Oud Headspace

Stark contrasts seems to be a current theme in Julien Rasquinet's work. Oud by Headspace to me lives in the same world as Oud in White. Both fragrances have a very brief fruity opening, a delicate floral heart and a powerful, dark, leathery base. In both cases it feels like the floral components are almost drowning in a sea of darkness. The balance seems a bit off, rough around the edges, which I guess is intentional. In the case of Oud by Headspace, after the short fruity opening, the fragrance is immediately pulled into it's mid mainly consisting of orange blossom with the all-encompassing darkness already humming in the background. It doesn't take long for the base to take over, dark and rich with lots of strength. I can't say that I'm smelling oud, it's more of a smoked, leathery patchouli. Even in the late drydown, the orange blossom persists and blooms in the midst of the fragrance. It's an orange blossom leathery oud fragrance, kind of a new category when you think about it. It's definitely a very curious fragrance, something that makes you go back to it to experience it again. Especially in the air it's quite elegant and beautiful. Longevity is way above average with strong sillage. An impression from my brother, who is not a fragrance nerd, when I asked him what he thought about the fragrance: he asked me if it's one of those "massively expensive Arabic/ Middle Eastern fragrances" that I sometimes like to wear. That's definitely the energy of this one.

The fragrance seems to open upside down. At first, leather, oud, and patchouli dominate — so rough and brazen that it feels like a deliberate repulsion strategy: “love me dirty”. Only after some time does all this carnality and brutality subside, giving way to a voluminous floral-fruity facet of the composition. First “ugh,” then “wow” — but only for those who have the patience.