Oud Bouquet

Sometimes it’s impossible to know just how good a fragrance is until you smell it on someone else. I’ve loved this fragrance from the first sniff, and part of the reason I waited so long to write a review is because I wanted to do it justice. So here is goes. This is a strong powerful oud, sharp in the opening yet sweet. Rest assured, she is not a barnyard oud. This fragrance is meant to be palatable for a western audience (albeit, the slightly more adventurous lot). The rose is rich, not jammy, and shows itself after the initial blast of oud and saffron. Oh the saffron! I may be biased here as saffron is one of my favorite notes in perfumery.. but I just really appreciate that the saffron sticks around for as long as it does. By the dry down, it’s no longer detectable but it’s there for at least an hour on my skin. Now for the dry down. It is rich, decadent, creamy. The vanilla is so present and made delectable by the light chocolate creaminess of the praline. It never smells like straight chocolate but the fragrance certainly goes into full on gourmand territory. Oud Bouquet has my favorite dry down of all time. I smelled this on my sister at a wedding. She had spritzed some of this on her neck. I could smell it six hours later, wafting around me like a billowy cloud of creamy vanilla praline goodness. It was like dessert for the nose. I have tried Shagaf Oud in the past and loved it too. To my nose they are incredibly similar. This is full bottle worthy and back-up bottle worthy .

This is DEFINITELY Oudh no doubt about that But not sharp like Chantecaille’s Oud Fume (it is a male cologne so it’s expected I guess 🤷🏻 where as this is for women) very very rounded and soft... for an Oudh... generally nostalgic, EDIT: TOTALLY wearable & absolutely Needs no occasion. My aunt who is very picky said it smells “normal” & “nice” when I was asking if it smelled too strong / manly. Bonus she’s a working / career woman, who has worked for The Saudi oilers i.e. rich royalty & sheiks in their homes, so coming from her that says alot. She is a fault-finder with perfumes. Now coming from me: there is no hype here. It’s all 100% real. More than an exquisite well blended Oud, but absolutely an exquisite praline too. To top it off drydown is a mouthwatering Vanilla. 🤤 (EDITED) PREVIOUS REVIEW: I wouldn’t consider this a perfume, but more a “room spray” for your home. I just spray 2 tissues (2 sprays), and The smell lights up an entire room and then some... The whole hall way actually. Very pretty and femme version of an otherwise strong and sharp note of Oud. Definitely for more trained noses. Otherwise you’d smell all kinds of ghastly things.. like... “gasoline”. When there is actually no gasoline

When I (reluctantly) smelled Oud Bouquet for the first time, I fully expected to dislike it BUT instead it knocked my socks right off. I got the Oud, the yummy praline and vanilla, the rich rose. In the opening, the Oud is the most prominent note although the other notes are by no means shy either but once it has melded into your skin, the oud recedes a little and settles into a delightfully balanced, blended, beautiful but still strong fragrance. This is a dense, sweet powerhouse, 10/10 for longevity, sillage and projection so DO NOT over spray or you will choke yourself and everyone around you out. I prefer the latest version/reformulation of this perfume as I feel like the Oud in it is smoother, more rounded and balanced whereas in the older version it is just the teeniest bit sharper, with rougher edges and the other notes are maybe a little overshadowed by it, especially in the opening. The differences are really minor and only there if you want to nit pick. I love all the Maison Lancome bottles but this one with its decadent almost burnt red colored juice is my favorite! I was born and raised in the middle east and because this perfume reminds me of home, I will always own it!

So sad that the Maison Lancôme line is being discontinued 😞 I'm grateful to own all three Oud's that Lancôme had to offer, my favourite being Oud Ambroisie which is severely underrated. A lot has been said about this so I'll keep it short and sweet... Oud Bouquet opens with a blast of oud accompanied by praline, the oud settles and the rose comes out but I can hardly pick it up on my skin. I get mostly the vanilla, praline and oud - thankfully as I'm not a huge fan of a dominant rose fragrance. The rose that I can detect is a powdered pink cabbage rose and not a lush red rose as some might suggest- my mum has a rose garden which I grew up around, they still bloom the same as they did 20 years ago so I am able to decipher the different types of roses. The performance is great (same can't be said about the newer formulation) as to be expected from an oud fragrance. In sum, I'm lucky to own an older formulation and will use it VERY sparingly...I do have so many other fragrances to wear and collect so I can have some peace of mind knowing that I won't go through this like a bottle of water!

