Every time I wear Mona di Orio's Oud...

I love it aswell

Nicely put.

It is so beautiful, and catching whiffs of it throughout the day makes me happy. I actually don't find the drydown routine; on me it's Mona's signature skanky drydown, which doesn't seem to happen with a lot of new perfumes.

And I guess that at that price, it will never be popular!

As do I.

If you had to compare this & the Bond No 9 Harrods Oud, how would you describe them? I've never smelled the Mona di Orio one, but I remember Dimitri (Sorcery of Scent) going bananas over it when it was first released.

Mike, MdO is osmanthus-driven (expecially during the opening) hence "strongly" floral. The oud is restrained, sort of smooth. There's something in this iteration of the oud that is so special. I still have to figure out what exactly makes it so different from most of the western ouds I've tried but there's an accord that is stunningly beautiful and unmistakeable. Once yo've got in contact with MdO's oud, besides the fact you may like it or not, you immediately recognize it.

I've less familiarity with Harrods Oud (which I tested only once), but as far as I remember it was anything but floral. More sort of peppery-dark and strongly woody...theorethically more similar in character to Pure Oud. Does memory served me well?

Hey Mike, the two are very, very different.

The Bond is dominated by honey, rose and saffron; while di Orio's is a quiet purr of osmanthus, greens, and musky animalics, over real Laotian oudh, as opposed to Bond's synthetic oud.

I truly like the Bond, but the di Orio is one of those rare, perfect gems.

Are you talking about NY Oud or Harrod's Oud? I don't get any rose or honey in Harrod's Oud.

this really is a masterpiece......

My bad, was referencing NYOud. Agree; Harrod's Oud isn't a floral at all, more of a wood, as described by Alfarom. I also agree with Brian about the lack of "tension" in Harrod's Oud, but I definitely prefer it over the NY Oud.

Very nice fragrance.

Awesome, this is on my to test down the road list

I've never really gotten on the oud bandwagon, although there are some scents with oud that I enjoy. But Brian, your description of the Mona di Orio makes it sound amazing. I will definitely get myself a sample of this.

Alfarom's description of Mona di Orio Oud is exactly how it appears to me. The opening is the most intersesting part because the Laotian Oud is noticeable from the start and it transitions to the Osmanthus in a stunning way. I believe this is more about Osmanthus and a lively interplay of notes than it is about darker aspects of Oud which the Harrod's Oud reminds me of.

There is no easy comparison between Mona's Oud and Harrod's Ltd. Edition as they have completely different profiles. The oud used in Harrod's smells completely different too - it is drier and more leather/wooded oud. A dominant theme in Harrod's Ltd. Oud is the vetiver in the base note which adds a damp earthen aspect to dry leathery oud. Mona's Oud is very floral oriented and is more about suede and warm osmanthus floral and Laotian Oud which is a lively and warm smelling oud. Mona's oud is a sweet/sour sueded floral and sweet oud, while Harrod's is bold, leathery with a damp earth smell.

Hm, I don't get leather from Harrods Oud.

Brian my boy, you are a scholar and a gentleman. I tried this stuff at Scent Bar today and I must say, it is an excellent composition. I very much enjoyed the interplay of the notes in perfect harmony and balance. It has an uplifting freshness that is missing from almost every other oud setting.

Its beauty made me try several others of her line, namely Ambre, Vanilla, Tubereuse, and Vetyver. They are all excellent compositions. I especially appreciated how the Ambre and Vanilla totally reined in the sweetness and heaviness that these ingredients usually imply. Her tragic death really is a serious loss to the world of perfumery.

Oud was the star of those 5 I tried. Just delicious. When I come to New York and we meet in a cafe, tho I'll be scopin babes I'll prolly be sniffin you. As friends. Don't tell Jebus.

Sounds wonderful. Now I'm scared to sample it...it's so expensive.

It really is a masterpiece. It never fails to seduce me.

Regards,
Steve

Sounds wonderful. I've never tried any of her fragrances. Is this the masterpiece she will be remembered for?

I agree with the others that it is indeed a masterpiece. As for what she will be remembered for, I guess time will tell, but as good as Oud is (and it is incredible to be sure), I actually think her Vetyver, Vanille and Ambre are as good or even better. What a shame that in a year with so many successes, she died so young. Just a tremendous loss to the scent community and the world.

It's relatively well received here. I've seen nothing but praise of it on the boards. I like it too.

Beautifully put. Each time I wear it, I am reminded of her story of the oud sample which finally convinced her of making her oud fragrance. She said it had a "strong presence", as if someone was in her bedroom. That's how I feel about it, too. It is alive in some strange way. It's sparkling, uplifting and slightly unsettling at the same time. Definitely a masterpiece and very unlike any other oud fragrance I have ever tried.

She was truly amazing and I am deeply saddened by her passing. She has created my top favourite fragrances in the vanilla, tubereuse and amber categories (and I have sniffed lots of each). Her Musc is also wonderful. I love her sadly discontinued Signature line as well - more difficult to understand and get to love than the Les Nombres d'Or collection, but wonderful nonetheless.

Well, I hate to say this, and I'm sure you'll all say I am obviously have an immature nose, hopefully you will appreciate alternative views, but after months and months of delaying trying this (as I thought I'd love it and wouldn't be able to afford it) I sprayed a big pump of this on the back of my hand in Les Senteurs the other day...

