This perfume named itself.
Typically, perfumers have a vision in mind, be it a feeling they want to evoke or a marketing theme they have to match. It didn’t work that way this time.
It might just be what happens when frangipani oozes into orris root, or civet gets high on Sichuan pepper.
When crushed ambergris sticks to blackcurrant and castoreum goes for a swim in a lake of osmanthus, you don’t really know what to expect.
These combinations are uncharted territory. These combinations, combined into one perfume…
Pour obscene amounts of artisanal Vietnamese, Maroke, and Tigerwood oud into this animalic cocktail of contrasts and steep them in sandalwood, tobacco leaf and crushed coffee.
You can’t help but smell it. Tigerlust. Call it primal, sensual — sexual — call it what you will. This must be what happens when Chinese musk comes into contact with vintage Burmese oud and they go for a stroll in the Italian countryside.
You don’t want to lick it, or bite it, or ease into a bath of it. Not just that. It’s a fragrance you want to embrace, to own without the paranoia of ever running out crossing your mind as even possible; to make it a part of you every bit as much as the steaming presence of an untamed lover’s skin. That IS what musk invites to, what the finest rose reinforces and Indian jasmine beautifies. Tigerlust.
The top notes are discreetly citrusy, the heart notes shamelessly saucy, and the base all oud slooshing oud drunk on oud, restrained as best it can by Mysore from the mid-70s.
Take any Top 5 list — make that any Top 10 list — of the most expensive/sought-after/precious perfume ingredients, and know that they’re all in here, waiting to be smelled and experienced. Those, and ones most of these lists don’t even know about. Decadent amounts of all of them in their most pristine form (100% natural, undiluted extracts), carefully proportioned not to let any one steal the show.
You’ve smelled it. The emptiness, the lack of something or another. That olfactory crave akin to the want for oysters or full-fat gravy. You want a proper farmer’s breakfast, but get ziplocked food juice to go, instead.
What’s missing is the fullness of a flower, full-spectrum oleoresin distilled, the inherent stickiness of oakmoss, and the raunchy wet granules of genuine musk.
People LOVED the Tigerwood 1990 edition, so I’ve retained vintage Tigerwood oud as a key component in here. As for the other ouds that ooze in this new edition, you’ve got Vietnamese and Maroke oud that by themselves clash quite a bit, but in this composition fight it out with the barrage of animal spice to emerge drenched in those notes while adding the bitter medicinal bite of sinensis atop the earthy incense of Maroke’s finest.
But that’s not all…
We’ve bumped the overall concentration of this new semi-bespoke edition of Tigerlust up by 10% and then, on top of that, you’ve also got an added two grams of Kanbojia Senkoh. Not only is that more oud you could hope to find just about any ‘oud’ parfum, but it’s oud of such quality!
Do the math, and you’ll quickly realize that between the pure oud added, in addition to the already extrait/pure parfum concentration, and the fact that the carrier is full musk tincture (not just ethanol)…… your bottle is loaded – well beyond anything you’d expect from even the highest concentration perfumes.
So, take a break from the cosmetics aisle and treat yourself to age-old perfumery that stirred up all the sex appeal in the first place. A fragrance that’s real… hand-bound in full-grain Italian calf hide by the late Habib Dingle, leather sage of the century, may he rest in peace.
Featured Testimonials…
Reviews of previous editions…
Tigerlust 1990. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!
I’m wearing this titan today. Can’t believe I skipped over it the first time it went up for sale . It’s spectacular: Tigerlust 1990. I’ve only spent a day with it, but I really love it. Tigerwood 1990 has been one of my favorite oils lately, and it comes through this one in spades. Masterpiece!
Spray of the day… such amazing musk!
A stunning evolution of Tigerlust that improves everything in its own way.
Tigerlust 1990 blew me away. I was already set on getting the OG after having a decant of it but after sampling the 1990 version it was apparent I had to have it. Oh and leather sleeve too. Not just a Home Run but a Grand Slam. Thanks to Jono for making this one happen.
Just received my semi bespoke Tigerlust 1990… It is a marvelous composition with balanced combination of oud, florals, sandalwood, musk … I cannot wait to try it a few more times.
白小 • China
Tigerlust 1990 is one of best brother Ensar creations; it became my daily scent.
Citrus booze and oud at their finest👌.
This is one that flew under the radar a bit. Maybe because it was very limited only available in the site for a few days b4 sold out.. Not talked about much and no reviews atleast not yet. But 1990 is a bad mutha scratcha.
Tigerwood 1990 is 🔥!
Tigerlust 1990 is just plain amazing. Incredible juice that I have to smell every night before bed.
Man, this Tigerlust 1990 is one exotic, seductive, hypnotizing, and complex composition, I can’t believe I almost skipped out on this gem! I’m having a hard time breaking down the individual notes, but I’ll try my best to describe what I’ve perceived.
It opens with a blast of ouds in the forefront, a bit peppery, a small amount of booze, a bouquet of tropical flowers, dark fruits, ambery and resinous, the leathery smell just like the leather jacket that came with it, and a hint of smokiness (or dark roast coffee). There’s also a layer of velvety sweetness, and a bit of a medicinal undertone, definitely full-bodied, leaning slightly on the darker side. 4 to 5 hr in the dry down, I’m getting this gorgeous ambery musk, subtle fruits and spices, creamy orris root, a hint of light roses, fresh leather, with both ouds and ambergris very much still present throughout.
Overall, I think the Tigerwood 1990 is a good match to this scent profile, it does wonders to the sum of the composition. This Semi-B edition has the Ouds amped up, with just the right amount of animalics and musk, plenty of ambergris, the familiar leather scent, the right amount of fruits and florals, even with a touch of smokiness that is the icing on the cake. It smells very complete and satisfying to me, I absolutely love the way it is now, hard to imagine it could get any better with age.
