The House of Oud
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The initial spray delivers bitter almond extract and orange blossom water in near-equal measure, the citrus petals lending a soapy, almost drinkable quality to the marzipan sweetness. Within minutes, heliotrope begins its powdery creep, whilst the first whispers of oud—woody, slightly medicinal—hint at the oriental complexity to come.
As the fragrance settles, iris and ylang ylang create a creamy, lipstick-like core that's simultaneously refined and indulgent, the florals now fully enmeshed with tonka's cherry-almond facets. The balsams emerge here, resinous and amber-tinged, whilst the oud gains prominence, its smoky character weaving through the sweetness like incense smoke through velvet curtains.
Hours later, this becomes primarily a skin scent of vanillic musk, balsamic resins, and lingering oud, the almond now a ghost of its former self but still perceptible in the tonka's dry-down. The powdery quality persists, melding with the woods to create something akin to sandalwood dusted with cocoa powder and aged vanilla pods—warm, slightly dusty, decidedly sensual.
Almond Harmony announces itself as unabashedly gourmand, but Andrea Thero Casotti cleverly sidesteps pastry-shop triteness by anchoring the almond-orange blossom opening with a robust undercurrent of Burmese oud. This isn't your typical soliflore almond; the bitter-green facets of orange blossom keep the nuttiness from veering too sweet, whilst heliotrope and iris lend a vintage powdered-cosmetics quality that recalls forgotten vanity tables and pressed powder compacts. The floral heart—ylang ylang and jasmine—adds an indolic richness that prevents this from becoming merely pretty, their creamy, almost overripe character mingling with the marzipan qualities of tonka bean and the resinous depth of Peru and Tolu balsams.
What makes this composition compelling is its refusal to commit entirely to dessert or classic oriental territory. The oud weathers through every stage, smoky and medicinal, creating fascinating friction against the vanilla-tonka sweetness. There's a spiced warmth here too, likely from the interplay of balsams with the floral elements, that gives the fragrance a skin-heating quality. This wears like cashmere soaked in amaretto then left in an antique wooden chest—luxurious but slightly unconventional, comfortable yet distinctly niche.
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3.6/5 (186)