R'oud Elements

AFter sampling literally dozens of oud fragrances for 48 hours each (and more whilst at boutiques) and springing for 5 tiny vials of various actual oud oils, I feel I am starting to get a bit of a better sense of oud than I had when I first smelled the department store ouds at sephora and bloomingdales that got me interested in niche perfumery in the first place. With that intro, I believe Kerosene is one of the more interesting, and definitely among the most discernable, most unique oud fragrances I have ever smelled (I want to say 'out there right now', but there are so so many, and I am only one nose in one place--the bay area--what the hell do I really know). I feel like it deserves an award of some sort, some kind of recognition. I want so badly to want it and to embrace it as a signature. Yet it smells a little too vinegar-y, a little too acrid, for my taste, ultimately. I keep wanting it to round out, to be a tad more smokey, a little more warm, and yet ir retains that grapefruit-rind/balsamic cinegar top half over the oud bottom even hours after application. I really applaud this achievement, although it does make the fragrance not the one for me. It is provocative. I like to smell fragrances before looking at the pyramid or learning the notes or much of its background, so that I can form an unbiased first and second opinion before returning to it more informed. So I feel confident and affirmed to find that not only are the orange bitters a priminent note in this cocktail, but that others also found that that note trumped the oud. I found it longer lasting and with more sillage than the average rater on here, but its unisex nature and lack of conventional 'sex' or 'musk' or animalic elements makes it appropriate for work or situations where people are confined in close quarters and stronger perfume might be discouraged. Try it out. IT could become your signature. PEople would remember you for it. It isn't dirty; it isn't barnyard. It isn't incense, either. I don't smell any lavender nor vanilla, but I do smell more than orange bitters and oud, so Kerosene has succeeded in making something that is far greater than the sum of its parts--more so than some far more lauded, more experienced and celebrity noses have (such as the 6-piece oud line Cartier currently has that is wonderful but, after smelling things like R'oud elements, a trifle over-hyped). This frangrance deserves more hype. It smells very niche, not mainstream. It is pretty novel, in a class of its own. Not powdery enough for me, but perfect for somebody... I DO keep returning to the sample I got to use it as a point of reference and compare it to other scents. It wouldn't be good for layering--it is too mcuh of a fiished cocktail already--but I know it is a Good Thing and has the signature of its maker all over, and stands the test of time, and when I've smelled too many other samples and gotten confused about what is too much to expect of a Good Fragrance, I use this as a staple to remind myself that, no, something that falls short is not just me being too demanding: fragrances that are complex and enticing and difficult and masterful (yet affordable) do and can exist, and are not too much to ask. I hope the maker lives long and prospers: more than anything else, R'oud elements makes me want to smell all the rest of his creations in hope of finding something I absolutely NEED for my fragrance library. I would like to meet its maker. This is a scent that I would feel proud wearing, if that makes sense. That is why I wish the orange bitters weren't a bit of a turn-off for me: I feel really proud of the scent and wish I were in a position to show it off more. If I had a boyfriend or female roommate and he or she liked it, I would, for instance,gift it to them and push them to wear it often. Most significant is that the oud and the orange bitters seem to last equally long, and neither dissipates or overtakes the other as time goes on. It lasts for hours yet doesn't hit other people in the room in the face, I don't think. It's right on the cusp between heavy and enormous sillage (but I'm always dissatisfied with sillage and longevity, so my votes may lean toward under-representing the average experience).

