London Oud

I have been on a Fragrance du Bois bender for the past couple of weeks, acquiring practically all of their offerings. So, have at this stage tried everything with the exception of Parisian Oud (on the way). The 3 most likeable thus far have been Oud Violet Intense, Amber Intense and London OUd (quite the surprise. Oud Violet Intense is a superb scent unlike any other from my experience, like tucking into warm custard pudding with a topping of rum and raisin sitting in a buddhist temple with the best incense in the air. As for Amber Intense in another realm entirely , pure luxury for special occasions and an absolute treat all around. Last but not least is London Oud, no expectation for this on at the start, had approx. 5 other vials to sample all unmarked for testing purposes. In the end picked the last sample strip of the test grouping. Low and behold it was London Oud. Just one of those scents we frag fans come across every so often and you go WOW !. In this case, smooth operating grounded strong alluring mix of marine notes, spices with a a floral note a joy to most anyone and a very faint trace of oud tucked in the background. Whomever said London Oud resembles Kiton Black is onto something. I would go a step further and say Kiton Black with a small part Kiton pour homme is even closer to the mark. 8/10

ꜰʀᴀɢʀᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴅᴜ ʙᴏɪꜱ - ʟᴏɴᴅᴏɴ ᴏᴜᴅ 🔆, 🏖️ Spirit of athleticism 🤸💥 I want to start the year with a review of a "tool" fragrance that meant to be used in a very spesific activity. ʟᴏɴᴅᴏɴ ᴏᴜᴅ is not a perfume but rather an artisanal works that encapsulates "beautiful sweat" in a bottle. A salty scent with a touch of savory feel that works at its best when mixed together with human skin's perspiration. It can 'mask' and even elevate the smell of our sweat. I wear it specifically for workout only. That's why I think this will be the best choice for an elite athletes. This is definitely not for everyone and need some time to get used to. But when it does and worn at the right moment (especially in hot weather at daytime) I made a clear decision that this will be always in my collection forever. There is something primal and raw about this fragrance that makes me feel uplifted and always at high level of excitement. So for everyone who want to start this year with a resolution of working out more I highly suggest to try this. Hopefully you find it working as a perfect workout companion too. Thank you very much for reading 🙏. Let's stay active and get healthier in 2024 🤸💪 #vscentorientreview

London Oud begins with a winning combination of zesty lemon, bergamot and refreshing spearmint. While I appreciate the energising notes, the spearmint note gives a hint of an invigorating factor, transporting you to one of the many gardens scattered across the spring morning in London. Think dew on leaves and mists floating all over the hard nature of concrete. As time progresses, the fragrance evolves to a more complex mixture of white floral notes. I love how jasmines and lavender intertwine with each other, reflecting the buzzing, cosmopolitan nature of the city. Calone or most people know it as a marine note, binds the heart notes well. Once the sun sets, the air in London turns calm, like how the subtle nature of cedarwood stimulates a sense of tranquillity and wellbeing. Spices such as nutmeg and cardamom give the scent some needed body, displaying London’s rich cultural diversity before Oud’s thrill seeking and adventurous nature invites you out to a town and party the night away in one of the world’s iconic cities. Masterpiece.

Theif worthy My business and office got broken into and out of the 15 fragrances I keep in my office this was the only one they stole. I'm not to good at "you get this note and that note" but it's a fresh, spicy, strong wet woody smell. Almost like sharpening a pencil on a rainy day. This is a beast! Two sprays and you will probably choke people out. Especially here in California, so I would consider this more of a winter/fall scent. I have no idea how people can wear this during the summer. I wore this in 80°f weather and had to wash it off. The scent smells luxurious and imposing which is why I kept this in my office. I would wear this to important meetings and business deals but you wear this to a dressed up night out or date night. It wouldn't be odd but it would feel out of place if someone wore this with Jean/shorts and a t shirt.

London Oud encapsulates oud and sea notes, for a magical experience of ocean meets earth . Unfolding on skin with a cocktail of sweet citruses paired to mint and aromatic lavender for an awakening introduction to the senses. What a beautiful perfume this one is. Yes London Oud reads very aquatic on skin, but a stunning one at that, with subtle white floral nuances, aromatic cardamom contrasts, a great use of mint, providing a delicate herbal green element throughout the development , and organic oud framing the base for added depth.

just got a chance to sample it. amazing fresh scent that kicks it of with sweet smooth oud and transforms into more fresh mineral scent. Amazing longevity and solid projection for first 6-7 hours. Absolute must-have from this house. If you're underwhelmed by most of FDB scents, try this one. It won't disappoint.

Recently got a decant of this. Honestly speaking, decant is probably the only way I can afford considering the price of a full bottle may require me to sell many parts of my body organs. Scent wise, this is a really very fantastic scent with 12+ hours longevity. Seriously good quality.

its my birthday today and im wearing this since morning, running errands and treating myself lol. im glad i pulled this one out after so long! one spray on the chest and im good to go. and now if u excuse me im gonna spend some quality me time with my cupcake in my bed

Just a heads up, I've received word from the brand that this has been discontinued.

crazy sillage and projection. one spray and its already filling up the room

Elegant and beautiful. Masculine, sharp, but inviting.

