reviews – Page 6 – This Side of Perfume

Spring Irises

April 26, 2017

I’m not a huge floral fragrance person, but even I can’t help myself for spring. (Miranda Priestly voice: “Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.”) This spring I’ve been drawn to iris in particular. Iris is fascinating in perfumery because it has so many different facets. It can be powdery and almost makeup-y. It can be dry, earthy, and crackling. It can be all these things, and a pretty, wearable floral to boot. Here are a couple of iris scents I’ve been trying:

Iris Prima by Penhaligon’s

Penhaligon’s refers to this scent as “the regal Prima Ballerina.” The perfumer, Alberto Morillas, worked with the English National Ballet to capture the elegance and glamour that go into a ballet production. Surely plenty of blood, sweat, and tears go into these productions as well, but Iris Prima is firmly on the elegant side of things.

Iris Prima opens with iris right away, along with a gorgeous shimmering bergamot note. The bergamot here is what really drew me into this fragrance. It’s not sharp or biting like bergamot can sometimes be, but it adds just enough zest to lift the composition. It’s definitely a stage lights coming on type of feeling. I was expecting the iris here to lean very powdery for a backstage makeup vibe. It’s still on the dry side, but I find this iris much more classic floral than makeup. There is a hint of jasmine too, which amplifies the floral bouquet.

I initially found the vanilla in the dry down to be too overwhelming. I usually love vanilla in almost any form, but it seemed to throw the composition out of balance. Now that I’ve worn Iris Prima multiple times, I really sense the leather in the dry down. The iris seamlessly blends into the dry leather note here, and maybe that’s why I missed it at first. I also think this is one fragrance that benefits from being worn in warmer weather. The heat brings the nuances more to life here. I really enjoy wearing this one.

Feu Secret by Bruno Fazzolari

Feu Secret is a dry, woody, smoky iris, and a much more moody and contemplative composition. Orris root is the star of the show here, which means that this is less of a pretty iris right off the bat. It’s dry and earthy with a lot of depth, and there is a cedar wood note that blends in beautifully well. I love cedar, and I actually wish my skin would pick up more of the cedar note here.

I actually find Feu Secret more powdery than Iris Prima, which I did not expect! The orris root develops from a crackling dryness to a subtle kind of powder, and finally, to a suede-like smoothness as the composition reaches the dry down. Feu Secret lasts for hours (I easily get 8 hours here) so it takes some time to reach the dry down. And I personally wouldn’t wear this one in extremely hot weather. I’d love to try this in winter though, just to see how dry and earthy it can get. Feu Secret is another intriguing release from Bruno Fazzolari and it’s definitely worth at least testing out.

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I ordered samples of Iris Prima and Feu Secret from Luckyscent. I ordered the samples at different times, but realized that I liked rotating these two in particular. Hence this iris-themed post!

Picture taken by me.

Quick Hits: Matière Noire by Louis Vuitton

March 3, 2017

Just a quick write-up today. I haven’t had much to say about the (still rather new) Louis Vuitton collection of fragrances. I’ve tried a few at my local Louis Vuitton boutique when I’ve had the time. Nothing was catching my attention or working with my skin chemistry, until this one!

Matière Noire is a fruity/rose/patchouli. I wasn’t overly interested in this one until I realized there’s another note worth paying attention to here: incense. I first catch a sniff of it in the opening, which comes across as a slightly smoked blackberry jam. It’s a weird and interesting sensation. The incense then appears again, weaving its way through the floral heart notes, and making way for a slightly smokey oud and patchouli base.

Incense usually comes across as very subtle and quiet on my skin, so I don’t often think of it as a major player for me. It’s nicely noticeable here, but it always stays in balance with the rest of the composition. It makes for a clever addition to this fragrance and adds some real interest.

My only complaint is that I wish we could have a leather note here in the base as well. It would work so well with the incense. I’ll just have to try layering this one with a leather-centric fragrance!

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I received a sample of Matière Noire in person from the SAs at my local Louis Vuitton boutique. The photo above is taken by me.

Rousse by Serge Lutens

February 14, 2017

Notes: amber, Mandarin orange, cloves, resin, cinnamon, and cedar.

Rousse is a special one to me. It was initially released in 2007 and it is sadly now only available as part of the exclusive Serge Lutens bell jar line. I suppose it wasn’t a terribly big seller. On the one hand, I can understand why. But, on the other, I love Rousse. It’s the perfect type of warm spice you’d want to wear in the doldrums of January/February. And it’s my go-to for Valentine’s Day.

