Why to use it? When to use it? How to use it? What to buy and why?
Here is my contribution:
I do like beasty fragrances. It's only natural that I like ouds. In fact, I love oud fragrances. I am not a fan of airy or freshy fragrances. I can accept that a person does not like ouds in general or a particular kind of oud. However I consider to emphatic someone to comment that a fragrance smells like a stable or camel poop for no apparent reason. Either that person is not smelling an original perfume, or has never been in a stable, or something is wrong with his/her pituitary. Nevertheless I do admit that some very well identified oud fragrances are really "skunky".
I have a lot of fragrances who contain oud. In the fragrances I refer in the list below, oud is clearly the dominant note and not "just another note" (exemple of oud just as another note: my signature fragrance Halston Amber for Men). Sometimes the designer does not use or does not include oud in the notes list, but the fragrance either has an oud note or mimics the oud scent with other notes (exemple: Armaf's Niche Oud that has no oud but smells like it).
COMPARING OUDS
I do consider the following type of ouds with some examples (I have all those fragrances). Please bare in mind that this classification is just a matter of personal taste:
- BAD ouds - Perry Ellis Vetiver Royale Absolute Oud; Kelsey Berwin Midnight Oud, Pascal Morabito's Bois & Or.
- AVERAGE ouds - Avon's Premiere Luxe Oud, Montana Graphite Oud Edition, Iceberg Oud.
- NICE ouds - Oudi Al Haramain Perfumes, Royal Oud Korloff Paris, Bogart's One Man Show Ruby Edition, Vince Camuto Oud, Black is Black Modern Oud, Swiss Arabian Mutamayez.
- VERY NICE ouds - Ferrari Oud, Perry Ellis Black Vanilla Absolute, Zara Exclusive Oud, Fan de Fendi Assoluto, Perry Ellis Rose Saffron Oud, John Varvato's Oud, Bogart's One Man Show Oud Edition, Armaf Niche Oud, 24 Platinum Oud Edition.
- REALLY GOOD ouds - Versace's Oud Noir, Aramis Perfume Calligraphy, Armaf's Shades Wood, Yves Saint Laurent M7 Oud Absolut, Ettienne Aigner Nº 1 Oud, Lomani Intense Black, Swiss Arabian Shaghaf Oud, Montale's Black Aoud, Rasasi's Faqat Lil Rijal, Frank Olivier's Oud Touch, Bentley Absolute, Rasasi's Dhanal Oudh Nashwah, Swiss Arabian Nawaf, Bvlgari Man Black Orient, Montale's Dark Aoud.
- EXTRAORDINARY ouds - Christian Dior Oud Ispahan, Tom Ford Oud Wood, Swiss Arabian Dehn el Oud Malaki, Swiss Arabian Shaghaf Oud Abyad, Royal Platinum by Charriol, Montale's Aoud Saffron.
The best value for money Ouds:
Lomani Intense Black, Armaf's Shades Wood, Swiss Arabian Shaghaf Oud Abyad, Swiss Arabian Shaghaf Oud, Bogart's One Man Show Oud Edition, Frank Olivier's Oud Touch, Zara Exclusive Oud.
All of them are very good fragrances, have well above average quality, are kind of easy to buy and are quite inexpensive (below 20 Euros). You can blind buy any of them.
If I would have to pick just one of them?.... it would be Swiss Arabian Shaghaf Oud.
The Gentleman Oud:
Royal Platinum by Charriol. One of the most beautiful flasks in the market and you smell like a million dollars. You can blind buy it.And just look at the beautiful bottle. It's gorgeous.
The Skunky Oud:
Swiss Arabian Dehn el Oud Malaki. It opens with wrotten carcasses notes and dries down with one of the best oud notes I have ever experienced. Do try it before you buy it. The opening is really skunky.
The strongest Oud:
Rasasi's Faqat Lil Rijal. It's a real powerhouse and quite a "nose intrusive" scent in all its stages. Lasts an entire day. Do try it before you buy it. Just don't be fooled by the bottle exterior mega size.... Inside there is another bottle with only 50 ml capacity.
The nicest Oud fragrance bottle:
Bvlgari Man Black Orient.
Yes, the Charriol bottle is gorgeous, but this is a matter of personal taste. So the most handsome Oud fragrance bottle for me is: Bvlgari Orient . Sheer elegance ! Do try it before you buy it.
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HOW TO USE OUDS
Some people just wonder how to wear and enjoy a strong oudy/woody perfume. Let's remember some basic rules:
Don't spray near the face or neck (near the nose). Use back of the neck, chest, wrists, fore knee, elbows .... or clothes. If you spray near the nose, you may become "oud sick" or have "oud olfactory fatigue".
Forget about the first 10 or 15 minutes. The food is still raw, let it cook for a while. Many Oud fragrances do present some heavy changes in that period. Don't be fooled by what the fragrance gives you in the beginning. Usually it's a case of "better later than sooner".
Smell what you get from the sillage effect in the first couple of hours. If you spray the back of your hand and then sniff it with the skin "glued" to your nose, you may get nausea and headache. Most of the times is just to strong and cloying.
Want to smell it with your nose close to the skin? give the perfume 2 hours or more before doing it.
Want to wear it on a night out? Spray it at least one hour before leaving your home. Better 2 hours You will be the Club King that night.
This is not Aqua di Gio or Versace pour Homme. Don't use the same way you use a citrus fresh perfume. If you become an oud addict, make sure that your spouse also appreciates oud. Otherwise he or she may fill in divorce papers for no apparent reason.