British Oud by DUA

British Oud by DUA, an inspired expression of Fragrance du Bois London Oud.

OPENING 

This fragrance is a mental game, it has Oud on the name…yet the liquid is clear, it has Oud on the notes yet the other notes express a fresh scent. I went in, not knowing what to expect,  the lemon and the mint dominated my first sniff, it blew my expectations out of the water, this is all fresh, not woody. After two minutes…jasmine enters the play like the soprano enters an opera, with conviction and demanding your attention. Perhaps other notes play but those are the ones I can decipher, lemon becomes richer and perhaps I can change my mind and think it’s bergamot.. Or both. It’s a fantastic complicated fresh opening comparable to none.

MID

Follows the complicated theme, notes come and go, oceanic salty notes meet nutmeg, crisp notes with cardamon to the mix. This is the kind of fragrance that is not linear, it jumps all over your senses, it’s very hard to discover but very pleasing to try to. Bergamot is there adding that crispness but the fragrance is not airy, it’s not meant to dissolve into thin air, it’s meant to choke the air with it’s presence (not a bad thing if you like fragrances that don’t disappear).

DRYDOWN

Again…same theme….complicated freshie. Agarwood does come through but not medicinal and instead it truly creates a base for the fresh notes, jasmine is still there., sea notes are more present now…salty & clean but dirty at the same time, it sits heavy for a freshie but it’s not woody or musky, it’s not “light”.  I notice lavender as well with the wood notes but again, no note truly dominates. It stays on your skin very heavy but very fresh too. Notice please how I jump from one thing to the other, that’s this fragrance in a nutshell, it triggers so many of your senses! Its not a linear progression, its a scent bubble that rotates on you.

PERFORMANCE

Perfect for a cold day, great projection and silage, the scent bubble is no joke, my wife could smell me 3 feet away.

CONCLUSION

I always thought Xerjoff’s Naxos as one of the best fresh openings, this is better for me (although it sits heavier on my skin). It’s a very complicated fragrance and I must say it’s not for the un-initiated, not because it’s challenging but because someone who isn’t into fragrances might only pick up the lemon and not really get it. Note: if you are worried about the Oud note, don’t.

Should you buy it? I think DUA did a great job, it feels well blended and the ingredients don’t invoke a sensation of chemicals….but….its a complicated scent and one that will take time and effort till you love it, if you are willing to  invest that time….get it, you will not be disappointed, if instead, you want a airy freshie that sits lightly on your skin and is simple and linear, I would skip this one.

X.

As always.... Wear it because it complements you, not because of the compliments.

Get British Oud here: https://www.dua-fragrances.com/products/british-oud?variant=30904599576655