Amber
Blossoms
Musk
Oud10/03/2025
ClaireV
969 Reviews
ClaireV
1
The oud oil that educated me
To begin to appreciate the complex smell of aged oud, I had to reach back into the prehistoric part of my brain, unlock a little door, and just stand still for a while to let it all in. Initially, I did not find the aged oud in Jewel Blend at all easy to like or understand. In fact, I was so bothered by what I thought of as a hot, sour, rotting-wood smell that I couldn't see past it. But it is a compelling smell, this aged oud, and I found myself testing it and re-testing it over a period of two weeks.
Finally, it all clicked into place for me. One day, I decided to apply a tiny amount, let it rest, and not smell it too closely for the first hour. I applied a small smear to the back of my hand. And as I went about my business, small but persistent wafts of something deeply woody, warm, and spicy began to hit my nose. When I put my nose closer to my skin (tentatively, I will admit!), although I can't say that the basic smell of aged oud had changed, but instead something in me changed so that I could perceive the smell in a different way. It is possible that my mind simply became more open. Now what I was smelling was dark, mysterious, damp, woody, but also sweet and sour at once, and later on, warm, full of spices and amber.
I actually found this experience transforming in a way, so relieved was I to finally see the full beauty and complexity of the aged oud. Freed from the negative associations I'd had at first, my nose began to appreciate and identify the warm, salty-sweet amber that appeared after the aged oud died down a bit. On subsequent wearings, I started to appreciate how Jewel moved seamlessly from this warm, sweet-sour, intensely woody, dusty, ancient-smelling oud accord to the warm, salty amber one without missing a step. But more than anything, I appreciate Jewel Blend because it opened that door in my brain so that I could finally start to properly appreciate the other aged oud blends and pure oud oils in my sample pack.
Although the perception of the price-value ratio is a deeply personal thing, I would have to ask why anyone would pay the asking price for Roja Dove's Amber Aoud which costs 345 GBP or 434 euros for 30mls, when Jewel Blend exists. I think I would rather invest 280 euros for a tola (12 mls) of Jewel Blend by ASAQ which contains real aged oud, and is a great, complex amber-oud blend.
Finally, it all clicked into place for me. One day, I decided to apply a tiny amount, let it rest, and not smell it too closely for the first hour. I applied a small smear to the back of my hand. And as I went about my business, small but persistent wafts of something deeply woody, warm, and spicy began to hit my nose. When I put my nose closer to my skin (tentatively, I will admit!), although I can't say that the basic smell of aged oud had changed, but instead something in me changed so that I could perceive the smell in a different way. It is possible that my mind simply became more open. Now what I was smelling was dark, mysterious, damp, woody, but also sweet and sour at once, and later on, warm, full of spices and amber.
I actually found this experience transforming in a way, so relieved was I to finally see the full beauty and complexity of the aged oud. Freed from the negative associations I'd had at first, my nose began to appreciate and identify the warm, salty-sweet amber that appeared after the aged oud died down a bit. On subsequent wearings, I started to appreciate how Jewel moved seamlessly from this warm, sweet-sour, intensely woody, dusty, ancient-smelling oud accord to the warm, salty amber one without missing a step. But more than anything, I appreciate Jewel Blend because it opened that door in my brain so that I could finally start to properly appreciate the other aged oud blends and pure oud oils in my sample pack.
Although the perception of the price-value ratio is a deeply personal thing, I would have to ask why anyone would pay the asking price for Roja Dove's Amber Aoud which costs 345 GBP or 434 euros for 30mls, when Jewel Blend exists. I think I would rather invest 280 euros for a tola (12 mls) of Jewel Blend by ASAQ which contains real aged oud, and is a great, complex amber-oud blend.
Scheeheratze
