New Niche Fragrance Review: Soivohle Carpathian Oud + Stylish Dracula Draw

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Gary Oldman (Dracula) and Winona Ryder (Mina) 1992

It seems like you can’t turn a television on, visit the multiplex, or peruse a bestseller list and not find a vampire lurking in the shadows. If you are a fan of the undead which drink blood, versus shamble mindlessly, there is a flavor of vampire out there for your taste. With so many vampires in other art forms it shouldn’t be a surprise that there are vampire inspired perfumes. Perfumer Liz Zorn of Soivohle was inspired by a specific portrayal of a vampire in composing her newest fragrance, Carpathian Oud. Ms. Zorn is not a fan of the new school daywalking, sparkling vampires of the current day. She wants to kick it old school with the granddaddy of all vampires Dracula. In particular, the portrayal of Dracula by actor Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker’s Dracula as directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

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Ms. Zorn in her blog post of January 12 of this year said she wanted Carpathian Oud to “capture this juxtaposition of emotions and primal purity, and at the same time, not be so literal as to scare the living daylights out of anyone.” One of the things Ms. Zorn did was research into the indigenous flora in the Carpathian Mountains which border Transylvania to the south and east in Romania. This would be used to capture the gentlemanly romantic side of Dracula. Those florals along with a healthy dose of mineral earth present the cultured exterior of the monster early on. Oud is used to describe the rot from within a creature of the night. Ms. Zorn’s previous fragrance with Oud prominent in it was Oudh Lacquer and it is still to this day one of my top five oud scents ever. For Oudh Lacquer Ms. Zorn perfected a sinkwood tincture which she aged for a year. For Carpathian Oud she chooses to create her own house blend of different ouds using primarily Indian and Laotian oud. I think Ms. Zorn is one of the few perfumers I know who understands how to coax exactly what she wants out of oud and in this case the sense of decay which is what causes oud is enhanced to mimic the sense of a monster as its true self is exposed.

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Carpathian Oud opens on a crisp mountainside in Romania with a bit of fir mixed with the smell of wild poppies, dianthus and the leaves of rhododendron and laurel. Underneath all of this is a delicate earth accord of soil and stone. The heart is almost solely made up of violet and oakmoss acting like a boutonniere within the Count’s dinner jacket. To all of this the smell of earth still clings to the heart notes. Then the oud appears, the use of Laotian oud with its slight floral quality picks up on the violet in the heart as it begins to wrap you in a deep, but perhaps dangerous, embrace. The Indian oud unmasks the fiend at the heart as this oud is the anticipation of the bite with no more pretenses; the monster is loose and the wearer is trapped.

Carpathian Oud cologne has all day, or all night, longevity and average sillage.

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Ms. Zorn was also kind enough to also send me a sample of the more concentrated demi-absolute of Carpathian Oud. In this concentration Carpathian Oud eschews the mountain hillside and the florals and heads straight into the earth. The early moments of the demi-absolute are reminiscent of being entombed all day waiting for nightfall. The rest of the development is similar to the cologne version but it carries on a more languid seduction of the wearer’s senses. If the cologne is the victim, the demi-absolute represents Dracula. As one would expect the demi-absolute lasts longer and wears closer to the skin than the cologne.

One could say that oud is as ubiquitous in perfumery as vampires are in the media of today. Just like in that visual media you know when an artist has a true vision and inspiration so it is clear to me that Ms. Zorn achieved exactly what she intended to with Carpathian Oud. The cologne version of Carpathian Oud is a resplendent piece of perfumery and shows that there is still life in both Dracula and oud if the artist inspired by it has talent.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Soivohle.

Thanks to Liz Zorn and Soivohle we have a draw for a 5mL travel spray of the Carpathian Oud cologne. This is a US only draw. To be eligible leave a comment naming your favorite Soivohle fragrance or your favorite portrayal of a vampire on movie or television. Remember to let us know if you’re in the US. Draw ends on October 10, 2013.

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.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

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Editor's Note: Carpathian Oud will be available October 15, 2013 on the Soivohle website. If you haven't seen the 1992 version of  Dracula remedy that  before sundown. The stellar cast  included Anthony Hopkins as Professor Van Helsing, Monica Belluci as Dracula's Bride, Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, Tom Waits as Renfield and Sadie Frost as Lucy.

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45 comments

  • This sounds so wonderful! I love Bottleneck Blues and Meerschaum for my partner (and I love too many vampire films/characters to count). Thanks as ever for the draw!

