If you follow me on the ‘gram (and if you don’t then please do – here I am!) then you’ll know that I received a beautiful delivery from Kayali, introducing the new Oudgasm collection, which is basically a love letter to Oud from Mona Kattan, featuring four gorgeous fragrances that are available as wearable fragrances as well as fragranced Oud wood that creates a smoke to fill your home with beautiful scent. I have been having a fantastic time getting to know the fragrances and understanding a little bit more about the Kayali brand; I am not the key demographic for Oud fragrances as I like light, sparkly florals – basically the opposite to Oud – but trying out these scents has been a total eye-opener, and I have actually found a fragrance that I love so much, I’ve been wearing it daily! Don’t get me wrong, the Oudgasms are big, bold, unashamedly sexy scents that smack you in the face with their sultry smokiness, but don’t be scared off if you like things a little lighter, as each fragrance is so different that I’d be surprised if you didn’t find your perfect Oud.
Since I have so much to say about the Oudgasm collection, I decided to create a little mini-series devoted to each individual fragrance, so I can waffle on to my heart’s content. I’m kicking off with a review of the Oudgasm Cafe Oud 19 fragrance, which, as you’ve probably guessed by the name, is all about the coffee. Kicking off with bright and punchy notes of Bergamot and Mandarin, these are quickly overtaken by the essential Cappuccino that hits just right; sweet but not overly so. At the heart we have Geranium and Rose Damascena that add a gentle floral touch, then the base gets creamy and woody with the Madagascan Vanilla, White Musk, Patchouli and Oud.
Out of the four fragrances, I would say this is the second most “Oudy” as it’s pretty intense and woody, with a drydown that, for me, was mostly a mix of coffee, patchouli and oud. This is not for you if you’re not a fan of thick, heady scents, but one of the many things I love about the Oudgasm collection (and the whole Kayali range, it seems!) is that they’re all layerable, so you can tweak them with other fragrances to create something that is more to your liking. I think there are two fragrances in the Kayali Oudgasm range that are for the diehard Oud lovers and two that are more for people who want to dip their toe into a little bit of Oud-laced water; the Cafe Oud is definitely one for the existing Oud fans.
You can find Kayali Oudgasm Cafe Oud 19 here and here. Prices start at £33 for 10ml and go up to £122 for the 50ml bottle pictured.
Disclosure: PR samples
