Leather Oud

In my experience, Dior's Leather Oud can be broken down into a question and a revelation. The question is, "Is Leather Oud animalic?" Or, perhaps a variant: "Is Leather Oud as animalic as people say it is?" The answer is of course dependent upon the nostrils of the beholder. For someone like me who owns a few Indian oud oils that reek of horse dung before they settle into feral woodiness, Leather Oud is only an approximation of animalia, reaching it by way of furry musk in its dry down and a sour twang that sometimes wafts its way to the nose during hotter weather or more liberal sprays. Dior's fragrance is certainly pungent, strong, masculine. It's neither romantic nor sexy. What it offers is something sexed, as all animalic scents do. They call toward our instincts and remind us, in the end, not of horses or cats or whatever other animal is referenced when trying to articulate the smell of the animal kingdom, but of ourselves–our bodies. With that said, Leather Oud is too refined and touched by human hands to be the holy grail of animalic fragrances, and its concept of imitating oud smoke rather than oud oil, also precludes it from being in the running for taking the top spot of oud fragrances. Nonetheless, that won't stop me from layering it with a dab of oud oil so that personalized magic starts to unfold. This brings me to my revelation about Leather Oud, which not many people talk about. It's essentially a very good and unique incense fragrance. The secret has been in the branding all along ("Oud wood exudes aromas of leather when it is burned") and the proof rests on the comments I've received. No one's ever told me I've smelled good while wearing Leather Oud, and no one's ever said I stink, but they have made it an issue to note that I smell like I'm enveloped in incense. A few sprays before going out and I feel like I'm traveling along a Möebius strip representing the full spectrum of the animal and spiritual world., because as refined of a scent as this fragrance is, its own notes (ashtray, sour lemon, furry musk) work against its elegant craftsmanship to suggest the exudations of someone whose body is both a private temple and lived-in home.

Brace yourself! No, literally. Before smelling this perfume take a big deep breath, you're going to need it. Dip your head towards it, breathe deep, and be prepared to have all of the air sucked from your lungs - as if air could evaporate further - and brace for an onslaught of burning oud, spices, and sun-scorched leather. It is like walking into a sauna fed by coals instead of steam. The way this perfume opens tells you, immediately and without question, that this is not going to be a wallflower fragrance; it is here to make a statement, and to push your olfactory senses and that of those around you to the edge. Super dry cardamom and cloves pull all of the moisture from the air around you, as if its intent is to use it to feed the insatiable appetite of its pet monster growing by leaps and bounds in front of you: burning oud. Francois Demachy notes that when oud burns it gives a distinct leathery facet, and I believe him without question. The oud acts as if the fire that burns it, and the moisture it absorbs, forces plumes of impossibly hot leather into the air around you. All of this is evocative and exciting in itself, but perhaps Leather Oud's best trick is that it never lets this carnality go so far as to be repellent or unwearable; it stops just shy of it. The monster was given a bath and put in a fine silk tuxedo. It is polished and elegant, you marvel at the fact that fine clothes can contain the straining muscles and animal rage inside... but the threads never break, and they always look relaxed and well-pressed. I am absolutely won over and in love with this garish monster. It is quite possibly one of the best oud perfumes or leather perfumes I have ever experienced, and certainly tops my list of the best oud and leather combination perfumes to have been created.

I have a 2015 miniature and a 2018 125ml bottle. I absolutely love this fragrance! When I wear it I just feel this burst of confidence and masculinity. Such an amazing fragrance with an animalic leather and a bit of like a urine smell (I know that doesn't sound pleasant but I don't know how else to describe it, but I mean it in a positive way). I wore my 2018 batch to a concert the other night, 4 sprays. This stuff was kicking off my skin. I could smell it all night through my mask and my girlfriend kept getting strong whiffs through her mask. This stuff was radiating all night and seemed to never have become a skin scent. I woke up the next day and I could still smell it pushing off my neck. There are some who say that this fragrance has been watered down, but that is not the case in my experience. There is definitely a difference in scent with the older formulation and the current formulation. The older formulation had more of barnyard fecal attribute while the current version has more of a urine attribute (again, I mean both these things in a positive way). If you can, definitely sample because this is not a safe blind buy. It can be a polarizing scent for sure. I seldom wear it because I don't have too many occasion where this fragrance would be suitable, but when the occasion arises I'm definitely reaching for it and wearing it with my head held high.

Fell in love with it, bought it, got my nose used to sweet gourmands, and then hated it. I've had my conflicts with this one. At one point I thought it smelled like horse shit lit on fire and then extinguished with piss in the middle of a desert, and that's what you get if you spray it on your hand and smell it up-close. Don't do that, this is too potent. I've learned how to enjoy this one, and it's from distance. 4 sprays on my neck is all I need for an entire day, and it smells magical. A deep, almost sweet, fruity opening with loads of spice. A sandy, dry, smoky, animalic mid and base, with a civet-like note, although this isn't supposed to contain civet. As my body gets hotter, 6-7 hours into the wearing, it almost smells a bit like in the opening again. Very complex, and I love it to pieces now. Edit: I've learned another thing about this perfume, and it's that, on my skin, it needs heat. During winter, I get the harsh, sandy/smoky dry down too quickly, whereas during spring, or even summer, it smells a lot more like the opening for a longer period of time.

Magnificent! Just received a BNIB monster 8.4 oz bottle. I was a little worried because I see it has 2 formulations. My previous sample is a .25 oz from 2015 and I love it but it was discontinued and I could not find a bottle at a reasonable price. Then I came across the new formulation. Knew that I had to add it to my collection of OUDS (which is getting rather extensive). Ordered it and waited wondering which version would show up. Biting my fingernails about whether it would smell like that fabulous barnyard one I knew. Lo and behold it does. Maybe a little less strength but having obtained a huge bottle I can now put some in a travel sprayer and wear it whenever I choose instead of only very special occasions. It’s not cheap but a special Dior fragrance never is. It’s elegant and potent. One that is not going to wear off or can’t smell once the top notes fade in 30 minutes like sadly too many. It’s ballsy. It may not be for everyone. It’s a masterpiece and I’m thankful to own it.