I was lucky enough to snag my 50 ml spray bottle shortly before it was announced that Rousse was moving to the bell jar line. You can see it has the old Serge Lutens Palais Royal logo, which I love. I still have a substantial amount left. The juice has definitely changed over the years but, like a fine wine, Rousse has aged well. The fiery hot cinnamon is still very present. It always reminds me of Red Hots and various Valentine’s Day candies.

Rousse was initially famous for a waxy lipstick note paired with the cinnamon. It’s much less waxy now. I find it has developed into a warm rich musk and something like orris butter. I can’t find any specific floral notes listed for Rousse. (Least of all on the Serge Lutens website. Uncle Serge is always cryptic.) I’m guessing there’s a touch of iris and some kind of white floral. Kafkaesque guesses that it’s magnolia, which makes sense to my nose. Whatever the floral note, it’s become much more prominent and creamy over time.

Overall I think Rousse has become a little bit more smooth with time. It still has a quirky edge to it though, so it’s not completely mellow. That cinnamon still crackles right off of the skin with heat and intensity. The supporting notes seem to have become more rich and creamy, as though Rousse has now grown into itself. If you happen to track Rousse down, it’s absolutely worth it. There are so many greats from Christopher Sheldrake and Serge Lutens, but this one is a real gem.

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Rousse is available directly from Serge Lutens in the 75 ml bell jar bottle.

Image taken by me. Info on notes from Fragrantica.

Galop d’Hermès

February 10, 2017

Notes: saffron, quince, osmanthus, rose, leather, and white musk.

Galop was released in 2016, and it marks Christine Nagel’s first pillar fragrance for Hermès after Jean-Claude Ellena’s departure. (She did create Eau de Rhubarbe Ecalarte while Ellena was still with Hermès.) I’ve been so interested to try this release but, as with most things Hermès and considering that it’s a parfum concentration, it’s rather pricey. I finally got a small decant for myself, and I’ve been testing it for the past few weeks.

On my skin, Galop actually opens right away with the leather note. There’s no leading up to it, the leather immediately takes center stage. This leather is definitely elegant, but it has a strength to it at this opening stage. I see people commenting on Fragrantica saying that this is a “masculine” leather and perhaps that’s what they mean. To me, it’s the leather of a saddlery here. You can clearly see the Hermès heritage but it’s not quite the refined leather of a Birkin. Not yet. This leather has a peppery bite to it, and just a tiny bit of a wild edge.

Of course this is Hermès, so Galop is going to be about sophistication above all. That opening leather note never turns too harsh, and the rose and the fruit notes quickly come into play to balance it out. I get a jammy vibe from the quince. It’s almost like a blackcurrant jam. It adds some texture to this composition without becoming foody or gourmand. The jammy fruit texture makes the rose comes across as both rich but also delicate by contrast.

In fact, Galop is all about contrast. The leather and the rose are both equally the stars of the show here. As I wear Galop, the rose and leather intertwine with one another, both coming across as strong and delicate in different moments. As mentioned, Galop is a parfum concentration. It has excellent sillage and projection during the first few hours of wear time before noticeably drying down to a skin scent. Some people may want a little more projection out of this one, but I don’t mind because the leather is beautiful in the skin scent stage. The dry down has a refined yet alluring sensuality to it that is both very Hermès and very Christine Nagel.

I love Galop d’Hermès and I’ve gone through my decant alarmingly quickly. I’m still not sure about a full-sized bottle. Again, Hermès is always an investment and, I have to admit, I find the stirrup bottle a bit gimmicky. But, if anything, Galop makes me more excited for future Hermès releases from Christine Nagel. She nailed it in this case.

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Galop d’Hermès is available directly from Hermès and in person at boutiques and counters. It’s a parfum extrait concentration, and is available in the stirrup bottle and a refill bottle. I purchased my small decant from The Perfumed Court.

Image and the info on notes are both from Fragrantica.

Poivre Electrique by Atelier Cologne

January 18, 2017

atelier-poivre-electrique

Notes: bitter orange, black pepper, pink pepper, incense, pimento leaf, Turkish rose absolue, myrrh, sandalwood, and cedarwood.

