Oud Shamash

I first tried this and marked it as a love earlier in the year and thought I had reviewed it already (obviously not) but don't let that fool you, it wasn't because Oud shamash didn't make an impression on me...this stuff is magic. The different company has always intrigued me and despite dipping my toe into them, in store I haven't really extensively sampled them. Oud shamash is totally tailored to my tastes as I get mainly incense and balsamic tones of tolu balsam, Labdanum and exotic fruits and pink pepper in the top. Then a boozy sailor Jerry spiced rum, on a bed of Oud which is unsurprisingly sourced from Laos, seemingly the Mecca of rotting trees. A curiously warm, rich, Amber Oud which is manages to be uplifting and light on its feet in that olibanum type way, fizzy and nearly green and mashing up these disparate concepts is no mean feat to achieve. It really reminds me of a high end and much deeper more complex version of Paul smiths Portrait. This comparison just speaks to how good Portrait actually is, because I absolutely love Oud shamash. The deep drydown mutates into a different fragrance it's a very deep, woody creamy, Amber Oud with only hints at what came before. You can tell the quality and the care that went into making this heavenly juice. Lasting power is great and I wore a very small amount and silage and projection was good. I'm getting a bottle, it's as simple as that.

The best offering from Different Company. Quality of ingredients and overall blending is through the roof. No wonder, as the nose behind it is Bertrand Duchaufour, man who knows how to make his orientals. I do not see any similarity with Artisan’s Al Oudh, there is absolutely no B.O. smell (referenced below by fellow reviewers). Trust me, I repeatedly tested Al Oudh (on skin - that is a must in this case) and this one is worlds apart. What I love is the overall dryness, any sweet facets are more of balsamic quality of used resins, even the vanilla used is not really sweet in this cheap vulgar way seen in way too many niche oud perfumes. The base reminds me more of Jubilation XXV from the same author. The blackberry fruitiness is replaced with boozy spices. Oud in here is very subtle, non-offensive and accompanied with more general woodsy notes. Most appealing for me was the lack of annoying sweetness. If you want oud fragrance that is non-sweet, masculine leaning, yet not rough or synthetic at all, just give it a try. The Different Company offers sample sets, where you can test before you commit and can deduct the cost from the next purchase, so this makes it ideal candidate for your next sampling.

I test fragrances all the time, but only a few have intrigued me so much that I couldn’t stop sniffing my arm. This is one of them. It’s a complex fragrance with a truly unique scent. What makes it special is how refined it is, with so many beautiful notes blending perfectly. If you love boozy, oriental, oud, leather, incense, or even vanilla, or earthy fragrances, this one has a little bit of all of them. But that’s where the magic lies—it doesn’t overwhelm you with any single note. Instead, it gives just enough of each to keep you exploring and intrigued, like a fine dinner at an artistic restaurant, where you want to taste every small bite. It’s definitely not for beginners. But if you’re an experienced fragrance enthusiast, you’ll appreciate it deeply. Bertrand Duchaufour has created something truly exceptional here—complex, refined, and opulent. This is easily one of his best works and an outstanding fragrance overall. 9/10

Now this one is a little difficult to describe as it gives me a happiness vibe from my past but I don’t know which part of my life is, maybe the free time between uni seamsters. It is a complex scent in which you will definitely find boozy notes, spicy and woody specially cedar, Patchouli and finally oud which is well forged into its core. This one is not harsh at all , on the contrary it is one of the most accurately balanced perfumes. Leans a bit toward masculine scents. Best in DC line imho. 4.5/5 Age:+30 Autumn nights And winter days and nights. More masculine but definitely could be considered as unisex. Long lasting and heavy projection.

This smells like a perfect blend of 3 perfumes i just couldn't wear: pardon, sequoia red from comme de garcons and Jubilation XXV, for me, this is the perfect blend of all three, the incense, oud smell is very persistent but does get smoother and creamier after an hour or so, the dry down is to die for. This is beautiful but a bit harsh just a fair warning 10/10 Note: Yup sequoia and jubilation mentioned above are done by the same purrrfumer Mr. Bertrand Duchaufour Nite 2: i definitely recommend to spray this behind your neck or on your chest