The House of Oud
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The lemon and bergamot ignite immediately, crisp and zesty, before star anise's subtle anisic character emerges within moments—adding intrigue and preventing the citrus from feeling one-dimensional. You're struck by how herbaceous this already feels, nothing like the synthetic citrus of mass-market fragrances.
Mimosa's soft, slightly powdery presence blooms as the citrus fades, whilst mint provides a cool counterpoint that makes your skin feel almost refreshed. Coriander weaves through as a green, herbaceous thread, anchoring the composition and introducing that curious spice-meets-herb quality that defines the fragrance's character.
The vetiver and New Guinean oud emerge as subtle woody whispers rather than bold declarations, creating a skin scent that smells vaguely herbal and botanical—closer to the smell of crushed green leaves than conventional oud fragrances. What remains is green, earthy, and quietly contemplative, fading gently rather than clinging tenaciously.
Cypress Shade arrives as a contradiction—simultaneously bright and brooding, like stepping into dappled afternoon light beneath dense evergreen branches. The opening citrus triumvirate of lemon, bergamot, and mandarin orange sparkles with Mediterranean freshness, but star anise immediately complicates matters, introducing a subtle licorice whisper that prevents this from becoming another forgettable citrus fragrance. Within moments, the composition pivots: mimosa softens the edges with its powdery, almost honeyed character whilst mint cuts through with cool precision, preventing the sweetness from cloying.
What makes Cypress Shade genuinely intriguing is how coriander bridges the aromatic citrus top and the woody base—this spice note isn't aggressive or warm, but rather herbaceous and slightly green, reinforcing the overall sense of being surrounded by vegetation rather than wearing a conventional fragrance. The New Guinean oud arrives not as dark, animalic resin but as something more refined: a woody, slightly medicinal presence that grounds the composition's airy aspirations. Vetiver provides earthiness without heaviness, keeping everything tethered to reality rather than floating away on pure herbal abstraction.
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3.5/5 (142)