Still cradled in Cambodi Caramel’s sweetness, I simply could not resist wearing another Cambodi today. I have a sample vial of Agar Aura’s now-sold-out Sylvan Nectar that I had been wanting to get to know better. First I had to tip the vial upside down so that I could get some on the applicator stick. This Oud gets the award for stickiest and most syrupy Oud. It has the consistency of honey. When I apply it to wrist, its stickiness is remarkable, like sap, or maple syrup. I attempt to lightly rub my wrists together, only to find that they nearly stick together! Somehow, I find the syrupiness to be pleasurable.

Sylvan Nectar opens very sweet, but its sweetness is more horizontal than Caramel’s. This Oud is truly nectarous. I feel that I am smelling the nectarous core of a blossoming flower, ripe for pollination. My vision turns to flowers in a wild garden being pollinated by a round honey bee. In the next moment, this Cambodi takes me to the hive. I smell the alchemy of nectar as it transmutates into the deep floral sweetness of fresh and wild honey.

This Oud has three very pronounced phases. The first is its sweet syrupy opening. An hour later, I began to notice a smokiness surrounding Sylvan’s floral core. A delightful surprise. It is a light smokiness, not dense or heavy. A little bit later, and my wrist truly smells of maple syrup. Sylvan perks up again with new notes of sweet suede, subtle enough to make an appearance before melting back into its syrupy heart.

A very light Oud that is full of surprises, Sylvan Nectar is amusing and incredibly sweet. This Oud stands nicely in contrast to Cambodi Caramel. Where Caramel is dark and bold, Sylvan is light and quiet. Sylvan is an early morning Oud, giving me visions of dawn, the sunrise, and the beginnings of life. Caramel is more brooding, a full moon, a journey into the deeper mysteries of life as they climax in a fullness of energy that rises high above the body and mind.