Rania J - Oud Assam

Picture: Before the race,
Painting, oil on panel, ca 1882-84
 Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
Wikipedia Commons

Oud Assam is the oud fragrance in Rania J:s natural perfume line.Oud Assam is created by Rania Jouaneh.

Oud Assam starts with a burst of dirty, animalic notes contrasted by a discrete offsetting glimpse of dense orangenotes. The orange is not of the sparkling, light character, the impression is more like orange combined with dark chocolade, but in this case, orange combined with animalic notes. As Oud Assam dries down further, a very well interpreted leather establishes and Oud Assam is an intriguing interaction between barnyard, leather and woody notes, even if it gets more polite later in the basenotes with a note similar to dark, dry chocolade or maybe a dry tobacconote. and it's almost as the orange glimpses through together with some musc and in this stage a very pleasant, almost pure, part appears. Despite the demanding notes especially in the first part of Oud Assam, the fragrance is smooth and comforting in texture and it feels natural and very wellbalanced  in style. There are non of the harsh or peppery notes which are so common in synthetic ouds. Oud Assam is very special and a pleasant surprise, one of the very best ouds both I and Mr Parfumista has tested so far. The comforting oudnote in Oud Assam reminds me of the oud in the amber-oud fragrance from Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Ambre Doré but drier and smoother. The first part of Oud Assam is maybe not the best officefragrance but the second part would be no problem. Anyway, Oud Assam is perfect for cozy days at home or for walks in the forest during autumn and winter. Sillage is medium and longevity for almost a day.

Oud Assam is totally unisex. When Mr Parfumista wears Oud Assam less of the animalic notes appears and more of the polished ones. In the later stages Oud Assam is a gentle, woody perfume which smells pure and natural. Mr Parfumista find something in the pure notes in Oud Assam that reminds him of vintage Cartier Santos and I agree when smelling them side by side. On my skin Oud Assam takes another route, the animalic-dirty. I can still smell the stablenots in the late drydown.

Overall Oud Assam is an intriguing and very special oud that takes many twists during its drydown. Oud Assam should be smelled on skin, it's fine on the scentstrip but warmed up and mixed with ones own chemistry something almost magical heppens and Oud Assam reaches a higher level. It's a very personal fragrance as almost different perfumes are appearing depending on who is wearing Oud Assam. Mr Parfumista also want to add that he truly appreciate the lack of pepper in this oud as he is so fed up with all the bombastic, peppery oudnotes out there.

Oud Assam is a real gem and should be tested by those who like oud and wellcrafted woody perfumes. Even if not smelling the same, Oud Assam has the natural feeling of delicate and comforting oud just as Mona di Orio Les Nombres d'Or Oud and The Different Company Oud Shamash. Oud Assam is also a priceworthy alternative to those fragrances.

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, sweet and bitter orange, oud, cedarwood, vetiver, incense, pepper, tonka bean, musc 

Parfums de Nicolaï - Rose Oud

Picture: Rose Oud
Photo: PR Parfums de Nicolaï (c)

Rose Oud is the rosy one of the two newly launched perfumes by Parfums de Nicolaï containing the famous oudnote. As always the owner of the house the Guerlain descendant, ISIPCA graduated perfumer Patricia de Nicolaï has created the fragrance.

Rose Oud starts with the most natural smelling raspberry note I've smelled so far. The rose that follows is light, fresh and medium pink in color. The raspberry lends it a jammy but discrete character. In this stage Rose Oud reminds me of another Nicolaï Jardin Secret but Rose Oud is softer. As Rose Oud dries down the rose gets more dominant but it's soft, gentle slight creamy, very comforting, not a power rose. The rose is interacting with to my nose non-descript light florals togehter with a light, refined, woody mix. When Rose Oud reaches the basenotes I can smell a sparkling note similar to geranium that I recognize from Mona di Orio Oud and I think this is the oud probably natural or at least a high precentage of natural, as the syntetic ones smells much stronger, headier, rougher and darker. But I no expert so I'll just guess. To summerize the basenotes, they smell close to, but creamier and lighter, the base of Amber Oud.

Rose Oud is overall a wellcarfted, wearable, "take no risks" fragrance. It is discrete, elegant and proper for daily officewear. It's even lighter in apperance than Amber Oud but has a good longevity on skin, traces are there after 12h+.

