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Skin Anarchy
Fall Fragrance Edit: The Best Vanilla & Oud Scents Curated by Olya Bar
00:44:15
Fragrance Friday
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- [00:00]
A
Hey, guys. Welcome back. This is a very special episode. It is our annual fragrance guide for all of you. And we have our amazing expert that we invite every year to bring her favorites on and kind of teach us about what's the hottest right now in fragrance. And so this one is going to be very dedicated to fall. So please welcome back Olya Bar. Welcome, Oli. I'm so excited to learn from you again this year about what's really going on in the fragrance industry, what the best fragrances are right now.
- [00:28]
B
I am so excited to be here, so thank you for having me. I'm super excited to be here. You know, we've done this a few times, and every single time, it's. It's a pleasure to share all my passions, share what fragrances I have been excited about. And so just chat with you about life and all things scented, skincare and everything in between.
- [00:47]
A
Absolutely. No, I look forward to this every year. And I feel like you always find the best fragrances every year. Just, they always hit the spot. They're always, you know, on point. And I know anyone who's been following along. I know you guys have checked out our scent guides. We get quite a few questions every time we do this episode, so I'm really excited to dive in. But what's been new with you? Like, what's been going on this year?
- [01:10]
B
So, you know, a lot of things on a personal level and professional level because, you know, my. My role has been. Has changed a bit. So I'm still in fragrance, of course, but now I'm the head of marketing for an entire digital division at your perfume. So it's been really exciting because we have some really amazing brands that we're kind of leading into this whole digital world and helping them navigate. So that's been really exc. I had a baby, so I'm a new mom. That's really exciting as well. And it's been interesting because I feel like my taste had definitely changed. I was not, thank God, affected in terms of, you know, not being able to wear fragrance at all, which I know some women have been saying that that's been their experience during pregnancy and afterwards. For me, it was just the change in my. In taste, not so much in even my perception, just things that used to excite me so much before. Now I'm not so tasty anymore. So that's been quite interest. And then, of course, exploring all the fragrances, I actually traveled to, to Milan while pregnant. I was six months pregnant at the time. And that's the biggest show for the fragrance basically, of the year. Well, now there are quite a few more. There's one in Dubai. There's, you know, one happening even in China. There's one in Mexico. But I would say that the original one is still in Milan, the Sans. So I was smelling so many different launches, kind of just working my way through all these exciting new things that are just. Some of them are just launching now because of course you get a preview. So it's been. It's been quite a busy year, I would say.
- [02:38]
A
Yeah, no, it sounds like it. I mean, it's. I always love your take on, you know, fragrance because I feel like you're always able to really discern, like, what the newness is. You know what I mean? But still keep that, like, it's always unique because right now, I'm not going to lie, whenever I look on social media, everyone's talking about the same thing. And it's very hard if you're not really, you know. You know, we have talked about this. If you're not really from the fragrance world, you know, it can be very difficult to find, like, something that's new, something that's unique. And I think for me especially, I'll tell you right now, all the gourmands and all the vanillas, everything blends together. So it's very difficult to figure out, like, where. How can I really find that, like, signature scent for myself, especially for fall and winter months. So I'm very excited to kind of dive in and I. I'll kind of let you take the mic now and if you want to go through and. And tell us what your favorites are, you know, for the year.
