Gold Spot

I've tried all three of Chris Maurice's ouds created for Sarah Baker. Each is a masterpiece in its own right, but this latest release is probably the most perfect in hardcore perfumery terms; deeply classic but also new and different. It's definitely a gourmand take on oud. There's this rich butterscotch, caramel sweetness and hints of bitter dark chocolate all perfectly balanced with those tart citrus notes that his compositions deploy so perfectly as a balance to the sweetness. It's a bit like visiting a Belgian maître chocolatier's bejewelled shop and being offered a rich dark chocolate, but when you bite into it there's this bittersweet orange vanilla ganache inside and your senses go into overdrive. As it dries down, the deep woody, animalics of the ouds and incense-like myrrh push through and the gourmand aspect gives way to a deeply sensual sense of warmth and indulgence. It really is the perfect olfactory match with its inspiration taken from the glamour of Hollywood's golden era. It shimmers with a stylish glamour of legendary movie stars that merely mortals can only hope to achieve. It's very sexy, but in a sophisticated, classic way with perfect poise. Whether male or female, you'll need to like sweeter fragrances to really enjoy wearing this one, though I don't think you need to be a fully paid up member of the oud fan club to like it: all of the house's ouds do something so different and refreshing that defy obvious expectations about oud. I wouldn't say that it's a perfume that you'd wear on a daily basis... unless you insist upon making an entrance every time you walk into a room. There's something very special and dramatic about it so more one of those fragrances you'd wear for a special occasion or when you wanted to make an impression.

The latest release from Sarah Baker and the third in the oud trilogy - Gold Spot drips with the glamour of the Golden Age of Cinema. The trilogy has been created by Chris Maurice, using three constant materials, natural oud, cypriol and orange blossom. Crucially, the perfumer has used these materials each time with a different set of adjuncts taking each composition in a new, different direction. With Gold Spot, Chris has added notes of sweet myrrh, butterscotch and dark chocolate to two natural oud tinctures, resulting in the most gorgeous chocolatey opening. If Loudo was a Milky Bar, Gold Spot is more of a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. Now imagine a whole stack of them, each one individually wrapped in the fine, glamorous golden wrapping of a Fererro Rocher and piled high on a silver tray at some schmoozy Oscars afterparty, Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe sat in the corner trying to surreptitiously conceal the chocolate stains around their mouth that betray their gluttony. Follow me on Instagram: @TheScentiest This is a perfume you’ll want to crack open and devour, whether dressed in a tux, or ball gown. The oud here is a little more animal than in previous releases, but I absolutely love it.

I received this as a sample. And I liked it the first time I tried it but on 2nd or 3rd wearing- like most if not all Sarah Baker frags it started to grow on me more and more. Now it's a love. It's a sweet oud and there's chocolate and vanilla but it's totally different from anything I have smelled in this vein. I was planning on wearing histoires de parfums 1969 this evening which dries down similar-ish w the chocolate patchouli and vanilla, similar ish but not at all the same except in the creaminess. Actually i think of 1969 as fluffy and this as creamier. As you would imagine from the notes it has a cozy vibe but also very sexy vibe. Maybe from the musk? I'm not sure but I love the dry down which is soft and sexy and chocolate but not in a super gourmand way. It's creamy but not in a very milk way more like a sandlewood lactonic. It's really lovely and 💯 unisex. I feel like you probably could wear this in warmer weather it's not super heavy. Really nice 10/10 smell but the price is oof. Too high. Maybe I'll snag a bottle from someone whose looking to trade or sell.

Sarah Baker ouds are a story of progression. Symmetry lead to Loudo which lead to Gold Spot. The Laotian oud adds a strong, leathery, earthy sweetness and Gold Spot balances that with dark chocolate, vanilla and butterscotch to make it much more gourmand than it's predecessors. It lasts more than 12 hours on my skin with moderate projection. Gold Spot is a warm dessert oud, very comforting and familiar and a steal at this price point.

Chocolate in the form of a protective, warm, fur coat. The most gourmand I’ve tried and one of the few that I yearn for on days where the world seems like too much. Nursing a hot cocoa out in the fields where the wild horses kick up mud and the storms roll in. For those who have a similar elemental nature and may be obsessed with the iconic 2023 album, Unreal Unearth.