Oud Blush

Oud Blush needs its name addressed first, because it is misleading. Neither the brand's own note list nor its retailers mention oud or agarwood anywhere in the pyramid. What the composition actually delivers is a fruity pink floral with a warm woody base, and judged on that basis it is perfectly decent. Apple and grapefruit open it with a tart, fizzy brightness, jasmine appearing unusually early in the top to soften the fruit. The heart is the strongest section: rose and peach together give a plush, slightly powdery sweetness that is genuinely pretty, with lily of the valley adding freshness and sandalwood beginning the transition to the base before the florals have finished. The base is patchouli, musk, tonka bean and vanilla, which lands it in familiar fruity-patchouli territory alongside Moonlight Love, though this one is rosier and less jammy. The closest the fragrance gets to its name is the darker patchouli and sandalwood combination in the drydown, and that is a long way from oud. Performance matches the rest of the brand's 30 mL sprays at three to four hours with close projection. It works best in autumn and spring, when the fruit stays crisp. Buy it for the rose and peach, not for the label.