- [03:30]
B
Yeah, I'm excited. So let's dive right in. Yeah. So a brand that I'm actually going to dive into, vanilla fragrances, because vanilla is not going anywhere. She continues to reign and she is quite powerful. But what I'm noticing about vanilla fragrances, of course there are still juvenile launches with, you know, those kind of sugary cupcake kind of vanillas, but those are not the ones that are exciting to me. And I'm noticing that people especially who are, whether they're collectors or they've been into fragrances for quite, quite a while, they are, of course, developing taste for things that are deeper, richer, more interesting. So those are the ones that I'm going to cover today. Of course, if you like cupcake type vanilla, that's your thing. There's no judgment on my end. It's just kind of. I've noticed that tastes usually start to develop. And when somebody starts gets into fragrances, a lot of things that are very sugary are exciting, and there's a lot of marshmallows out there and things like that. But eventually, just like anything else, you end up graduating towards, you know, kind of more interesting cocktails, so to say, of the fragrance world, kind of better composition. So I think that's what's happening to a lot of people. And one brand that particularly stood out to me, I did get to smell this brand actually in Milan. And then later on we continued this relationship where they were kind enough to send this fragrance to me because they unveiled it there. But it just launched actually a few months ago. And this is a brand from South Africa and it's called a reserve and a freak. So it's actually interesting story because I want to kind of give a little bit of story behind them because they're new to the US market. They are not really widely available as of yet. However, if you can hunt down those brands, I believe they're only available in like one place. And then of course, you can shop on their website. But it's such an exciting brand because they were doing a lot of conservation efforts in South Africa and the family actually owns lands and been, you know, working on preserving the reserve, the plantations, and I think reserves kind of this natural habitat. And they original they. And this has been since 1934, that has been in their family. But of course, in the past few years, they decided that it was time to develop a line of fragrances. And what I think was interesting is that they only use ingredients from the African continent. So every single ingredient that is used in every single fragrance that they launch comes from a certain part of the continent. And their vanilla is superb. So it's called Vanille Maphonia, if I'm pronouncing that right. I mean, let's not hold me to it. And this, the nose behind it is Alexandra Monet. And it's such a gorgeous vanilla because it has this very salty opening. But then of course, it highlights the best facets of the Madagascar and vanilla. And then you have this interesting kind of spicy, more deeper warmth of cinnamon and pink pepper. You have nutmeg, and then the dry down has this kind of tropical ylang ylang. So you feel like you're walking through the jungle, but yet you're still inhaling this really warm hot air. And at the same time you kind of have this like warmth of the fire that you're sitting next to. So it's this just stunning composition that I think is so beautiful. It also has this resinous touch of myrrh and olibonum. So it's just ambery. Like, it's. It's stunning. So if you can get your nose on it, I highly recommend. And also their packaging, their whole presentation just really took my breath away. Which is. Which does not happen so often because, of course, when you know, you smell so many fragrances, some launches are bad, some lunches are mediocre. So it's just a few that really end up sparking my interest. The point where I'm obsessed and actually end up wearing this so much. So that is one brand and vanilla that I think really stood out for me. Another one, and we have quite a few to get through, is by Matias Premiere. And this is a vanilla powder, but this is actually the X Straight version. So the original was launched, I believe, last year, and it really took the fragrance world by storm. It was this really interesting kind of coconut, but powder, palo santo, vanilla that was very woodsy, was by no means sweet. You know, there was definitely a hint of that sweetness, but almost like from that raw vanilla. If you. If you ever smell the bean itself, it's boozy, it's. It's dark, it's. It's almost leather, even sometimes. So that vanilla powder truly just broke records in terms of sales and. And popularity. But it was interesting because, you know, the perfumer who is the owner of the. Of the brands, he really focuses on spotlighting one ingredient in every single fragrance that he launches. And in this particular one, in the Xtray version, he actually swapped out the original ingredients. That was kind of the secondary one to highlight the vanilla, and he used Tonka bean instead. So in the original one, and by the name, by the way, his name is Aurelion Guichard. He is a master perfumer. He's been creating for so many different brands. You probably know a lot of people would know his work in For Narcissa or he created almost all of those masterpieces for the brands. I mean, he's been. He's been working on so many different ones. And when he launched Matia Premiere, the concept was to highlight the ingredients. And they actually grow some of the ingredients in South France, so they have their own tuberose fields, and they're. Now they're. You know, it's just incredible when they're harvesting these ingredients and roses, I believe they also grow, and I think they're getting into saffron. You know, I might be wrong on that, but there's definitely quite a range of ingredients that they're growing themselves. So for the vanilla powder, he focused on vanilla, but also the secondary ingredient to kind of highlight all of that is Tonka bean. And Tonka bean is this really interesting, nutty, really kind of ambery, warm and at the same time very vanilla kind of ingredient that just works so well with vanilla itself. So it's interesting to see this extra because not only it's, it's starting to gain a lot of popularity because it just been launched like about a month ago, not even, but we're looking and expecting it to possibly even surpass the original. So it's interesting to see because it's so much deeper and it's so much nuttier and it kind of has this more depth even than the original. I also think it's less powdery to my nose at least. So I think this is a marvelous vanilla that anyone who loves sophisticated, dark, kind of almost like the boozy take on a vanilla, this would be an interesting one. Another one that I would say has been really fun. And this brand, by the way, is definitely one to pay attention to if you kind of like things that are little on a rebellious side. Because the brand is called Fugazi. And of course, you know, we know the term Fugazi Fugazi and this is kind of the whole concept of the house. And it was it actually from Amsterdam. And