Oud Velvet Mood Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2013

To my nose, this says oud, amber and cedar, however I am completely wrong. This is oud with fancy versions of cinnamon, saffron and balsam! Hubby liked it, but didn’t buy because of the price (never mind the fortune he was spending delighting MY nose). Of course I got it for him for his birthday (if our starved bodies are ever found in the woods, surrounded by empty perfume bottles, you’ll know why—just kidding. [I hope]). This oud is a beauty! Subtle spice and exotic resin mimic other familiar scents and the result is seductive, mesmerizing. Worth every outrageous penny, assuming your refrigerator’s already full. It’s among his favorites. Mine, too.

Oud Velvet Mood differs from its brethren in the Oud Moods series by virtue of a striking copahu balm note, smelling of cinnamon bark, rare metals, medicine, and sweet rubber all at once. The texture of the fragrance is balmier than Oud Cashmere Mood, which is comparatively smokier and (it has to be said) more interesting all round. But what I love about Oud Velvet Mood is that it is unafraid to present an oud oil note that is authentically Indian in profile: creamy, nutty, and very, very sheep-cheesey.

Yes, Hindi or Syoufi oud haters need not apply. It fairly explodes out of the bottle, this rudely unapologetic aroma, ripe and falling apart at the edges - and proceeds to stand there proudly, completely alone on a ledge, with no sweet rose at all to soften the blunt force trauma of it all. I happen to love the sheer unloveliness of animalic oud oil, but I will admit that to the uninitiated, there will appear to be some disturbing mind associations that come up, like oil, rubber, cheese, tires, melting plastic, and the like. In this respect, Oud Velvet Mood has a similar oud note to that of Oud Cashmere Mood - but it is perhaps easier to swallow in Oud Cashmere Mood because it comes neatly wrapped up in smoky labdanum. Here, everything else seems pared back, minimized, to allow the full glory of the oud to shine through.

Apart from the cinnamon-medicine accent from copahu balm, what's very notable in this fragrance is the use of saffron. Here the gold-metallic, dusty leather facets of saffron have been harnessed, and it adds an overall tone of brightness to the composition that brings Oud Velvet Mood further away from the dark smokiness of Oud Cashmere Oud and closer to the sunshiney, yolk-yellow smile of the original Oud. This was a surprising development, and one that I was able to confirm only by wearing it side by side with Oud Cashmere Mood and then again with the original Oud. So, if you want an oud fragrance that is halfway between the bright, sweet, saffron-dominated original Oud and the dark, smoky, industrial Oud Cashmere Mood, then Oud Velvet Mood might be what you're looking for. Personally, though, I love the original Oud and Cashmere Mood far more than this. I'm at a loss to say why, but there it is.

It is quite obvious that Maison Francis Kurkdjian is my favorite brand even before Creed.
While some fragrances from Creed resemble each other, every Kurkdjian scent smells completely different to me, yet without losing the common thread.
However, one can easily lose track of his Oud fragrances or even wonder why there is yet another Oud scent? I believe no one is asking that at Montale;-)!
Once you have thoroughly tested all Kurkdjian Oud fragrances or even wear them regularly, taking a step back creates a complete and "meaningful" picture.
Let's take Silk Mood as the focal point. Slightly sweet Oud with wonderful roses and "bite." Here, the wonderfully beautiful and marvelous "Oud" with its dreamy balsamic saffron and buttery soft Oud, with its already stronger sweetness, forms the bridge to the very sweet and almost endearing Satin Mood, a fragrance that cannot be made more beautiful. The distinctions between them become clearer.
Silk Mood also creates a connection to the sweeter fragrances, but also through its existing bite and depth, to Velvet Mood and Cashmere Mood, which for me are the more rugged Oud and oriental scents from Kurkdjian. Velvet Mood still retains some charm from Silk Mood, including the slight balsamic note of "Oud," a lighter acidity, and I can still faintly recognize the roses in it, even if they are not listed. However, Velvet Mood has significantly more edges and corners than Silk Mood. It also possesses a certain smokiness and a bit more "grime" than all the others. After 2-3 hours, Velvet Mood becomes softer, rounder, silkier...balsamically soft. I see Velvet Mood as a preparation and bridge to Cashmere Mood, which comes across as dark, slightly musty, angular, and distinctly smokier.
When you look at this fragrance line in this way, you can wonderfully recognize the step-by-step development in both directions, with Satin Mood at the sweet end and Cashmere Mood at the rugged and oriental end. A gradual evolution and constant development and refinement of the fragrances. Thus, Kurkdjian should be able to cover and cater to all nuances and preferences of Oud and fragrance lovers.
What a wonderful series, considered as a total work of art!!! Thank you for that.. You truly are a great in the industry for me!