It doesn’t really remind me of the previous EO1, EO2, or Iris Ghalia, it has its own character going for it, if anything, it gave me the same vibe as the C&P OG, with different notes and scent profile but the same genre.
Tigerlust 1990 has a colorful personality, which I assume and suspect could be a tricky shapeshifter. Personally, I love both Homeros Ambre and Tigerlust 1990 equally and am glad to have both. Got to give a big shoutout and thanks to Jono Bornstein, Ensar Oud and team for these two semi-b releases, both of them are a real treat for me, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity to enjoy yet another masterful creation.
EDIT: The Tigerwood blended in seamlessly to this scent profile, giving it a great lift to the overall composition, it’s much more ouddier than the OG, it got the steroid treatment. Those who missed the OG will absolutely adore this 1990 edition for sure.
Ben W. • USA
REPLY:
Love it !!!. Great review Ben. Spot on. I’m enjoying mine. It goes nowhere but on the shelf . What a blend.
REPLY: I wonder if it will also age the same way as the OG does. I suspect it will; all of Ensar Oud’s artistic creations seem to grow and blossom with added age. To be fair, it may be me just getting to know the personality better with time and aging. Or perhaps its both. Nonetheless, I liked the OG a lot when I first got it. A year and a half or so later, it just keeps getting better every time I wear it. Smoother, more balanced, and yet slightly easier to identify the personalities as they dance. I hope you continue to enjoy it and that the ouds in this version take this dance to a whole new level!!! Enjoy!
SOTN: Two sprays of Tigerlust 1990 along with the rest of my Tigerwood 1990 sample. Amazing. THIS is what I want to smell like for the rest of my life!!
I love any oil from Ensar oud, that has the word-Royale in it.😂😂👌 Well the Tigerlust definitely didn’t disappoint. I have absolutely hammered it over Christmas. 😂 My whole family have had to smell me constantly over Christmas 😂 but no complaints.
Tigerwood 1990 is exceptional 🔥🔥🔥💎💎💎!
Not the musc explosion the name implies, the semi-bespoke addition of Tigerwood 1990 (among several other oud distillations in the blend, but without the papuan green) lends a veneer of slippery, animalic skank to a densely oiled, visually hazy concoction. No, I can’t compare it to the OG; I’ve never tried it. But this is good. Gourmand almost.
Five hours in and I’m enjoying the illusion of proximity to an edible, golden toasted sweetness—creme Brulee or roasted marshmallow. Indolic florals in buttery mysore, but delicately mentholated. Perhaps more akin to some saffron-oud combos I’ve tried. And the leather sleeve perfectly captures the “olfactory color” envisioned.
A perfume where leather, musk, humidity, a large forest come to mind.
This one reminded me of the artists we’re dealing with here. Captivating blend to say the least, presentation as well. What else could you ask for?!
Note from a Customer
I’ve always liked my Tigerlust EDP a lot but I also felt that I would have preferred the richness of the PP which I haven’t gotten to try.
I’ve also loved my Tigerwood 1990 and Tigerwood Royale.
Don’t know why it was suddenly available but I am so grateful to have gotten a bottle of Tigerlust 1990 when it showed up on the website again.
It is stunning. Rich. Deep.
The Tigerwood 1990 resonates through the composition.
The musk is so plush.
As the fragrance progresses it moves through several stages. Paradoxes between sweet and dry, dense and airy… the florals, the leather, the creamy peppery frangipani sandalwood…
And somehow Tigerwood 1990 really ties this together. It’s a magnetic molten core that keeps drawing everything to it revealing itself and then fading to allow other ingredients to shine before it pops back on the scene.
So glad to have this in my collection!
(If anyone has the original notes description from the site I’d love to get a copy of it).
—Skylar H. / Netherlands
REPLIES:
I’m also one of the guys that had to pull the trigger on a bottle …
Thank goodness I did though because I agree with you; this is one fine perfume. Your description pretty much nailed how I feel. Love how it’s blended and I can’t stop smelling my arm. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone in this group compare any of Ensar’s perfumes to anything else out there (possibly taboo), but this gives me the nice perfectly blended soft dry oudy floral feel of Sahraa. Just reminded me a little of – not same. But I’m not really a fan of that one. I love this one though.
And how the oud is balanced with every other note that I can smell within. What gets me the most is the wisp of leather that I get from time to time – almost like it’s there but not there. You go looking for it and it kind of shies away, but the second you forget about, it’s there again. Really nice work from Ensar on this one.
—John R. / Canada
Great review! “Stunning” is apt. Its really the best of Ensar Oud and it has it all: ouds, musks, sandalwood, amber, florals, fruits, spices… This is the bottle I would grab if my house was on fire.
I can’t even wear my OG Tigerlust PP because it doesn’t hold a candle to this 1990 version. The OG just seems thin, flat, and incomplete compared to its newest cousin (and I LOVED the OG!).
—Freddy Q. / USA
There are few pleasures greater than unwinding with a fine oud. Tigerwood 1990 has that high pitched streak in the opening that is present in the other Tigerwood oud oils, before calming into cola sweetness and resinous woody depth. A gorgeous Malaysian oud smoothed out by over 30 years of aging.
“A carnal concoction that packs a punch of pheromonal, primal, and poignant ingredients in their purest form!”
REPLY TO VIDEO:
Interesting to hear. I also really like this and own both the PP and an attar. What I enjoy most about it is the slight deviation (as you mention) from the heavier side of perfume that is associated with Oud. It is a wonderful uplifting, bright scent which is important in hot climates.