  • One of my faves is the 70s blaxploitation film Blacula. Unintentionally hilarious! Thanks for the draw, and I’m in the US.

  • leathermountain says:

    In the US. The only Soivohle I know is Tropic Lime Vanille. It’s lovely and sounds about as different from Carpathian Oud as I can imagine. I’d love to get to know them both!

  • I’m in the US and this is a fabulous draw, thanks! Anne Rice created my favorite vampire, Lestat, but poor Tom Cruise was hilariously miscast in the movie.

  • Ooooh, my grandma marked me for vampires when I was just a little bitty girl…she was obsessed with Dark Shadows. I can remember going to see her when I was around 4 years old…we didn’t have electricity at home, so the TV itself was amazing, let alone the stuff she watched. She was also a huge fan of Outer Limits, the Addams Family and the Munsters. (Oddly enough, I loved those shows, but Green Acres gave me nightmares. Vampires and various monsters didn’t phase me one iota, but Lisa sticking a box of cake mix in the over and pulling out a fully baked cake totally freaked my 4 year old self totally out, not to mention the Ziffels thinking Arnold was their son. )

    I love all vampire stuff, although I admit the sparkly ones threw me at first. (I found Bella far more annoying than the vampires in that particular series) Loved Brahm Stoker’s Dracula, loved the movie adaption of Interview With a Vampire, love them all, from Nosferatu on, but I do believe David Bowie’s innate creepiness made him a perfect vampire and the score from that movie was outstanding.

    Centennial is my favorite of many from Ms Zorn.

  • My favorite vampire was Barnabas Collins in the 1966 tv show Dark Shadows! It was an every day after school treat for me and my Mom! This Carpathian Oud cologne sounds amazing! I live in the US. thanks for the draw!

  • You have already named my favorite vampire. Gary Oldman was awesomely creepy and attractive in that movie and I have always wanted to wander the rose garden at night in a flame colored chiffon gown anyway-but maybe not as the undead. I live in the US and although I still haven’t made peace with oud I am dying to try Carpathian Oud.

  • My favorite vampire was the same as in this article,Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.His portrayal was peerless.I also enjoyed Max Schreck in Nosferatu…as creepy as they come and was terrified as a kid by the vampires in Salem’s Lot.I live in the US and would love to try Carpathian Oud.Thanks for the draw!

  • Gary Oldman made an elegant monster, indeed, but my favorite vampire is still George Hamilton’s Dracula from Love At First Bite–a very funny spoof of Bram Stoker’s character. As for the 1992 film, Tom Waits stole the show IMHO (but then, I believe he improves any film he is featured in hahaha!).

    I am in the US.

  • So many vampires have fanged their way into my blood that it is hard to choose just one. While I admire tremendously both Nosferatus (Shreck and Kinski), the stunning Louis Jourdan BBC version of 30-odd years ago, and my beloved, coldly beautiful Angelique from Dark Shadows, the best biter of them all had to be the louche and luscious Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

    Would love to win that oud!

  • Honestly, I like Twilight’s portrayal. Mostly because I find it ridiculous. I have a US address

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    I have not tried any Soivohle fragrance so far but it may probably be Meerschaum, I am in the U.S.

  • Antonio baderas is a pretty good vampire, Brad pitt of course was cute but, he was a tortured vampire, and lacked the needed s-tention that vampires use to draw you in. I wish they would have made keanu reeves a vampire as he would have been the most handsome to me.Favorite so far? Gary Oldman did it best. I live in the USA!

  • I honestly can’t think of anything better than a vamp-inspired oud. This sounds outstanding! I write vampire fiction so am VERY fussy about their portrayal in both literature and film. I often associate scents (or various notes rather) with my own beloved Immortal characters, recognizing the undeniable way fragrance intoxicates the senses. Anyway, since you asked, my all time fave portrayal of a vamp in film is Viktor from the Underworld series, and in literature I have to go with my very own and very beloved, Bastian St.Cyr.

  • Coppola’s is my all-time favorite, with Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu a close second. I wonder how Liz Zorn would interpret Nosferatu in a perfume? That one would have to be scary…. I am in the US, and I’d love to try a Zorn perfume, I have not done so yet.

  • My favorite Soivohle scent is Vanillaville. Bela Lugosi is the classic Dracula for me. I live in the US; “fangs” for the draw!

