After my initial disappointment I can make the better review of this scent. I forget all my expectations and I'm able to see the beauty of this scent. They have made a note list which looks absolutely stunning and tempting. You can find there may trending notes like Cherry, Raspberry, Almond and Nutmeg like of course Cognac and Oud as well. They are tempting here, that is not any problem but the whole blend is just absolutely nothing which people are thinking it would be. Sad to say but the initial opening is terrible and very dry and it made me scrub the scent of many times before writing a statement and now this one. How the opening should be, starts after 5-10 minutes after spraying the scent. Cherry and Raspberry are detectable like cognac as well but the latter one disappears very quickly which is a good thing here - that note is not "delicious", realistic boozy note. It's more like the dusty scent of the cognac barrel. Cherry and raspberry are beautifully made. The problem again are the expectations. I'm waiting the different stages of the scent. I'm waiting that the scent develops how the complex scent would do. Of course I'm waiting a lot of Cherry as well because of the name and my initial opinion was like "boring Cherry" because in the end, this is not a Cherry scent even if it's lurking in the background . I was waiting a lot from this scent after "Oud 31 | Kai Porten Parfums Privés" and therefore I was thinking this scent would be complex and challenging, in a good way. On the other hand I could think that all the notes are blended so well that it's not easy (or it's impossible) to smell them separately. But it's not the case here. I mean it is well blended but it seems that many notes are really missing totally. The scent itself smells to me like the mix of Raspberry, Bitter Almond, Nutmeg, Rose, Musk, Vanilla, Sandalwood and a very little hint of Oud which is definitely a sophisticated Western style Oud. And I think that many who have been trying Cherry X or who are interested in that are not the people who are familiar with Guerlain's L'Art et la Matiere Collection. So guess what? Those notes are the ones which you can find in "Oud Nude | Guerlain" . The huge surprise is that Cherry X share so much with Oud Nude which is utterly sophisticated, classy, subtle and everything which people don't expect from Cherry X. This scent is like a sibling of Oud Nude. Delicious soft, creamy blend which works best on a naked skin under a luxurious cashmere cardigan. In the dry down it start to go into a little bit different direction and that deliciousness start to fade away and Cherry is stepping back to the stage but it's darker now. The base start to be more resinous as well. So the scent is not a bad one but the target group is totally wrong. They are waiting Oud scent not this kind of linear, subtle and sensual scent which stays quite close to the skin. The scent gets bad ratings because totally wrong people are trying this scent. So if i would rate this based on my expectations I would give low scores but if I rate it without thinking the brand, the name and my expectations I would give higher scores. Which way would be best for people who are curious about Cherry X? I think there is not a right answer. I just hope that the right people find this scent, those ones for example who didn't like Oud 31 at all. As a conclusion I want to say that this scent is very well made and blended. It's just something totally different than you are searching. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes