Oud Violet Intense

Since the very first time I tried this perfume I knew I wanted to own it, there was something about it that kept hunting my olfactory memory. Its been almost a year, and now is finally in my FdB personal collection. Oud Violet Intense opens with vibrant mandarin orange in combination with elemi resin, very exotic and awakening to the olfactive senses. Quickly transitioning into the heart featuring an amalgamation of top quality resins, with noticeable frankincense and tonka creating a sweet veil of smoke, but what’s interesting here is that there isn’t any florals listed on the note pyramid, yet the overall experience reads on skin as if there was a bit of a powdery violet throughout the wearing, velvety smooth. The frankincense in combination with other resins here doesn’t smell like your typical incense found in many perfumes nowadays, in fact the aroma profile could be described as futuristic smelling. As a matter fact, I would go as far as saying that I own nothing else in my collection that smells remotely similar to this perfume. Oud, musk and amber wrap the entire composition from the heart into the base, adding depth, sensuality and character to the beautiful blend. Lastly, a funny fact, I’ve seen a few reviews of people mentioning that Oud Violet Intense doesn’t last, and that kind of makes me wonder if they’re smelling the right fragrance or perhaps they have dry desert skin, because Oud Violet Intense lasts well over 12 hours on me with 4-5 sprays only.

Oud Violet Intense in one word - Opulence. Fragrance Du Bois fragrances are very expensive but worth every penny and this fragrance is absolutely stunning! Extremely well blended it's hard to isolate all of listed notes but initially I get some mild citrus/orange and pepper. The dry down in this fragrance is where the magic happens. I get tonka, amber and oud......not the overpowering oud that some Arabian fragrances have. The oud is blended so well with the amber it's so creamy. This scent is long lasting - about 10 hours on my skin and days on clothes that have been washed. The sillage is moderate and it's projection would be about 4 feet for the first couple of hours but in the dry down it becomes closer but not enough to describe it as a skin scent. This is more powerful than a skin scent! When I wear this, I have received many compliments from both men and women. I feel beautiful when I wear this. It's definitely unlike any fragrance I have ever smelled. It's definitely one that is sexy and addictive. I would buy again......but have to make sure I save the money before I run out. If you get a chance to get a sample of this give it a good chance on your skin. I promise you will feel sexy and opulent!

Eleonora Duse never wore makeup and was beautiful. She acted in Italian, even when she was abroad and everyone understood her. She was the most acclaimed actress of her time, perhaps the best ever. The Divine Duse, in her continuous transgression, wore purple, a color that has always been "forbidden" among actors and she wore stage costumes even in her private life. Oud Violet reminds me of her. An extremely impactful, seductive and intense fragrance. Ripe fruit, initially sparkling, accompanied by woods, resins and Oud makes it irresistible. Of an intelligent sensuality, a term that I really liked to describe this wonderful olfactory creation. “And it rains on your eyelashes, Hermione. It's raining on your black eyelashes Yes, it seems like you're crying but for pleasure..." These are the words from "La Pioggia nel Pineto", which D'Annunzio, the tormented love of her life, dedicated to her. Excellent sillage and durability, always use. In my wishlist.

This was a tricky one for me. At first I wasn't impressed at all. After about 30-45 minutes in, this transitioned & became so addictive. I've never smelled anything like it. Very nice & creamy, rich amber, resinous with a hint of orange/ light citrus in the opening. In the dry down I get more of the musk, black Pepper, olibanum & tonka. Very smooth non-skanky oud is in the background at all times but all notes are masterfully blended leaving you wanting more. A very mysterious composition that's really hard to describe but definitely sample before you buy. Not going to be for the rookie nose. I do get incredible longevity with above average sillage. Projection is at arms length in the dry down but definitely goes on strong. Go light with this one at first... but don't get me wrong, this is not a loud beast mode fragrance at all. Just a lot going on here. Quality at its finest!

Very interesting scent, as in this has a lot of twists and turns. Open I got something like a chamomile note and it smelled a tad green, then I started to pick up on the fecal-leaning oud giving it an earthy and slightly medicinal tone, then the ambers come in with mostly just the elemi and it adds warmth to the scent, and in the deep base I am getting sweetened citruses. So just for that type of evolution, it's worth a love rating (in points, I'd probably say 8.5/10). But the rest of the package with FDB, as has gotten all too familiar to me since I started blasting FDB samples in mid-January, is just not there. Price is €565 for 100ml, sillage never goes above moderate and longevity hovers around 7-8 hours. Scent profile I'd say leans masculine just for the oud tones, would say spring-fall as it doesn't strike through the cold but wouldn't suit warm weather either.

It seems like I start a lot of reviews this way, but I beg you to try it. I have the newer bottle, and longevity is great: 8+ hours if not more. This is more about sillage than outright projection. It’s very fresh, spicy, powdery, and perfectly unisex. There is a tartness from the mandarin that mixes perfectly with the powdery accords to create a beautiful scent. If you’ve smelled Casamorati Dolce Amalfi, you’ll understand the general vibe here, but Oud Violet is less feminine and more special. Highly recommend seeking out a sample.