This perfume is lovely. A sweet delicious oudy rose. The rose doesn't smell like a potpourri rose, it's a light pretty rose, and although you can pick out all the individual fragrance notes, they are smoothly amalgamated. Which is weird when you think about it.... tree sap, rose, and praline? But it works to make a smooth lovely fragrance. Worthy of purchase. Which is my biggest problem with this perfume....how to come up with the money to purchase it! Edited to add: I did come up with the money to purchase this, in that I had Macy's star money at the same time it went on sale. So pure fucking luck. Now that I have worn this a little longer, I find the Guiaic wood to be the strongest note in the opening, along with the pretty rose, oud, vanilla and a hint of praline, which makes the rose smell sweet. I mostly catch the oud and praline notes in the scent aura around me, but nose to skin, this is all guaiac wood with a sweet pretty rose. Smoothly amalgamated. I really love this fragrance. It somehow smells effortless, but also intense. Sexy beautiful. Fragrance pleasure in a bottle.

There are so many rose+oud fragrances out there - a lot of them just end up smelling like each other. And with so many options around it's also possible to tell the difference in quality. Now this one is absolutely top notch - as good as MFK if not better. Most rose+oud combos I've enjoyed are either floral (MFK Satin Mood) or have patchouli doing wonders (Armani Prive Rose d'Arabie). This one has praline - not the pain your tooth variety though. The sweet notes in this one are smooth - truly a more olfactory experience than one that simply makes you crave dessert. Wonderfully luxurious and...royal! So beautifully balanced and well blended. A truly wonderful creation. And a little goes a LONG way - two sprays on my arm lasted 12+ hours and withstood a warm shower. And this is especially surprising given that my skin usually eats perfume. Perfect for autumns and winters, but honestly this is so well crafted you can pull it off on cooler spring nights if applied with a light hand. There are no sharp edges to this one - just velvety, cozy, smoothness - a rich, luxurious hug!

I smelled this before I got into fragrances and before I trained my nose. I was so confused, really, because at that time I hadn’t smelled anything like this before. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. It wasn’t love at first sight. But time has passed, and my opinion is crystal clear now! This is such a rich, elegant, and dark fragrance that is hard to understand. It’s mysterious, confident, and so sexy. WOW! I fall in love every single time I wear this. How can I explain this perfume’s characteristics? This is not an easily likable clean girl scent. This is dark, dirty, femme fatale vibes for women and rich, confident old-money vibes for men. I wear Oud Bouquet when I wear my pantyhose with a sexy black laced dress and put on dark, dirty makeup. I feel like it complements my look and my character like that. I imagine myself as a sexy bat or something lol. It very rarely gets compliments, definitely not a good blind buy. Sample it first FOR SURE. Sooo unisex in my opinion. Wearable for special occasions in very cold weather. Not suitable for everyday use.

I have never tested the old Oud Bouquet and I don't even want to, this one is already perfect and there is no need to hunt for a rare, slightly different version. Oud Bouquet masters the art of smelling sweet, smooth and feminine but also having a distinct, noticeable oud note. Many other fragrances are either very strong on the oud or bury it under other notes. This one has just the right balance. It's mainly a rose scent to me with some gourmand, woody and almost smokey accents. The rose is, typical for Lancôme, rather sweet and jammy and full. Blended with the softly melting sweet chocolate and nut pralinés and vanilla it's especially scrumptious. But due to the oud this fragrance isn't quite as sweet as the other roses from the wonderful Maison Lancôme line, but has a slightly bitter edge without being harsh and scratchy. I love this whole line, and I wish I could have a bottle of Oud Bouquet too. It's sensual, very long lasting and intense, but I think it should work in many different situations if you spray carefully.

