Oud Wood (2007)
by Tom Ford

When people think "Tom Ford Private Blend", they often picture the price tag first and desperately try and find substitutes, to be honest most us do including me, in order to nullify the desire to purchase one of his PB scents.

On the other hand, let us appreciate independently and carefully what we smell.

Oud Wood is no gimmick. It is a careful fusion of oud with what people in the west can tolerate in terms of smell level and intensity.

It is a mildly sweet scent with a heavier woody undertone. Somewhat unisex but perhaps better for men who desire something a little different from mainstream.

It has a friendly projection and on me lasts at least a full day at good capacity. I only need two sprays to accomplish this.

I can see why people smell M7, but that is a combination of having Tom Ford inspiring both but also because we want Oud Wood to have a cheaper uncle.

Personally, I truly appreciate the power of Oud Wood. It is unique in my collection and I can count on it a 100%. This is by far one of the safer niche buys in the PB range.

7th January, 2012.

I had very high hopes for this one. The top notes are very medicinal, and though the scent is quite strong at the beginning, it fades much too quickly. I barely got an hour or two out of it, and at this price, that is not acceptable.
I was careful not to use too much because oud can cause olfactory fatigue.
I have also tried layering it with Tobacco Vanille but I find no appreciable change.
Because I have tried only from a sample, and I do still have an unopened bottle, I may have to try out the bottle to see whether there is a difference.

5th January, 2012.

It is fresh and spicy with woody notes that does smell good. I have some Borneo 3000 pure Oud oil and I believe this scent was trying to capture that fragrance in a synthetic way. Where as the real deal has a lot of depth and dimensions to it Oud Wood seems to be a snapshot of a aspect of the Borneo pure oud oil.

The only thing with Tom Fords offering is that I detected a synthetic latex glove smell within the composition which I could not live with. Apart from that it is a good fragrance.

10th December, 2011.

I like high-end fragrances when they have an artistic aspect to them and my problem with many of the Tom Ford's compositions is that they often luck all of this. I get them as a sort of completion of the brand. Clothes, leather goods, shoes, sunglasses and fragrances for the upper market. They all smell pretty good but they very rarely add something on the table to justify their otrageous prices.

Said that I don't see any reasons to spend big money on Oud Wood when you can have M7 (because this is basically what Oud Wood is all about) for less than 1/3 the price. Fresh woody.

Gimmick anyone?

25th October, 2011.

A lighter combination of rose and oud that is not so obscure, chocolatey or claustrophobic as the one in Noir the Noir despite being Oud Wood a dark-woody fragrance. Here you can inhale a sort of spicy and smokey woody scent that is averagely dry and mild and not resinous or caramellous. There are some barely perceivable citrus in composition.  The addition of vanilla is moderate in order to balance the medicinal effect of resin. The aoud is subdued and the starring role is played by rosewood and sandalwood. The final outcome is a bit dusty and smoky with a decidedly masculine temperament created by the earthy  link of vetiver, amber and tonka. Some musk closes the round. A very sexy and mature chypre.

18th August, 2011. (Last Edited: 29th August, 2011.)

I grew up in the middle east, so oud is a very familiar scent to me. However, the "authentic" versions smell extremely dirty to me. Tom Ford's however, is a clean and wood, a bit sharp and mellow at the same time, and lasts many hours. I was once wearing it and a French friend told me I smelled like her "grandfather's cigar box....sans cigars". Most people would be offended - I was overjoyed. It's a non-perfumey comfort fragrance.

However, nothing tops Amber Absolute from that line....

31st July, 2011.