Oud for Happiness

Oud for Happiness isn't one that was necessarily on my radar. I knew of it, and I think I had tried it on a test strip at Nordstrom before, but I wasn't wowed by it. However, when I saw a sample being sold for literally $1 I figured I really didn't have much to lose, so I'll go ahead and give it a proper test. Not much else to say, so let's get into it; Scent: The opening is woody, sweet, and spicy. The primary notes I get are bergamot, vanilla, oud, and licorice. The strongest of the notes are the oud and vanilla. The vanilla hogs the spotlight as the fragrance opens with a rich and creamy accord. Right behind the vanilla is the oud with an intense woodiness. The oud in this fragrance is same type of oud you find in Oud For Greatness; natural, animalic, and attention-grabbing. This is followed by the licorice and bergamot. The licorice adds more sweetness with a healthy dose of spiciness to add contrast. Lastly, the bergamot slides in some spicy citrus to freshen up the opening a bit. I also get a hint of the ginger for a little bit more fresh spice. The dry down is sweet, woody, and warm. The primary notes I get are licorice, oud, vanilla, and cedar. The strongest of the notes are the vanilla and licorice. The vanilla has the same sweet and creamy accord from the opening, while the licorice has built in strength to add warmth and spice along with more sweetness. In the dry down, the licorice note reminds me of what I get in Sauvage Elixir. It's vague, but strong enough to draw that connection. This is followed by the oud and cedar. In the dry down the oud has stepped back a bit, but it still hits your nose with the same animalic tinge from the opening. Lastly, the cedar doubles down on the woodiness but with a much softer edge than the oud. Performance: Initial projection is nuclear and easily fills even a large room. Sillage matches that intensity with a dense and heavy scent trail that's impossible to miss. After a few hours the projection was about 5-6 feet and the scent trail was still easily noticeable. At the 7 hour mark the projection was about 3-4 feet and the scent trail was a little quieter but still noticeable. The fragrance became a skin scent around hour 10. When to wear: This is a fall/winter fragrance most suited for evening wear. This isn't a casual wearing fragrance, and it best reserved for special occasions like dates or formal settings. This would not be a safe wear for the office. Blind buy: If you like the idea of Oud For Greatness, Sauvage Elixir, and a heaping dose of vanilla all mixed together, this would be a safe blind buy for you. Outside of that, I would recommend you try it before you buy it. Final verdict: I went into this fragrance not expecting much and it turned out to be one of my favorite Initio's yet. To me, this takes what I like about Oud For Greatness and improves upon it with decadent vanilla and warm, spicy, and sweet licorice. Don't get me wrong, OFG is a great scent and does oud very well; but Oud For Happiness just offers more complexity and is more appealing in my opinion. As of right now, this fragrance has secured a place on my "buy list". This will be one of those that I save for when I want to make a statement. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 8/10 P.S. @Fountain30 If you can't smell the oud in this you might wanna get your nose checked friend.

I have recently tried this and I was completely blown away by how unique this is. I really do no get why not that many people talk about it and I absolutely cannot understand how people think this has a weed accord. Well, if that's the case, please smell Oud Ganja by Jul et Mad and contact me later. Anyways, to my very picky nose, this gives a warm feeling in a weird, unexplainable way. It has something oily-like that offers a luxurious spa-like feel while keeping everything elegant and wearable. It creates a nice aura around you and it definitely gives you a sense of calm and happiness indeed. Definitely try it on the skin and judge it with an open heart as the combination of sweet licorice, herbal notes, musk and the dominance of the ginger definitely make this something that draws attention. There is synthetic oud so nothing animalic about it, just pure joy. I'm not sure why they chose the black-gold design of the bottle. Nothing to do with Oud for Greatness (that one is more woody and spicy) or OFG Neo (similar to OFG but greener and lighter), it's just in a league of its own. It should've been in the hedonist line (the white bottles) with a green or black metallic accent color. It is kind of sweet so I would wear this during colder days or chilly summer nights and definitely spray lightly if you plan on wearing it indoors. Also, it is 100% unisex and no soul on earth can convince me otherwise. P.S. I love the brand for the bottom of my heart. Therefore the review comes from someone who truly knows and has tried all of their fragrances.