the brand really has all these fun names that are like Angel Dust and I mean they have so many different ones, but they have like Sugar Daddy and all these other ones. And the owner, Bram, he's quite a young guy and he just kind of was having a little bit of fun in the beginning. I don't think he was really taking himself too seriously when he started the brands. But then it really started gaining traction. He got into this really cool fashion in Amsterdam and then he realized that he actually had something there. So he started building out the line and he launched. Of course he didn't really have a gourmand until he launched the Vanilla Haze, which is this really interesting and kind of delicious, of course vanilla based fragrance. But I would say this is very buttery. So this is definitely in the genre of fragrances that for people who really like their fragrances, sweets. But it also is balanced out with this kind of cashmere base that makes it very airy and it also has this nuttiness of the almond and hazelnut and coconut milk. So I think this is a good one for anybody who likes their gourmands definitely on a sweeter end. However, likes the fragrances to really kind of be more in a molecular side, because the cashmere wood is, you know, it's a synthetic molecule. It's kind of works similar to, like, a broxin, which is synthetic amber gray, or kind of in the direction of synthetic musk. So it makes the fragrance really big and volatile, and people like that. So they actually launched just this year. Within the past month, they launched the Vanilla Hazel is X Straight. And that one is also more spicier and has a little bit more depth than the original. And I have to say that X traits in general seem to be having quite a moment. We're seeing so many different brands launch an X Straight version of their top sellers. And I think it definitely works because people like the deeper kind of bigger versions of some of the bestsellers, and this one gives them that option. And this one is very boozy as well. So I feel like, to me, even though there are no boozy ingredients, so to say, but it seems like this kind of concept of booziness has been pretty big in the past year. But we'll. We can, you know, come back to that subject in a bit. So those vanillas are definitely some of my really most worn. And then the vanilla that I just received in the mail, literally a few days ago is from Atelier des Orre. And this is a house from, you know, so from south of France. They've been. I mean, they have gold floating in their bottles. They have absolutely stunning packaging. And they already had one of their best sellers that was called Lune Feline, which is a dark and really kind of ambery, leathery, resinous vanilla that has been just a staple in a lot of wardrobes when it comes to vanilla lovers. But this year, they actually launched a vanilla. And I might be mispronouncing this. This is like Nova Nova. But it's the. The bottle is gorgeous. And this is a more powdery version on a vanilla with a really big, fluffy mimosa at the heart. And I found this to be really interesting because this is. But it's by no means a feminine one. So I think that was interesting how they were able to execute this, because it's kind of hard to make a vanilla so balanced and has depth and at the same time, not, you know, have it to tip over into that really powdery kind of land that a lot of people associated with, you know, makeup or things like this. So to me, this is a very. Almost like a. It has this interesting concept of minerality. It has a mineral opening, which is unusual. For vanilla. And I think it balances out so well. So that's definitely a vanilla that's. That's worth your noses. So another vanilla that's by Mancera, that. And they all have, like, vanilla in the name. But, you know, since this is vanilla opening, we're going to go through all the highlights. And of course, Mancera is a sister brand of Montal. And Montale notoriously has so many different vanillas. They have sweet vanilla, they have vanilla cake. I mean, they. They literally have a whole range of vanillas. But Montera, which is a brand that was started by Pierre Montal's daughter, is a sister brand. And they have so many beautiful gourmands. But last year they launched. I think it was last year they launch Amore Cafe, which smells like affogato. It's. Oh, my God, it's delicious. But this year they really went with the brown sugar and oud vanilla with dark chocolate. So I don't think this is everyone's cup of tea because the dark chocolate really pulls it into this kind of dark, boozy blend. But for anybody who likes their vanilla with a lot of depth and appreciates oud, and we're going to talk about oud in a little bit, which I think this particularly fits into both of these categories. This is a really beautiful take on this because it's quite unusual. I don't see so many good balanced ouds with dark chocolates out there. There's really not that many fragrances even feature in chocolate. But chocolate seems to be quite a conversation piece this year. So Kayali launched something with chocolate. You know, there are other brands are kind of tapping into this ingredient, so it's interesting to see this. But I definitely think Mancera is. They have nailed it. But you to wear this on skin, because oud performs a little bit differently on everyone. So kind of a tricky one. And another one that I loved, which is not your traditional vanilla, but it's really. I think it kind of deserves to be in a vanilla lineup because this is more of an amber, sweet and slightly even fruity take on it. But this is by lease, and this is a woody, aromatic vanilla, in my opinion, that's again, launched this year. I love what they were doing. For the past, you know, two, three years, I've been following the brands and I love Beau, which is super beautiful, woodsy, tobacco, like a grounding one. They launched Shushu last year, which was inspired by these, like, childhood memories and, and childhood nicknames and just beautiful gourmand. But this year they went with this interesting. It actually doesn't even feature vanilla, but to me it dries down very sweet. So I kind of plopped it in this category and it's this peppery opening with a rice note in the heart and almond with tonka bean and labdanum. And for me, Tonka bean, like I said before, is very vanilla. So I kind of had to add this to this category. But then it has quince in the opening. So it has this kind of really well balanced, fruity, fun, flirtatious, luminous opening. And then it dries down a little bit more. It gets serious in a few hours on skin. So I, you know, those have been in my rotation non stop since I have, you know, since I added them to my collection. And one that I'm really excited about, it's upcoming because it hasn't been launched in the US just yet, but it's by BDK Performance and it's called Vanilla Caviar and BDK Performance. They can't do no wrong by me. I like own the entire collection probably minus like one or two. And this one sounds like it's going to be a really delicious launch. So I can't wait for that one to hit the US market.
