Oud Rosewood

Fragrances, like music are very evocative of memories of times, places, and scenes you have encountered during your life experience. Some fragrances take you on a journey. On first smelling Oud Rosewood in an instant I was transported somewhere... I had travelled over the sea to Bravos, gained entry to the House of Black and White and entered the Hall of Many Faces. A candle lit tomb in a gothic, medieval temple smelling of Incense, smoke, and centuries aged wood. If a scene had a smell, then "Game of Thrones Season 5: Episode #6 Clip - The Hall of Faces" would smell of Oud Rosewood. (search YouTUBE) Oud Rosewood has a similar DNA to Santal Noir however, it is less sweet and much spicier. It has a beautiful smokiness to it that I really love - it's like the smokiness in Santal Noir's dry down but better. This tips it more masculine than feminine for me. Update | I saw a youTUBE review where the reviewer said this was similar to Encre Noire a L'extreme and Gucci Guilty Absolute and thought of this as a dud. I watch his reviews regularly and value his opinion as I tend to have similar likes and dislikes, but respectfully, I can't agree with his opinion on this occasion. To my nose there is no close comparison to the 2 other fragrances - Oud rosewood has much better projection and silage and is of a much higher quality blend. Oud Rosewood is a big hit for me, I'd even go as far as saying it's probably one the best MCD releases to date, so much so that I bought 250ml to sit alongside my Oud Ispahan and Leather Oud. And the lesson is: Follow your own nose folks! ;) CONCLUSION | ★★★★★ Quite possibly my favourite MCD release!

This is one of the most unique fragrance I've ever smelt. The combination seems simple yet it brings a deep, dark and sophisticated vibe. If you are leaning towards a mature or formal style, this is definitely the one. The abundance of high-quality woody notes has both benefits and drawbacks: It's long-lasting and powerful, the transformation after spraying is absolutely phenomenal and beautiful, leaving an image of a successful man; however, it's also overpowering and offensive to some noses (so far I've received more complaints about smelling like medicine/dog poo rather than compliments lol). Definitely not a safe blind-buy. Nevertheless, you will not wear this in an attempt to get compliments, I see it more like a self-pleaser since wood is my favorite note. If you like oud or just woody scents in general, you may love it. Personally, I give this a 9.5/10. A very situational scent, but if you're a mature gentleman, you can surely pull it off.

Medicinal oud that smells a lot like bandaids. It is kinda off-putting but also intoxicating. But maybe I'm just a weirdo who enjoyed smelling bandaids as a kid though. You'd think spraying more would only make this worse but it changes the fragrance dramatically. It becomes more effervescent and woody. Wafts of fruit notes and a slight sweetness emerge. I find it stays fairly linear in the drydown just losing some intensity. Typical Dior with a refined elegance that is somewhat soft or ethereal. It isn't a constant assault on your nose but rather you catch brilliant wafts from time to time.

This fragrance is a contradiction. Oud and raspberry notes are often associated with punchy, strong, and masculine fragrances, but this one is subtle, light, and unisex. Sweeter fragrances are often associated with drug store body washes and cheap mall fragrances, but this one is decidedly niche and sophisticated. Some may call this fragrance boring, but I find it to be beautifully understated, one of the few ouds out there that I feel comfortable wearing to the office. If you like Oud Rosewood, I'd also try DS & Durga's Notorious Oud, which offers a similar balance of oud and sweetness.

My local dept. store had opened up a booth for the Maison Christian Dior offerings - how nice of them! I did a quick rummage-through of the line. There were several good ones but Oud Rosewood was the one that made me go WOW. You know a perfume is special when the first sniff gives you that mouth-opening sense of disbelief: what am I smelling, this is ridiculously good... It smells like oud, raspberry jam and AN ANIMAL. It's certainly not for everyone, and maybe I've been on a bit of leather-animalic mood this spring, but from the first impression I have to rate Oud Rosewood a love.