I came back to repost a new review on this scent since my original review in December 2021 was blowing the scent out of proportion and I had subsequently gained valuable experience to offer a better description. In my first review, I stated that I thought Oud for Happiness was getting a bad rep for being, what is in essence, the successor to 'Oud for Greatness' while not being anything like that scent (which is true). Since then, I'd say its reputation has improved. I think Oud for Happiness was my most liked scent profile of 2021 because it seemed very easily wearable. The main thing I get is a sweet licorice/vanilla vibe with hints of citrusy and soft spicy. It has a small Christmas vibe to it, like spices & tangerine. The scent has a very bright feel to it, and is very much unisex. The scent does not evolve much which in this case I would say is a positive, and the only traces of oud/darker tones are spotable only when you go looking for them unlike scents such as Amouage's King Blue where they are very prominent behind the likable airy tones. There are 2 glaring problems with this scent. Sillage we are talking intimate from the start on a realistic amount of sprays, I'd rate sillage a 2/10. The scent also has a limited longevity, I don't think we can even get 6 hours. Expect closer to 4-5 hours (rating 4/10). To me, this is an evening wind-down scent or an intimate setting fragrance, but for €295 many would expect so much more.

In the opening you get a blast of ginger with a spicy lemon and a subtle vanilla on the bottom. The true protagonist however is liquorice, sweet but not gourmandy like it smells very sofisticated and rich, complex... The oud is not very prominent as for oud for greatness instead it takes a very green aspect here, in my opinion is cannabis lathogh it is not listed in here. once it settles down it becomes much more earthier and the liquorice starts developing and radiating giving the scent a beautiful sillage, not a roomfiller, but def a great sillage. this scent is misterious, rich and a very very original take... never smelled anything like it, if you wear this you are gonna stand out, nobody will ever smell anyhing like this you will not have the problem of reminding yor gf of the perfume of her ex. Now, it is not for everyone, if you don't like the liquorice stay out of this because that is predominantly what it smells like, vanilla liquorice and earth with a green touch to it. Does it last ? Not as long as i would like 6-7hrs is what i get but with very very good sillage and projection. I have not tried to spray on clothes but reading the other comments i might do just that. To me is a solid 8.5/10 the points i deducted are because of its price and because of the longevity issues i get. For the rest if you like the scent profile give it a try this is very good. If you liked the review remember to like it ;)

Here's my 2 cents. I love it. You get a HUGE blast of citrus and ginger. It lists bergamot but I get like more of a lime and ginger, but I think that's just me. Then in the mid, you do get that licorice-ish scent along with the cedar but the cedar is really hard to detect (at least for me). The drydown is where it really becomes wonderful. You get that vanilla with musk that smells so amazing, it's a very creamy musky vanilla, if you don't like the opening, I recommend you waiting for the drydown. I do get oud, but it's not that much present. It's kind of just...somewhere there wandering around the notes not knowing if it wants to introduce itself or just stay in the shadows. I understand why some people are bothered by that, if the fragrance is called "Oud for Happiness" I would expect a very present oud. But like I said the oud in here is not really all there, but I still bought a bottle because of that fresh, crisp, sparkling ginger note with bergamot (again, I think it's more like lime) and then the creamy vanilla musky with a soft touch of oud is TO DIE FOR. I do not regret it, I will say that it's not blind buy safe, just because of unique this fragrance is. Btw, Oud for Happiness and Oud for Greatness are not even remotely close to smelling like one another, 100% different fragrances.

An absolute monster of a fragrance, but definitely not for everyone. While I was quite disappointed while testing Oud For Greatness (Which I actually expected to buy, until I tried it), this fragrance completely blew me away instantly. While I understand how people who crave that raw and beautiful classic oud scent profile, would never even consider this, this is just unique and totally different from other oud fragrances. I get A LOT of licorice from this, both initially and in the dry down, which I absolutely adore. The combination of that intense licorice with a dash of oud really makes this unique and in my opinion, absolutely outstanding. I do not get the weed comparison at all - There is no smokey or incense note in this at all. If this is to be considered a "weed" fragrance, every other fragrance with a hint of herbal notes might be as well. This fragrance is extremely potent and has good projection and longevity on my skin. Which I expect (but do not always get), with such a high price point. I think this leans quite masculine and is definitely not a blind buy for anyone - But I would suggest to try it out if you get the chance. Perfect for parties and christmas dinners over the winter period - I know I'll be using mine quite a lot during the cold season.

Man this stuff is awesome!!! Great spring and early fall time type of scent for me, or just year round if indoors. I love anise, fennel, liquorice and carrot seed notes in fragrances, especially when done with a bit of a heavy hand such as here, A*Men Pure Tonka, an all time favorite of mine. Dior Savage Elixir, Carolina Herrera 212 VIP Black, and another Mugler, Alien Man. I don't know why it seems to be such a devicive note, as generally black liquorice is a very devicive taste but the anise and fennel note is very pleasant and liquorice is just a thicker, heavier, sweater version of that same profile. Anyway, this stuff is stellar and the citrus and ginger combo paired with the liquorice is just top notch for me. Is it designer esq? Sure, but that could be said of many of my very favorite niche fragrances, while there are very, very few designer fragrances that can truly be said to have niche grade characteristics. Dior Homme' Parfum, Fan De Fendi Assolutto, Issey Miyake Noir Amber and Paco Rabannes 1 Million Intense are the only ones that I can come up with and those last two are both by the same perfumer. Maybe Savauge Elixir, BDC Parfum, Dior Homme 07 and Original Valentino Uomo could be argued for but that is pushing it.