Now let me start by saying I recently sampled Mona's Vetyver and Vanille recently.
I hated both of them, and I really didn't want to! I love the look of the Mona line, I love the notes lists, I love the passion people share for her fragrances.
Vetyver for me had this sweaty five spice note on top of the vetiver that came across as breathy, slightly foody, and completely unappetizing.
Vanille had a slightly eggy note (I know that sounds ridiculous) and I tried to leave it out of my review on this fragrance because I wanted to love it, but I just couldn't. Something in the drydown of both I found repulsive.

So back to the Oud, I had the same problem. The oud just wasn't enough, and I'm not the type who always wants to be blown away with bandaid, I love the thought of a delicate oud note, but it was just... oh it was just pale, and neither here nor there. The breathy, dense quality that I find repulsive of in all her bases was there also which I was gutted by, I really didn't want to smell this in Oud but it was there. I guess just like Tauer-ade, this is her Mona-aid, and TO ME, it is really grim.
I'm very disappointed, I'm sure this is captivating to some people and I am jealous of the people who love this fragrance.
For me, it just didn't work at all.
And I hate to finally say it but, Mona, I don't like your fragrances

Ah well, all these people paying £300+ for this bottle I'm sure she doesn't care for my poxy opinion

No need to downplay your opinion man. I was also unimpressed by the Vetiver and appreciated your perspective.

Well I actually haven't read a bad opinion on this one so I felt like I needed to post it. I hate posting opinions on things if there's not even a single back-up of what I'm smelling.
I wanna downplay it a bit as I hope to one day enjoy it and I know how frustrating it is when someone says something about your beloved fragrance, especially if you pick it up from there on and get slightly put off... anyway.
It's nice to here someone else wasn't impressed by the vetiver.
My knowledge isn't great on vetiver, but from what I've explored on the note so far, I know I like it rough and grotty, almost un-elegant, my favourite so far being the Turtle Vetiver's. Mona's just seemed extremely tame, and the supporting notes were interesting I'll give her that, but a complete mis-match for me, and that's how I feel about the oud. I didn't like what went with Oud, and her signature drydown just tipped it into a real real dislike for the scent.
I've still got her Tuberose and Cuir to try...

That's really interesting. Glad to read someone else picking up this wierd Mona-aid. I just got this bizarre cooked egg note in Vanille which turned my stomach more than any other fragrance has before. And not in the nice savoury food way we discussed before :')
It is extremely present in Oud, but... I don't like the oud that goes with it either, or the supporting notes, which is why I just can't get on with it and maybe never will. I'll keep trying though.
Oh and Brian, have you by any chance tried CB I hate perfume - In The Summer Kitchen, yes it's a bit blatantly obvious on the savoury food notes but I was recently enthralled by it. It's like a garbage bag/hot soup that turns into a dishwasing liquid. Brilliant!

Really? See I had heard nothing but positive things about it before I tried it, not one bad review, so I waiting ages and ages before spraying it or evening sniffing it on paper, just becuase I didn't want to fall instantly in love with it, I guess I didn't have to worry about that :')

As for the CB, that's exactly it, it's a great, fun, fragrance. It's somehow really homely too though. It spins between being really comfortable, and really gross :')
Another great one I recently tried is "Memory of Kindness" which has a fantastically tart, fizzy tomato leaf note prominant throughout, I described it as a perfect summer scent alternative if you want to stay away from citrus and aquatic.

Memory of Kindness and In The Summer Kitchen thoughts in full here

I am not an enthusiast about Mona's Oud. It is nice enough, but I guess osmanthus is not a note I like having shared protagonism with oud. I simply feel that they don't fit together, because I find osmanthus a bit cold.
And forfreddie, I am very glad to read that you also notice that Tauer-ade note which spoils 99% of his fragrances for me. I thought I was the only weirdo to do so :-)

I've been rather enjoying my sample for quite some time but still haven't reached a firm conclusion. Instead of writing a half-baked review on my blog, I much prefer to continue sampling it for a little while longer. A second sample beckons...

You are a wierdo!! The Tauer-ade to me is utterly divine, I'm a HUGE fan of his haha :P


That's very wise. I never second sample, I don't give things that much of a chance. ACTUALLY I did do that with LADDM, I enjoyed it much more second time round.
I always write half baked reviews on mine. I like to record my initial thoughts so I can revist them and add on to them :') I always find that more experienced reviews end up less visual and more literal.

Are you into burnt plastic? LOL. But regardless of you shockingly liking it, at least I know it's there, that I'm not imagining things :-)

I never got burnt plastic, but yeh sure why not :')
You're not imagining it, the Tauer is famous for his "-ade", I absolutely love it, but it doesn't pop up so strong in all of his fragrances. In Lonestar Memories it's pretty much drowned out by the smoke, and it doesn't show up all that much in his Homages line, Une Rose Chypree and the like.

Anyway, yes, Mona...

Oh Mona...

Yes, Lonestar Memories is the only one I really like of those I have tried.
But I don't want to hijack the thread...

Totally legitimate response. Mona's perfumes do have a common smell that I could detect at 16 paces. Just like Killian, Tauer, Guerlain, etc. There's no requirement to like them all- what a boring world it would be if everyone liked the same stuff.