A quite unusual scent in the sense that it brings together notes that are not often combined. The oud has taken a back seat and left the front seat for lavender, spearmint and lemon, then gradually cardamom and nutmeg appear. But what really makes this beautiful scent is the aquatic note (calone)! This feels like a fresh wave from the great oceans or like pouring cold water. Refreshing and sophisticated! The scent is created as a journey through the different phases of a busy day in the British capitol, from the fresh morning dew in the city's green parks, through the spicy, international atmosphere, going on to remind us of a nation known for its naval contact with the rest of the world. Lasts forever on the skin, I can easily see myself wearing this in formal setting during the summer season, as well as clinging to the memory of a summer passed... High end perfumery, top notch quality, very sophisticated.

I have a 10ml decant of this fragrance and it does smells nice, but honestly YSL L'Homme Libre is incredibly similar... Really! Obviously not the same (depth, longevity, quality, etc) however I feel some of those who are less fanatical would be hard pressed to discern the differences. With the price tag on this I'd strongly suggest sampling both and deciding for yourself (always, of course)

Tested from sample. It's fine, that's about it, quite fresh and minty with a slight salty sea air vibe. Nothing groundbreaking in the slightest, can't really detect any oud for something which oud in the title. I have a few samples from this house and apart from Oud Violet, they've all been quite disappointing, especially considering the prices.

I completely agree with the gentleman below, it is a more refined version of Hugo Hugo Boss, if you like that scent and you’re a highly paid individual go for it. 7/10

Personal prejudice disclaimer: I'm not in the demographic for this and although I love some both oud & aquatic scents, have never yet found a 'cold oud' I liked. London Oud didn't change that. Impressively punchy and clean - the oud is just a distant shadow of darkness, not a great smear of organic dirty barnyard - but on my female skin this one ended up as a pushy, overwhelmingly male aura, smelling far too strongly of slightly shouty men on their beach holidays. (Minus the beer sweat - maybe in the moment when they've just showered and thrown on a fresh shirt and a little too much scent before dinner.) No generalised hate here: there are other Fragrance du Bois scents I love but - weirdly - they're all at the more-femme, less-oud-heavy end of their spectrum. I'd kill to smell their Santal Complet. But apart from it being not made for my kind anyway, also London Oud seems to me a bit of the old niche bait-and-switch - a case of the emperor's new swim trunks, if you like - because it's just a very, very, very priced-up version of a host of cheaper mens' active/aquatic/blue aftershaves. A no from me then; but even if you're male and the notes appeal to you, shop around before shelling out for this one.

Honestly one of the worst fragrances I have ever had the displeasure of trying. Don't get me wrong, after a horrid opening it does settle into a nice and generic aquatic, but the opening is so sour and damp in all the wrong ways. Not sure what mint they used but it doesn't mesh well with the citrus here. After an hour or so it becomes a serviceable aquatic with big calone notes and a mishmash of indistinguishable ingredients. Of note, this (along with many of the house's fragrances) contains no discernable oud. It is a gimmick or a scam or something to that effect. I am thoroughly over this house and their subpar and massively overpriced offerings. All in all, this smells akin to something that Azzaro would put out for one of their summer flankers, granted those have pleasant openings so not even a direct comparison. It pains me to make this comparison as I respect Azzaro and their more interesting offerings in the $20 to $40 range...I do not respect this house and the fact that they are trying to peddle aromachemical soup for $385 or more a bottle is nothing short of deplorable. For shame.

This smells so horrible, like you haven't showered for days...Is it just me? It's like forgetting to use your deodorant, rubbing you hand under your armpit and rubbing it on your skin. Yuck!

Had a sample of this. The opening is quite beautiful, definitely leans towards a barbershop vibe with a touch of what seems to be natural oud. The oud soon fades and the initial barbershop (somewhat reminiscent of Platinum Egoiste) transforms into a clone of L'Homme Libre. L'Homme Libre was a scent I always liked but found it too sickly sweet. This is toned down but still has a similar sweetness. Sort of brings to mind the ideas of holidays in the Mediterranean. The name does not match the fragrance at all or the description. This smells nothing like London. London smells of fast food and fumes. I love the opening with the mint and Platinum Egoiste vibes. As I previously said, it soons morphs into Libre and even has slight similarities to Invictus. Here it loses me. Does smell of high quality and I'm sure there are naturals in this fragrance. I also pick up slight scratchiness of synthetics. Does indeed smell like a designer. If you were a massive fan of L'homme Libre (which if I recall is now discontinued) and want a higher quality version - this is exactly that. Other than that, it's literally a smooth but common designer DNA. If you're looking for a niche Platinum Egoiste - P.E is much better than this. 5/10 If the opening stayed throughout it would be an 8. Still, for 500 smackeroonies - it's not worth it.

I'm half way through trying the complete Fragrance du Bois range and overall I am impressed. I personally wouldn't buy London Oud, it is very nice but a little to soapy for my liking and quite lacking in any substantial Oud. I haven't read anybody else comparing it to Marlys Layton, but I pick up on several pronounced similarities between them. I already own Layton, and think it is slightly superior to London Oud and wouldn't pay this much for something so similar. The opening is my favorite part of the experience. I didn't detect mint, I would say it contains a tiny amount of spearmint that fades within 5 minutes then that is done, it becomes mega-citrus and then settles into a minerally effavescence that really does remind me of the sea, but the patchouli comes through a but to heavy for my taste. To soapy for a dirty boy like me. The scent remains strong on my skin for 12+ hours. I'd rate it 15.5/20. It's nice, but not for me.