I immediately got hooked onto this fragrance from the first smell of the sample I got. What a beautifully deliciously unique scent. It’s got a touch of that citrus and ginger with an underlying sweetness and this bright green essence. I can’t really sense the oud so much, only maybe a tad bit. Like a lot of people say it’s a little dark but has a much brighter side to it compared to OFG. I strongly prefer this over OFG as well. There’s also a candy like sweetness to it that isn’t too overwhelming and compliments the other aspects of the scent super well. I will say though that this scent does seem to be very polarizing sadly, very much not a safe blind buy. However I do think it’s worth looking into as I personally think it gets too much flak for being a little strange in its openings As a scent I think it is perfectly represented in its name of happiness and its enchanting green and gold esque bottle. I will also say it is very very overpriced like a lot of niche houses are. Highly recommended getting it through gray markets. 435 is too much for any fragrance.

My my! This is an odd one. As I was reading through the other reviews it felt like I was getting slapped around since I truly can see how someone would detect ALL of the following: -salt n pepper chicken -money and an old lemon lolly -weed -a Band-Aid -some kind of herbal Asian soup -white chocolate -saffron -horrible and disturbing -amazing and lovely and I love it They're all right. And even at the eyewatering pricepoint, I am considering saving up for a full bottle. Why?? There is something about it I find absolutely magical. It's both fresh and dank at the same time. Bright and dark. Neither too sweet nor too bitter. Lovely but weird. I wouldn't go so far as to call it *challenging* (you could get away with wearing it in a crowd without people wrinkling their noses), but I think everyone who smells this gets something different from it... NOT a safe blind buy, but do test it. I'll need to spend some more time with this fragrance, but even after a day's wear I think I am hooked.

Someone just said this smells like weed? I wish I got weed that smell like this because it's amazing. I personally don't believe it's aptly named. I don't know what it is, but something about this fragrance reminds me of something I've smelled in a dream, if that makes any sense. It smells like it's familiar to me but, I dont know where from. The reason I say that it is not aptly named is because it barely has any oud in it. But it definitely did bring me happiness upon smelling it, lol. Someone said the bottle design is "tacky?" Either you are just a huge snob, or you don't know what tacky means. Anyway, I don't recommend this for someone who wants a strong oud scent. I wouldn't say it's just incorrectly named, I would say the name is almost deceitful. Even with that being said, it's still a beautiful and relatively long-lasting scent. It's very bright, quite inspiring in my opinion. This is one of those fragrances where all the notes just jingle together in Perfect Harmony.

I actually love this. It leans into gourmand territory but it's not too sweet. This opens with a beautiful ginger note that is to die for. The bergamot and the ginger paired together are so magical and green. I feel like I've definitely smelt the opening before. Maybe in Nishane’s Ani. Unfortunately the ginger freshness doesn't last for too too long. It still stays in the background but it fades quickly into a licorice and musk scent. I love licorice and musk in my fragrances so this was a love. The oud is the same oud in OFG but OFG is a lot more spicy, it's more astringent and powerful. The oud in OFH is not the center piece but I can detect it very easily. Luckily this scent is also not powdery. The dry down is a very yummy burnt sugar. I can individually smell the oud, licorice and vanilla as well. This lasts forever but the price? Not worth it at full price at all!

Sometimes i don’t understand ratings here on this page. Yes i must accept first time i smelled it, i was like wtf is that? Cough syrup? But after half an hour i completely changed my opinion. This is so so good guys so underrated the drydown is where this materpiece shines, woods vanila a lime dancing around each other and what really surprised me was it’s performance. I can see that it could belong to The Hedonist line, because it has that relaxing and calming feeling and your eyes tend to roll back if you smell it on your skin. Is it better than OFG? Depends, the scent profile i like more OFG but it has limits in versatility, this on the other hand you can wear anytime you want (except extremely hot days could be cloing). I’m glad that not many people smell the hidden gem in this, less propability i will meet somebody who wears same perfume like me :P

I will start by saying that Im not sure how saffron is not listed as thats what I immediately pick up and what draws me to this perfume. The opening is a blast of citrus and ginger and saffron, the saffron stays, and then settles down into the licorice and oud with some ripe and unripe fruit in the background maybe due to the herbal notes listed. Within a few hours it seems to be just oud and a little saffron to keep it wafting. I wear this mostly working in the yard and around the house on weekends. I find it very masculine and pleasing. I dont think its sexy per se but I find it enjoyable to wear. I bought a 2oz decant spray and liked it enough to buy a 5oz decant spray. We will see if I go through it with the warmer months coming. Probably shelve it until fall soon as I think the scent might be too much as the heat comes into New England.

