Bohemian Oud is, without a doubt, my favourite of the four pieces in the Chapter N ° 4 collection, followed by
Endless Oud ,
Perpetual Oud , and last but not least,
Hipster Oud. I appreciate them all, but Bohemian Oud’s what made me say, “whoa”! It has a wow factor and is nothing, but I would say a delicious chocolaty incense. Bohemian Oud caught my mind when I tested them in-store with its powerful incensed twist. It engulfed me. It is an accord that transpires immediately in the headnotes, unlike other perfumes that put incense between the heart or base notes. You can’t imagine what this pale blue-grey juice smells like. And I find it a little hard to describe because I’ve smelled nothing like this beauty. It is not an ecclesiastical incense, but something that makes a bar of chocolate looks like someone has subjected it to a smoking process. It is sublime; it displaces me; it captures me. Inspired by the precious tanned leather of the East, ZARA has reinvented suede in its creations. In Bohemian Oud, the warm cocoa bean evokes the softness of the finest suede, and the black oud wood enhances the powerful scent of tanned leather.
Bohemian Oud is a masterpiece, perhaps underestimated, in which incense is the backbone, copiously wrapped in a drape made of vanilla and leather. The nose sewed cocoa and immortelle notes into this drape and sprinkled everything with grated black pepper powder. It is such a complex fragrance that one might think about the layering combination of niche scents. The first thing that hits my nose is an aroma similar to liquorice, with a hint of slightly withered flowers. It is the smell of stale cut flowers but also that of chrysanthemums. This smell has many nuances: candied or dried fruit, hay, honey, camomile, leather, and curry. For those unfamiliar with these nuances, they are some ways the helichrysum flower manifests itself. Miserably, I was too hasty in my initial statement when I wrote, “… with a liquorice accord created by an overdose of incense and cocoa.” Actually, although the two notes come out clearly, it is the immortelle that creates the liquorice-like vibe. Afterwards, black pepper is what I smell right away in my face, sharp and spicy, in the initial blast, together with a gummy and smoky incense. I feel the sharpness of the pepper is more present on the paper strip or the sprayer. Instead, I get it on my skin for just a few moments. It is faint, and I must put my nose close to the skin to capture the spicy note. Instead, I get much of the touch of incense, which is there to darken the backbone. Okay, so the starter spray is superb dark chocolate with a hint of smoky incense. I think this comes from tamed Oud. Please, be aware that the Oud here is depurated, not animalic, faecal, or barnyard.
Just minutes after that razor opening, it becomes very mellow, spicy, warm, and much safer. The most prominent note in the next phase is chocolate powder, together with patchouli and other woodsy notes, transforms into unsweetened cacao. Now the chocolate accord feels round and more profound than a cocoa froth. To me, resinous and smoky incense is also very prominent. This is stellar! This fragrance is purely a gourmand fragrance, with no citrus or floral notes, but the dried immortelle. It is a bitter chocolate note mixed with vanilla, smooth suede, and a tip of the Oud. Sweet, but slightly smoky. The best part about this fragrance is that it is not a gourmand in that it exists to emulate food or simply to be a “smell” of the taste of it. Both cocoa and vanilla turn out dusty, powdery, and not edible.
The dry-down is all about dark chocolate perfectly blended with leather, Oud and resins. The latter dominate because these are in the top notes, but the secret is dark chocolate and vanilla well used for the sweet part and mixed with the leathery one. The patchouli adds the effect of chocolate and natural, earthy softness. Both vanilla and cocoa cut the sharpness of the spices and resins. The faintest touch of creaminess may be from suede-like addition, either labdanum or birch, and a nutty nuance may be from toasted vanilla and frankincense. It is smoky and smooth, has a bit of leather and smells like... unsweetened chocolate or cacao.
Wow, what a surprise, this differs entirely from everything I have smelt. Initially, I take a heavily smoked cocoa, not the sweet type but parched and peppery; then, at first, it is pretty masculine, and the bottom is wonderfully smooth with a vanilla twist. The fragrance turns into a spicy, slightly leathery accord that is really addictive. Bohemian Oud is not for the faint of heart, or people who don’t like Oud or incense, because it is not the classic fragrance for your comfort zone, and it has a slant of masculinity and oriental style on a par with Middle East fragrances. I’m wearing it at work, and no one is offended. It is opulent and dense but not overwhelming. It fits properly in the cold month of fall and winter, both days and evenings, date nights, and special events. As for performance, projection and longevity are so-so, let’s say, below average. I need to reapply if I want to smell it all day.
I'm basing my experience and review on a bottle I've owned since June 2022.
-Elysium
Frankincense
Vanilla
Black pepper
Cocoa
Immortelle
Leather
PedroCabral
Elysium
Kraemdon
Sailorcia
Fenhrier
BertolucciK
DarkSparkle
Seversky
Amadea70
Genoveva