Along with the smell of coffee, the smell of freshly cracked black pepper is one of my favorite smells. There is something so fresh about black pepper. It’s aromatic, but with a touch of bitterness, which makes it interesting. When I saw that Luckyscent now has the new pepper-centric Atelier Cologne fragrance, I knew I had to try it. Poivre Electrique is part of Atelier’s newest collection, the Collection Orient. There are four other scents in this collection. Poivre Electrique is the only one I’ve tried so far (I’d also like to try Tobacco Nuit from this collection).

The first thing of note is that Poivre Electrique is definitely well-named. The opening of this fragrance is certainly electric. It’s an invigorating burst of black pepper. I know that pink pepper is listed in the notes but, to me, this one is all black pepper. Pink pepper comes across as powdery to me and I really don’t get that effect here. The citrus adds to the bitter aromatic quality of black pepper and amplifies it. I can see some people finding this opening a little sneezy, but I personally love it. It’s everything I enjoy about the smell of black pepper.

The opening here is so bright, I figured the black pepper would fade fairly quickly. However, it lingers all the way until the dry down for me. The cedar is the other major note that comes through for me. The deep cedar note really balances out the pepper and gives this composition an anchor. It also blends nicely with the citrus, giving the composition a seductive kind of Italian vineyard/earthy vibe.

The resinous myrrh makes up the bulk of the dry down for me here. The cedar fades and seamlessly blends into the myrrh note. It’s a little bitter for me, a little bit medicinal. It really mirrors the bitterness of the opening, but in a much more subdued way. I actually wish this dry down was a little more potent because I like this stage so much!

This brings me to my only issue with this fragrance, which is that it only last about five hours total on my skin. The black pepper note lasts well through the beginning and middle stages of the composition but, once the myrrh dry down kicks in, it goes from being a skin scent to undetectable very quickly. I don’t mind re-applying a fragrance, especially one that I like so much, but I wish I could squeeze another hour or two out of the wear time here. I might be able to get more longevity when wearing this in warmer weather.

It has to be noted that the Collection Orient fragrances retail for a heftier price than some other options from Atelier Cologne. Poivre Electrique is $130 for 30 mls and $250 for 100 mls. Atelier does offer 2 ml samples on their website, which is convenient. If you’re interested in any of the Collection Orient offerings, I definitely suggest trying a sample either through Atelier or from Luckyscent.

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Poivre Electrique is part of the Collection Orient from Atelier Cologne. It’s available directly from Atelier and also from Luckyscent. I personally ordered my sample from Luckyscent.

Both the image and the info on the notes are from Luckyscent.

Vert des Bois by Tom Ford (Private Blend)

December 14, 2016

Notes: poplar buds, anise, olive tree, plum, mastic, jasmine, patchouli, tonka bean, and woody notes.

A new Private Blend release from Tom Ford is always exciting, and I think the Vert collection from Fall 2016 has made for some truly worthy additions to the line. Vert Boheme actually turned out to be my favorite and the scent I would wear the most. However, I wanted to write about Vert des Bois in particular because it has some interesting notes that I have not encountered before. The marketing proclaims that Vert des Bois is an example of “avant-garde processing of green perfume.” Normally I would be wary of claims like this coming from fragrance houses, but there is something markedly distinctive about Vert des Bois. I’ve never smelled anything containing poplar bud extract before, so that adds to the uniqueness.

Like many green compositions, Vert des Bois opens with a spiky and almost abrasive blast of greenery. However, there are no spices in the composition, no aldehydes here to give it a “sparkling” feel. I sense the olive note right away, which makes me think of the color green and adds to the overall effect. Vert des Bois is an immersive green, and I think it’s a little more bold than we’re currently used to from green scents.

That’s not to say that Vert des Bois is heavy. There’s a bright, sweet green note that shines through, and I believe it’s the jasmine mingling with the poplar bud extract. It’s hard for me to describe, possibly because I’m not familiar with poplar extract! It’s not overly sweet, nor overly floral. It’s a shimmering green that brings some light to the composition before the earthy patchouli really kicks in.

I wasn’t sure a green fragrance would work for Fall/Winter but the woody notes make this perfect for December wear. (Incidentally, I have not tried Vert d’Encens but with notes of pine resin and fir balsam, it’s likely the most appropriate Vert release for this time of year.) The dry down is like being in a densely green forest. This forest is partly cozy and partly dark. That cold-weather smoke smell seeps through here, I think from a combination of the patchouli and roasted tonka bean. I’m used to green fragrances coming across as much more “clean” than this, but Vert des Bois evokes cold, dark weather exceptionally well.

