Today I want to dedicate myself to a fragrance to which I have already felt an emotional connection, even without having tested the scent.
The Nose Behind is a brand whose release has been announced several months in advance through various appearances by Herbert Stricker - therefore, no surprise.
When I pre-ordered, I was tempted to take a closer look at this.
2 bottles & a sample set? Come on, pack it in!
*Herbert, Don't break my Heart..!*
Among many names and "working titles" that were teased and described in advance,
"Silk! Oud" never caught my attention.
However, I was quite sure that this would be a scent I would like - but why?
I have been dreaming for years of one day creating my own perfume.. In this regard, I have developed thoughts and concepts that feel so real that I can almost smell the fragrances in my mind!
A few weeks ago, while procrastinating at my desk and actively ignoring the documents to prepare for the upcoming lab internship, I wrote down my dreams, ideas, and goals in detail;
I noted which fragrance composition, under what name, with what type of bottle, in what kind of packaging I envision.
Among other things, I had the idea to combine two of my favorite components, whose combination I had not encountered anywhere before.
Oud, which I have come to love over the past years (especially since my time on Parfumo)
and
Iris, which I have always enjoyed smelling in perfumes.
"GROUND-BREAKING!" I thought, "this could be something!" - and layered various things on my forearms while putting my ideas on paper.
I even noted which perfumers would fit the respective concepts...
That very evening - the tear still wells up in my eye -
I happened to see that the "The Nose Behind" fragrances were finally available for pre-sale and noticed among the 8 projects a scent that dashed my hopes for a milestone in the industry :')
But that's just how it is; what is not yet can still become, and one doesn't have to reinvent the wheel right away, right?
Who knows what the future holds;
The near future brought me "Silk! Oud" and I am glad to have made this discovery and to see how a great (!) man like Herbert would implement a similar idea to the one I had.
*The finest Liquids*
The fragrances come, as announced beforehand, in an "unspectacular" packaging with minimalist design. Normally, I place great importance on presentation and concepts, but in this specific case, I turn a blind eye, as the focus at TNB is primarily on "the finest liquids" - this is prominently displayed alongside the brand name, as well as the name of the respective fragrance and the fragrance concentration.
Using the packaging from Roberto Ugolini and the bottles from Gebauer fragrances not only offers a bulk discount but also provides a solid basic setup,
The goal was clearly to concentrate the spotlight and investment as much as possible on the content with this minimalist approach.
And that's exactly what I am doing now.
*The Liquid*
To better categorize my impressions, one should know that I perceive significant differences between test strips and skin. I mention this in the YT video as well, but in this review, I will only focus on the scent development that I perceived while wearing this perfume after extensive testing.
As the name with the exclamation mark already makes clear, this fragrance is primarily a representation of Oud.
This wondrous ingredient, which has been almost inflationarily (mis)used in recent years, is prominently featured here.
All this without any kind of barn-like association, which is often an indicator of inferior Oud or even entirely different ingredients.
I am very pleased that here, instead, the resinous-medical side of Oud is emphasized, which stands in a very interesting relationship with the Iris.
The entire composition feels as follows:
We start with a soft, citrusy opening with a lemon/orange note, which gradually transitions into a powderiness of the Iris.
Rose is listed, but I cannot perceive it separately; instead, it likely contributes to the softer floral aspect of the Iris, preventing it from becoming too "dusty."
Through this constellation, the Iris functions overall as a cool component, acting as a counterbalance to the pulsating, resinous warmth of the Oud.
The initially very present Oud note gradually recedes into the background after the first 30-40 minutes;
This interplay is given a stage by a sweet plum note, allowing the other components to fully unfold.
However, the Oud never completely disappears.
Imagine it as an elegant marble statue covered with a fine tulle-like Iris cloth.
This does provide a form of masking but allows many of the finely carved, almost "caressed" facets of the Oud to shine through.
I am very pleased to add Silk! Oud to my collection, a fragrance that gives one a sense of how real Oud can feel.
Here, in my opinion, typical synthetic Oud fragrance materials have been avoided in excess.
A small hint for this would be that the approach or method in the representation of Oud overall reminds me of the "Oud (2020)" from ATH, which, however, develops more towards a sweeter (Rose/Honey/Oud) direction over time.
The performance of Silk! Oud is solid but by no means overwhelming.
An Extrait de Parfum that has a relatively noticeable sillage in the first 3-4 hours, then gradually develops into a skin scent that one regularly perceives on oneself for the next 3-4 hours.
The entire progression is not particularly complex, behaves rather linearly, but is simply enjoyable!
In conclusion, I want to emphasize that with most fragrances from TNB, one thing simply shows (and particularly with Silk! Oud):
Creativity.
I am aware, as is evident from the current review, that the fragrance may not appeal to everyone.
But it should be very interesting for at least 2 types of perfume lovers.
1) People who love Oud fragrances and are looking for an interesting representative
2) People who want to know how "real Oud" behaves in a perfume.
The reaction of my non-Parfumo friend, to whom I sprayed Silk! Oud on the wrist, was:
"Wow.. Whoa.. What the.. What's in there??"
Feel free to let me know here and on YouTube how you found the fragrance!
I hope you had wonderful holidays and wish you a happy new year...
Until next time!
your BakLover
Updated on 01/01/2023
Top Notes 
Orange
Lemon
Pink pepper
Heart Notes 
Iris
Plum
Rose
Atlas cedar
Base Notes 
Thai oud
Musk
Sandalwood
Benzoin
PetarMolnar
SchatzSucher
Ergoproxy
Rieke2021
BakLover
FragFreak666
MaKr
DenizV
SGM
ParfumAholic
