Oud de Carthage Boucheron 2017

This is an oud for people who don’t usually like oud.

Balsamic and velvety, the fragrance unfolds with an enveloping softness, carried by the rich presence of honey and tonka. Their warmth smooths out any harsh edges, making the composition feel almost golden in texture.

The oud is unmistakably there - you’ll catch its depth - but it leans more woody than animalic, adding structure rather than intensity. A refined and approachable take on the note.

Tamed came to my mind immediately when I first wore Oud de Carthage.
Calm and gentle. Very soft, floating, and cuddly, and in a strange way familiar.
It had something that had already wrapped me around its finger. But what was it?
This fragrance has something whispering-hypnotic. Something alluring and erotic.
By no means loud or intrusive. Rather, it feels as if this fragrance takes you by the hand and leads you to a pleasurable place, like a bedroom. Tender, sensitive but assertive.

No one needs to be afraid of this Oud; as I mentioned, it is 'tamed'.
Not stinky, dirty, or fecal. This Oud is fine, soft, and very smooth. Noble!
But again, it is the choice of additions that makes Oud de Carthage something special. In this case, it is predominantly the honey. To be more precise, Provençal honey.
This honey smells spicy-sweet, and to my nose, it is extremely delicious and seductive.
You don't fall for this scent; you fall for the honey.

A delicate incense accord lingers in the air with the honey. It is softly caressed by
tonka beans and a sweet-bitter leather. Very warm and cuddly in combination
with the soft Oud. All together, it feels very balanced and harmoniously intertwined, and very elegantly crafted. It changes little throughout the day and
spreads its scent in even vibrations around you. Very beautifully done!

Personally, I will not acquire Oud de Carthage because I already own a much stronger variant of it,... Oud Délice by Robert Piguet. It is, so to speak, the overkill when it comes to Provençal honey and Oud.
However, for those who prefer it subtle and somewhat tamed, they should reach for Oud de Carthage.

Conclusion
A beautiful fragrance that radiates a subtle sexiness but remains very decent and refined. Without being boring. Cultivated yet spirited. Attractive but not dominating. Profound yet discreet. Yes,... I like it!
Longevity: 8 to 10 hours on average. Acceptable!
Sillage: Not loud but also not quiet. You do turn around to it!
Gender: Unisex. No one is left out here!

This fragrance was created by a man; you can feel it. And whatever he wanted to achieve with it for women or men,... he succeeded.

Intimacy

.... Hannibal ante Portas....
Echoes from ear to ear and a whisper spreads through the Roman metropolis. A small, insignificant man, underestimated by the only slightly arrogant Roman senators, boldly besieges the capital of an empire. What outrage he stirs up. Pure audacity from this guy.

What an impression this must have made. The 37 elephants have made it over the snowy Alps and are trumpeting away. The colorful standards of the 50,000 slightly sweaty and rather ruggedly masculine soldiers shine in the setting sun. You can practically smell their fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, Hannibal lies under a tree, one leg casually crossed over the other, peacefully chewing on a straw. He doesn't even think about conquering Rome. Content as he is, the humble man is satisfied with the effort and trouble he has taken to shake Rome to its core.

The scent:
Begins as surprisingly as the appearance of Hannibal and his men. It starts dark and smoky with a bang.
A rather masculine presence at the outset. The honey underlines the boom with a dark, resinous sweetness and softens the impression a bit.
In the heart, it becomes cloudy and quite smoky. The tonka makes its entrance and presents itself (not unlike Hannibal's elephants) and trumpets away.
Then hardly any change is noticeable.
Just like the humble Hannibal at the gates. He shows himself but remains well-behaved at the threshold and is content with himself.

Conclusion:
An interesting scent. On my skin, however, a touch too masculine. A clear and very structured sensory impression. Initially indeed very striking and quite room-filling. However, it softens over the hours and settles down to arm's length.
A scent for surprises and a strong appearance. More suited for the evening or going out.
A scent for clear statements with an immediate wow effect. A scent for Punic commanders who want to startle arrogant Romans.

I had this candidate from Boucheron on my radar for quite some time. The brand has several creations that I quite like, but none have fully convinced me (e.g., Vanille de Zanzibar or Patchouli d’Angkor, both of which played too much with pear in the top note).

Oud de Carthage, however, I wanted to test out of pure curiosity. While reading the pyramid, I thought to myself, “Honey, I like that! Tonka bean, yes, nice addition… Labdanum, a bit animalic-balsamic is always good. Oud, incense, leather, well, not really my thing, but let’s see.”

And then the first spray. Wow! What is this?
Am I really smelling a summer cocktail? And can a fragrance with such dark notes really sparkle like this? Yes, it can, and how it can!

OdC starts incredibly zesty and relatively loud. The honey here not only provides dry sweetness but also a Mediterranean herb-fruity vibe. The oud note, which is most likely not real oud, gives off a certain fruitiness from the very beginning and retains it. Incense remains (thankfully for me) very much in the background.
The blend of tonka and labdanum makes up the main part of the fragrance. Over time, it becomes softer, and the vanilla-warm, slightly resinous facets of the above notes come to the forefront.
After about half a day of wandering in an oriental-scented cloud, the perfume slowly fades, leaving the woody aspects of labdanum and oud close to the skin until the evening.

Oud de Carthage surprised me greatly. I expected a bitter fragrance with sweet sprinkles, and what I got was a gracefully exotic summer powerhouse.
Whether for going out on a warm summer evening or for dreaming on an autumn afternoon, Boucheron has surprised me wonderfully here, and I wouldn’t want to miss this scent in my collection!

I hope you enjoyed my first comment and that one or two of you feel inspired to test this wonderful little water :)

Oud de Carthage Boucheron

Boucheron is a jewelry and watch house. This is their main business, but they also have their own perfumes. Oud de Carthage is part of the luxurious La Collection line. It was created by the famous perfumer Dominique Ropion for the house of Boucheron.
This is an oriental leather perfume, very powerful. In addition to oud, it contains frankincense, honey, tonka, and labdanum.
Oud is actually a resin that forms in the evergreen agarwood tree. When an agarwood tree is infested by a fungus, the heart of the tree tries to defend itself against the fungus and begins to secrete this precious fragrant resin, which is now more expensive than gold.
The same happens with the shell. When a grain of sand enters the shell, it is a foreign body for the shell and disturbs it, causing pain. The shell then begins to secrete nacre, and thus a pearl is formed, which ranks as a semi-precious stone. It arises from pain and beauty. Oud from agarwood also occurs when a tree becomes infected with a certain fungus.
I applied the fragrance just a little on the pulse point to test it. I must also say that it survived the shower. After showering, it still smelled great! Therefore, caution should be exercised when dosing. I think two sprays are completely sufficient in colder weather. Anyone who loves oud must try this.