My favorite out of the Shades Du Bois. A solid hidden gem! Such an upscale aroma, nothing casual about this at all; the fragrance just exudes power and authority. Versatile too! You will definitely smell unlike anyone else in the best possible way when you wear this fragrance There’s such a mysterious and alluring opening, very fresh and invigorating spices, such smart application of citruses and resins; so well blended. Smart concentration with such quality naturals. perfumes like this are what make the hunt so worthwhile.

fecal oud. definitely not clean oud ull find in oud bleu or vert. challenging at the beginning but as it dries down.... heavenly! like bleu, theres nothing in the notes representing the colour violet, but it does feel violet-ty to me, in a weird way. its really magical that way. so far im enjoying this one as much as bleu and vert

Not a fragrance that you would smell someone else wearing. Unique and fantastic. Works in all seasons except for very warm weather imo. Cool summer evenings would work, but I think it's best in Winter, Spring and Fall.

#1487 in my "Tour de Fragrance" As of this morning FragranceNet has one bottle of this discontinued scent for $485. It's a nice scent, but it's not that nice. Got this as a decant, and when I first popped open the vial I got a citrus candy aroma. On the skin it's got some nutmeg and pepper, and the olibanum comes through, but still primarily citrus. Moderate performance. Inoffensive. Unisex, but feminine leaning. Likeable, but overall pretty tame stuff and nothing you can't live without. So a discontinuation that isn't a tragedy to me.

At first this smells very strongly of oud and very masculine. But this settles, and it becomes sweeter and much more pleasant after 20mins. It’s hard topics out any one note, it’s aromatic and warm amber with a very slight citrus.

Beautiful perfume. Sweet tonka with nutmeg nuance. Feminine leaning and sexy. Spicy, amberous woods and a mild resinous oud accord. VG.

Very similar to Black Orchid by Tom Ford but less intense. Good but not excellent.

Great perfume! Leans masculine. Sadly discontinued. Get yours while you can..

The opening notes lean quite masculine, then the scent evens out more unisex. I think my nose is not ready for this perfume... The scent confuses me, I get pine tree, lactonic notes with citrus and horse stable... I just don't understand it. Citrus with tonka, I don't enjoy, but with the pine of the elemy and the oud, I'm out. I don't like it. It's a contradiction in itself, my mind gets a soft image of a ranch sorrounded with pines but at the same time a very elegant dinner at a fancy restaurant. Those two just don't combine in my head and I'm confused. I think your nose needs to be prepared for this scent, specially to appreciate oud, because it's quite present in this fragrance, and mixed with citrus and elemi, for me was unappealing. The mix between fruits and oud is very well done by Chris Maurice Carbonell in Oud Rain Tropical Storm by Renier, that oud really integrates well with the rest of the notes, here I just don't enjoy. Anyhow, I consider it an elegant fragrance, perhaps too overpriced since it sits too close to the skin (for me thankfully 'cause I don't enjoy it). Glad I'm getting acquainted with it with a sample. Would I enjoy this on a man? Yes. A thousand times better than on me. I think that on a man, this would even be sexy and the oud/elemi/citrus wouldn't bother me at all. Quite elegant fragrance for men, quite recommend. Not quite for a woman, though.

@RichardB review below, can't agree with you more. I blind bought this, one of my first expensive luxu ry niche purchases, and I regret the decision. Way too much $ for this. Also, the performance on me is very lacking. Oud? Where's the oud? Very tiny hint of it, at most.

Elegant and classy...not a beast but definitely will get compliments. The first class ingredients make all the difference.

to me this smells like burnt plastic. after that note hits my nose I cannot focus on smelling rest of the fragrance.

I actually really like this scent and oud jaune, but none of them are good enough to be greater than 400 dollars, nor can they top the frags I own that are in the 300 dollar range. The reason for this is that they don't have enough staying power to enjoy them for just myself let alone for a crowd. I mainly wear fragrances to enhance my mood, so you're automatically disqualified if I layer sprays 2 times in a row and still have to hold my hand tight against my nose just to get a single whiff. So sad, but I just can't play myself like that. What gets me upset, is that I can afford the price tag, no problem, but that would nag at me heavy paying that much for such mediocracy.

This is a really good fragrance. It’s slightly sweet and very pleasing. I’m getting the fruits (mandarin and elemi) and the resins (frankincense). Please note this is not a fecal oud AT ALL. No idea what person below is getting but it’s certainly not fecal. The big factor for me here is price. There is nothing here to suggest that it’s worthy of such a high price tag. It’s not original enough, nor is it complex and beautiful enough. I’ve said this before but these fragrances are priced double what they should be. I can afford pretty much any fragrance (a few Roja Doves aside!!) but I just cannot and will not ever pay for a bottle of this.