Reviewing this side by side with Swiss Arabian Shaghaf Oud. Golly, they are so simular. It is really difficult to find differences, but there are a few. The oud smells different in these two fragrances. A little more... gasoliny? smelling in the Shaghaf Oud. The rose is slightly prettier in the Oud Bouquet, and blended together more smoothly with the oud and the praline. More amalgamated. I think the Shaghaf Oud may be slightly sweeter, and I would say the drydown is more delicious. These are both perfectly unisex, but side by side, I would say the Oud Bouquet is a little more feminine, because the oud is lighter, and the rose is prettier. Overall, I think I like the Lancome Oud Bouquet a little more. It smells a little more feminine, a little more smooth, and the bottle is exquisite. However, Swiss Arabian Shaghaf Oud is still an amazing fragrance, and at a much better price. The drydown is amazing, and you could blind an intruder with the shiny gold bottle!

Rose and oud...the old reliable, tried and true, time-tested. It's a combo that I've smelled many times and in a lot of different ways. So when I first spray this, I'm immediately hit with that familiar scent of rose and oud. No matter how many times I've smelled this blend, it never fails to bring me joy. So, I may be a little biased, but I love this. At the beginning, this is a very recognizable, almost conventional rose/oud to me. Don't get me wrong though...it still smells luxe and velvety. On my skin, as it dries, the sweet vanilla and praline pop up and give Oud Bouquet a twist. I thought the praline would give this an off-the-charts sweetness, but it doesn't go too sweet on me, which is nice. The vanilla/praline becomes stronger as this dries, so that does make this stand out among other rose/oud combos. This is delicious, but not too gourmand. Very swank and very wearable, this is one of my new favorites. I'm glad I finally have a bottle.

Very similar to the 2014 version, but more feminine and tamed. More rose, less praline and woods in the opening, slightly less projection, but still very strong. If you've never smelled the original, you won't feel like you're missing anything, but the original is better in every regard for me. While they are very similar, the original is very nichy (in a spectacularly good way) whereas the newer version is more commercial, like something from Chanel. As others have stated, both bottles are beautiful, and both versions of this fragrance are great! But, being a man, I feel the original is much more unisex, much thicker and satisfying, more daring. However, if you like cleaner or lighter scents, I'd absolutely suggest trying this version over the original. Plus the original is getting harder to find... wearers of the original likely won't complain too too much about the switch, they are very similar, just not perfectly exact.

This is a deliciously addictive fragrance! This isn't necessarily amazing because of the accords, but because of the quality of the notes. There's enough oud and rose fragrances out there, but what sets this apart for me is how easily I can pull this off as a woman. Despite many other alternatives claiming to be unisex, I still found many to be too deep and loud. This is smooth, soft and sweet oud mixed with fresh roses. It's well balanced and blended; projects just enough that I don't feel self conscious of offending anyone. Oud Bouquet is for the oud/rose lover who doesn't go out dancing or to large crowded events in order to pull it off. It's someone who enjoys oud/rose in smaller intimate settings, where the mystery of this scent invites people in for conversation or simply enjoy wafts of it over dinner. It's mature in the fact that it's nuanced and not screaming for attention,.

I love gourmand fragrances especially chocolate notes. Incredibly difficult to find a fragrance with good quality chocolate note. Lancome Oud Bouquet straight of is a Rose well blended with gourmand and woody notes . I think roses have been masterfully worked in such a way they smell chocolaty. The oud is noticeable but not loud whereas Guaiac wood imparts the woody nuances to the fragrance . Its been quite while since I have tried a good gourmand fragrance. Lancome has been extensively covered by most reviewers and they are right about it . The fragrance stands by the hype and I would consider this a very romantic affair of the perfumer with Chocolate or Praline note. Its a skin scent to me with good gourmand class longevity of 8+ hours. Other Notable chocolate based fragrance I have is pink champagne truffle by Panah.

