Friday, February 20, 2015

ScentSational: Oud Noir


Oud Noir- Oriental woods, with floral and spice.

The wax world has scent trends much like the perfume world, or cosmetics with color trends. In wax there have been times when serendipity, sugar corn pudding, wildberry mousse, or cotton candy have been in high demand and frequently blended and sought after. In perfume, spurts of time passed where every new fragrance had pink peppercorn as a note, and more recently, oud(h). 

Oudh in fragrance used to be harvested from a specific type of tree that had a fungal infection, then produced a resin called agarwood (or oudh). Due to endangerment, most oudh is synthetic now. To read more about this particular fragrance note visit the Fragrantica website (love that place!).

In this particular wax tart, it is not so much down and dirty oud (which smells rich, slightly dirty and musty- yes I have an oud perfume and I like it- Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Oude Arabique) but more like a dark and bass thumping Hollister store full of cologne bedecked men. Two cubes melted with a medium light throw for several hours in my bedroom. 



It does smell good. Romantic even. Full of woods and dark places like the Noir suggests. But nothing like oud. At least to my nose.

16 comments:

  1. Hmm, probably not my type of scent but I kinda figured that just by the name. I'm going to give it a sniff if I ever come across it though. =)

    ~Deb

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  2. Gah, this is a pet peeve of mine, giving people the wrong impression of what something smells like. I think lavender gets a bad rap for this reason, for much of my life I was a lavender hater because of the cheapie versions of lavender used in most candles. If everyone could smell the real deal I'd feel better about people not liking them (putting patchouli in this category also).

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    1. Agreed Jean!! (Thinking about you in the cold up there) The heinous lavenders used in cleaning and detergents and candles. Too right.

      I would love to get more into the science of perfumery and be able to smell more single scent notes processed and raw. It fascinates me.

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  3. What a bold scent from Scentsationals! Oud was once so mystical and alluring when I first started noticing it appear in notes of fragrances, but you're right, it is quite the little trendsetter right now.

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    1. When I saw this on the site you know I had to get it. Oud in wax?!?! I still want to experiment more with oudhs. I hear Montale makes a mean Oudh and Rose perfume or two.

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  4. don't think I've ever smelled Oud.. I'll have to watch for it. the japanese are bound to have it, right?
    love love love Dr Frankenfurter!! I bet he would smell dark & sexy! lol. RHPS remains one of my favorite memories! <3

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    1. I put him in for a few reasons :-)
      He would probably love to be in a dark Jollister store with all those young fellas.
      He probably DOES smell dark and mysterious.
      I knew you would appreciate it.
      It reminded me of our RHPS experience too!

      I will forever grin thinking about that fun time with you! We will have to scour Japan for smellies. :-)

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  5. OK -- First of all, the Frank-n-Furter gif is to die for! :)

    Second: I have some actual straight oud oil -- a friend of mine gifted it to me after she got some from an Indian trader (she's a bead dealer and gets all kinds of amazing, exotic wares). It's extremely rare and hard to find the real stuff, and its production is regulated in most countries where agarwood exists. I only have about .15 ounces left (very tiny!), but it's insanely beautiful. I only wear it on the rarest of occasions, but even just opening up the vial and smelling it leaves the scent impression in my nose for some time. It makes me sad that some companies make cheap knock offs and then bill it as this ambrosia. So frustrating!

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    1. Isn't he so wonderfully over the top?!

      I can't even imagine!!! What a treasure you have! The real deal is as rare as hen's teeth. No need to tell you to cherish that vial.

      I wouldn't mind so much if this wax was labeled something else, or if they used a synthetic accord that actually mimicked oudh a bit more accurately. It is still very much an excellent scent, just nothing resembling an oudh note in there.

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    2. Yes, I treasure it! :) I wish I could share it over the internet with you!

      and I agree. There's nothing wrong with a great synthetic, but not when you call it something it doesn't smell like. I agree with Jean above re: lavender as well. That's one of my fave scents, but bad fake lavender is terrible!!

      Have a great weekend!

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  6. That gif! Rocky Horror Picture Show! <3

    I have never smelled oud or this one, but it sounds sultry! Sounds like Scentsationals is cornering the market on these deep, intoxicating scents!

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    1. Isn't he grand?!

      They are coming out with some cool blends. I just wish I could smell them before buying them. I like a company that can keep their product on the edge of trends. I keep dreaming for me high end perfume dupes. One day!

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  7. I am seeing a lot of ScentSationals on blogs and on Instagram that I do not see carried in my Walmart. It's a bummer!! This sounds good, though!

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    1. Oh Liz, I NEVER find good Scentsationals at Walmart :-/ I ordered this one from their website when they were running a 20% off sale. There are lots on their site I have never even heard of!

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