Oudh Lacquer

Oudh Lacquer from Soivohle. An amazingly complex cocoa-oud pairing that came way before that was considered trendy(Russian Oud, wink wink). I'm surprised no one talks about this brew, but I suppose it doesn't look good in flex pictures(as someone recently told me that they are only interested in acquiring perfumes that would look good in pictures, insert facepalm) The blend itself is beyond masterful and clever. As the name suggests, the cocoa and the oud blend to create more of a chocolate liquor accord or cocoa/chocolate served with wine. Now, I do love Russian Oud, which showcases one of my favorite uses of cocoa in perfumery. This one takes a different approach, however, in blending the two materials. The Oud used here has more of an earthy, musty, antique smell as opposed to the Hindi profile that permeates Russian Oud. Oud here is dark, gloomy, and mysterious. And what better way to complement that profile than to add mushrooms, which naturally pair well with both cocoa and this type of oud? Take it a step further and suspend the entire formula in an aged tincture of oud and spices and you'll get an amazingly deep aroma. Intoxicating. She uses some floral notes as well to balance the composition, and the linden blossom accord shines more than the others to give a nice and unique touch of fresh sweetness. It feels almost honeyed and citrusy at the same time. Although it starts dusty, musty, and dank, it slowly morphs into this most inviting dessert of dark chocolate, wine, and spices, served on an old wooden table with some freshly cut linden blossoms sitting on the side. It is dark and earthy but smooth, inviting, and mysterious simultaneously. It feels like going into an old, dank cellar to choose your favorite chocolate liquor that has been aging away for decades, waiting to caress your palate. A charming composition for cocoa and oud lovers like myself. IG:@memory.of.scents

This is a perfume that I loved from the first sniff. It’s spicy, with lots of cinnamon and cloves as well as anise and cumin or coriander. There’s some citrus in the mix at first, along with unidentifiable woods and flowers. It’s a weird scent, but a pleasant one. It reminds me of my kitchen spice drawer, in which the fresh scents of new spices mix with the musty, woody scents of ones that probably should have been thrown out long ago. It has quite a bit of sillage. As the scent develops, it becomes sweeter and I can imagine that I start smelling the oud along with tonka, and the promised chocolate. There is a point at which the honey takes over and it's almost like toasted almond nougat, ending up smelling just like the Indian sarsaparilla absolute that I recently bought. I love the smell of sarsaparilla, and Oudh Lacquer manages to recreate it quite well. It lasts for the better part of a day. Oudh Lacquer proves that all-natural perfumes do not have to be insipid and elusive. After trying several Liz Zorn perfumes, it is clear that she is a risk-taker who sometimes strikes out, but sometimes hits a home run. Oudh Lacquer is a home run. I just wish it wasn’t so damned expensive.

It's a really good scent; one of my favorite cocoa-related fragrances, but what makes it stand out is the authentic oud--I'm talking resinous, semi-fecal/rotten, yet smoky, woody, and sweet! Yeah sure it doesn't last long (seems to be its fatal flaw) but it doesn't last short either; I put it on before my 8-hr shift and could still smell it afterwards, although the magic does seem to get lost a bit after 3 hrs..

Incredibly smooth, decadent, and slightly floral oud with the spicy Soivohle DNA. Complex, beautifully blended, and easily the best oud fragrance I've ever encountered. It is (ridiculously) expensive, but I try to stock up when it's available.

Whew Hoo, boozy! I thought I could get drunk off just smelling myself after first applying. I smell the cinnamon and cloves, less so the flowers. It's warm and exciting. Drydown brings patchouli and amber and more of the chocolate accord. I really really like it and it's a must try for those loving warm exotic fragrances. Too bad it's so costly but that's to be expected due to the expensive ingredients used.

