Fragrant Awakening: Montale Paris White Aoud (2007) ~Perfume Review + Beautifully Strange Fragrance Draw

Diane von Furstenberg in her iconic wrap dress,1970s. Photo by Roger Prigent.

Diane von Furstenberg in her iconic wrap dress,1970s. Photo by Roger Prigent.

 As a pale brunette in the heyday of Farrah and Cheryl, I knew by my late teens that California girl was not a style I’d ever pull off. My solution was to invent an opposite, attention-grabbing persona:  New York sophisticate, the Diane Von Furstenberg of Woodlands High, complete with black patterned wrap dresses, burgundy lips and a cloud of Tatiana. Perfume thereafter became a tool of self-definition for me.

Yasmin Lebon Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche fragrance.1992

Yasmin le Bon:  Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche fragrance.1992

I had always liked the idea of a signature scent, an olfactory communication to the world of self. Rive Gauche was my first, followed by a small handful of others that marked different chapters of life. But after emerging from a difficult period some twelve years ago, those old friends no longer fit. I needed new but singular. This meant it wouldn’t be a department store scent worn by millions. It meant niche.

Oudimentary Private Reserve Burmese Raw Oud

Photo: Oudimentary Private Reserve Burmese Raw Oud 

After stumbling onto the proliferation of perfume blogs while looking for inspiration, I was introduced to a new wave of independent perfumers who were experimenting with strange, alchemical sounding notes like black hemlock, smoke, wet earth, metal. The strangest of all was oud, (yes now even Avon has an oud)  a resin derived from agar wood infected with a specific mold. Oud was expensive, rare and weird.  It piqued me, even if I was not at all sure I would like it.

Shia-LaBeouf-Paper-Bag-Not-Famous

.Shia LaBeouf wearing a paperbag ove his head after the premier of Nymphomaniac in 2014

Remember that boy in high school who irked you to the point of distraction but later found you couldn’t stop thinking about? My initiation to Montale White Aoud was a bit like that.

Laura McCone and Luke Cartwright by Tim Walker for Casa Vogue

Laura McCone and Luke Cartwright by Tim Walker for Casa Vogue

Out of the bottle, White Aoud smelled oddly fungal and antiseptic at the same time. Wild mushrooms, wet bandaids.  Gingerly, I dabbed a bit on my wrist and expected disappointment. But after a few moments, a waft of something extraordinary reached me. The off-kilter notes I had immediately disliked morphed into cream and sap and skin and sweat.  White Aoud was exploding into beauty. I felt as though I was watching time-lapse photography of a white flower blossoming, but with my sense of smell rather than my eyes.

Kate Moss Nude Shoot by Tim Walker For LOVE Magazine

The notes for White Aoud are “Damas Rose, Safran, Oud, Cardamom, Jasmine, Patchouli, Mysore Sandalwood, Precious Wood, Amber, Vetiver, Vanilla, Labdanum.” The medicinal opening fades on the skin quickly, although the oud remains prominent throughout White Aoud’s development. It melds with a cushiony red rose, all petals.  The rose is then joined by a smoky vanilla reminiscent of the scorch of crème brulee.  Dusty saffron follows and along with the slight scratchiness of sandalwood.  As the perfume dries down, I can just detect a vegetal hit of vetiver. The overall composition is opulent, strange and frankly sexual, the only perfume I have known that seduces compliments from men and woman each time it is worn.

Kristen McMenamyTim Walker for The Sunday Times Style 2013

Kristen McMenamyTim Walker for The Sunday Times Style 2013

White Aoud is defined by contradictions: earthy yet ethereal, deeply rosy but not floral, creamy without sweetness, sensual yet cozy. If fallen angels have a perfume, this is it. White Aoud was unlike anything else I had ever tried.  It was unlike anything I had ever been.

Montale White Aoud is available at Osswaldnyc

Lauryn Beer, Contributor

Art Director: Michelyn Camen I chose many photos from Tim Walker. I find his work beautifully strange

montale white aoud

Thanks to the generosity of  Europerfumes, The US distributor of Montale we have a 100 ml bottle of White Aoud for a registered reader in the US. To be eligible please leave a comment with what appeals to you about White Aoud based on Lauryn’s review, your first oud perfume or strange niche scent  and your favorite Montale Fragrance . Draw closes July 3, 2016 .

irving penn salvador dali flower

Irving Penn Salvador Dali- Watch for  our new face book page Fragrant Awakenings soon

Editor’s Note Fragrant Awakenings was a series Tama Blough  and I  brainstormed  and began back in May 2014 leading off with AndyTauer L’Air du Desert Marocain  and  Olivier Durbano Turquoise (June 2014). Our purpose was to spotlight perfumes that changed our perception of what we could or would wear as well as the first niche perfume we fell in love with. Tammy Schuster’s was The Different Co.  Bois d’Iris, which she wrote about in March 2016. Lauryn returns after  several years of hiatus as a weekly contributor. Please give her a warm welcome -Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

 

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24 comments

  • Everything appeals to me about the White Oud. I received samples of it as well as the Wild, Black and Red ouds today, and the white truly stood out. This is my favorite Montale; my first oud was the great Bertrand Duchamfour’s Al Oudh for L”Artisan.