Overall, Vert des Bois is a fascinating experience. It’s bold, especially for a green scent. It has some darkness to it, but also some shimmering light aspects (a chiaroscuro scent?) I’m not convinced to splurge on a full-sized bottle for this one, but Vert des Bois is a must-try simply for its distinctiveness. I hope this one will remain part of the Private Blend line for a long time to come.

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Tom Ford Private Blend fragrances are available directly from Tom Ford’s site. They can also be found from the usual department store suspects: Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. I ordered my samples of Vert des Bois and Vert Boheme from The Perfumed Court.

The image and info on notes are from Fragrantica.

Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle: Portrait of a Lady

November 1, 2016

Notes: clove, cinnamon, rose, blackcurrant, raspberry, sandalwood, patchouli, incense, musk, amber, and benzoin.

Is it possible to be intimidated by a perfume? Or, should I say, is it silly to be intimidated by a perfume? Because Portrait of a Lady is one of those iconic fragrances that I’ve seen people mentioning even from the very beginning of my perfume journey. Everyone seems to have their own experience with it. Then, too, I have my own feelings about this perfume’s namesake, the novel by Henry James. I love Isabel Archer but find the novel’s last third and the ending so emotional (don’t marry Gilbert, Isabel!) that I have never re-read it. What experiences and associations could I bring to this classic scent? And what would Portrait of a Lady make of me?

Created by Dominique Ropion, Portrait of a Lady is a spicy rose patchouli scent. I swear there is a bit of pepper in the opening here even though it’s not listed. I get the spices right away with the cloves being the most dominant. The rose is there from the beginning of course, but this fragrance doesn’t hit you over the head with the rose note. It doesn’t need to. It’s as though the rose and the spices are tightly entwined and are slowly unspooling. The clove gradually gives way to a sweeter cinnamon spice, while the rose blends with the fruit, becoming jammy and full-bodied.

Patchouli is listed in the heart notes for this composition, and for good reason. It’s definitely a central focus so that’s something to be aware of if you’re not a patchouli fan. I detect a touch of oud as well, but it’s not listed in the notes. The patchouli is earthy but elegant. It’s not camphorous to my nose. It’s rich but dry. The patchouli here is actually what makes me think of Isabel Archer. The dry element that peeks out from time to time underneath the rich earthiness is elegant and enigmatic at the same time. It’s like a woman holding her head high and walking through a crowded party as everyone pretends not to stare after her.

The rose reappears alongside the patchouli and this time it’s a little bit more sweet, and a little bit more dry as well. The rose even turns a little powdery on me as the composition heads into the dry down, but not unpleasantly so. In fact, there is no stage or moment where Portrait of a Lady is unappealing at all. I haven’t been the biggest rose or patchouli fan, but Dominique Ropion pitches this composition just right in that it’s always balanced and it’s always interesting. Not easy to do.

Unfortunately, the one con has to be mentioned and that is that Monsieur Malle’s Editions do not come cheaply. The quality is there with Portrait of a Lady. The projection and the staying power are top-notch. I happened to be wearing this one night while watching Netflix on the couch and now my couch cushions seem to permanently smell like Portrait of a Lady – I’m not complaining! This scent really stays on both skin and on fabric. It’s a beautiful fragrance, and capturing both beauty and that frisson of something interesting isn’t always an easy thing to do. Still, at Frederic Malle price points, much like Isabel Archer, you need to be certain before making a commitment.

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In the US, the Editions de Frederic Malle are available from Barney’s. Samples and decants are available from The Perfumed Court and from Surrender to Chance, which is where I got my sample.

Both the image and the info on notes are from Fragrantica.

Aube Rubis by Atelier des Ors

October 14, 2016

Notes: bergamot, grapefruit, blackcurrant, sage, violet, iris, patchouli, vetiver, and praline.

Luckyscent recently started carrying Atelier des Ors and I had to snap up a few samples. “Or” means gold in French and, yes, those are actual gold flakes pictured floating in the full bottle. A few flecks of gold even made it into my samples. The gold doesn’t add anything in an olfactory sense but it’s definitely eye-catching. And Aube Rubis does have a luminous quality that makes the gold feel appropriate. Of the fragrances that I tried, this one really stood out to me.

