The Smell of Freedom Lush for women and men

how much do you smell the oudh here??? is it strong enough??

Just bought three lush fragrances, in solid form. Put this on and it does smell just like the shop. I have to admit I have been a bit of a perfume whore this morning layering a touch of karma (love hate relationship) with mandragore pourpre before I went in, but I'm sure I'm smelling the real thing. I was intrigued by the Oudh. I think I might use this to layer with my guerlain vetiver if that's not an outrageous sacrilidge! I have Dirty and 1000 kisses to try next.

This hugs me like a body stocking .... and transforms me into catwoman - sexy, seductive and very very elusive. Ginger makes a brisk entrance (cat jumps off a nearby wall to catch your attention) seductive florals of neroli and jasmine innocently and shyly approach with clove and sandalwood giving the composition a warm heart (cat is almost in reach of your fingertips and you lust to stroke her shiny black fur, warm after lazily sunbathing all afternoon) ... but at the base there is the preferable company of Oudh and Orris (cat withdraws in the last minute as if you were the least interesting factor in her universe because, in fact, the wild yonder is beckoning with encounters and adventures of which we humans can only dream.... thus she leaves - perplexing and blessing you as you lift your eyes to that wild yonder in the woods, looking back as if to say "now you know it can be done!" - not everyone will understand this freedom, or this beautiful fragrance ... one needs confidence!

Might be my olfactory plays with me, but I clearly feel peppered bergamott and freshly grated lemon zest in the opening with orris and neroli. The zesty freshness disappears after a minutes and orris, oud, ginger and fair jasmine aroma start to come forward from the background. The vivacious beginning calms down to an earthy and strange peppery mixture. But it's not unpleasant, just weird.In the base pepper, orris, oud,sandalwood and faint neroli leaves a bit masculine undertone.

Slightly bitter, lightly spiced oriental, dominant oud, pepper and orris notes in the drydown.

These notes are very similar to Amouage Homage EdP.

SA's at Lush told me this scent smells different on everyone, depending on their individual chemistry - some ppl pull earthy, some spicy, some woodsy, etc. It's not incredibly spicy IME (which would generally work well w/my personal chemistry), but it does have earthiness to it as well as freshness. Seriously, very hard to pinpoint & describe.

It's quite an interesting blend of scents that really can't be described or categorized IMO. In a positive way, I consider it stranger than fiction (lol) & that's what I would call this fragrance if I had to name it. And it really quite impresses me!

The various scents develop & build over time in surprising layers of change, so I think of it as very chameleon-like. Great scent for men or women alike - it's got a touch of a masculine undertone, so it's very much unisex. I think this scent exudes confidence.

I haven't been using this scent long, but every time I put on The Smell Of Freedom, it leaves me at the same time both perplexed & intrigued...& feeling a little bit powerful. lol

LOVE this! I could bathe in it. It's fresh and warm and very much like a hike through nature on a warm day

The TSOF's opening is interesting and slightly unusual. Every note is played and emphasized in it's drier aspect to reach an (almost) breathtaking effect. Nice. The problem is the drydown where this fragrance turns to a louder (much louder) version of 4711 Original Eau de Cologne. Good start bad end.

Rating: 5.5-6/10

This has a very intriguing name. I used the solid perfume, which is a kind of soft waxy resin which melts on contact with the skin. It much reminds me of the type of carmine sealing wax used in antique films such as the Scarlet Pimpernel, which give off a strong, medicinal perfume at the heart of which lies the bark of Canina Rosa. The medicinal quality I suppose comes from the green agave angelica, and the rose-like from the strawberry rock cupuacu, all in all culminating to recreate the scent of the parting lips of the Venus Fly-pitcher. Mesmerising, and higly evocative. Hooked.

I, too, agree that the opening is very harsh and disturbing. It's citrusy but even for a citrus-lover like myself, it was disturbing.

Then, after 2 hours or so, it dried down to a sweet yet not suffocating, woody and a lovable scent. Although I liked its name, I wouldn't wear The Smell of Freedom, merely because I don't want to be smelling like a ginger-lemon tea :)

The opening is just awful (I agree it must be the ginger), but it lasts for about 2 minutes then this fragrance transforms to a beautiful, warm, woodsy skinscent. There is a sweetness to it but it's not fruity or sugary at all.

This fragrance is warm and inviting, with little silliage but ok lasting power. It's the type of fragrance that you want to wear when your only plans are to cuddle up to someone on a chilly day :)

***Update*** A few hours later this somehow turned into a very candy-ish fragrance.... Kind of a medicinal strawberry scent, all of the lovliness is gone.

I really like this as an everyday fragrance but it does smell very 'Lush' initially, like a bar of their soap. It does evolve from the slightly harsh opening which is a bit of a nose tickler probably due to the pepper and ginger to a sweet and likeable woody scent, but I wouldn't say it has the smoothness or development of other fine fragrances I'm sorry to say.

Really interesting back ground, the people that have inspired it and all... it smells really spicy. I'd say its more of a man fragrance