The Journal

Notes from the bench.

What oud actually is, how to wear it, and how to get the most from every bottle — written by the person who blends them.

The material

What does oud actually smell like?

Ask five people what oud smells like and you'll get five different answers — smoky, sweet, leathery, medicinal, animalic. They're all right.…

Read — 5 min

For her

Perfume counters like to file oud under 'for him'. History disagrees — women across the Gulf have worn oud for centuries, layered over silk …

Read — 4 min

The method

The most common complaint in fragrance isn't the smell — it's the vanishing act. Most of the time the perfume isn't the problem; the applica…

Read — 4 min