The listed top notes are the fruity notes, including bergamot, grapefruit, and blackcurrant. But the opening for me is overwhelmingly an iris note. It’s crisp, dry, and a little vegetal. This is not a makeup/cosmetics iris. It’s only slightly powdery and it gradually develops to an even more earthy feel. Aube Rubis is reminiscent of Dior Homme at this point. The main different being that the iris isn’t the central note here in Aube Rubis, and the composition quickly evolves from the opening.

The grapefruit note becomes apparent as the iris blends into the composition. The grapefruit brings a sparkling effect just as the patchouli note also comes to the forefront. It’s a really interesting accord, since the patchouli is earthy while the grapefruit brings a very vibrant sparkling vibe. The combination results in a bittersweet kind of scent. Aube Rubis is almost edible at this point, but not truly gourmand. It’s also extremely pretty and much more wearable than it might sound.

The dry down is where Aube Rubis does take a turn for the gourmand. I’m definitely a gourmand-lover, and I don’t find the praline note to be overly strong. However, if you don’t care for gourmands at all, you may feel differently. On my skin, the praline brings some sweetness and a bit of a nutty flavor as well. I would have guessed it was a hazelnut note if I hadn’t seen it listed as praline. But overall, this is not a sticky sweet dry down by any means.

The vetiver helps to keep the composition grounded in an earthy feel. The praline simply means that the bittersweet effect from the grapefruit is now softly sweet. I get some pretty decent longevity from Aube Rubis as well. It’s definitely a skin scent by the dry down but I can still sense it up to the 8-hour mark, which is more than I got with the other Ateliers I tried (Lune Feline and Larmes du Desert, for reference).

Overall, Aube Rubis caught my attention with its unique take on some staple notes, like iris, grapefruit, and patchouli. And I quite like the praline in the base here. Like I said, it’s very wearable. As niche fragrances prices keep going up (even Luca Turin has commented on it) these kinds of fragrances need to justify their luxe prices. I don’t need fancy gold flakes in my fragrances, but I do need them to smell good. Aube Rubis is quite beautiful at times. I don’t know if it’s worthy of a full bottle for me, but I’m glad to have tried this one.

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Atelier des Ors is a niche fragrance line that is now available from Luckyscent, which is where I got my sample.

The image and info on notes are both from Luckyscent.

No. 5 L’Eau by Chanel

September 29, 2016

Notes: lemon, mandarin orange, neroli, aldehydes, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, cedar, white musk, vanilla, and orris root.

Most of the writing I’ve done on here about Chanel has been focused on the Exclusifs de Chanel line (although I continue to love Chanel No. 19). I really haven’t touched on No. 5 in extrait form, the EdP, or even on Eau Premiere. No. 5 has long been a difficult fragrance for me to come to grips with. When I was first really becoming interested in the world of perfume, No. 5 seemed too intimidating to be wearable. More than that, it wasn’t really practical for every day wear during life as a student and starting out at my first jobs anyway. No. 5 seemed too iconic for me to even talk about. Well, with the current release of L’Eau, it’s time to finally come to terms with it.

One practical reason I haven’t gotten along with No. 5 over the years is that Chanel aldehydes give my skin chemistry some serious trouble. For instance, I thought I would love No. 22 but the opening doesn’t work at all for my skin. The same thing happens with No. 5 and, to a lesser extent, with Eau Premiere. In the case of Eau Premiere, I have to let the composition settle on my skin for about half an hour before I can start sniffing.

Luckily for me, the aldehydes in L’Eau are much more gentle on my skin chemistry and on my nose. The opening here is a bright burst of clean but yummy lemon. It reminds me of the San Pellegrino Limonata lemonade. There’s definitely a fizziness, and something like seltzer water with a metallic edge, as the aldehydes bounce around off the lemon and the neroli. L’Eau settles into a delicate lemon candy for the first hour or so. The composition is bright and sunny at this point, like mid-morning captured in a scent.

Since L’Eau is supposed to be such a light version of No. 5, I wasn’t sure that there would be much development in the composition, but fortunately there is. The ylang-ylang comes through to form the heart of L’Eau’s composition. The lemon candy transforms into a lemon bar with powdered sugar, until the powdered sugar melts away and the ylang-ylang is there as a soft yellow floral. The jasmine is entwined with the ylang-ylang, while the rose doesn’t come across at all to me.