Just as Amber Oud, Rose Oud is an un-oudy oud, it's a wellcrafted, discrete, flowery fragrances, where oud is one supporting note among others in the base. Rose Oud had no similarities with By Kilians Rose Oud which is a traditional rose-oud creation with these two notes dominating.

Rating: 4

Notes: Raspberry, artemisia, osmanthus, rose, lily-of-the-valley, oud, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, musk, castoreum, amber

Parfums de Nicolaï - Amber Oud

Picture: Amber Oud
Photo: PR Parfums de Nicolaï (c)

Amber Oud is one of two newly launched perfumes by Parfums de Nicolaï containing the famous oudnote. As always the owner of the house the Guerlain descendant, ISIPCA graduated perfumer Patricia de Nicolaï has created the fragrance.

Amber Oud starts with a light animalic, almost barnyard like accord followed by lavender and herbal notes. Something in the mix, probably the interaction between some of the ingredients, smells almost as dry pineapple with hints of an also dry vanilla note. In this part Amber Oud strangely enough reminds me of an unsweet version of Sonia Rykiel Belle en Rykiel. The lavender cinnamon that is present in Amber Oud also reminds med of another Nicolaï, the bolder Maharadjah. As Amber Oud continues to develope in the heart, light spices and the amber emerges. The amber is of the herbal, not boozy or vanillic, variety, the same style of amber as in Maître Perfumeur et Gantier Ambre Precieux but softer. Parfums de Nicolaï Amber Oud should therefore not be compared to its namesake ByKilian Ambre Oud as the latter is of the amber-vanillic type. In Nicolaï Amber Oud there are also woody notes supporting the spices and one of them is oud which blends seamless with the other and add some dept to the woody part. This is just like the contribution of the oud in Mona di Orio Oud where the oud is so well integrated that I don't think of it as a oudfragrance, but as as a well balanced fragrance with woody notes. In the basenotes the animalic vibe from the start of Amber Oud returns but in this stage it is smoother, surrounded by balsamic and slight powdery notes, and later on a deeper, darker, slight boozy note which also is present in Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Ambre Doré (another fragrane on the amber-oud theme but less herbal despite it's heritage from Ambre Precieux) appears and is present until the last traces of Amber Oud, almost 24 h after application.

Despite Amber Ouds extensive notelist, the fragrance is overall minimalistic in apperance, it is comforting as in the same time casual chic. The fragrance developes step by step in a wellbehaved manner and it is classic in apperance and very wearable. Even if not smelling alike, I  instinctively come to think of Guerlain Heritage but also Habit Rouge when it comes to the well mannered style of Amber Oud. As a wearer, one have to appreciate a developement "in the small" as Amber Oud is all about nuances, there is nothing bold or glaringly with it. Amber Oud is polite and proper in many situations and will not interfere for example in the workplace. Even if unisex I think this one is the most masculine of the two Nicolaï oud-launches.

Amber Oud is a good representative of the "second oud generation" fragrances where oud is one of the interacting and supporting notes and not the dominating note and theme of the fragrance as the "first
oud generation" like the Montales, Juliette Has a Gun Midnight Oud etc. Amber Oud is a fragrance with oud which I don't think of as an oud, to me it's an aromatic-spicy-balsamic fragrance.

Rating: 5

Notes: Lavender, thyme, sage, artemisia, cinnamon, saffron, oud, cedar, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, styrax, musk, castoreum, amber.

Amouage - Interlude Man

Picture: Rheum rhabarbum, leaves and shafts.

Photo: Dieter Weber (Uellue), (cc) Wikimedia commons,

some rights reserved

Just as its female counterpart Amouage Interlude Man starts up anything but pleasant. Interlude Man starts with a strong, burned accord, resembling a turned up version of the burned wood accord of  Mona di Orios Les Nombres d'Or Cuir (in swedish summary in english here). As the accord in Cuir is leaning to the smell of an open fire accord where some meat is grilled a grey autumnday, the burned accord in Interlude Man remids me of the smell of burnt rhubarb pie as there is a light vanillic note glimpsing in the background. When the smoke has tuned down to a more comfortable level the tart, green, rhubarb note becomes more apparent. As rhubarb is not in the notelist, I suspect there is the oregano, the pepper and the incense that creates the tart and spritzy sensation. There is also something that is close to the taste of Zig-Zag pastilles (at least swedish readers probably knows this, pached in small red boxes with white letters on.) In the basenotes Interlude Man settles in well blended, woody, among them the typical oudnote, slight leathery notes. The woody note is smell very natural to me, almost as I sniff on a just cutted down conifers. The projection is large (be warned don't overapply this one) and the longevity is great, 24h+. Interlude Man suits very well for evenings but also as a scent for the day during the colder month of the year. To me Interlude Man is unisex even if leaning to the masculine side. Just to compare, I think Mona di Orios Cuir is more masculine in its expression than Interlude Man.

