ICONS: Oudh Perfume Oils by Nocturne Alchemy

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

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Post by Erica Golding

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Hello to my favorite fragrance lovers!

Let’s say the O word.

Oudh.

Sigh! You say you’re SO over Oudh Fever. It is trendy, it smells funky, and from Jovan to Dior to Kilian it has become ubiquitous. You roll your eyes, waiting impatiently for this hipster nonsense to just go away already! You probably haven’t experienced genuine oudh, though. As a fragrance nerd, you may already know this. Most of the oudh fragrances on the market (even the expensive niche ones) use synthetics to mimic the aroma, and genuine oudh is by far the most expensive perfumery material out there.

oud

So, are you jealous? Right now I’m luxuriating in gloriously deep, complex, addictive perfume oils rich with ethically, sustainably harvested authentic oudh. But you know what else? They are at an affordable price point. What the what?! How??

ICONS: Oudh Perfume Oils by Nocturne Alchemy

Several years in the making, Nocturne Alchemy’s new limited-edition ICONS line is absolutely mind-blowing. There are currently five oudh oils, each strictly limited to 125 bottles. Let’s walk through them like a wine tasting, from brightest to deepest.

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Iconic: Rose, oudh, and a hint of jasmine.
Breathtaking, it makes my whole body feel all the emotions! ICONIC opens with a tender, true, subtly gentle fragrance of newly opened roses blossoming on their bush, the first rays of the sun kissing the morning dew. The harmony of a hint of sweet night-blooming jasmine accents the rose ever so slightly, not really noticeable on its own but rather almost absorbed into the rose bouquet itself. The darkness of oudh smoothly curling around the base is truly a caress, graceful and confident. Unprecedented to my nose. I have never smelled anything this beautiful before.

Leviathan: Woody, distinctive NA amber and oudh.
The finest, perfected signature NA amber blends with just the right balance of shadowy, pure oudh to add a new facet to my beloved NA solar amber. The amber is woody, musky, and lightly sweetened with a whisper of vanilla bean and maybe even a dash of cardamom. This gorgeous amber is transformed with majestic true oudh gliding mysteriously at the base. The oudh, tempered by the softly golden amber, is smoky, woodsy, earthy, and slightly medicinal – but the honeyed facet of the oudh really shines, highlighted in this context.

Samar Oudh: Oudh spliced with vanilla orchid.
Samar opens with a blast, an almost sharp intensity. Creamy vanilla and floral orchid notes hover over hay and forest floor. A hint of fresh rose petal hides quietly. The floral tone of the vanilla orchid smoothes and settles over time, nuzzling into the skin. Every second reveals more depth, darkness, and beauty as the vanilla sweetens and the earthy oudh hums proudly. The vanilla orchid note reminds me of NA’s Kobalt single note perfume oil. My prediction is that this beauty will be the first to sell out, it’s unbelievable!

Arabian Oudh: Smoldering Arabian oudh.
This varietal opens with an almost dirty vibe, distinctly salty and smoky, like smouldering wood chips. Then, a slightly medicinal, almost rubbery note comes in. As it sinks into the skin, the magic starts to reveal itself. In comes the musky, honeycomb shade, rounding out the fragrance and honing all of the strangeness into addictive, exciting uniqueness. A swirl of dark cocoa is even detectable if you narrow your focus. This is the real deal.

Egyptian Temple Oudh: Smoky Egyptian oudh.
Thicker than honey, this beauty is a richly viscous precious gel. The scent starts out with bonfire smoke and a bit of that distinctive “barnyard” note that typifies genuine oudh, as well as the rubbery medicinal note (again, normal for true oudh). Slow to absorb into the skin, it gradually smoothes and deepens, and the notes become polished and gleaming with burning incense smoke languishing in the air. This is not the perfume of unlit incense; this is the thickly smouldering scent of resin incense combusting in a censer. Meditative, centering, peaceful.

I highly recommend going after this line before it’s gone forever. I am so impressed, and have bonded deeply with each oil on an emotional level.

Nocturne Alchemy<< Jump to visit store

Scented hugs,
-Erica

17 thoughts on “ICONS: Oudh Perfume Oils by Nocturne Alchemy”

  1. Wonderful reviews, Erica, you make these all sound amazing, especially Iconic Rose and Egyptian temple! you have me totally interested in them.

