Juliette Has A Gun Midnight Oud

Oud is the oil made from the resin of the Agarwood tree. It has been a staple of Middle Eastern perfumery for centuries. The best pure oud oils from the region are some of the most expensive and powerful perfume oils to be found. In 2002, Tom Ford in his creation of M7 for Yves St. Laurent brought the note of oud into Western consciousness in a big way. Seven years later, 2009 looks like oud’s coming out party as we have seen a number of different takes on oud throughout this year from Houses big and small. There are six scents with oud in their name which have been released this year. Not to mention the extensive Montale line of ouds, which grows larger every year.

Oud on its own is a powerfully strong note. I own two pure oud oils and it only takes a drop on my throat to fill up a room with the fragrance of oud for a whole day. This presents a challenge to any perfumer using oud in their compositions. Do you let it have full rein trampling everything in its path or do you try and find partners that stand up to it and complement or contrast it? The most common note to be used in that role is rose. The most prominent perfume with that combination is Montale Black Aoud.

Romano Ricci, the grandson of Nina Ricci, created the niche House Juliette Has a Gun in  2006. The first two scents were Miss Charming and Lady Vengeance. These were rose centered fragrances; Miss Charming was a light and more feminine rose and Lady Vengeance was a darker, more unisex rose. Of the two I regularly wear Lady Vengeance when I’m in the mood for a darker rose fragrance. The most recent release is Midnight Oud which M. Ricci stated in the press materials that he wanted to be a “European version of Oud”.

If what he means by that phrase is he wanted to make a less aggressive oud which would be more wearable by people who are not enamored of strong notes, I think he succeeded. The top of Midnight Oud begins with a pairing of bergamot and saffron. This is as strong a saffron note as I’ve come across recently and it is an excellent choice to start off an oud based fragrance. The saffron imparts a slightly dried grass and leather aspect to the beginning which adds a little bit of exoticism to the beginning. The heart begins with the appearance of the oud. The oud is very restrained here, of all of the oud scents out there it is most closely akin to the level of oud in M7.

The oud is present, but it does not knock you over. Instead it entices you in with its unusual aspects and then brings forth a rose note to combine with it. As I mentioned in the beginning, the first two fragrances from Juliette Has a Gun were rose focused and that ability to get the most out of rose in their perfumes is seen again here. The base is all patchouli with a little amber and musk thrown in but it is the patchouli that stands out. It is another good choice, as you need the strength of patchouli to stand up to the oud and rose and it does a nice job in that role.

Midnight Oud has excellent longevity on me and above average sillage. To my male readers I know it might be hard to bring yourself to pick up a bottle of something named Juliette Has a Gun but do yourself a favor and order a sample and give it a try. I think Midnight Oud might be one of the most easily wearable ouds on the market, for either gender. Until the next one is released.