All in all I think Interlude Man is to close to Mona di Orios Cuir in style and personally I like Cuir better as it's more firm and clear in it's smokey, rough leathery woody character. Interlude Man feels like more uncertain about what it wants to convey. Starts though and rough but later leans anxiously to some tarter ans also sweeter subnotes. The blend also weakens in character and becomes more common, dry, peppery, woody, oud in style, a style that is all but original these days. In the latest stage of the basenotes the blend clears up and get much more interesting: The tart note similar to a smoother geranium becomes evident and this latest stage of Interlude Man i also think is the best one, the oud is similar to that in Mona di Orios Les Nombres d'Or Oud. All in all Interlude Woman to me are more uncommon and therefore I, despite its muddly note (on me), appreciate it much more than Interlude Man.

Rating: 3

Notes:  Bergamot, oregano, pimento berry oil, amber, frankincense, opoponax, cistus, myrrh, leather, agarwood smoke, patchouli, sandalwood

Thanks to Amouage for the sample to test.

XerJoff - Oud Stars Al-Khatt

Picture: Raoucha

Artist: Nasreddine Dinet, 1901, Wikimedia Commons

Al-Khatt, from the oud line of the mega luxary house XerJoff, starts with a pleasant barnyard oud followed by a refreshing, high quality, slight creamy boquet of flowers. Unfortunately the animlic oud disapperas soon and the beautiful flowery blends remains and develops as Al-Katt is drying down. Or maybe the oudnote doesn't disappears, the laotian oud is known to be gentle and flowery in it's character, an excelllent example is Mona di Orio Oud, maybe the out in Al-Khatt just going through it's normal evulation. Beside the disappering animalic oud note there is also another annoying thing with Al-Khatt: The beautiful, bergamot-jasmine dominated flowery blend is very similar to Amouages Ubar, but Al-Khatt has a cashmeran, smoot, creamy texture. As Ubar is one of my favourite Amouages this mimicry irritates me but apart from that the perfumers Sergio Momo, Sonia Espelta and Laura Santander did a good job. Al-Khatt, just as Ubar, conveys the feeling of a sunny and pleasantly warm summerday. As a XerJoff, Al-Khatt is a high quality fragrance where the best ingredients are used. The elegant flowery blend is seemless with an excellent longevity and moderate projektion, can't disturb anybody if not overapplied. The blend is concentrated and a little goes for a whole day. My 1 ml sample will thankfully last for long.

To summon up: Al-Khatt is not as oriental in style as one can expect from an oud perfume. But on the other hand, Al-Khatt as it's older sister Ubar is a pleasure to wear, it's the sort of high quality flowery fragance that makes the wearer unwilling to wear even a decent mainstream fragrance again. I'm in love!

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, jasmine sambac, cashmeran, vanilla, oakmoss, benzoin, oud from Laos

The Perfume(s) of New Years Eve

Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

For New Years Eve Mona di Orios Tubereuse won me over. My other alternatives was MdO:s Nuit Noire and Oud. Tubereuse is a gentle, lightly spicy, putty tuby, with someting that reminds me of a teanote on my skin. Nothing like the Fracas bombshell, which is one of my top favorite perfumes.

Mr Parfumista was wearing his Christmas gift and growing favorite MdO:s Cuir. Though, rough and smoky, a perfect scent a cold and frosty day, just as the last day of 2011.

Don't know what our guests for New Years Eve were wearing. One of them is very found of Penhaglions Artemisia but her bottle has run out since long.

An ambition for this blog 2012 is to increase the numbers of posts in english. But as I already have many pre-written in swedish, the english posts will increase gradually. And sometimes I just have not enough time to translate from swedish.

Now I looking forward to a great perfumeyear 2012!

Best of 2011

Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

Can't belive 2011 is almost over and it's once again time for the "Best of the year" list. By that I mean the best releases of the year, perfumes that I discovered this year but was launched earlier therefore not qualify.

