FRAGRANCE | S.T. Dupont's Oud et Rose EDP is a monster

halfwhiteboy - Oud et Rose EDP by S.T. Dupont

Oud et Rose EDP from French luxury house S.T. Dupont is practically what it says it is--oud and rose. I got this as another blind buy and had no idea what a beast this is. The slender but heavy, opaque, black, matte bottle didn't provide any clues at all. I was not prepared.

The fragrance opens with a bang, with the oud and rose easily overpowering everything else that's supposed to be there. They're a relentless duo that just keeps going and going. They're all I could smell, to be honest. Unlike The Uncompromising Sohan by Penhaligon's, which also features oud and rose, this one does not allow its other notes to shine, or even be recognized as part of the ensemble at least. This oud and rose duo is selfish, trampling on everything else that tries to compete for attention.

But alas, for all its muscling around, this oud and rose pair eventually tires--but only after several hours. By then Oud et Rose has become a warm, musky skin scent, with sporadic soft bursts of projection.

It took me a while to warm up to Oud et Rose because I wasn't accustomed to having a very, very loud rose note in my fragrances. It's a very potent juice, so control must be exercised with the sprayer. Otherwise, this beautiful monster can quickly turn into an ugly, suffocating devil.

Overall a must-try for oud and rose lovers.

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