Miscellany of the day
- Thread starter Mr.P
- Start date
Kai Leon Art Perfumer
Oud Knight
You very probably did - relatively common and classical Vetiver Bourbon comes from either Mauritius, Madagascar or Reunion islands - belonging to Africa's realm really 😉
I have a couple of those currently - always full-blooded and relativelly well-rounded, sometimes with a touch of sweeter or bitter twists; one of them is over 35 years' matured - with extra-smooth, very elegant, suave vibe.
Mr.P
oud<3er
you know I was going to mention that I had Bourbon and Madagascar but I assumed they were talking about something from the continent!
Olfactory Nomad
Smells so Oud
Totally obsessed with the Ruh Khus from AlHind Oud atm. Either neat or layered with an oud this bad boy is delicious.
Shiningrobes
True Ouddict
A couple of weeks ago that was all I wanted to wear! Three times a day no less. For the first couple days all I was getting was the sweet, resonant middle note and over the next few days I started getting the minty, herbal, root notes predominantly. It’s all or nothing for me with Ruh khus and whether y nose is ready for it. I can tell from cap if it’s a Ruh khus day. It either smells amazing to me or it smells sulfurous and sour.
Shiningrobes
True Ouddict
After all the talk recently on a different thread about what oils you can use to macerate musk I had to check on some of my own current macerations.
1) EO - Oud Yaqoub with somewhere between 5-7% musk grains. I already loved this oud: Frankincense hinting at florals. Everything you would expect in a crassna (I don’t remember the region) but perfectly balanced and ultra smooth. If I remember correctly it was a single tree distillation, I’m pretty sure that’s how I learned that as distinction between better oils, One of the prettiest ouds I’ve smelled so far with surprising depth behind the prettiness. It was my first big spend so I didn’t wear it much at first and then once I got more oils I realized that it didn’t have much of a journey to it. It just cooked along at the same beautiful pace so I pulled it out less and less. With musk grains though it’s pulling in a suede-like Ambrette tone along with all of the original notes, making it a lot more interesting. There’s something earthy to it now that reminds me of ginger and mitti attar. I can tell this is going to be a banger.
2) To the last bits of a mid grade Hindi that already had some musk in it as well as rose in it I added Santalea from Al Hind, more rose with rose de mai absolute and more musk. The original hindi was like a somehow delicious barny, morning cereal. Like warm milk and caramelized leather. Pretty, but also pretty funky. Now it’s exquisitely poopy. Like sniffing well aged and sun bleached ambergris where you think ”this smells like you-know-what“ and then have to bury your nose in it. Like that at first and then the soaring frankincense tone that I’m finding in NTT sandalwoods comes swooping up from the rear. I was worried the rose would take over since the absolute colored the bottle so strongly but it seems to be more in the background. There’s a papery note in the dry down of the sandalwood that is getting pushed chronologically more toward the middle and some vague citrus. oddly that poopy, perfumey, wool note that is my favorite part of a musk oud dry down is right at the beginning so I have no idea how this will resolve in a few months. It’s still coming together but I’m happy overall.
1) EO - Oud Yaqoub with somewhere between 5-7% musk grains. I already loved this oud: Frankincense hinting at florals. Everything you would expect in a crassna (I don’t remember the region) but perfectly balanced and ultra smooth. If I remember correctly it was a single tree distillation, I’m pretty sure that’s how I learned that as distinction between better oils, One of the prettiest ouds I’ve smelled so far with surprising depth behind the prettiness. It was my first big spend so I didn’t wear it much at first and then once I got more oils I realized that it didn’t have much of a journey to it. It just cooked along at the same beautiful pace so I pulled it out less and less. With musk grains though it’s pulling in a suede-like Ambrette tone along with all of the original notes, making it a lot more interesting. There’s something earthy to it now that reminds me of ginger and mitti attar. I can tell this is going to be a banger.
2) To the last bits of a mid grade Hindi that already had some musk in it as well as rose in it I added Santalea from Al Hind, more rose with rose de mai absolute and more musk. The original hindi was like a somehow delicious barny, morning cereal. Like warm milk and caramelized leather. Pretty, but also pretty funky. Now it’s exquisitely poopy. Like sniffing well aged and sun bleached ambergris where you think ”this smells like you-know-what“ and then have to bury your nose in it. Like that at first and then the soaring frankincense tone that I’m finding in NTT sandalwoods comes swooping up from the rear. I was worried the rose would take over since the absolute colored the bottle so strongly but it seems to be more in the background. There’s a papery note in the dry down of the sandalwood that is getting pushed chronologically more toward the middle and some vague citrus. oddly that poopy, perfumey, wool note that is my favorite part of a musk oud dry down is right at the beginning so I have no idea how this will resolve in a few months. It’s still coming together but I’m happy overall.
Saudalhajri
True Ouddict
Spikenard EO
Sweet, earthy, a little “oudy” to my nose
It made me realize that a LOT of “Cambodian” Oud oils in the gulf are just spikenard oil, or cut with spikenard. The smell brought back so many memories even though it’s the first time I smell it with this identification.
Sweet, earthy, a little “oudy” to my nose
It made me realize that a LOT of “Cambodian” Oud oils in the gulf are just spikenard oil, or cut with spikenard. The smell brought back so many memories even though it’s the first time I smell it with this identification.
Mr.P
oud<3er
Yes - it has an aroma that's a little bit akin to some of the lactic fermented oils.
Was this the green or the brown? The brown has been processed to have a relatively mild aroma, the green is much more fermented and funky smelling, a little bit like Valerian.