The main thing I love about Eau Premiere is the sandalwood dry down. It’s creamy and almost edible, but still woody and gives such gorgeous depth to the composition. It made No. 5 wearable for me. The white musk here in L’Eau is a little less my style. I get mostly a powdery musk in the dry down which must be the orris root mixing with the white musk. Sadly I don’t sense any cedar. And, if anything, the vanilla comes across more in the heart of the composition with the ylang-ylang. Still, I’m impressed with the development of L’Eau. It’s not easy to coax real development out of such an airy, delicate fragrance but Olivier Polge manages it.

Overall verdict on L’Eau? It’s extremely well-edited and pretty. It does exactly what a flanker is supposed to do. It will never outshine the original, but it’s perfect for a younger demographic (which is clearly what Chanel wants, if the ads featuring Lily-Rose Depp are anything to go by). L’Eau is like a bright sunny morning. There’s some winking fun in there, too. L’Eau is the mimosa you order with breakfast while on vacation. Eau Premiere is the champagne cocktail before dinner. And the original? No. 5 is the grand vin de Bordeaux that you order with the main course.

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No. 5 L’Eau is an Eau de Toilette concentration available in 35, 50, and 100 ml bottles. You can find it directly from Chanel (the website does state that the 35 ml size is limited edition).

*I received a bottle of L’Eau as gratis through work, however no one asked me to do this write-up. This is completely my own impression of L’Eau and of Chanel’s No. 5 offerings in general.

The image is from Chanel and the info on notes is from Fragrantica.

Oud Palao by Diptyque

September 22, 2016

Notes: Bulgarian rose, Laotian oud, Madagascar vanilla, tobacco, rum, sandalwood, labdanum, patchouli, and camphor.

Oud Palao is actually Diptyque’s Fall release from 2015, although I’ve only just discovered it now as we head into Fall of 2016. The fragrance market is over-saturated with oud scents, particularly rose/oud, and it would be easy to miss this one. I personally wasn’t expecting to feel very strongly one way or the other about Oud Palao. I tried it simply because I like Diptyque. I’m certainly glad I did because Oud Palao blew me away with just how interesting and thought-provoking it is on the skin. Moreover, it’s beautiful and easily wearable.

The opening here is a bit overwhelming to the senses, as I get a little taste of every note here. It’s earthy, woody, leathery, and just a touch medicinal from the camphor. Diptyque bills Oud Palao as a rose/oud and lists rose as the first note in the composition. However, to me, the rose here is very subtle. It reads as more of a transitional note to me. It’s like a touch of floral bridging the opening and the deeper heart notes. Being that I’m not a rose fan, I’m completely fine with that. But if you prefer rose, you may feel differently.

I don’t get a whole lot of tobacco from Oud Palao. I have a feeling the tobacco is laced with incense, as that always reads in a very subdued way on my skin. However, I do get quite a lot of leather in the heart notes. I’m guessing it’s the labdanum, and it pulls dark and dry. It makes me think of a pair of black leather riding boots, just worn in enough, but still stylish.

There’s also a good dose of dry, earthy patchouli. These notes sound quite hefty, but it all comes across as very balanced on the skin. I can’t emphasize enough how dry this composition is. It’s like a dry red wine in that everything comes across as potent, yet subtle. It’s actually quite delicate for an oud composition.

Don’t worry, if words like “delicate” make you nervous about longevity, the projection and wear time here are excellent. Oud Palao is a scent that’s still going strong by the time I’m ready for bed. It clings to my clothes, to my PJs, and to my sheets. I love when that happens, but it has to be a fragrance you like otherwise it’s unbearable.

As for the actual oud note, as you might guess, it’s extremely dry. It’s also medicinal. That camphor note makes a reappearance in the dry down for me. It’s a bit weird, but I have to admit I actually like it. It adds another facet to this otherwise dry woody composition.

It’s safe to say that oud is still not my favorite note, but I’m really glad to have discovered Oud Palao. The true artistry here is in the careful balance of the composition. The dry delicate nature of this scent gives Oud Palao an elegance and makes it an everyday wearable kind of oud. This is a real gem from Diptyque.

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Oud Palao is an Eau de Parfum and it is available directly from Diptyque. It’s also available from Luckyscent, as well as the usual department stores: Saks, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom. I got my sample from the Diptyque counter at Nordstrom.

Both the image and the info on notes are from Luckyscent.