- [17:56]
A
I love that and I love how you went into the different like, takes on vanilla because I'm so glad that you went in this direction because honestly, for me it's just, it was becoming so redundant, you know, this category and it was like every perfume I was smelling, it was like, you know, the same over and over again. So I like that you brought in so many different, like, facets here with all the collections because, you know, I think that's one of the biggest things that I'm noticing is people are looking for a new take on vanilla. It's definitely out there, but it's very difficult, I think, to find, find that one that you really resonate with. So these sound phenomenal. I'm excited.
- [18:31]
B
Thank you. Thank you for noticing it because, you know, I think I completely agree with you. There's so many launches happening every day that it's kind of getting to a point where it's, it's close to impossible to get your nose on all of them as a marketer, as a fragrance collector, as a consumer. So really trying to cut through the noise and just limiting the amount of things that you can even try yourself and really give it a proper wear. Because of course you're not going to sample 100 different fragrances. Consumers just call to impossible and why, why you don't need to do that. So really narrow it down and just kind of going in for, like, a really curated tasting. So to say that you can do yourself by ordering samples or discovery sets these days, I think, because it's hard to find all of these in one place. So I would say that, you know, that's something that you can definitely find across. Perhaps ordering a sample would be easier than what some of them you could find if you pop into some stores. But I think that having this kind of tasting, perhaps at home with a glass of vino, is a. Makes it extra special.
- [19:31]
A
Oh, sounds so lovely. And I love it because it's honestly, at the end of the day for fragrance, I know around the fall time we're looking for, a lot of people are looking for that comforting scent, you know, and it's, like, very difficult because for me, I'll tell you right now, when it comes to anything gourmand, it wears so differently every time I find out for me on my skin, you know, And I feel like when I read reviews, it's difficult for me to, like, understand should I buy this or not? Because with my ph and what I experience, it's always different. Different, you know, than all the reviews and stuff. So it's really a hard category, I think, in that way, you know, of course.
- [20:06]
B
And same thing. And by the way, same thing for Oods that we're about to. To jump into next, because that's a whole other.
- [20:12]
A
And speak a little bit on this. Okay. Because oud is such a. I feel like oud is so misunderstood as a category. I mean, I've seen a lot of. And, you know, correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard a lot of commentary from people where it's like, oh, you know, I can't wear Ood. I can't. You know, it doesn't wear well on me. What is your. Before we even dive into your favorites, like, what's your advice to us in terms of wearing oud in general and working with it, whether it's through layering or whatever it might be, you know, in terms of really making it come out in terms of our clothing or skin or wherever we're putting it on?
- [20:44]
B
So I love that question, and I love that you're, you know, you're trying to get a little bit more information, because oud is a tricky ingredient. So for anybody who may not be familiar with oud is it's an ingredient that originates from particular bacteria that affects. Affects a very particular tree. It's called, like, hilaria tree and it needs to age. You know, so once that, once that bacteria kind of like this fungus affects the tree and then this process begins, then that chunk of tree that's been harvested has to age for a very long period of time. And the quality of oud, the price of oud and the source of oud will vary depending on that. And of course we'll actually jump into one particular one by creed which was aged like 80 years. And that perhaps could be the reason for this enormous price tag that it has. But there are different brands that are using different types of food. A lot of them are using synthetic oud and there's nothing wrong with that as well. Because of course a lot of, a lot of ouds come from Middle east in terms of the ingredient being sourced. And there's a lot. And in the Middle east it's very common to wear ouds. I would say that oud is as a ingredient in perfumes came to us, us quite recently. If you really look at the range of years that it's been worn across different countries, in the US particularly and even in Europe, it's only been around for the past 10 to 15 years. And truly getting to be known by the majority of people as a regular consumer who shops in like Sephora or Macy's or Bloomingdale's, you know, doesn't really go in depth in terms of fragrance search. I would say even shorten that to maybe the last five to seven years ever since like Tom Ford launched, you know, more oud based fragrances and it really started getting more noticed. But I think it really depends on what type of fragrance do you like, because it can be very smoky, very resinous, almost boozy. It could be very sweet, it could be very light as well, depending on the blend and depending on whether it's synthetic or not. Because like, for example, for anybody who is afraid of oud, I would start with Chabot, which is a brand from south of France and they have this one fragrance that's called Mysterious Oud and it's one of the lightest ooze that I've ever encountered in my entire life. I remember smelling and thinking this doesn't even smell like oud. But yet it possesses the warmth. It possesses this really kind of airy, kind of like mystery. So I think like the name suits it because this whole concept of Mysterious oud, it's almost like you can't quite pinpoint it when, when you're wearing it. Like, where's the actual oud? I don't know if they're using the synthetic or original, you know, or the real version. I would have