  • White Aoud is my favorite Montale, too! It’s interesting to read about which fragrance got people hooked on perfume or on a specific genre of perfume

  • fazalcheema says:

    I am attracted to the notes such as oud, rose, saffran, and sandalwood. My first oud perfume was YSL M7 and my first strange niche acquisition was probably Kinsky unless mini counts in which case it was ELDO Secretions Magnifique. my favorite Montale creation is Lime Aoud which reminds me of a certain candy-type product in Asia. i am in the US

  • Lauren, thank you for sharing your experience with White Aoud. I enjoyed reading your experiences with perfume and evolving identity. It sounds like White Aoud has a strong evolution when worn. I am fascinated when a fragrance changes distinctly over time.

    The first strange niche scent I can recall enjoying is Like This. For me it is an over the top immortelle scent. I love Montale’s Jasmine Full. Thank you for the review of White Aoud and for the fabulous photography. The DvF photo is perfection. And thank you for the draw. I am in the US.

  • Jaqueline says:

    What a lovely article! I’m impressed by the worlds Lauryn finds in fragrances. Thanks to her for the insights and beautifully sharing her passion for perfume.

  • Lauren, I enjoyed reading about your fragrance journey. I wore Rive Gauche because of my grandmother and Tatiana as a teen and haven’t thought about either of them since finding a love of niche fragrances. My love of oud also came from reading fragrance blogs, watching fragrance reviews on YouTube, and be active in fragrance group. I had to know more about it and when I learned that “it is a resin derived from agar wood infected with a specific mold” I had to start sniffing various scents to see which oud’s I like the best. Unfortunately for me, I loved them all and there was a real MVP in the bunch that I sampled. It was Montale’s White Aoud. It was all that you mentioned in the article and more. It was as if the gates of Heaven opened and all of the angels started singing. It’s composition was beautiful and the way it developed over time was stellar. I loved it so much that I made a second purchase of Montal Red Aoud which was also really good. I would recommend this line to everyone. I live in the US and thanks for the generous draw! 🙂

  • That’s great imagery with comparing the evolution of White Oud with time lapse photography. My 1st Oud perfume was YSL M7 and it also had a unusual development from band aids to cherry cough syrup.

    My fav. Montale is the classic Black Oud.

  • The notes are so my style! My first oud was Mancera The Aoud. When I wear this one ,all the people come to ask which fragrance is it. My favorite Montale is Chocolate Greedy. Amazing chocolate scent!

    Thank you! USA

  • Hikmat Sher Afridi says:

    Wonderful review. I love the final conclusion drawn. “White Aoud is defined by contradictions: earthy yet ethereal, deeply rosy but not floral, creamy without sweetness, sensual yet cozy. If fallen angels have a perfume, this is it. White Aoud was unlike anything else I had ever tried. It was unlike anything I had ever been.”
    Oud is one of my favorite note and Oud blends very well with rose, Amber, leather, tobacco & saffron, and the notes are right up my alley. My favorite from Montale house are: Aoud Cuir d’Arabie, Aoud Ambre, Aoud Leather, Black Aoud, Dark Aoud, and Full Incense.
    Thanks for the draw.
    To participate in the draw, I am giving my relative/friend address residing in US.

  • I get in oud moods but it’s not in my regular rotation. Funny to see how it’s gained so much popularity in the last 5 years or so – I am surprised / not surprised to that even Avon makes one now, lol! I live in Canada. 🙂

  • Welcome back, Lauryn. I enjoyed your review. Michelyn, I love the photo you chose of the girl with the white flower head. I have a mixed relationship with ouds. Some I like and some I don’t. This sounds interesting. I like this description: The rose is then joined by a smoky vanilla reminiscent of the scorch of crème brulee. That sounds delightful. The only perfume that comes to mind that I found slightly shocking was Miller Harris l’air de Rein. Which other people seem to love. I am in USA. Thanks for the draw.

  • Loved the comparison to time lapse photography. I’ve never been much of an oud fan, but I do love Montale’s vanillas and my skin tends to ramp them up, so I’m *very* interested in seeing if this is an oud scent for me!