To me 2011 was a quite good perfumeyear with several great releases from perfumehouses in both the niche- and designerfragrance categories. Of course I have only tested a small part of the thousends of releases on the market, but from what I have tested, here are my favourites of 2011:

There are two fragrances that shares the first place:

De Profundis (Serge Lutens): I instantly fell in love with this purple, green, serious creation with it's notes of wilting lilys and chrysantemum, lightened up by some inscense. To  my nose a very special creation that stands out from the crowd. See my review here (in swedish).

Les Nombres d'Or Oud (Mona di Orio): My other number one was on the contrary not instant love. Used to the strong Montale ouds I underapplied this the first times, but when I splashed some more on the miracle occurred: This multifaceted, woody, soft flowery, quality creation creates a peaceful aura around the lucky wearer. A perfume to relax and to dream with. Just as Mona di Orio wanted with her beautiful compositions. See my review here.

Other favorites:

Jeux de Peau (Serge Lutens): This bred and butter over a sandalwood base (like Santal Blanc) I fell for immediately. This one makes me hungry.

Week-End à Deauville (Parfums de Nicolaï): Sunny and bright lily of the vally shines in contrast to a dark green and mossy background. Retro, casual, chic in a nutshell. See my review here (in swedish).

Body (Burberry): This bold, creamy, rosy, flowery, early nineties-like creation is a true and lovely comfortscent. Perfect for grey and gloomy days. See my review here (in swedish).

Chanel no 19 Poudre: I think this is a beautiful, flowery iris on a jasmine and light orangeflower background grounded by a beautiful, light, musc that together with the iris blooms on my skin more then twelve hours after application. Can't understand different perfumesnobbish comments about Poudre as a inferior creation that collapses after the topnotes dried down. See my review here (in swedish).

Mon Parfum Cheri, par Camille (Annick Goutal): Just loooove this, dark, retro, dusty, murky, earthy, plum-patch perfume. Smells somehow of old books in a long forgotten library mixed with lipstick and powder.. See my review here (in swedish).

Azemour Les Orangers (Parfum d'Empires): Orange, green and mossy notes, Azemour shows that it is still possible to create fragrances in the vein of the citrus-chypre classics of the seventies. Just great. See my review here.

Les Nombres d'Or Vétyver (Mona di Orio): Another beautiful green but here vetiver accentuated by ginger. Like Azemour above, Vétyver gives me the impression of the green fragrances of the seventies and just as Azemour, but in a different way, Vétyver reminds me of a less soapier Eau de Rochas.

Also to be mentioned 2011: L'Esprit d'Oscar (Oscar de la Renta),  Cuir Fetiche (Maître Parfumeur et Gantier), Chambre Noir (Olfactive Studio), Shalimar Initial (Guerlain), Candy (Prada), Myrrhiad (Huitieme Art).

Mona di Orio - Les Nombres d'Or Oud

Picture: Harem scene with the Sultan, Jean-Baptiste van Mohr (1671-1737)

1st half of 18th century, Badisches Landesmuseum, Wikimedia Commons,

some rights reserved

Mona di Orios Oud is a beautiful flowery, woody, dry perfume with green facets. The oud is not predominant, it's one of the very well blended woody notes and it is light, bright, shining and transparent . The oudnote feels somehow green compared to the dark oud-notes in the Montales, By Kilians and  Amouages.

In the topnotes and the beginning of the middlenotes there is muted citrusnotes, some light peppery notes and there is the osmanthusflower, that takes the centerstage. As Oud dries down it gradually developes in the wooden territory, first a light and dry wood with supporting green notes that feels exactly as green and fresh as when rubbing the leaves of a certain geranium plant, Graveolens/ Rose Geranium (or in swedish Doctor Westerlunds healthplant). This fresh green is contrasting to the dry woody notes which deepens as Oud developes further. According to the list of ingridienses there is no Rose Geranium in Oud but the notes creates something similar, in a toned down version. In the beautiful and lingering woody basenotes the green component change a bit and reminds me of eucalyptus. Oud induces a image of precious dry wood in antique oriental furnitures, chests and couches from the harem, beautiful, shimmering, heavy fabrics as silk and velvet and in the middle of all this; the note that reminds med of rose geranium and later of eucalyptus, as a healty, brisk and fresh element.