to probably email the brand just to find out. But it does not matter because the price is really most likely a synthetic, just because the price point is very low. But it's such a digestible oud, especially for somebody who's just getting into it, that I would say this can really be an easy wear. And then little by little, you can work your way into something perhaps a little darker. Oud wood, you know, is something by Tom Ford, which is one of their top sellers. I'm not sure if it's still in a collection because some of the things got discontinued, but it actually was very commercial, for lack of a better word. But I don't mean anything bad by it, actually. When a fragrance is kind of commercially built, means it's more digestible for the public and easier to understand. They usually will become a best one of the top sellers simply because people can actually wear it versus buying something that becomes this kind of piece of art that you don't really know what to do with. You paid a lot of money for it, but you can't really wear it every day because it's going to choke you and everybody else around you. So it's interesting because of course, course, you know, in the Middle east, oud can be used to smoke your clothing to, you know, as part of the bore, to kind of enhance the scent of your hair, the, the house and everything else. Of course, in Western cultures, you know, this is not common. So usually we encounter oud in fragrances and today people are kind of getting a taste of it in various ways. For it to, you need to keep testing. And some of the Oods that I'm going to mention today I think are going to be interesting in that sense because some of them are going to be a little bit on a heav side. Then perhaps those are going to be for a bit more seasoned, you know, perfume addicts. But for there's going to be a few that are going to be easier to digest. And, you know, we can definitely start with those because one of the brands that actually wanted to mention that was one of the first French brands actually among the first to really highlight oud was Pierre Montal, you know, Montal Paris. And they've. They've been making ouds for the past two decades almost. You know, they had black wood, dark oud, Nepal oud, white oud, just to name a few. You. And each one would be quite different because like the dark oud that I've been wearing for many, many years by Montale is this blend of leather, oud and sandalwood. And it's one of the best and. And super underrated fragrances in the Montale entire collection. And the entire collection is Perhaps like about 150 SKUs by now, if not more. So it's a vast collection of fragrances. Most of them have been discontinued in the US market, but in Europe you can still find them. And now because they, the brand has entered Sephora, so they definitely became a little bit more commercially focused. They're kind of making fragrances that are a bit more easier to understand. And recently they launched Oud Sappharot. So it's built as a woody sheeper and it opens up with a pineapple, like really big, bright, juicy, ripe pineapple. But then it jumps into this Cambodian oud and saffron, which is highly aromatic and fragrant. And then the dry down goes into to birch and cinnamon with coconut and musk. So the blend kind of starts tropical, then dips into something more dark, resinous, and then comes back into that tropical warmth with coconut. So this interesting trends kind of, you know, experience that you will get on skin. I definitely think you need to try this because this is not. This may work for some, this may not work for others, but it's one that I think is really fun. If you've never quite experienced oud and perhaps you're a little afraid of it, pop into Sephora, you know, or you can go on their website and order yourself a sample. But of course, that's a fragrance that is definitely fun and it works surprisingly for summer and fall and winter because of that combo of that tropical aspect and the warmth of the oud, which is sometimes can work very well in the heat. But I think most people tend to gravitate towards it in the kind of colder seasons when big fragrances like that kind of end ends up working like your cozy coat or like a shawl. So that is one. Another one that I would say was really interesting again in the sense that it uses this tropical kind of direction is Astrum Nova. And this is by Lactimus Laximus is a brand from Britain. But they've been. They had quite a collection of interesting fragrances over the past years. But this one really, I think it stood out to me because there is mango and bergamot with like mandarin. So it's very juicy in an opening. And then you have osmanthus and oris, which is a root of an iris. And then you have oud with again, Tonka bean. Tonka bean is going to be popping up here all the time. Yeah, we keep seeing it. Yeah. Tonka bean seems to be like really, you know, pushing its way through as one of star ingredients for, for the past few years, but especially this year. So this is definitely an interesting take on oud because it's very mango centric and mango appeals to a lot of, you know, people in general. But we've seen a lot of fragrances with mango, a lot of them for women, a lot of the unisex. But we've seen mango kind of done in the same way again and again and again. So this is a whole, putting a whole different spin on it. And I think if you're trying to explore oud, but you're still kind of want to stay within fun and delicious aspect of fragrances, this is a way to step into that oud lane plant, you know, and explore while still holding on to your lush, you know, florals and kind of juicy fruits. So that one I would say is definitely something I would pay attention to. And then there was an oud that took me, it just, it blew me away. And this is by a brand called Atelier Materi. They also are from France, female owned brands. And they focus on highlighting one ingredient with each of their fragrances. And they launched a set of extra. And one of them, you know, all 3x rays are beautiful. One of them is focuses on neroli with pistachio, which is