Sweet oud

How it Smells

Sweet Oud from Montagne Parfums opens with a medicinal blast; imagine artemisia soaked in bitter orange peel oil. The bergamot struggles to cut through the herbal assault. The heart offers a rosier experience, but it leans towards candied rose petals rather than a freshly picked bloom. As it dries, the patisserie accord becomes prominent – think burnt sugar and artificial vanilla extract. The oud is present, but it’s a muted, almost smoky wood, far from the barnyard funk some might expect. It diverges most from its inspiration in the dry down; Sweet Oud loses the original’s creamy depth, settling into a slightly plasticky, vaguely sweet woodiness with a cardamom tingle.

Performance Reality Check

Longevity is moderate, clocking in around 5-6 hours. Projection is initially strong, filling a room within the first hour, but quickly receding to within arm's reach. I tested it during a casual workday and found it became a skin scent by lunchtime, requiring reapplication for evening activities.

Conclusion

If Sweet Oud were a movie character, it would be the well-meaning, but slightly awkward, understudy who's trying their best to fill big shoes. They have the costume right, some of the lines memorized, but lack the charisma to truly capture the audience.