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    • Thank you so much Joseph! They are all incredibly moving, I hope you find them as enchanting as I do! 🙂 Hugs!!

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  2. Lovely post. I have never been a great fan of oudh or incense or smoky scents. You captured my interest with your post and I checked out Nocturne Alchemy. Ancient Egypt fascinates me! That and your recommendation – I must try some. Thanks. 🙂

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    • I am so thrilled that your interest has been piqued! Their fragrances are so full of love and light and quiet, joyful energy. Have fun diving in! xoxo

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  3. I have followed Nocturne Alchemy from the start. It is a professionally dedicated company, with every scent so delicately created to represent it’s emotional character identification. I have always turned to this exquisite perfumes when I give a gift to someone special on any occasion. All perfumes are full of pleasures aroused by the fragrances that linger for a period of transitions that continue to create a beautiful surrounding of peace and tranquility. Nocturne Alchemy is dedicated to all who enjoy the fragrances of beauty.

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    • They really are special, aren’t they? ❤ I love that you have been into them from the start! They take hold of your heart and don't let go 🙂

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    • I am completely obsessed with Nocturne Alchemy and VApothecary! I have a massive – and I mean gargantuan collection. They are astoundingly gorgeous!

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  5. $&%@^*%@%$#!@$# ERICA!

    now i want to smell more oud. if you keep writing so beautifully about it, it will never go away!! *laugh*

    and thank you for introducing me to Nocturne Alchemy- now to rock out to ICONIC from Madonna and figure my oud mood. 🙂

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  7. I’m sure that these are probably a thousand times better than some of the harsh, nasty things masquerading as oud perfumes that are out there now.

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  8. I’ve never read of Egyptian agarwood plantations, and I’ve read a ton about agarwood.
    If you’ve got a reference to cite that mentions agarwood plantations in Egypt, I’d love to read it.
    My instinct says it is marketing bs, as the climate and conditions in no way match those of native to agarwood jungles.
    Would love to read it is true though, as that would mean one might be able to grow agarwood just about anywhere.

    Btw, the first picture is not a good indication of agarwood chips. They’re either completely fake, or they’ve been polished and painted to represent a quality higher than what they actually are, to customers that, unfortunately, don’t know any better.

    thanks

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    • Thanks for sharing your perspective, Elia. May I humbly respond that being well-read is just one way of becoming educated on a subject, while hands-on experience in the field is another. I have informed the perfumer about your skepticism, and have received a response from the hands-on perspective, which I am summarizing and paraphrasing below.
      Oudh in Egypt was used for the embalming process, and has been around for thousands of years. Heartwood and Aquilaria grow in hot, humid climates. NAVA’s Egyptian oudh is from a cultivation within a region in Egypt, where the air is both naturally hot from the desert and humid from the ocean. As you have stated, a vast quantity of Oudh grows in Arabia – where the climate is similar. There may not be a lot of searchable documentation out there on Egyptian cultivation because this particular farm is relatively young; and as you may expect, there are some secrets worth keeping in order to maintain competitive exclusivity and protect business interests.
      This line of artisan oils was years in the making, and handmade in small limited batches, with great love and care. Let your nose be your guide, if you do decide to take the plunge on any of the ICONS.
      Lastly, with regards to the photograph chosen for my APJ article, we enjoy inserting visual references simply as eye candy. The picture of agarwood chips is not associated with Nocturne Alchemy, and it’s just a stock photo that we popped in because it was aesthetically pleasing to us.

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      • Hi,
        Thanks for checking that for me.
        I find it very interesting, and if you’d like you may PM me with more information so as not to publicly share any trade secrets.

        >>As you have stated, a vast quantity of Oudh grows in Arabia

        No, to my knowledge there are no plantations in Arabia either, they are the main importers of agarwood though.
        Agarwood trees are endemic to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesian island jungles.
        I know of successful plantations in Australia, and I read once of an attempt at a plantation in Jamaica.

        >>The picture of agarwood chips is not associated with Nocturne Alchemy

        Yes I did know that it was a stock photo, I didn’t mean to imply any association with Nocturne. If it read that way it was not meant to.
        I just meant to say it was the wrong pic for a genuine representation of oud chips.

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