the review, lol but either way, I’m just happy it’s making the fragrances so affordable.

      In your case, yay for finally getting the Floral. I’m sure your friend in Dubai will be relieved that his 6 month long ordeal of trying to get it from Germany to Dubai to Portland is over with. LOL. I just wish you could try the Kalemat Amber as well, since I think the rose note is much stronger there and you would love that scent as a whole.

  5. I want Kalemat Floral. Really, really want it. Kalemat Amber too. But I’m not sure I can afford them at 30 pounds for shipping and possibly subject to interference by the postal service. The musk, on the other hand, sounds loathesome, even potentially dangerous. That’s how strongly I feel about most laundry musks.

    • Well, the good news is that the 30% off sale right now basically cuts through the shipping cost. Plus, as oil-based fragrances, you WILL get the package and they won’t confiscate it because it’s not illegal at all. They may just open the box first to check at customs. But I do know that all of this is a hassle and not the ideal situation, as well as the fact that everything adds up. Believe me, I relate and sympathize. At least the sale is a rare event and makes a big difference. The Floral is only £56 now, while the Amber is £63. If only the Pound-to-Dollar rate were better now and like the Euro.

    • Yes, he’s requested that all readers put Kafkaesque in the subject line of the emails. (I think I mentioned that in the Details section? 🙂 )

      But he’s not taking orders for samples, I don’t think? Arabian Oud doesn’t sell samples, and my subtle hint that people would be over the moon if they could buy 5 ml vials of the oils kinda fell flat. Pity, as that would permit people to try more of their line while still fitting into the 20 ml volume preference for shipping packages

  6. Just ordered Kalemat Amber from Arabian Oud – London following a reply to my enquiry from Mr. Chowdhury. As mentioned he stated there is a sale on at the moment until 6 April.

    • HURRAH!!! I think you’ll really love it, Two2aHorse, I really do. You’ll have to let me know if I’m right and what you think when you receive it!

  7. Kafka, I am definitely emailing Mr. Chowdhury to order Amber for my birthday present! The Floral is very tempting for me too, particularly given its stellar sillage and your father was even impressed by it…:) I’ll pass on the “dryer sheet” one though. Thanks for going through the ordeal of the Musk for us like Julie said. Btw, my samples didn’t come today. I’m looking forward to telling you about them. 😀

    • I think the Amber with its more profound rose note will be perfect for you, my dear, and a GREAT birthday present. Different and distinctive from anything you could buy in Western stores, that’s for sure. 🙂

  8. I would like to think I’m different and distinctive, at least in my world. LOL Seriously it is fun to wear something so unusual compared to everyone’s dryer sheets, plus this also has a rose note. ;)-

  9. Ok Ok you got me again…..As soon as I saw the sale I jumped and ordered both Kalemat Amber and Kalemat Floral.I’ve really been on an amber kick lately(one can never have too many ambers 😉 so this sounds like a winner to me.And I absolutely have to have the floral as well.I have the original Kalemat and adore it.Speaking on ambers I tried a few interesting new ones including Ambre Loup by Rania J and Blue Amber by Montale.Have you tried the Montale? I’m not big on Montale as they’re usually too synthetic for me but after I spent some time with Blue Amber it knocked my socks off.It has a weird metallic briny top note that hovers around(I think a combination of the geranium and coriander) that became strangely addictive.That eventually disappears and it morphs into a soft billowy cloud of vanilla and labdanum.There must be a massive amount of labdanum absolute in there because just like with Amber Aurea it leaves a pronounced dark yellowish green stain on my skin.And it lasts for days….I’ve also been exploring real Arabian attars mostly from the house of Abdul Samad Al Qurashi(ASAQ).These contain massive amounts of real oud,rose and ambergris among other things.Royal Amber Spirit AAA is the most potent real ambergris scent I’ve tried.I believe it also contains oil from fossilized amber(obtained by destructive distillation).I also purchased the most beautiful animalic musk I’ve ever smelled called Sunna Musk.An extremely dark golden and think unguent it’s the most glorious dark floral animalic musk.It works great layered to other fragrances.Their “Western” blends are also really nice.I recommend trying Heritage Blend and Safari, a beautiful balsamic floral green ylang/vanilla.Well sorry for the veering off subject but I’ve been on a spree lately.I can’t wait for the Kalemats to show up.I’m 5 for 5 with blind buys inspired by you so I’m drooling with anticipation….oh I also picked up a bottle of Kiste….amazing!

