Wood Infusion

Full disclosure: I am Australian and I am possibly at the younger end of their target market. All of Goldfield & Banks fragrances contain a special kind of Aussie nostalgia which is instantly recognisable to me, so scent-wise I'd say that they are bang on the money. This scent in particular is sweet, woody and warm with a permeating vibration of something aquatic. We aren't wandering deep into the bush, but are hiking somewhere along the sun-drenched south coast. The orange/ lavender/ iris combo is such a refreshing compliment to the oud and wood notes, it's delicious! I would say that the amber is there but only as a hint of something sweet and warm lingering in the background. In other words, this fragrance is true to its notes and the scent itself is something special but not quite daringly niche. It is a totally and completely wearable wood scent, possibly even worthy of a blind buy but I'd definitely recommend getting their sample pack to test it out. Of all the scents, I would say this is my second favourite and would give it an 8/10 because the opening and dry down are so blissfully pleasant and very natural smelling. Now, let's talk about performance issues. I'm partial to a beast-mode fragrance and particularly at this price point I would expect something approaching all day longevity. I had to spray literally half the sample vial (a total of 1ml roughly) in order to project at an acceptable yet inoffensive level and got around 2 hours projection then perhaps another couple hours as a skin scent. I sprayed it on my skin AND my clothes on a warm day. Obviously crazy performance is not what they are going for, so if that's what you want then you will be sorely disappointed. Possibly this is targeted as an easy daywear fragrance for Toorak/ Double Bay residents who can afford to wear Tom Ford on the regular. For me, this just doesn't quite hit the mark and I can think of dozens of brands at the same price point who will get me further. I am placing G&B in the overpriced yet artfully done category. If they ever succeed in producing a performance monster with this level of nostalgia I think they'll be ripe to dominate the niche Australian market.

Inspired by the world’s largest sand island: Fraser Island off the coast of Queensland, Wood Infusion by Goldfield and Banks is paradise in a bottle. It perfectly represents the light and the dark, the heat and the cool, the pleasantness and the undoubtable harshness of the Australian climate. A fragrance of definite contrasts, Wood Infusion was composed by Hamid Merati from Firmenich, blending the creamy sweetness of Australian-grown Santalum album, as well as earthy, buttery iris and dark, peppery, agarwood (oud). The effect is sublime. A fragrance which has strength and solidity, a fragrance of contrasts. The sandalwood is the light and the oud, the darkness. Throughout the wearing, I’m experiencing alternating waves of the two, but the iris keeps this scent grounded and wearable. Completely versatile, I’ve worn this scent on cool days and it’s been cosy and comforting. Conversely, in the heat of the Australian summer, it shimmers and becomes luminous as the woods are warmed by the sun. As with all products from this house, composition, longevity and sillage are outstanding. As the old saying goes “you get what you pay for”. Disclosure: I was sent a sample of this product before writing this review. I still always write honestly about a product and describe honestly how I perceive it!

Instant favorite!! What you get is a caramelized soft oud infused with lavender and iris... deliciously gourmand! It’s sweet, but not too sweet... it’s not citrusy nor fruity... it’s just a very aromatic amazingly blended wood perfume. Imagine Kalan from Parfums de Marly... now dial it down until it actually smells nice... scratch nice, exquisite... and that’s Wood Infusion. This can easily be a signature scent, or an everyday scent, it won’t offend anyone and even people who don’t like oud might find themselves liking this fragrance. Unfortunately, softening heavy accords never helps with projection or longevity... and this perfume is no exception... it radiates within arms length for the first hour, and it seems to be gradually disappearing... by the third hour the perfume’s projection is completely intimate, and by the fourth it has completely disappeared... really sad because it’s an amazing scent. My favorite perfume so far from Goldfield & Banks... although it really lacks on performance.

Opens with a blast of warm,sweet,spicy orange. Warms down to rich yet fresh woodiness. I couldn't detect any iris but the lavender keeps it crisp,with a slightly medicinal vibe. The lasting base notes are a well blended mix & very long lasting. I'm not a fan of oud based perfumes but here it's very subtle,letting the warmer amber & sandalwood be more detectable. The orange notes stay throughout,keeping it fresh but still spicy. Longevity & projection are amazing,on me about 6 - 8 hours. Hard to find in UK but worth seeking out.In Fortnum & Mason approx. £150. If you want similar but a lot cheaper try Zino by Davidoff or go sweeter with Armani Code Profumo. The other frags. from G&B are also great,espcially Pacific Rock Moss. Although all the frags. from G&B are classed as unisex,IMO they are all very masculine.

I got a travel size of this and immediately bought a full bottle. With this being called Wood Infusion, you would assume it would be a heavy wood bomb but it's really not. I am a lover of skin scents and I think this sits in that catergory, it doesn't smell perfumey, it just smells like YOU smell really good. It smells like a sweet addictive ambery iris musk but rather than being an airy clean watery iris musk, the lavender and oud although not really detectable play a part in making it a sweet, deep, warm, ambery, musk and iris. I feel this is not marketed correctly because skin scent girlies are missing out on this one.