Maison Christian Dior Parfum : Oud Ispahan

I've been seeing this parfum from Dior page on instagram for quite some time and eventually i decided to go adventurous and go for it. I'm a simple person and Christmas is around the corner, thus i would like to think of this purchase as a self-gifting. I tested the scent like once and i remember that i was not so fond of oud or woody accord, now you do understand when i said that it was adventurous of me of wanting to buy an unusually oud-y parfum. 

This parfum from Maison Christian Dior is an Oriental Floral parfum. It smells oud, woody, floral and spicy. Not the kind of spiciness that is pungent or unpleasant but i reckon if you are from middle east region you probably are used to strong oud and woody scents, as this is what most of the perfumes there are made of and you probably might go head over heels with this scent. It was weird at first because this is my first parfum from Maison Dior that has dominant oud, woody and oriental-ish accords. I'm definitely a loyal fan of their floral and feminine scent like Miss Dior Rose N'Roses EDT to compare with. One of my all the time favourites from their Maison Dior would be Sakura, Lucky and Rose Kabuki. Sucha foreign scent to me but i applauded my curiosity for venturing into it.

This is the list of the accords that Oud Ispahan has, from the most dominant to the less dominant

There's this proverb in Malay that says "not knowing hence, not loving". By this, i rest my case. I was kinda confused and puzzled about the scent when i first spritzed this on my wrist at the Dior Boutique. However i could not help it that i love the name of this parfum so much and after few hours of strolling around with the scent left dry on my skin, i learned that i slowly began to understand its character and i like it, hence i decided to buy it. The rose scent that it has is heady, and almost exotic. Ispahan is a type of rose, Rosa 'Ispahan', also known as 'Rose d'Ispahan' and 'Pompon des Princes'. It is a clear pink, half-open kind of Damask rose, a type of garden rose introduced from the Middle East to Europe during the crusading 13th century. If you like a dessert named Ispahan then i guess you can figure out what kind of combination of scent does this Maison Christian Dior Oud Ispahan offers. Oud Ispahan was launched in 2012. The nose behind this fragrance is none other than François Demachy, Dior perfumer-creator and this parfum is part of the Collection Privée.

SCENTS

Top notes : labdanum absolute

Mid notes : rose, patchouli and saffron

Base notes : agarwood (oud), sandalwood and cedar

I always loved how Maison Dior does not categorise the gender of their parfums and everyone can use it without feeling like it's specifically made either for men or women respectively. It's a rose/oud scent that is sophisticated in both of its key elements and definitely suitable for both genders. For me, i see this scent as something that is exotic, mature, mysterious and has a reflective side of tenderness to it. If you're not into something too sweet, saccharine or too feminine and love some complexity, i would totally recommend you Dior Oud Ispahan. Something for sure the amount of woodiness in this parfum is enough to lit you a bonfire and leads some heads around to you.

Initially, i've been giving this parfum quite a lot of thoughts provided that i had a lot of questions thrown around all over the accords. Now i do feel attracted to this unique scent and i kind of love it now. I'm still not a big fan of oud and woody scent. It's kinda bitter and earthy, i would want to describe it as dusty however earthy is probably more accurate. The ispahan rose accord at the heart gives an offset to the forest woody and earthy bitter oud which is a good balance and is what changed my mind after i left it on my skin longer. You can't love any scent when you sniff it straight from the bottle or when you just spritzed it on while it's still wet. The important notes and the uniqueness of the combination will come out once it's dry or better, mixed with your own sweat or pheromones. Every scent uniquely smells differently on everyone. For me, Oud Ispahan smells better on me the longer i leave it on my skin.

I also love the minimalism of every Maison Christian Dior Parfum with the caps emblemed in Christian Dior iconic monogram. The caps of every bottle are also magnetic and you do not have to worry if it will be accidentally slipped off revealing the naked nozzle head when you pack it in your bag during a trip. I will give Oud Ispahan 9/10 and i think that this parfum fit to be represented for a special ball or events. This, in my opinion might not be suitable to be worn on a daily basis because of the headiness and intensity which i will rate 4 out of 5. It should be worn specially on an occasion to turn heads of attractive strangers to you on your special nights instead *winks*. Currently, this is probably my first oud/woody parfum i've ever bought that is in my possession right now as everyone knows that i am that feminine lady that is more into fresh, floral and citrusy scent.

If exotic orientals are your go to fragrances, Dior Oud Ispahan is definitely the one that will knock all other oud based perfumes out of competition.

Maison Christian Dior parfums all available in 4 volumes, 450ml, 250ml, 125ml and 40ml. 40ml starts at RM395 (Malaysia) 

Merry Christmas everyone and talk to you guys again on my next post

-Pinku-

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