After wearing my sample of this perfume for a few times, I had to revise my "review" (I'm no perfume expert, but I really appreciate reading others' thoughts about fragrances, and I appreciate being able to add my thoughts as well). I felt like I was dismissing Carpathian Oud and that wasn't my intention. What brought me to the artistry of Liz Zorn was the recent Fragrantica interview, and I ordered some samples, among them Oudh Lacquer and Carpathian Oud. The Carpathian Oud started out very woody and strong (which, I'm guessing, is the oud) but after half an hour became softer and a bit more floral on me with an incense-like vibe (No, I don't picture Dracula wearing this, just my humble opinion. However...if anyone remembers the original "The Mummy" with Boris Karloff, from the 1930s, I can picture the character of the reincarnated ancient Egyptian princess wearing this. For my particular chemical makeup, probably the eau de toilette would work best). The Oudh Lacquer is a different story. It was more challenging, because there isn't the floral element, and this is what is attracting me (I have always worn florals, and I'm trying to grow beyond that). Oudh Lacquer smells like the inside of a brand new luxury sports car, or what I think smells like the inside of a brand new luxury sports car! Seriously! I dab it on, sniff, and think "sports car." Lots of woods, herbs, some leather...it is very honest and direct. I read that there are different ouds in this as well, which is probably why it is so powerful, and so precious. Whatever you do, don't layer anything with Oudh Lacquer! When I initially tried it, I dabbed some of the Anniebelle's Rose on top of it, to see what would happen. Big mistake. My arm wound up smelling like a really loud soap. After wearing Oudh Lacquer for a few days, I'm happy to say that yes, I still get "luxury sports car" (which is not a bad thing; certainly unique) but then it mellows and there is a bit more spice, a bit more green to it, and I can definitely tell there is oud in this and it sticks around but never grows tiresome. Recently, I sampled Armani's Prive Oud Royal, which had rave reviews and was praised for the center stage that oud takes in the fragrance. It is also very expensive, and I'm not sure how much of the ingredients used in the Armani fragrance were real or synthetic, but very sadly I had to pass on that one. I'm sure that the Armani oud is a great fragrance as well, but it wasn't suited to me, chemically. What I'm trying to say is that I know Oudh Lacquer is made with as many authentic ingredients as posssible, the combinations of ingredients that go into the recipe are unique, and with this oud-centric fragrance, Liz Zorn's oud never turned bitter or sour on me (I'm sorry to say that the Armani oud did turn sour on my skin), Oudh Lacquer settled down into something soft, smoky and slightly unsettling (in a good way!). I would definitely purchase this, to have this masterpiece on my dressing table. It's not an every day type of fragrance, but something to be cherished and worn when the mood suits you, or when you want to make a statement. Oudh Lacquer is a work of art. It is worth saving up for!

Appetizingly smelly upfront, this one feels cohesive in that all the parts work toward the common, goal. From the vial, I get a lot of styrax and cocoa, but on skin it’s more dirty oud and cocoa with a spray of leaves and florals over some crazy-pants botanical musk notes. It’s gourmand but in a way that won’t make you smell like a dessert tray or a teenager, this is a dark and brooding woody oud that’s not afraid to throw a few challenging notes your way. There’s a lot of rich and dynamic stuff going on here, and I’m assuming that this one costs several arms and legs to produce; but ultimately it’s a dedicated and uncompromising approach to oud and probably not well suited for those who prefer the safety of westernized “oud” scents. However, after just a couple of hours, it gets a bit saggy, turning into a less enthralling amber-y cedar-y with a touch of botanical musk, but given the materials involved—top shelf naturals—it’s life is short. It’s dense, challenging, engaging, and its one of the few ouds on the market to reflect the true nature of that material. But as with so many natural-centric scents, it lives fast and dies young.

Oudh Lacquer just does not rub me the right way. It smells sour at first, then a bit of burning leaves arrives, and then it is just gone. No rich chocolate. No exotic mystery. No burning, sensual secret affair. No afterglow. I guess I was wooed by its making-of campaign. I mean, hearing how long and involved the process was and then seeing the price tag on the final product, I really expected gold-in-a-bottle. Maybe it's my chemistry.

quite brutal at the start, but it calms down dramatically to become quite the delicious, snack-ready scent. warm spicy, a little earthy and downright Lutensesque, at stages... Not the sorta thing I go for, but MAN, I appreciate the art and effort in this one. Dunno how hard to get this is (I had a fellow BNer hook me up), but well worth trying Liz's scents out. Truly art in a bottle...