    • Kiste is super! Was that another blind buy and one of my “5 for 5” successes? LOL.

      I’ve heard wonderful things about the ASAQ oils and their Luxury line of EDPS, particularly Safari Extreme. I have one ASAQ oil called Sa’aba, and have been trying to get both Safari and the Extreme version, but ASAQ really isn’t easily accessible for me unless I blind buy a full bottle. And I don’t do blind buys if I can help it. LOL. A Dubai friend is going to send me some ASAQ things, though, and I’ve specifically mentioned Safari Extreme, so we’ll see.

      Montale’s Blue Amber sounds… well, that was unexpected perfume house name to hear from you. LOL 😉 I’m very wary of Montale for the reasons that you’ve mentioned and I have yet to test one of them that didn’t have a lot of ISO E Super, but I’ll see about getting a sample of the Blue Amber sometime. I just have to work through my current and rather massive pile of recent sample purchases first. I’ve given up even working through the backlog of things that I have, since the new pile is so big. lol

  10. I had promised myself that, if I completed a major project that was in the works, I would place an order with Arabian Oud. I did complete it, and on Easter Sunday I ordered Kalemat Amber and Kalemat Floral. I am very charged about smelling them, and will be sure to report back. Have you tried Kalemat Wood?

    • No, as I stated before, Kalemat Wood was not one of the ones sent to me. 🙂 They were out at the time.

      Congratulations on your order. I think you’ll love both of them, my sweets. I really do, so I can’t wait for you to get them.

  11. Hi Kafkaesque and all, I placed an order for two of the Kalemat oils on April 5th, and did get an acknowledgement of the order, but have not heard anything at all since. Do they typically send out shipping or tracking notices, and is it time to inquire yet?

    • I personally don’t know if they send out tracking or shipping information for orders, but they never did for stuff they sent me. I think you should ABSOLUTELY write to them, though. It might be a customs issue on the US end, but they should have the courier info to check. Write an email tonight, remember to put Kafkaesque in the title, and ask Mr. Choudhary for any tracking number he may have.

      In the meantime, you may want to read Sultan Pasha’s post at the top of this section because he details the occasional delays when a package exceeds a 20 oz quantity weight. US customs opens it up to check that it is indeed an oil-based product. In those rare instances, there is only a delay, and the package is eventually sent on its way, not confiscated.

  12. Kafka, just a short message to let you know that Arabian Oud is having a 50% off sale on what looks like all perfumes if you are interested. 😉

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  14. Guy here, my fragrance journey is coming full circle. Back in 2009 or 2010, I walked into the Arabian Oud Paris store and smelled many of their offerings. I hadn’t any exposure to middle Eastern perfumery, despite spending 2 years in Beurut Lebanon in 1982-3 as a young Marine officer. I hadn’t yet been exposed to niche perfumery either. A few years later Josie at Osswald turned me on to your blog and I read about Kalemat. I didn’t buy it because I had been busy buying other things you’re reviewed and because of the effort involved in getting it through the mail. Fast forward to today, and I came back to your Kalemat review after thoroughly enjoying my Sultan Pasha samples. Mind you, all these years I never put 2&2 together and linked my Paris store visit to your review, but now with experience, I did. I’ve recently joined a company with a London office so I went on Google Maps to look for their London store and I noticed a New York address as well, at 2 Times Square! I went down there today and sure enough, there is a storefront with a sign that says Arabian Oud… Coming Soon. I wrote to Mr Chowdary asking about it but he may not see it till next week, Thought your US readers would want to know.

    • Guy here again, just got a reply from Mr Chowdury, saying that the planned opening date for the Times Square store is end of June 2016.

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