I sprayed this on my scarf in the winter. About 4 months ago. Today I took the scarf and put it on the table. Some time later I was wondering for a second what a beautiful sweet scent is lingering around the table. I quickly realised it was Oud Bouquet. 4 months later. Filling the area of 2 meters around. If you want your house to smell absolutely irresistible to visitors, put some piece of fabric with this scent somewhere in the way. It's also great to use it in your hair instead of the skin. One, two sprays max and your hair will smell so delicious and irresistible until you wash them, no matter how long that takes. I don't know what it is about this perfume but I think it works slightly better on clothes and in hair. I feel like it might be too much on the skin, and that's something coming from me

I used to work in a restaurant that made French Quarter-style pralines from scratch. Oud Bouquet reminds me of that aroma. It’s sweet, warm, and (on me) intoxicating. The praline note is perfectly complimented by the agar and guaiac woods. The vanilla and rose, believe it or not, are the “lighter” notes in this composition, but they do come out to play in the dry-down. It’s just a really well-blended, high-end gourmand fragrance. As a lover of florals and aquatics, I did not expect to like this, but I’m absolutely obsessed with it this fall. It is super strong, which is fine with me because I tend to wear multiple layers of clothing. So, it’s perfect for those days you want something to project from under all that. Although most would advise not to blind buy this, I’m happy I gave it a shot.

Oud Bouquet is an absolutely outstanding creation, in a magnificently beautiful bottle. Time was taken to tweak this to perfection, a warm oriental that beckons both the mass-produced perfume and niche perfume lovers. I'd call this a gentle introduction to oud provided that the wearer is accustomed to blatantly sticky-sweet nectars that comprise most popular perfumes at the moment. This one is very sweet, but so well done that it's never cloying, just delightfully gourmand from beginning to end. A woody edge keeps it from being too juvenile or vulgar. The performance is magnificent with one spray doing the job all day. Recently this perfume has been my most appealing to the opposite sex. Great for nighttime but I wear it all day. Best suitable for cooler and non-humid weather.

I should tell you I sampled this about 10 times, before I decided to spend so much on it. It is just pure deliciousness - it’s oud of course, but the most wearable, sweet kind of oud out there, combined with luscious praline and soft rose. I’m so happy I decided to break the bank for it, because this is my go to for any day when I want to feel happy.. which is everyday of course. It is not subdued by any means, and can be a bit much at times, but I love it so much, that I really don’t care. It puts me in a good mood no matter what, enveloping me with the most elegant cloud of sweetness, and the bottle is just a masterpiece. If you like the way it smells, don’t sleep on it, you will be so happy you got it, there’s nothing else quite like it!

I bought a sample because of Demi Rawling. I expected not to like it at the first sniff and develop my taste for oud but I LOVED it at the first sniff. Is it jammy and cloying for some noses? Probably. But to me it is sweet like rose flavoured sugar syrup. It is also woodsy and smokey and I love anything which is smokey sweet. It is definitely for gourmand lovers because it is so sweet. If you have been to one of those Middle Eastern souks, it is reminiscent of that. I'd definitely say sample this because I could see this being head ache inducing. But I am all about this scent right now. I wish I didn't love this as much as I do, because I have no idea how I can afford the full bottle. If anyone is looking to exchange/sell this, reach out!

On my skin it's like a mixture sauce of honey,saffron and rose...too sweet. So stop yourself from bilndbuying this just based on the hype. I don't smell nor project any oud sadly. but All could change when the weather gets colder. Lasts average 4 hours on me. My favorite in this line is Magnolia Rose. I don't hate it but I wouldn't say I love it. ======= Few weeks later : So today is a rainy day and I am wearing this perfume snd finally the Oud is shining through. And it's now Saffran and dry oud and s tiny hint of Rose. Not sweet ,not sticky . it's more of a dusty cloudy oud. I used 4 sprays and I can smell it on myself and really enjoying it. This is the beauty of perfumes. They are different based on the weather and skin type.

This is a smoky dark sexy oud with sweet rose, praline in a mysterious way. It is a dense-rich gourmand well done. To me, this fragrance is very feminine, womanly, confident and noticeable! I got two compliments on it last night when I wore it out to the grocery store. This was made to be worn by people with big personalities, an extroverted in your face, high heels, skinny jeans red bra, white shirt, messy hair and red lipstick type of gal not afraid to tell people the heck with you. Lol Of course, I am biased, I own 6 of their perfumes from the Maison Lancôme line – Oud Bouquest, Oud Ambroisie, Rose Berberanza, Tubéreuses Castane, Jasmins Marzipane and l’Autre Oud. As always, wear your perfume for you and not for others.