Honey Oud

Floris Honey Oud has received a lot of buzz lately, and in liking both main notes, seeing its positive reception in the online community, and really loving Montale's similarly-named Honey Aoud, I knew I needed to sample Floris Honey Oud. First off, both eponymous notes dominate the fragrance--it's mainly honey and oud, simply put. Other notes factor in: bergamot provides a non-sweet citrus additive to the opening of the fragrance, and patchouli and rose support the heart, but very subtly. I don't specifically get labdanum but there's a general floral element that could just be the mix of rose and labdanum. And while I don't specifically get vanilla or musk, vanilla easily blends with honey and musk easily smoothens any dry down. I get year-round wearability out of this, as the comparably winter-leaning notes of honey and oud come off pretty fresh. I can't think of another way to put it: even in its dry down, there's something very refreshing about the honey and oud duo in this case. I feel the need to mention that despite my initial suspicions, Floris Honey Oud is not terrible similar to Montale Honey Aoud, as Montale's take is simply heavier-handed on both the eponymous notes to make their fragrance both more of a gourmand and more oud-intensive. Floris Honey Oud is, by contrast, a fresher, more year-round-friendly use of both notes, but still performs well. I like Honey Oud a lot and will strongly consider adding it to my collection. $235 for 100ml retail but available at FragranceX for $152, its pricing is viable for how much I like it, and frankly, for how different it is from Montale Honey Aoud, also on my to-buy list. 8 out of 10

Honey Oud is a scent that lives up to it's name, especially in the opening. HO starts as a deliciously strong Honey Oud combination that fills the room. Honey and Oud stay in the spotlight doing a sexy Tango on my skin for the first few hours. Amber, Vanilla and musk join the dance after a few hours, but Honey and Oud remain the dominant stars of the dance. About 6 hours in, the rose joins the stage. It does not outshine the Honey and Oud stars of this fragrance, but it does join the party, and mingles with Amber, vanilla and Musk. As a guy that is not a big rose fan, I am very happy that the rose is well blended into the fragrance and it does a great job adding depth vs being a dominant note. Throughout the day, I was getting delicious whiff of this beautiful fragrance. Each whiff bringing a smile to my face. Honey Oud is a very rich, luxurious and classy scent that is well blended and balanced. The first time I wore this fragrance, I went to get my hair cut. The lady that cuts my hair complimented me several times on it and asked me to write the name of this fragrance down so she could get a bottle. I bought Honey Oud around the same time as I purchased Montale's Honey Aoud. To my nose they have a lot of similarities in performance and scent, just replace the blended rose here with a blended cinnamon there. Bottom line: This scent is worth trying a sample of.

God this is gorgeous. A proper English oud, with deliciously fragrant red roses teeming with bee pollen (the effect of labdanum + honey), dipped in and dripping with luscious, ambery wildflower honey. Lightly leathery, slight sweetness; deeply amber of the highest natural order. Not by any means a synthetic-feeling amber, as found in most popular designer amber fragrances; the amber here is natural smelling, so deep, rich, and warm. This could never be cloying. When I wear this I literally hug myself. I love Honey Oud by Floris so much -- yet another British fragrance which makes me look forward to winter time (the others are Babylon + The Bewitching Yasmine by Penhaligons). Criminally underrated house, and I can't understand why. As their creations are pure elegance- oozing with the sophistication of generational wealth. Perhaps Floris is meant for truly wealthy people- such as aristocrats and millionaires. I don't care if Floris never trends. I'm proud to gatekeep something so beautiful. One day I wish to go to the London boutique for the bespoke experience. ❤️

Majestic in a single word. Floris’ Honey Oud is deeply nuanced, beautifully blended and unreservedly sophisticated. Honey Oud opens with thick, sweet, golden honey; beautifully beckoning, sensual even. As the honey settles on the skin so appears the oud – warm, nutty, spicy - utterly devoid of stank. Somewhere in the back lurks a fleeting rose whose freshness lifts both the oud and honey accords. The gradual dry down softens the oud (and, to a lesser extent, the honey) as sweet, creamy vanilla matches the darkening earthiness of grassy patchouli and syrupy amber. The honey never truly dissipates on my skin, it’s evident right to the very end. Majestically smouldering, Honey Oud is a fragrance of tremendous quality. Unique too in its pairing of oud with honey rather than the more common rose. Heavy but utterly wearable thanks to its smooth velvetiness. Totally unisex. Best suited to fall/winter wear. I get 10-12 hours wear on my skin (days on clothes). Sillage is heavy-moderate. 9/10

Honey, Oud, Rose, Patchouli, Vanilla, Bergamot, Amber, Musk, Labdanum; these are superb notes and "guess what"... They are all present in Floris Honey Oud. This is so so so good. The honey is not loud, the rose is just right, the patchouli is subtle but present, I'm sure I'm going to be needing another bottle in 6 months, gosh, I overspray this stuff, no need to refresh for 8 hrs but I do in 4. Never gotten a negative reaction, only positive. All year round performer, perfect aura it'll create. Never too loud, not too quiet, not too sweet, just balanced right down the middle. Floris as a company has been around for eons, so they know their stuff and it shows. Honey oud is often compared to Montale Honey Aoud, here's how I describe them: honey oud "confident and humble" while Montale is "Confident and Rude", yeah! Digest that for a minute.