    My favorite Montale is my first (but not only): Vanille Absolu. It was my only cold weather scent for years before I really fell down the fragrance rabbit hole.

    I’m in the US. Thanks for the draw!

  • When I was first introduced to Montale it was the Red, White and Black Aoud. Black Aoud was to dark for my taste, but I was swoon by the samples of both the Red and the White Aoud. For me at the time the Red Aoud won me over, but I was smitten with the White Aoud also. To me these are definitely beginners Aouds and easy to wear and probably the best it the Montale line up to start your venture into the middle eastern type of fragrances. I definitely agree with Lauren that it earthy yet ethereal, deeply rosy but not floral, creamy without sweetness, sensual yet cozy and that a fallen angel would smell like this…..to me it is light with a hidden darkness that is very addictive. I am in the US and would love to be entered please.

  • Chocolate greedy is my favorite with red oud second welcome Lauryn I am a lurker usually but I so loved the review I will order sample even if I did not win
    I live in NY so will stop by Osswaldnyc

  • Lauryn Beer says White Aoud is, …“the only perfume I have known that seduces compliments from men and woman each time it is worn.” That’s testimony enough for me. My first oud was M7 and my favorite Montale is Sweet Vanilla. usa

  • Diana Devlin says:

    I have always wanted to own a Montale fragrance but I haven’t bought one yet. This fragrance sounds so beautiful. I love deep rose scents. I’m a fan of Midnight Poison and while it’s not an “oud” scent, it’s a dark, mysterious rose fragrance that I really enjoy. The only oud fragrance I’ve ever tried was Creed’s Royal Princess Oud and I found it to be too masculine on my skin. But White Oud sounds much gentler and I would absolutely love to win it! Thank you so much for such a generous draw!
    I live in the U.S.

  • I really enjoyed your review, Lauryn. I have a sample of this fragrance. At the beginning it makes me dizzy but the drydown is amazing. I can smell the smoky saffron, rose, and milk.
    Night Aoud from Micallef was my first oud. My favorite Montale is Intense Cafe.

    Thank you! I live in the US.

  • Oud in guise sounds good to me. I love oud’s ability to morph depending on what it’s paired with. I’m in the US.

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    “Cream and sap and skin and sweat” is a phrase that definitely caught my eye! Love this description, and the idea of a scent that is genderless and garners compliments from all genders…I’m sure my first oud perfume was Black Aoud (though I probably smelled M7 on people before without realizing, now that I think about it). As for a favorite Montale scent–I like the simplicity of their Blue Amber, and the weird gourmandness of Red Aoud. Thanks for the draw! I’m in the US.

  • pursejunkie says:

    I am intrigued by the author’s description of some of the notes in this contradictory perfume: smoky vanilla, dusty saffron, “scratchy” sandalwood.
    My favorite Montale is Chocolate Greedy and my first wacky niche perfume was Fat Electrician.
    U.S.

  • rodelinda says:

    Welcome back, Lauryn! I’ve tried White Aoud before, and it is indeed opulent and strange. After sniffing hundreds of perfumes, most start to remind me of other things I’ve smelled before, but White Aoud doesn’t remind me of anything else. My first “strange” niche fragrances were some from the Serge Lutens line back in the early 2000s. They don’t strike me as shocking anymore, but fragrances like Tubereuse Criminelle seemed so bold and different back then. I also fondly remember Dinner by Bobo. I’m in the US and my favorite Montale is Sweet Oriental Dream. Thanks!

  • Gregorysop says:

    You had me at ‘alchemy’, and it is true that the modern day alchemist exists in those that create such amazing fragrances from concoctions of fragrance from the mundane to the exotic. Although I have never actually tried an out fragrance, this one does exhibit many of my favorite scents wrapped into a seemingly unique and memorable package. I hope I get to try it as its piqued my curiosity.
    From USA
    Greg

  • Callie888 says:

    I love the part “If fallen angels have a perfume, this is it”. And the fact that it is very unusual. I haven’t tried any Montale fragrances but would love to try this one! I’m from the US thanks!

  • California Boy says:

    Although this may be late, but I always appreciate a great review with regards to Oud. Being middle eastern myself, I’ve always been captivated by this scent. It has a mystery about it that draws a powerful magnet to both men and women. I have been fortunate enough to smell both synthetic and pure ouds. I can tell the differences right away. Due to this, I have fallen in love with the houses of Montale and Mancera. I always get asked, “What is Oud to you”? The best way to answer it is, “It is like the Devil’s cake, taunting and tempting, a symbol of rich seduction”!