  • My favorite portrayal of a vampire is David Bowie as John Blaylock in The Hunger. I have also loved vampires since Dark Shadows and reading Dracula in elementary school. I am in the US.

  • I always loved Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre. Loved both Klaus Kinski as Count Dracula and the wonderful Isabelle Adjani as Lucy Harker, I always put into the back of my mind however the awful scandal about the rats used in the film, terrible cruelty, they weren’t fed and then were killed…anyway..sorry to bring that to the fore, I’d love to try a Liz Zorn and this sounds perfect, being such a fan of Oud myself -I have a US address.

  • julesinrose says:

    Oh goodness! Barbara already named my favorite: David Bowie in The Hunger! I adored the book Interview with a Vampire, but the movie, well, Brad Pitt is sexy, but. . .I think vampires must have the best scent stashes. I would if I were one of the undead, lol! Here in the US, and still a human, thank you! 😉

  • Doreen Stelton says:

    Kinski! just love him. i have not tried this perfumer’s creations, and am so happy to have a shot at the draw. thanks so much. yes, US for now, but off to bed now and who knows where my dreams will carry me…

  • I have a few Soivohle’s and a few samples. Of the bottles I have, I think Solstice is my fave! 🙂 But, I have a sample of Centennial…and I think it’s a masterpiece. I must own it.

    Thanks for the draw! Can’t wait to smell this one. 🙂

  • My favorite vampire portrayal is James Marsters as Spike in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv series. I’m in the US.

  • Bela Lugosi -fabulous ! This sounds delightfully wicked! Thank you for the opportunity- I live in the USA.

  • I have loved all vampire literature and movies since I was a child and watched Dark Shadows. I loved Gary Oldman as Dracula. I even loved all the campy, funny Draculas. I had a little trouble with the sparkly Twilight vamps, but still fun. I would love to try this fragrance. I live in the USA.

  • What a lot of great movies have been named here. Lizzie reminded me of the George Hamilton one which was a hoot as I recall. But for the serious movie, I also liked Gary Oldman. And as for scents, I like Grand Canyon (if it’s still being made).

  • I really liked Nicholas Cage in Vampire’s Kiss. He plays a literary agent that is slowly losing his marbles and believes that he is turning into a vampire. He improvises a coffin by turning over his sofa to sleep under it. Gary Oldman’s portrayal is great and Nosferatu still holds its own. For a television series, True Blood is fun. I’m in the US.

  • I love many of Liz Zorn’s scents! Meerschaum is one of my husband’s favorites and I wore a lot of Rosa sur Reuse this past winter/spring.

    I live in the US! (And my favorite vampire movie is still The Lost Boys…)

  • I”m in the US and thank you for the draw!

    My favorite Liz Zorn is Rosa sur Reuse. Honorable mention to Transcendental Musk which is divine on my husband. My favorite Vampire depiction is on The Vampire Diaries. 🙂

  • My favorite is Underworld and one of my favorite vampire characters is Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins in Dark Shadows. I live in the US.
    Thanks.

  • Oh, Gary Oldman is a great dangerous, sexy vampire, but for downright creepy you can’t beat Max Schreck in F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu” from the early 1920s! I live in the U.S. Thanks!

  • US
    Thanks for the article and draw! I love sniffing vicariously.
    Don’t yet have a favorite Soivohle scent. As for vampires, I don’t have the knowledge of all the classics to really say definitively, but I really liked Buffy when it was on–all the teens in the house watched it together and we talked about it in school. So, Angel (early on especially) .
    I should really see the Oldman Dracula because it might change the answer!

  • I actually just started rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer since I was 9 years old when the episodes originally aired. I was not fond of David Boreanaz as Angel back then, mostly because I was in love with Sarah Michelle Gellar, lol Now however, I am more partial to Willow, so I can appreciate his great character and performance. I am in the US. Thanks for the draw.

  • Brad Pitt in Interview with a Vampire. I think it is obvious why! I’m in the US, thank you for the draw!

  • I am a huge Kiefer Sutherland fan, and he was excellent in The Lost Boys. I am in the US, thank you for this draw.

  • Great draw. I am in the US. My favorite portrayal of a vampire would probably go to the legend, Bela Lugosi. I love those old films.

  • I am not sure of the actors name, but the one who played Nosferatu in the old silent film. So spooky. Thank you for the draw, I’m in the US

  • I’m a comic book fan, and I actually enjoyed the Blade movies, so I will say Wesley Snipes for me, although he technically wasn’t a full vampire. US. Thanks