Mona di Orios Oud is a difficult fragance and I understood it, at least partly, after I have tested it for the fourth time and I don't know if I really get Oud yet. I think this is a perfume that will show the wearer different aspects during different wearings. By the first times testing Oud I was disappointed as I had tremendoues expectations. At first I thought it was too flowery and to thin. Probably I applied to litttle of Oud as I'm used to more potent ouds where I have to be very careful when applying. The sample is also a splashsample and probably it is better to spray the fragrance. But Oud is a fragrance that wins in the long run and by now I really appreciate Oud and admire the beautiful, high quality composition.  Before I was fully convinced and saved by Oud there where some (as I experienced it the first three wearings) setbacks: Oddly enough, in some stages Oud reminds me of a dry and refined version of Dior Addict and also of some parts of Diors Dune. Even if I love both those Diors, I don't expect them to show up in Monas expensive and exclusive creation. But now when I'm enligthed it's totally fine for me. Another scent that I feel some similarities with is Mona di Orios Ambre but that one i more sharp in its woodiness.

Oud is a timeless fragrance that could be used on many occasions. The sillage is low but the scent is very distinct to the wearer and those who comes close. The longevity is great, Oud lasts for at least 24 hours. It is also a relaxing fragrance, perfect for calming down. But on the other hand I feel relaxed from most of Monas fragrances, so maybe the relaxing vibes are a typical hallmark of Mona.

As I find different twists in Oud when apply it more liberally, I have to revisit my sample later to update my impressions. And when the sample is finished I have to acquire another one as know that Mona di Orios Oud is a fragance that I have to have within reach. As there is real and not syntetic oud in Oud it will be very interesting to smell if later batches of the perfume will smell different beacause of different vintages of oud. But as it smells in the current blend I almost think that my travel in Perfumeland is over, that I at last have found the ulitmate creation. But as a true Perfumista, I know that feeling will not last for long. But Mona di Orios Oud is definitly one of the top ten I have tried so far.

Rating: 5+

Notes: Petit grain, elemi, mandarin, osmanthus, nagarmotha, patchouli, cedar, amber, oud

Snart dags för höstens dofter

Rent olifactoriskt, men självklart inte annars, längtar jag redan till hösten. I väntan på att luktsinnet ska återvända har jag drömt mig bort bland kommande eller alldeles nya releaser. Och jag inser redan att hösten kommer att innebära flera svåra val och att den kan bli dyr. Det finns tyvärr alltför mycket intressant. Som:

Jag går helt i spinn över Mona di Orios kommande lanseringar i sin Les Nombres d'Or - serie: Oud som tydligen ska använda äkta oud till skillnad får de flesta andra som huvudsakligen använder syntetisk oud. Mona har parat ouden med osmanthus istället för som i normalfallet, ros. Tydligen en limiterad utgåva så prislappen lär inte vara nådig! Utöver ouden så lanseras tre andra dofter: Vétyver, Tubéreuse och Vanille: Eftersom jag är mer än förtjust i Monas stil och älskar tuberose och har en stark dragning mot vanlij så kan det bli otroligt jobbigt. Vetiver är inte min starka not, däremot herr Parfumistas.

Utöver Monas releaser, så finns fler frestelser som Annick Goutals Mon Parfum Cheri, par Camille med noter av plommon, viol och patchoulli har jag kapitulerat för bara av beskrivningen. Sedan är det Serge Lutens/Christopher Sheldrakes Vitriol d'Oeillet som pockar på uppmärksamhet. Doften baseras på rosa nejlika och även om nejlika inte är min favoritnot så är jag ganska säker på att den i SL/CS blir något extraordinärt. Sedan fruktar jag att By Kilans avslutande dofter i sin Arabian Nights kollektion en med mysk och en med ambra har premiär i höst.

Även på designerdoftssidan händer ovanligt mycket intressant: Chanel No 19 Poudre som ska vara en modern tolkning av underbara No 19 är jag minst sagt ivrig att testa. Både Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere och Cristalle Eau Verte var lyckade dofter inspirerade av respektive klassiker så allt talar för Poudre. Sedan kommer Prada med en intressant avvikelse från sin hittills strikta, minimalistiska stil: Candy som ska vara en pudrig mysk med godisnoter, gjord av högkvalitativa ingredienser i en ny balans. Låter intressant med tanke på att Prada inte brukar ge ut något skräp. Sedan lockar Oscar de la Rentas Esprit d'Oscar som ska vara en modern tolkning av den klassiska Oscar som jag tyckte så mycket om på det glada åttiotalet men som sedan degenererats genom reformulering.

Det ser alltså ut att bli en tuff höst för både näsa och plånbok. Vilka dofter ser du fram emot att prova?