Leather Oud by Dior

Smells like a real man, with plenty of cardamom, a creamy oud, and something reminiscent of vetiver or sand. There’s a spicy touch, perhaps clove and leather, all very light. What makes it unisex is that dusty air; I’m not sure if it’s the jasmine or maybe there’s a hint of rose. It’s like a more sophisticated, velvet version of Oud Wood.🤵🏻

Wow, Leather Oud is exactly what I was looking for from Cuir Cannage. It starts with a very intense tannery leather, as if it hasn’t been polished yet, followed by a penetrating oud that isn’t too animalistic or dirty, mixed with clove. In the dry down, a strange creaminess, perhaps due to the sandalwood, which sweetens it a lot on female skin (on male skin the oud remains invasive). That final phase gives me a bit of stomach discomfort only when sniffing up close, but overall it looks super elegant. Moderate projection and lasts about 6-8 hours.

You can tell when a perfume has quality. This Leather Oud, which costs more than a grave, is the perfect example of something that doesn’t reinvent the wheel. But it’s worth the price because the palate is simply exquisite, and that’s evidence. Whether it’s worth it depends on your wallet and tastes, but the quality is superb. Does the oud smell good? Yes, if you like it. I’m fed up with it and almost hate it. Does it feel refined? Very. Does it bring anything new to the agar theme? Nothing under the sun; the composition leaves me indifferent because the oud archetype is already very worn out; they either do rose/oud combos, smell like plastic, or let themselves be dragged by French accords. This doesn’t invent anything, but when the dry down hits, amidst cheap perfumes that smell of stagnation, Leather Oud keeps dancing, rising and falling, showing delicacy and grace. A key reason to pay more is the background sequence: in bad ones it’s linear and monolithic, here it’s a dance. The fragrance itself smells like two hundred million things, very similar to Black Touch by Frank Olivier and others with oud and smoked sweetness. Leather Oud has a more transparent body, it’s perfectly noticeable, has a sybaritic taste, and a beautiful dry down with delicate accords that make me visualise a web of esoteric whispers and murmurs that almost disappear, coming and going in their tranquility. That’s not ugly compared to most fragrances I try now, which have a petrous and immovable dry down. They say it smells like a goat pen and that you need to be used to oud, that it’s not for everyone. Nah, I’m sure that was the 2010 version with civet and honey that no longer exists (bravo Dior for reformulating and driving users mad). This new formula will please any user of the Guerlain family or those who love seductive perfumes. For me, it’s an oriental oud mimicked with a Western taste, super Frenchified with vanity scales and a decadent gothic touch. This Leather Oud, which has little leather but lots of oud, is a clean agar wood within its poisonous nature that gets soaked in sweet campfire notes and indoor warmth. It’s the perfume of a princess or prince locked in a keep under a spell, waiting for their beloved. It’s gothic, romantic, adult, mature, and suggestive, something you don’t use every day to not break the magic. A perfect example of a fragrance worth paying double for; the quality is exquisite.