Opens like a classic Oud rose fragrance with the balance tipped toward rose, my thinking was this might be a little too sweet and rosy for me. Do not be fooled by the opening though I don't feel this fragrance is similar to Montale or other Oud/roses when you take it in the context of a whole fragrance from application to deep drydown. Neverless it oozes quality from the get go, the first couple of minutes and I started to detect something else sweet and powdery like a violet. The frankincense then starts to kick and although subtle changes the nature slightly. This progression continues and the scent becomes utterly unpredictable something I wouldn't have guessed from such a clichéd opening, the complexity of dark Saphir becomes more apparent. Don't get me wrong Oud, rose and incense are the main vibes but other subtleties rear their heads and it starts to seem like more of a heady journey scent. This journey doesn't stray too far from a well trodden path but most importantly for me goes from something I think is okay to something I'm fond of at the end. The drydown is subtle hints of patchouli, vanilla and labdanum dark Saphir was a surprising gem. If you love your rose scents (and let's face it you've plenty to choose from) this is really worth sniffing out.