gorgeous. Another one is an amber based X ray. But the one that really blew me away was burgundy oud. And the burgundy oud, to me it also features black currant. But what really stood out to me was that it reads, if you don't actually look at the notes breakdown and at the ingredients itself itself, you know, because it has black currant, it had like magnolia, it had oud, it had leather. But if you take the whole composition and you just smell it, to me it smelled like a great glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, you know, so. And it was just, it was so beautiful like it. I, you know, I, I tried it and I'm like, you know what, or maybe like a full bodied Pinot Noir, you know, where you just, you know, perhaps a Merlot for some people. But it was, it was just such an interesting experience in terms of it just. But it definitely reads as a full bodied wine. So it's so beautiful. It's very thick, you know, you have, it's very aromatic, it's very thick and kind of juicy on A palette. But then you're left with this really beautiful oud and leather in a dry down which kind of leaves you with this kind of sweet, sweet woody aftertaste, like really smelling like the barrel that the wine had been aged in. So to me, this is one oud that stood out among anything else. And I've been wearing it and really craving it. I started wearing it a few months ago and even in the summer, like on days that it wasn't so hot, I was, I was indulging. But especially now when the weather has turned into more chillier. I cannot wait to wear this because it's just gonna be. Be. Oh, it's just, it's going to be a marvelous wear. So highly recommend that one because it's just, it stands out. And of course Creed launched Oud Zarian which supposedly has this 80 year old aged food. And I mean, of course Creed can afford it, its customers can afford it because they have crazy price tags. And that one is also an interesting wear because it's very, very smooth on how it wears and it just, it comes in this really beautiful presentation. It's. Well, I mean, a Creed customer, it usually stays within the brands and continues buying into their brands, you know, year after year. Because it's definitely a love, you know, almost like a collector that is following certain brand or collecting scotches or things like that. So I noticed that they also have had some, the, the dry down had this licorice and myrrh and again tonka bean patchouli and, and sandalwood and it, it opens up with a little bit more kind of spicy bite because it has frankincense and ginger in an opening. It has a rose in a, in a heart which I don't really pick up on. But to me it's the dry down of that, you know, resins and, and licorice and, and oud that really stands out. So that's something that I think for anybody who's interested in, in, in a true representation of oud. And it's kind of in its. I think they really try to highlight the essence of real wood here. So if you're looking for that, this would be a good one to smell. And another one that is called Perfect Oud. And Perfect Oud is also the X straight of the original that was launched a few years ago and it was quite a top seller for the brands. So I'm not surprised that they launched an xrait version which comes in this really pretty black bottle. And that is another one that I would Say, say, is a really good representation of what oud would smell like to a lot of people. And that one has it. First of all, it's made by Alberto Marias. He is one of the top perfumers in the world and he owns the brands that actually is from Switzerland, where he's originally from. So the. That one particularly, it opens with like a spicy cardamom, has rose and cedar, and then it dries down to rum and oud. And I think the rum and oud accord with a little bit of vanilla and incense is just marvelous because that. That booziness and a dry down, it really amplifies the oud and the rose. So if you're looking again for that kind of resonance take on, like the true representation of oud, I would look in that direction, but because I think you'll find that exact DNA. And one I think is worth mentioning for sure, that I kind of want to close. You know, the oud selection with would be this new launch by Goldfield and Banks. And that's a brand from Australia. So we kind of covered a whole lot of different countries in this. In this. Yeah, in this lineup. But this is a salty amber oud. And again, it has this minerality that I spoke about before. It's called Tales of Amber. And while oud is not particularly the main composition here, I think that it really works so well together. You know, they kind of have this perfect tango. And what I love about this one is that it's quite unusual take on both oud and amber. And it has this really salty, airy, mossy kind of opening. And it's really hard for me to even describe it because I have to say that it kind of took me through all these different stages when I was first wearing the fragrance, when. When it was sent to me because I was trying to understand what is it really about, because it opens with orange blossom, but it's not like any orange blossom that I've smelled before. It also has moss, but it's not truly a moss fragrance. It also has oris, you know, which is like this big kind of buttery iris take. But this is by no means an iris fragrance. And then it has labdanum, oud, you know, vanilla and ambergris. And ambergris, this whale vomit that is also very, very expensive ingredient. And it does have this kind of salty, animalic muskiness about it. So it threw me in all these different directions, but in the best way possible where it just kind of continued surprise me on skin. And it was, you know, salty and warm and mineral and all of a sudden resinous. And then it kind of turned into this warm muskiness that I felt something green and airy. So it was just a beautiful wear. And I think this is definitely not for a beginner. I think this is for somebody who is a seasoned fragrance lover. But it's definitely a release that really surprised me in all the good ways. So that kind of covers my OUD obsession. I love it.
