.
Portia
.
Hey there APJ Crew,
So many oudhs on sale. I love Annick Goutal and wanted to see how the house would treat oudh. Luckily Surrender To Chance has samples because we can’t get these to look at in Australia. Here’s my experience.
1001 Ouds by Annick Goutal Les Absolus 2015
1001 Ouds by Camille Goutal + Isabelle Doyen
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Agarwood (oud), papyrus
Heart: Agarwood (oud), rose, pimento
Base: Agarwood (oud), birch, guaiac wood, myrhh
Ouds? Well kind of. It’s clearly a synthetic rendering of the oudh experience. There is plenty of the band aid, rubber tyres and eucalyptus hiding inside but not so much of the barnyard. If you are an oudh aficionado then you may think 1001 Ouds is a poor cashgrab by Annick Goutal to add the middle Eastern market and jump on the oud bandwagon. Maybe that’s true BUT if you don’t really like oudh in its heavier incarnations this could very easily be a good gateway oudh. While showing some of the less confronting facets of the accord it is far less challenging. Here we have a warm, comforting fragrance that nods to the Middle East from a very comfy recliner with a large drink.
PDI
The opening does have a sweet dry grass accord nestling softly into the oudh and I like that the opening lasts long minutes before we see any sign of the rose making it’s appearance. When it does come rose is not treated in the modern Montale rose/oudh style. Here it is completely backup, a pretty filigree to add luster and I find it very difficult to even notice the pimento, which is a shame because I was interested.
The birch is clean in the beginning and doesn’t feel like it’s painting tar onto the back of your throat and sinuses until well into dry-down. It is happily offset by the myrrh but also smells to me like there might be some vanilla holding the bottom half of the fragrance together.
I think 1001 Ouds is definitely an oudh for people who don’t like oudh. Wearable even to work if you are lucky enough to be able to go fragranced. I think it’s also a very nice date frag and will try it out at the movies tonight with Jin…….
PDI
Further reading: Perfume Shrine and ScentBound
FragranceNet have a few Testers left at AUD$120/75 after Coupon
Surrender To Chance has samples from $4.50/.05ml
Did you try this when it was released?
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
I have tried many AGs but nothing darker, all floral and citrus. I do like their dry Vanille.
LikeLike
Hey Gina,
This still manages to be pretty with a nod to oudh.
Portia xx
LikeLike
I was also interested to try this, and sampled it and the Amber one. Amber is too much like Ambre Fetiche, which I love and am wearing to bed tonight. The Oud seems to be a bit lacking in depth and personality to me, but I don’t mind it.
I guess that’s a meh in technical terms!
LikeLike
HA! Meh but not meh to me, it’s very nice. Anyone who has spent time with oudh or some of the BIG faux ouches will find 1001 outs a bit easy.
Ambre Fetiche is one of my fave Goutals. I never bought a bottle because I have so much amber here.
Portia xxx
LikeLike
Mmmm. I didn’t try this when it came out but TBH it’s probably not where I want an oud fragrance to take me.
Great review, thanks Portia.
xx Tina G
LikeLike
Yeah, I think you have ben spoiled for this by the real deal Tina.
Portia xx
LikeLike
Thanks for the review. I love oud note in attars/perfumes or burning it. Here the oud note is in all the three phases…..that’s amazing. Will definitely try this one.
LikeLike
Perfume that has agarwood in all three positions of the pyramid is probably not for me (I can barely stand it in one 🙂 ), but if I ever come across any of the perfumes in that collection, I’ll try them all since I like AG.
LikeLike
Hey Undina,
The Oudh is not so big. I’m wondering if this could work you, like a clean oudh?
Portia xx
LikeLike