White Oud by Thomas Kosmala

Available exclusively at Harrods and retailing at £450 per 50ml we consider ourselves extremely lucky to have a sample of white oud  to try.

Thomas Kosmala is a new kid on the block.  He has two perfumes – black oud and white oud.  Both would be perfect given that our aroma of the week is oud, but we went with the white.

Rich, rich, rich in oud, it is powerful from the very first spray.  My initial impression is of the ‘farmyard’ aroma that oud always offers me.  So farmyardish was it that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to enjoy it on my skin at all.  But happily, within moments it unfurled to become the rich, powerful, unbelievably intense oud with wonderful undertones of incense and …well, more oud!  Our office is ouded out.

It is rich, complex and so deep that we can smell it on my skin for hours.  It has a rich smokiness, but it doesn’t choke or overwhelm.  It is exotic and narcotic.  The perfect aroma to conjure up that feeling when you step off the aeroplane and into the heat, or walking in the desert or of a steamy scented bazaar.   Whatever it conjures up it is one of heat and happiness.

The perfume is warm and has depth – so much depth that the first detectable notes are gardenia and jasmine- no zesty, zingy fresh top notes here thank you very much.  The perfume carries on digging in deeper flirting lightly with magnolia, osmanthus and peony until it can get no further.  Oud, amber, vanilla bourbon and musk hold that depth until the perfume is washed away, I don’t think it will ever fade by itself.

It smells expensive and lavish (ok, so it IS expensive and lavish) and it is so beautifully blatant that wearing it is not for the timid, subtle perfume wearer.

We covet the sample we have, but we will need to choose appropriate times to wear it – definitely not one for the parent teacher meetings!