- [36:04]
A
No, I love it so much. That sounds amazing. Every single one sounds so fantastic. And it's. I love how you have a variety here because, yeah, OUD is, like I said before you dove into your favorites, was. It is, I think, another one of those notes where you. We see it a lot, especially right now. I've seen it quite a bit on social media. Everyone's really talking about it. But again, for me, it wears. I really have to be picky, you know what I mean, with which ones I choose, because they can either be too strong or. Or maybe they don't layer well with others. So it's very interesting to. To hear your favorites, especially the ones with the tropical notes that I found that to be very interesting that you have.
- [36:41]
B
Oh, I love that. I love when you. When you're building the list to try hopefully later on. That's. That's the point.
- [36:47]
A
Yeah, no, it's beautiful. I. I absolutely love it. And thank you so much for sharing them. What is something you're looking forward to? Olia with the. With fragrance, you know, in the coming years, there's something that really has caught your eye. Whether it's like a note or a trend that you see coming up.
- [37:03]
B
You know, there are always new fragrance notes being developed, and there is actually. I think it's by. Born to stand out. They're using that fruit, the durian fruit, the one that smells supposedly really stinky. But I've already seen two fragrances that were launched, actually, both of them focused on also oud, but I haven't really smelled them, so I can't really speak on their behalf just yet. But I did find that interesting because I, you know, this is definitely a new note that has been on the scene, and some brands are tapping into it, brands that are, you know, rebellious enough to test something out. So I think it's really fun to see when a new accord is being put together by whether it's like Givaudan or Summarize or, you know, iff, like all these companies that are. That are behind creating some of these new ingredients, you know, bringing them to the market or creating these new Accords, then you see some of the brands stepping into it and really putting their own spin on it. So it's always exciting to see who is going to do what in that sense. And of course, in terms of technology, you know, I think that AI is big on a scene because people are starting to utilize AI. Some people are saying, you know, that AI is going to replace humans. I don't think that's ever going to happen because you still need to work. It's a tool. To me, it's a tool, and it's a tool. And for a lot of people in industry, it's simply a tool that helps you create perhaps faster or can come up with a certain formula idea that maybe a perfumer would have not thought. Thought of immediately, but yet he gets to test it out and perhaps bring it to the market, if it's the right one. So I think there's all these things happening with the AI field that can be applicable and kind of can be applied and used and utilized in a great sense. And I'm curious to kind of see it develop and blossom and see how different brands and companies are going to be utilizing it. Because AI is here, whether you like it or not. You know, it's here, and you have to figure out how to run with it and use it to your advantage versus sitting there and saying, saying, you know, this is like, horrible that you're using it. It's just a matter of how the brand is using it. And as long as it's in an ethical way, as long as it's in a way that is in a way that helps the fragrance community and frank and fragrance industry all together, I find that exciting. So I'm definitely watching closely and seeing what's. What's going to be out there. And one category that I really love myself is the boozy category, where, you know, taps into all these different spirits. So we have a lot of different liqueurs that are being used, you know, and. Well, of course, it's just an Accord that's supposed to replicate the scent we have. Champagne, like Xerjoff is one brand that specifically tapped into champagne, and they actually even had some champagne at a lot of their parties. Like, it was basically the fragrance that was based on it. And I covered it before my channels. It was definitely something that was fun. I think they are coming up with a rose version of that champagne fragrance. So that's exciting to see and just seeing what other liqueurs are out there on booziness. You know, we have Mika is actually supposed to launch or. Well, they just presented it in Cannes. It's called Notorious xo. It's supposed to be inspired by cognac. So it's so much happening in terms of that. And I'm not big on drinking. I can, of course, enjoy an occasional martini, but I enjoy the boozy fragrances a lot more. So I think there's definitely a lot of room to create there. So, yeah, there's a lot of things happening, and I'm just always here to explore and learn because that's an exciting industry to be a part of. And like I said, there's always something coming up that's exciting and truly innovative. So I'm here for every single one of those spritzes of innovation.