As I was standing at the initio stand smelling oud for happiness, I decided to check Fragratica to see what people are saying about it, and oh wow...a lot of hateful comments! Despite all the hate, I can smell an amazing FRESH MOJITO cocktail (but first sniff reminded me of Coca-Cola, icy cold one with crushed ice and a slice of lime in it) with a slight woodiness to it. It is a refreshing type of oud, and I LOVE IT. Bergamot and ginger are stars of the show in this pyramid; they set the vibe just right! Absolutely yes to wearing it all year round— perfect for every season! Projection: excellent; sillage, also great. The first thing is, I got noseblind quickly, but I can still smell it on clothes. This one went proudly to my collection and already received a compliment!

Finally a good one from Initio! In love with both Oud for Happiness and Oud for Greatness, but I think I prefer OfH a little more. It has a bright edge to it. The oud is deep and sultry, but completely wearable due to the lightness of bergamot and ginger. The licorice is bringing a little bit of spice. I do agree it's quite intoxicating. The scent profile reminds me of Ani a little bit (not similar by any means, just the vibe it gives off), but I prefer OfH. Lovely perfume! Edit: I also have to mention longevity and projection... both are insane. One spray in the morning, it was still on my wrist the next day, with a shower in the between. This one spray projected like crazy from under my jumper when I was outside. Definitely a beast mode.

This is just a stunner of a fragrance. STUNNING. I don't understand why there isn't more hype around it but it's fine by me...it's gatekeeping itself! It opens with a blast of citrus then gingery spice then something lightly vanillic. No oud...at all...at all...at all...at all, which is my preference but for anyone thinking this would be oud-y, it isn't. Not even a faint whisper. It's in the same vain as Nishane Ani but the vanilla is toned down quite a bit in this. I get the licorice, albeit very faint as well but it's there. It isn't medicinal, more like a cooling effect. Oud for Happiness is just gorgeous! I'd say it leans feminine because it's very fresh but definitely can be worn by a man. Also, definitely a four season fragrance.

Honestly I wore it and tested it out BOTH OFH and OFG Original... The OFH will splash Ginger in the beginning With some bergamot the GINGER Really Really Strong but after 10-15 THE HAPPINESS Comes After ( Indian Oud ). Who Ever wants Initio For Oud I mean Actual Oud GO FOR THE OFH.. OFG is more Oud woody but the OFH You Smell the Actual Oud...before we get to the projection . LONGEVITY on these Oud fragrances we don’t need to explain they both last on skin now we get to projection... PROJECTION OFG on My Skin 4/10 PROJECTION OFH on my skin 9/10 GUYS DONT JUDGE OFH in the first 5 minutes because of the Ginger. Judge it after 15-20 minutes THE HAPPINESS JUST COMES AFTER 😍 . THE BEAST MODE STARTS WITH THE INDIAN OUD in the Middle Note

This is quickly becoming my new signature. This is so invigorating and uplifting. I wear this much more often then I thought I would. I had sampled the original (which pulled too masc on me), but found a great deal on this, so it was a blind buy. First sniff, I was in heaven. It has this energy to it with the burst of ginger and spiciness to it. This has a smoother oud that does teeter along a scent of weed. (A similar scent, Vertus Narco'sis, doesn't have as much ginger but more weed scent). I bought a second bottle for my car. My travel decanter wasn't enough for how much I love this pick me up. It isn't a safe blind buy, especially for females, but it's one that "if you know, you know" : truly kismet and cheaper than therapy. 😅

It's gorgeous, therefore I don't understand why some people don't enjoy the fragrance. It is sweet, but in a wonderful way, as the gingery opening allows the oud to blossom while also calming the bergamot enough to stay. The oud is impacted in an incredible way by the herbs, vanilla, and musk in the base. Since the oud is expertly prepared and does not include any chemicals, I fail to see why some people are breaking their noses. The name oud for happiness is in a way "Happy" and is not as dark and mysterious as "Odd for Greatness," but it is still great. It is definitely different and quite remarkable, and it will definitely turn heads. Overall, the play on my skin feels sweet, playful, distinctive, and amazing 9 out of 10.

Buying Oud for Happiness was a complete surprise. I didn't know anything about it until I got a free sample of Happiest Aoud by Alexandria Fragrances, which is a clone of it. Happiest Aoud was so good that I had to try the real thing. I got the 5ml travel spray from Initio and wore it on 4 different days and realized I had to get the 90ml bottle. The ginger and licorice complement each other so well. And the vanilla and musk in the dry down is fantastic. I get a smokey grass scent, probably the "oud", after about an hour. Longevity is 11-12 hours on my skin. It's a skin scent well beyond that.