Le Labo Oud 27: Perfume Review

By Tom Oud is a note that I am loving more and more in perfumes, whether it's one that I've tried, like Montale to ones that I one day hope to try. Le Labo has released the first new non-exclusive (available everywhere, and thank them for it) since the company started, and Oud is right there in the title. Much like some of their other scents, Oud is not immediately apparent as the star of this show. The initial blast is woody and rather leathery, almost tarred in the vein of their Patchouli 24. There's also immediate cedar, sweetened with a lovely saffron note and a fair bit of skank. This one packs a punch, adding in ambered heat, and is sure to be polarizing until the opening calms to the post-coital woody drydown. The Oud is more a unifying theme than a stand-out ingredient for me and that's a good thing; it's always discernible, but at sexy whisper rather than a hoarse shout. I was (I'm sure you, tonstant weader, are shocked by the revelation) immediately so smitten that I bought a bottle, and am happy to report that for some reason this one is ready to go from the first mixing. For those of you who are curious about how the whole fresh-mixed ethos is going to work out with them being available at LuckyScent. I know I did. LuckyScent actually will carry no stock of the perfume at all. All orders are mixed fresh at the Le Labo store on 3rd & Sweetzer in LA, hence the extra day processing the order on LuckyScent's end. Pretty neat. Of course you can order it direct from Le Labo, but if you want, say a Le Labo and a Perfumerie Generale, you can do one-stop shopping. Nice! Available in 50ML for $130 and 100ML for $200 at LuckyScent Additionally available in 15ML travel size for $53, 10ML silicon balm (which is FABULOUS) for $80, and 4oz oil and 8oz lotion for $60 at Le Labo's website