- [40:42]
A
Absolutely. No, I love following around with following your content because I always find something new, and I always love your takes on everything, whether it's skin care, fragrance. You cover so much, many beautiful categories in such a unique way. I mean, I'm very excited as well about everything you've mentioned here. I think a lot of times in fragrance, I. For those of us who are not as well versed as yourself, I think you can get very swept up in the trends. And that's why I asked you is like, you know what. What's coming up that you're excited about? Because it's. Sometimes you miss some great, great scents, some really great ones, because you get so wrapped up in, like, okay, everyone's smelling like a cupcake right now. You know, let me go by the same. Same thing. So I think it's very fascinating. I always learn something every time we speak.
- [41:23]
B
I do want to mention that I think that exactly, like, I just wanted to run with that thought that you had that it's overwhelming. And I think that sometimes we're so wrapped up in all the new launches that I always say, go back to your closet, you know, wardrobes, go back to your existing collection and perhaps revisit some of those fragrances and maybe ask your mom, your aunt, you know, your sister, like, your friends that. What did they wear before? What some of the exciting things that they had in the past, and maybe revisit those fragrances, because I feel like we're so wrapped up with all the new novelty and, you know, what's coming up? What is the hottest thing on TikTok that we really end up missing? Some of the fragrances that been on the market for a while. And of course, you know, if we go through, if we go down that rabbit hole, we can be here until probably tomorrow because we could be talking about all the fragrances that deserve some love. But. And that could be a whole separate episode, by the way, because I think. I think there's so many fragrances that are so underrated, and they kind of get buried under all this newness. So it's definitely something that I always say to people, like, don't get overwhelmed. Just focus on, you know, maybe smelling five fragrances at a time and truly giving them a proper wear and just going back to some of the things that have worked before and seeing, like, what are the things you can revisit? Kind of like old friends that, you know, don't really. They never go out of style. They're always going to be there and. And being with them just feels really good.
- [42:51]
A
Yeah, I love that you said that, because I feel like no one says this, you know, it's always about, oh, well, this is new and this is new. And it's like, well, I'm still wearing the same five perfumes I was wearing, like 10 years ago, so I don't know if I'm like a grandma or like, what, but I have, you know, so. No, I love that point. I think that's a very valid point. And I also, like, in terms of layering too, right? I mean, I feel like people. People don't explore enough sometimes with layering. Because, you know, a lot of the fragrances you mentioned, like, I just was thinking the whole time, what can I pair this with, you know, that I already own in my collection? Like, how can I use this to enhance what I already own? And that's a very unique, I think, way to explore in terms of you can still discover new stuff, but you still add on to your collection in a beautiful and meaningful way. And I just don't see enough of that. So I would love to have you do like a whole episode with us, you know, about the ones that. That you've really kind of held on to over the years in your.
- [43:44]
B
Oh, I would love that. I would love that.
- [43:46]
A
Well, thank you so much. Oh, yeah. This was so amazing, as always. And you are truly, like, the fragrance expert. I literally love every single recommendation I'm not even lying that I ever see on your pages. And for everyone listening, I'm going to be linking Oya's socials as well in the. In the notes for this episode, so please scroll down and give her a follow. I promise you will not be disappointed. Whether it's skin care fragrance. Like I said, she's always on point. With all of her recommendations. But thank you again so much, Olia. This is wonderful.
- [44:13]
B
Thank you for having me. Thank you.
- [44:16]
A
Hey, guys. So I hope you love that episode. Please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform. We are available on so many different platforms, so wherever it is that you're tuning in, just go, hit subscribe. You will be immediately notified when we publish new episodes. This way you're able to tune in to amazing insights from experts, brand founders, industry leaders, authors, all the wonderful people that we host. And that's very important for me because I love to hear from you guys and really understand what you love and what you want to hear more of. Also, make sure to give us a follow on all of our social media outlets. We're available on Instagram, TikTok X, you name it, we're there. We also have a blog on Medium. So if you're a reader and you love Medium blogs, check us out on Medium. We publish some really great articles on there that do deeper dives than just what's available on the podcast. And it's really a great place for all of you science geeks out there that want to learn a little bit more. We go above and beyond with our research and making sure we're bringing you information that you usually probably won't hear about in other outlets. So check us out, leave us a comment, leave us a review, and we'll be back next time with another episode. Thank you.