I really like some fragrances by Kurkdjian, but I absolutely do not understand Oud Velvet Mood. The scent smells to me like 98% of a monotonous Oud note. This static impression reminds me very much of an Oud synthetic that I recently tested. If real Oud was used here, it is either nothing special or Kurkdjian knows how to olfactorily ruin a good Oud. Because from start to finish, the Oud note is simply oily-smoky, without showing any other facets even once.

At the beginning, a matte-powdery-leathery note joins in, which reminds me more of a violet note from some fragrances than of saffron. Oud Velvet Mood at least does not smell like the typical saffron-Oud combo, has nothing medicinal or adhesive bandage-like.

After several hours, one notices a slight softening with a hint of dry cinnamon and a bit of warm-sweet balsam. But overall, Oud Velvet Mood remains oily-smoky. One certainly gets an impression of a typical Oud smell through Oud Velvet Mood, but all the beautiful aspects that make this fragrance interesting for my nose are simply missing. Otherwise, unfortunately, there is not much development.

I'm sorry for all those who like the scent - but I just don't understand what it is supposed to convey to me. Even aside from the fact that I personally do not find Oud Velvet Mood great, I do not understand the statement, the intention, or the craftsmanship behind it.

What do we do with this little guy? Kurkdjian's exclusive ouds are worthy of all honor; the three of them form a microcosm of oud for me, a self-contained microcosm.
What drives OVM? Smokiness intertwined with woodiness, woven with connection. I perceive saffron distinctly. A cloud that permeates the entire fragrance, like an air bubble in the liquid of a spirit level.

The scent is a surface tension. No screw should be turned, or it would cause the fragrance to overflow. Oud Velvet Mood is pure fulminance in extravagance. I do not detect any significant nuances in OVM. It is a homogeneous whole, a unity, a large holistic system. No breaks; the wood is contained in the smokiness, and the smokiness is contained in the wood. OVM is a grand interplay of itself and the wearer, demanding of both. In terms of format, I would like to mention OVM in the same breath as Bois d'Ascese. The large caliber in eccentric olfactory dimensions corresponds. Rough and bitter, indestructibility; that is what OVM wants to be, and it does not miss the mark. Fortunately, it does not miss that mark, because if OVM were not perfectly balanced and integrated in its storminess, it would be a threatening monotony. Yet the complexity of the heavenly balance creates a dream in which it is no longer about right or wrong, where beginning and end cannot be distinguished.

Oud Velvet Mood reminds me of an old book. A book that stood long in a forgotten library and has now been brought back to life.
The scent of OVM is reminiscent of the scent of old paper pages of an ancient book. One page resembles another, exuding the same smell as the others. Just as intertwined as OVM is, creating a unique scent, the book creates its own story through the same, yet always differently described pages. The pages all speak the same language, and thus, in their sum, arrive at a unique narrative.

The book tells of a dense forest, permeated by clouds of smoke. The scent progression does not differentiate any divisions, just as it is impossible for the forest to yield different sections of itself. The secret of not revealing is the access to OVM; therein lies the key. Beginning and end merge. The entrance and exit of the forest coincide. The "how" of the inner interplay of OVM is the wonderful mystery to be enjoyed.

The forest is misty, and one can only see a few meters ahead. Occasionally, a fleeting flash of cinnamon-colored gold is mentioned. However, this light is so harmoniously integrated into the mist, as if the mist were momentarily transformed and still visually echoed the flash. A humidity lingers in the air, resulting from previous downpours. The saffron provides a certain smoothness and fluidity. For a fluency and inner permeability of the interplay of the fragrance notes. It unites the fragrance notes and frees the scent from its tension. The forest is enchanted, yet not dark. A thicket that invites you to want to learn more about it. You willingly surrender and sink deeper into the depths of the book. You rummage through the pages, which may seem endlessly monotonous, yet have so much to give back. They draw you into their impenetrable cosmos and lead you through its enticing labyrinth. You think you might get lost, but in this case, you don’t mind. The forest has neither beginning nor end, which is what makes it fascinating. The sky is visible above the forest, but you do not need to recognize it. Although it occasionally peeks through the branches, it is not found in the time and space of the forest and is also not important.

The forest wants to remain united, just as OVM does within itself and the narrating book, until the last page is laid over the previous one and closed.