Oudh Osmanthus

Labdanum? Where is labdanum in the list? It was there from beginning to end, front stage and background. Maybe it’s the patchouli, Cedar and cypriol, but these notes combined does have a labdanum effect. I get flashes of medicinal facet at beginning, and slightly animalistic hint at the end, but mostly, it’s the woody-labdanum note playing Oud. Somewhere in the body, a harsher kind of petitgrains made a cameo presence. I can’t get the osmanthus note for the life of me, only sweet warm fuzzy aura comes with the labdanum, oh no, Oud. Though there’ something deep like honey lurking in the background, perhaps a stray component of this imaginary osmanthus accord. Overall, a really pleasant offering from this brand.

I'm 100% with @Fava Beans when they ask "why does everyone put ROSE with oud, when they could do this instead?" I like rose, but it has been done to death in perfumery, particularly with Oud, and I'm bored. Can't tell if I'm bored with oud or with rose. Oudh Osmanthus however, is so cleverly constructed it shows that I'm not actually bored with rose or oud, but merely of the constant repetition. This starts off with pretty dark and earthy patchouli. After about 30 minutes to an hour, it settles into woody osmanthus and oud that wafts beautifully every so often rather than projects in a constant trail. It is a really gorgeous composition and full bottle worthy. Longevity is moderate to strong. I also think its right bang in the middle of that unisex sweet spot where it's neither feminine nor masculine, but I would say it takes a strong personality to carry it off. I suspect a shrinking violet will not feel comfortable wearing it. My favourite from MdO is still and always will be Vanille, closely followed by Nuit Noire. Oudh Osmanthus rides a very close third. However, on its own it could be one of the best takes on Oud ever made. Wonderful stuff.

MdO’s OUD is stunning, complex and utterly mesmerising! Majestic in a single word. OUD opens with mandarin, petitgrain and elemi; quite cleansing. Almost immediately these top notes yield to osmanthus and patchouli, here also appears the oud. Initially the oud performs in partnership with the osmanthus and patchouli to create a remarkably woody-fresh vibe but gradual dry down sees OUD evolve and darken on the skin with the oud melding to musk and ambergris; in doing so the osmanthus softens and OUD becomes deeper and bolder. By pairing oud (genuine oud from Laos, nothing synthetic here!) with osmanthus rather than the usual rose, MdO has created something completely unique in OUD. This is regal and exotic with a smouldering smoky feel. OUD is a parfum of tremendous quality. It is thick but utterly wearable thanks to its smooth velvetiness. Sillage is moderate and longevity huge; I get 16+ hours. I’ve worn OUD since 2011 and have almost emptied a 100ml bottle in that time. I will certainly be purchasing a replacement bottle in the immediate future despite the A$500+ cost. 8.5/10

So I'm trying to wear fragrances more than once before making a review to make sure I get a good impression and understand them. I received a free miniature splash bottle of this two years ago & I just got around to wearing it today for the 2nd time. I'm not exactly sure why I didn't get oud the first time I wore this but today I definitely smelled oud... maybe it got stronger as it sat or maybe I developed a nose - scent memory for Oud and truly recognize it now. On the first wearing it opened with vegetal tones, leathery, creamy, buttery, sweet woods, resins, as it progressed further it got powdery, a little animalic… white flroals but overall leathery wood on the 2nd wearing it opened rooty, earthy, powdery, & within seconds I recognize a slight barnyard bleu cheese oud but totally unoffensive & delicately blended, how did I not notice the oud in this the first time I wore it, it's so obvious now! as it progresses it gets creamy & animalic, I swear I smell sandalwood but I think it's the osmanthus giving it a similar characteristic, as time goes on it gets richer - thick resinous ambergris which I'm usually not too fond of but is balanced well in this … the osmanthus starts to transform developing wisps of fruity apricot & occasionally a mild manure smell from the oud … i'm impressed, this never steers too brown or fecal - it's masterfully blended...this stuff is great quality, after 2.5 to 3 hours it becomes slightly vanillic & spicy with a touch of cinnamon while maintaining its creamy floral woodiness I used to have a bottle of Cuir by Mona Di Orio which was excellent quality too - I think this brand deserves more love & recognition 3-4 sprays worth, medium to strong projection, lasts more than several hours

In the interview, Mona said she did not initially wanted to make an Oud perfume since the ingredient is so popular and because she has not found an oud that inspired her. I think she did mention that she finally got a hold of this very rare oud that we can now admire in this composition, which convinced her to tackle an oud composition by herself. I am not a massive oud fan, but this one is actually really good. Well, aside for the horrendous price (400+ GBP... can't see myself spending this much on a bottle of perfume). As for the notes, it is opened by a lot of patchouli and osmanthus. I think I also got the resins and amber accords, something smoky and incense-like (smells a bi like my yoga studio). The oud here is quite quiet, surprisingly quiet knowing is should be the centre of the composition. Despite the woody and smoke, it actually has got a green vibe to it. Interesting. And probably would be worth buying... for half of the price.