Welcome back readers, once again its been far too long. Over the past little while (the better part of a year) I've been reading and watching different viewpoints on an exotic scent known as Oud/Oudh/Aoudh. Now from my knowledge, which is still expanding, the scent of Oud comes from a tree fungus known as agarwood which can be raised in either India or Arabian countries. In those cultures it seems to be quite sacred in many different aspects and is treated as such. In comparison to fragrances from the Western (North American) countries, the idea of fragrance from the East is quite different than what most folks like me are used to. I've come to learn over time that French perfumery is not necessarily something used to disguise our body's natural scent, rather it's made with the idea of developing over time with our body to create something truly unique...and for the most part that has been my experience thus far.
Lately I've been lucky enough to start delving into Oud fragrances though and these are truly in a realm of their own. My first two experiences were with Royal Oud from Creed (which I'll get into later) and Eternal Oud By Kilian. I can say without a doubt that Eternal Oud is one of the most unique scents I've ever put on my skin. There's something magical about the way it layers on my skin and along with it's own unique notes it is just absolute perfection. As it turns out, Eternal Oud has two main notes of Rose and Oud which is quite common for most Oud fragrances I've come to find out, but it does something great for me with it's third and final note of Saffron. It's hard to put into words just how much I enjoy that scent when it's fully dried down on my skin.
For those of you who have heard of Oud, both the good and bad, and are interested...let me jot down a few words we can all relate to. Oud seems to have two ways it can turn, one being medicinal/rubbery and the other being natural/earthy/raw wood (like a tree trunk). You will find most note combinations contain primarily Oud and Rose and this is not a bad thing if you keep an open mind. One thing you will learn over time is that because different perfumers use ingredients from different countries, no two roses will smell the same and that can be a lot of fun to explore! The natural/earthy/tree trunk type is a bit less harsh at the start but dry-downs are very daring in that they can smell like a hay-field that has had animals grazing in it. Beautiful in it's own wright but not for the person who wants to smell fresh and tame.
More to come soon and as always thank you so much for reading! Until next time, take care!
-Nicholas.
