My decant of Byredo Oud Immortel leaked a little in the envelope. The result was everything around it smelled deliciously smoky- the mail, my bedroom and I'm guessing also my poor mailman. Oud Immortel is that big and strong, beating its litter-mate Byerdo Oud Accord into a pulp.
More than oud, this is a sweet and aggressive tobacco perfume. I wear this kind of scent very well, on all its hey, smoke and burning dry grass. It's supposedly a masculine, but I'm guessing women who wear Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille and Oud Wood would have no problem wearing this Byredo. I like Oud Immortel (much better than the flat Accord) very much, but it tends to get on my nerves after half a day or so. I'm not sure why- I love the papyrus and incense, it's dark and honeyed- all stuff that makes me happy. And I smell good. But it just lacks refinement. Octavian of 1000 Fragrances compares Oud Immortel to some big boned mainstream masculines, and though I'm not sure I'd go that far, I get what he means.
Many other Byredo perfumes I tried were pretty tame and didn't last long. This one needs to be showered off. Preferably twice. I'm hanging on to the rest of my decant. I like it enough and I'm not sure the mailman would appreciate another round.
Byredo Oud Immortel ($210, 100ml) is available from Barneys. The Perfumed Court offers samples and decants.
Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1942, life.com
