Velvet Rose & Oud

Easily the freshest, most relaxed of all sweetened rose-oud fragrances I have ever tried. It's not as opulent and formal as MFK Oud Satin Mood, not as sweet and gourmand as Lancôme Oud Bouquet and softer than either of them. It's perfect if you're new to oud or if you want a rosey oud for every day. Even though it's much airier than other fragrances from this category, Velvet Rose & Oud is not a light scent per se, especially not for a Jo Malone, and for sure not weak. It just doesn't have a monster sillage. This is a jammy rose with clean, slightly medicinal wood and a gourmand undertone. I wouldn't call that note praliné, it's not that nutty, maybe more like vanilla with a hint of chocolate. The oud is more noticeable in the drydown, but never overwhelming. I also sense something fruity which lifts the fragrance up, like the rose was blended with lychee, raspberry and lemons. The overall impression is very smooth and indeed velvety. I think I still prefer the louder, ultra-gourmand Oud Bouquet a little, but if I ever crave a light version of this concept, I will know where to look for it. Beautiful fragrance. By the way, I do not find this in any way similar to Lush Rose Jam, Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme or Mancera Roses Vanilla, which all have votes right now or got mentioned in other reviews. Sure, they are all rose scents, but otherwise very different.

A52, (May 2022 batch) Sorry for my below first impression. This is Noir de Noir has no connection whatsoever. But this one are stand out by it own. Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud is easier scent to wear in realm of Rose & Oud combination. As it rely heavily on sweet latonic/chocolate accord base. It is very sweet and this is Rose dominant than Oud. Oud in this work like backbone for the scent for deeper sensational. Opening is very fruity, I smell lychee then reveal Rose. Rose here, is fairy juicy lust rose. What make this unique is Milky/Latonic/Chocolate base. And It is very sweet and tasty. However, this is work in Jo Malone manner, which is Thin and Airy. and No, this doesn't have Arabian style oud. This is layer well with TomFord OudWood resulting in Latonic, powdery Rose Oud For those who interest in purchase, blind. If you familiar with Rose & Oud. Go ahead, this is very easy to use. (but bare in mind, this is very sweet / latonic undertone) 8/10 ====== First Impression After my instant love with TF Noir de Noir. i really like that rose part along mild oud dept with Chocolate accord without Savory Truffle / patchouli - this is it. This is nice for daily wear. I find oud a bit show up than Noir de Noir but it’s totally okay. I feel like I also get extremely lite patchouli as well. Overall, it’s tone down noir de noir of rose part. Major love for me. 9/10

Rich, port and meltingly smooth blackberry dessert wine, almost smells like Amy Winehouse’s velvety voice bottled. To me it’s a dark berry and red rose perfume ( but not Black Bacarra red, a bit lighter red, more like Ingrid Bergman). The praline note is not strongly present and the oud is lighter and stays in the backround, just like an aftertaste. Thanks to that you could easily wear it during the day, when feeling vampy. The longevity is very Jo Malone’esque - kinda meh, but it’s longlasting on the clothes. The sillage is moderate. If you feel like you want to swim in it, but the price is not awesome, then try ‘Velvet and Oud’ by Jenny Glow. It’s a pretty good dupe. The first 10 minutes there is something that smells a bit chemical and I was nopenopenope, but then it faded away and you pretty much have your Jo Malone for 10 something euros. It also smells very similar to Rose D’arabie edp by Armani Prive, but I feel that the rose in the Armani one is more piercing and not as velvety and balanced (but in the drydown these two are honestly very similar, the Armani one is more longlasting tho, but still pretty light). If you want a beastmode rose-oud, go for Oud Bouquet edp by Lancome, but that one is different, it’s a LOT sweeter and praline dominant. Soundtrack - Hooverphonic - Mad About You (Live at Koningin Elisabethzaal 2012)

This is one of the first Jo Malone fragrances that I fell in love with especially when the “oud” trend started a few years ago. I started to wear this as an evening fragrance in the winter and had a lot of people say that it smells “strong but sexy take on a rose fragrance ” which I thought was interesting. Longevity on skin was around 2+ hours however that did not matter to me because I always had it in my bag so I would re-spray. I fell more in love with it when Jo Malone released the body oil and I decided to layer it with the cologne on a summer evening and it was too overwhelming because the oud really “heats up” on the skin and the rose completely fades away. I also bought this in a candle form which is absolutely gorgeous however it is not a scent in a candle that should burn for hours, light it up for 30 min and you will feel the scent linger around for hours. I wish that Jo Malone would make a lighter version of this cologne however Red Roses is also very beautiful and more suitable for an everyday scent. It takes a lot of confidence to wear this fragrance, you will definitely be the center of attention and hear feedback from people. Overall it is a masterpiece and I truly believe that it is one of the best Rose & Oud fragrances on the market

I am not a fan of oud (so far in my fragrance journey after having worn bright juicy rose fragrances my whole life and now loving dirty smoky roses) and hated Oud Satin Mood because it smelled like baby wipes to me. But the hype is real on this one, this is definitely a beginners oud. Initial spray is that slight baby wipe but with a warm earthy rose. In a couple minutes thankfully the baby wipe scent was gone and i could finally differentiate the oud. It is definitely a soft dry woody scent and although I wouldn't describe it as animallic, there was a depth that I couldn't quite describe as I'd never smelled it before. I liked it though, it's definitely NOT off putting if your scared of oud. Half an hour in and I was left with a deep delicious sophisticated women's dark rose with some praline and oud as support. This scent is not bright, nor smoky, nor too syrupy sweet from the praline. It is very well balanced and beautiful. 6+ hours. Might be a little mature for me (early 20s) but I can imagine myself reaching for this when I want to feel GROWN or like I have my shit together. This is a woman who knows what she wants and doesn't command attention or respect. By her very nature she just receives it.