The title is great. R’oud Elements. Rude Elements. Oud has been placed on a pedestal, lofted so high above so many other materials that, today, it has a sacred and revered status amongst Eastern and Western perfumery. A genre all to itself commanding cult like reverence, its followers seething and frothing at mouth if you lack an encyclopedic knowledge of their Master. John Pegg wants to put oud in the chair of a Dean Martin Celebrity Roast. And he is going to be absolutely rude to it. Oud is nearly always dark, deep, serious, complicated, fungal and funky, medicinally fruity, animalic and leathery, oily woody, hay like and earthy floral - with an emphasis on the first four characteristics regardless of which notes (or set of notes) are pushed forward. Oud doesn’t have a sense of humor. R’oud makes oud bright, shallow, aloof, and unostentatious; there are hardly any fungi or funks, animalics or leathers. In fact - psst, let me whisper this - I think there isn’t any oud in here at all.... I think the big, rude joke is sandalwood. If there is any oud it’s been emasculated and neutered to be nearly unrecognizable to the ouds we know today, similar to the Western ouds of the early 2000s (think M7), perhaps a drop or two of synthetic substitutes or something similar instead. A huge squirt of bitter and oily orange zest runs through R’Oud, adding an immediate feeling of playful levity. It’s the punchline of R’Oud, making sure whatever self-importance and seriousness oud has cannot escape derision. The way it coats and flexes against the wood notes and amber notes made me think of Orange Star by Tauer for a lot of the time - which is to say high marks, particularly for the way the orange note carries on for so long and so tenaciously. Oily herbal and floral lavender does the same, and a buttery orris accentuates the soft, musky, and milky qualities of the sandalwood amber base. There is leather at the final dry down and skin scent, the last attempt by oud to regain some dignity. The sandalwood and amber notes are lactone heavy; there is a significant amount of creaminess spread like cream cheese all over this toasty and orangey goodness, a bit sour and a touch salty, but it never reaches anything close to sickly or thick. To this last point, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I am a big fan of the way Pegg puts a lot of air and space into his perfumes. They feel enormous and spread out, like a Western US sky, and the notes - for however rich, loud, and/or complex they may be - never crowd each other. And R’Oud, this creme d’orange dessert at the expense of oud’s ego, is no exception to Pegg’s excellent skills. I am completely taken with this perfume, though I had no expectations to be. “An orangey and creamy oud? - how tf is that supposed to work?!” I had no idea how, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t - and brilliantly at that. It just goes to show that Pegg has more tricks up his sleeve than just gargantuan spices, wood smoke, and earth, and he is a seriously talented perfumer to keep an eye on.

I had a short visit in Parma in Italy, and in my third perfume store was shown the Kerosene fragrances. R'oud elements stuck out from everything else I had smelled, and I fell asleep that night in my hotel room intermittently sniffing my forearm that had been sprayed earlier in the evening. the bright and bitter orange citrus I felt in the store, and the woody oud amber with hints of vanilla came out in my hotel room. After getting home, I went online and researched it, and discovered the backstory, but I came at it as it was just another bottle in just another perfume store, and I had to have it. Now that I got my bottle I ordered online from the kerosene store, it smells just as good as I remember, but now I noticed the metallic aspect of the citrus opening that I didn't percieve before. The drydown is just great, with everything I could ask for. it is still present, waking up the next day, and the oud reminds me of oud wood from tom ford, just fainter and wrapped in a slightly sweet cozy amber. I really like it, and plan to use it for my signature scent this fall and winter. I also recieved a generous 5 samples with my order, so consider ordering direct if you want to sample more of the Kerosene line. The bottle is beautiful and looks great on my shelf. very classy. One last note... I was in a local perfume store and tried the Carner barcelona Black calamus. the drydown was similiar, but I think I prefer R'oud elements.

The smell of a lone orange tree within a dark and lush forest. Have you ever wanted an oud scent that you can wear at any time, and at any place? Something daring, yet something entirely versatile? Well boy does Kerosene have something in store for you. A squirt of bitter orange on top of a dark old woody oud slaps you in the opening. Sharp and fresh yet woody and complex. Gorgeous. As it begins to dry it the edges begin to smooth as powdery lavender and iris support the fresh assets, while the dark and woody oud rounds out with some slight creamy sandalwood and amber sweetness. I am a sucker for sharp and fresh citrus on a darker note, and while "Arid" by Piper & Perro has sharp blood orange on leather/suede, this has that bitter orange on oud. Most versatile oud I've ever smelled. Most versatile from Kerosene. Very good performance and projection as per to be expected from Kerosene. 10/10. Signature Scent Worthy. Idk how some of you all are getting Bull's Blood by Imaginary Authors, this is not at all similar with BBs heavy damp patchouli, rose combo with a dark musk backbone... might wanna get your nose checked out.

Absolute gem 10/10. Masterfully blended with high quality ingredients. This is a smoky dry woody fragrance. I don't get any Oud out of this as it's in the base just like Adp colonia oud. I don't get the orange peel much either and it's a great thing. But there's this bomb of a note the legendary mysore sandal note the peppery dry yet creamy and overtly dominant note. This dirty sandal tones out every other note and makes a very well balanced strong masculine masterpiece. The best and the most generous use of the highest quality of a sandal note. That's why even though its harsh woodiness could be overwhelming at the beginning it tones down astonishingly into this airy sandal woodiness done to the level of perfection. Its Roud and loud. Hats off John Pegg. I have 8 other fragrances from this house as decanta and each one is unrealistic olfactory experience. This guy is the master of woody frags. I got a full bottle of this before it is watered down cos this is some really high quality stuff. Update: I get an airy Lavender, A nice juicy orange too. Sandal is spicy woody. Still no oud.