Saudalhajri
True Ouddict
The oil is brown in color.
Smells quite nice, sugary, a little deep woody, it smells much much closer to Oud than Amyris, aetoxylon and Nagarmotha (which are all used to dilute Oud)
Mr.P
oud<3er
seee was
I smelled lots of spikenard before I ever smelled fermented oud - the first time I smelled an authentic Lao oil (Bolisat Lao Super) I thought for sure it had green spikenard or valerian in it because those were the only close things I had ever experienced to a fermented oud scent. It would be very easy to add a little bit of that scintillating fermented quality to a bland oud with spikenard. it would actually be a great way to make the best of a mediocre oud as long as you're not trying to sell it to somebody as pure.
The brown is the mildest, followed by the Green, and the most rank, pungent, intense i have smelled are spikenard CO2 oils from Eden and WLA. Super funky to a level that's pretty much intolerable for me
Yes - that sounds like the brown. that is spikenard modified a bit for a western palate. See if you can get the green, @An Najwa had some that was just right.
I smelled lots of spikenard before I ever smelled fermented oud - the first time I smelled an authentic Lao oil (Bolisat Lao Super) I thought for sure it had green spikenard or valerian in it because those were the only close things I had ever experienced to a fermented oud scent. It would be very easy to add a little bit of that scintillating fermented quality to a bland oud with spikenard. it would actually be a great way to make the best of a mediocre oud as long as you're not trying to sell it to somebody as pure.
The brown is the mildest, followed by the Green, and the most rank, pungent, intense i have smelled are spikenard CO2 oils from Eden and WLA. Super funky to a level that's pretty much intolerable for me
Mr.P
oud<3er
if any of you don't have a budget for musk or ambergris but are still curious and like to tinker, l-muscone and ambroxide are fascinating materials. These are the individual primary odor molecules from musk and ambergris, made by synthesis or fermentation, and are the same biodegradable molecules as those found in the real deal.
In pure or concentrated form they are weird and unappealing to me. The muscone is soapy and too much ambrox smells like so many cheap mass produced fragrances.
But if you dilute them to 1% (or 5% if you like things strong stronger, but I would start with as dilute as possible while still being detectable), it's a different situation entirely. Layering these with other fragrances is amazingly transformative.
Both of these in just traces have some of that exalting effect that's so hard to understand but so often referred to in the old perfume textbooks - you can really experience this with layering. I've come to think of it like the way salt relates to food, you may not be specifically aware of it but it enhances the taste of all the different ingredients simultaneously.
In pure or concentrated form they are weird and unappealing to me. The muscone is soapy and too much ambrox smells like so many cheap mass produced fragrances.
But if you dilute them to 1% (or 5% if you like things strong stronger, but I would start with as dilute as possible while still being detectable), it's a different situation entirely. Layering these with other fragrances is amazingly transformative.
Both of these in just traces have some of that exalting effect that's so hard to understand but so often referred to in the old perfume textbooks - you can really experience this with layering. I've come to think of it like the way salt relates to food, you may not be specifically aware of it but it enhances the taste of all the different ingredients simultaneously.
Last edited:
Olfactory Nomad
Smells so Oud
Has anyone ever tried something like this before? https://wa-no-kaori-incense.com/products/syd-430271
It has me very curious as to a new way to experience an incense. I'm aware of the concept, just not that it was available in modern times.
It has me very curious as to a new way to experience an incense. I'm aware of the concept, just not that it was available in modern times.
Shiningrobes
True Ouddict
Someone else sells a similar incense powder but I can’t remember who. Super intriguing. I’ll have to poke around in my bookmarks folders and see if I can find the other link. I can’t imagine them being very strongly scented but I would love to try.
Mr.P
oud<3er
zuko is good! Shoyeido's premium zuko was very sweet and like vanilla and cocoa when i got some. I think their ordinary grade is more herbal / woody. Baieido has a nice herbal zuko.
Olfactory Nomad
Smells so Oud
Just received this from Apothecary's Garden. I get a random rash occasionally on my wrist from grass seeds when I mow lawns. Nothing really has seemed to work so thought I'd give this a go as I have read that frankincense is great for skin health.
It actually does seem to be helping so I'm pretty happy with that.
![[Ouddict.com] Miscellany of the day](https://www.ouddict.com/attachments/1000013666-webp.52106/ "[Ouddict.com] Miscellany of the day")
It actually does seem to be helping so I'm pretty happy with that.
Simla House
True Ouddict
I still have a bit of that left, it's very nice. I've used it as a hand cream at night
Mr.P
oud<3er
It is madness - the samples are totally out of hand, it is very difficult to keep one's head wrapped around a collection like this. Many of the samples in the tubs are test blends, rejects, leftovers from the development process. It does create some level of stress because there are some things I don't want to lose track of...
![[Ouddict.com] Miscellany of the day](https://www.ouddict.com/attachments/img_4675-webp.52134/ "[Ouddict.com] Miscellany of the day")
Alamande
True Ouddict
It looks like organised chaos to me. 🙂 I really like your 2x4 with the holes drilled in it.
MaxFromHolland
True Ouddict
Maybe
In racks:
-Reference
-Study / potential 2buy
-Current project(s)
In box out of sight:
-Rejects (but keepers)
-3rd party misc.
In racks:
-Reference
-Study / potential 2buy
-Current project(s)
In box out of sight:
-Rejects (but keepers)
-3rd party misc.
agarwooderice
Oud Fan
Do you have any suggestions for sources of quality spikenard oils?
