Every now and again I get in a conversation with a fellow perfume fan about how much a fragrance is “worth,” when someone’s trying to make a decision about whether to buy something spendy. One answer is: it’s worth whatever you’re willing to pay if you have to have it. This was on my mind as I smelled the new Trish McEvoy Precious Oud eau de parfum — at $100 for 5ml. update — 6ml. .02 ozs. = 6ml. See, my math skills DO suck. Thanks to Carol S. for catching my error.
I don’t buy enough expensive bottles to come up with a comparison off the top of my head, but … per ml, isn’t that putting us close to JAR territory?
From the Nordstrom website: “Precious Oud, the mysterious, provocative fragrance by Trish McEvoy, is an intoxicating blend of oud essence infused with incense, patchouli, natural sandalwood, rose, musk and amber. Like every piece in Trish McEvoy’s unique fragrance wardrobe, Precious Oud can be layered with any Trish fragrance for an array of spellbinding, customized scents.”
First off – forget the word oud. If you’re an oud lover, this would totally disappoint. I can’t smell any oud in there at all, really. It’s a nice addition to the blended-incense category. I thought it was more like Norma Kamali Ceremony, but Ceremony is much more resin and turpentine at the top. Precious Oud also reminded me a bit of Matthew Williamson Incense — the original with the saffron, not last year’s much different reissue (pause for mournful silence.) It’s got that creamy seamlessness; the woods are muted, the rose adding generic sweetness. It does remind me of another incense, but I can’t find it in a quick browse of my samples — not the Annayakes, or the CdG. Ceremony loses its turpentine top and gets closer to the McEvoy in the drydown, so maybe that’s what I’m thinking of. Ceremony is a steal at $80 for 100ml.
Or maybe the Heeley Cardinal? I found my sample of Cardinal, and that isn’t it either — Cardinal is sweeter, although the notes aren’t that different – incense, cistus, grey amber, patchouli, vetiver. Cardinal is also $148 for 100ml, making it another bargain compared to Precious Oud.
If anyone has smelled Precious Oud and thinks it’s a ringer for something else, please comment. (Actually … maybe it’s my Black Cashmere hand lotion this is reminding me of, I need to dig that up, speaking of another thing way cheaper than Precious Oud.) I am sure the McEvoy marketing machine could give us some data about super-expensive raw ingredients used to make Precious Oud, and for something that comes in a rollerball it has excellent staying power and sillage. Honestly, it’s very pretty — creamy and dense and rich and lightly sweet, and and at anything less than $50 I’d probably have skipped the math and bought it.
Seriously, am I doing this math right? You can get an ounce of Guerlain parfum for $300. An ounce is 30(ish) ml, right? That’s $10 per ml. So 5ml is $50, which is … still half what Trish wants for her Precious Oud. Um. Never mind. Buy the Guerlain. Actually, buy 5ml of Le Labo Poivre 23 as a decant and spend the other $40 on lipstick. Or a nice lunch. Whatever makes you happy.
I believe that I can create the most expensive perfume if I was given the time and resources to do so. I run a traditonal attaar company called Olive Aura LLC. The fragrance still hasn’t worked out quite right in my head yet, but it does contain largely natural fragrances (from organic sources) and its very very costly. I don’t know if launching it on my webpage would be effective either because of the high price, OVER 365 per half mL (0.5ml) which is very very expensive.
Totally off topic, but I’m in a odd mood (not to be confused with an “oud mood”). For any Doctor Who viewers out there, all I could think about while reading this review is that she has bottled the essence of the Ood and is selling it for $100. Sorry for the nerdy reference! :”>
not all agarwood is expnesive as people may think. Agarwood oil can be very cheap and it’s genuine not artificial. Since the highly priced oil are from The Aquilaria family others were considerd 2nd grade and not too expensive. Come visit my site if you don’t believe me. http://www.agarwoodindonesia.com. I also put agarwood knowlegde base for people to learn agarwood .
Thanks
Your post and these comments are hilarious. But seriously…. I know you only posted this so that Poivre would seem like a steal, right? For some reason you’re trying to make me succumb to the Poivre? You’re kind of succeeding, even though I had almost managed to push it out of my mind….
In order to shell out what this Trish Mc-Almost-Oud costs, it would have to make my toes curl, not just my nose hairs.
Busted! Now you can treat yourself to Poivre and today’s Le Labo Musc, guilt free because they’re such bargains! Buy a bottle of Jicky while you’re at it — stuff is practically free! :d
Have not yet tried the TM, but hey — there’s a Black Cashmere hand lotion? I have to look for that.
R — oh, my goodness, I love my Black Cashmere hand lotion. I have no idea if they reissued it as an ancillary product with the rerelease of Black Cashmere. I got mine on eBay awhile back. I will admit I find BC a bit … much, although I think it’s brilliant. But sometimes it bites back. BC is pretty much the same smell, calmed down. BC for wimps. 🙂 Plus it’s in these little tubes you can stick in your purse. Mostly I wear it as the fragrance, in lieu of the spray — it has that much sillage on me.
BTW I didn’t even have to do any math , it says 6 ml on the back of my box…it looks like more , it really does…:-\”
Well, I thought it looked like more too! I decided it was an optical illusion of that long, thin bottle. :”> And I also did the brilliant mathematical conversion of .02 oz into 5ml. :”> :”>
Obviously oud is the new iris…(synthesized and tamed for conservative audiences) ~it’s a shame they’re let to manipulate the public like that. In times of recession it’s in bad taste to charge so much for what amounts to so little, too.
I’d rather oud be the new iris than something terribly sweet (pink lychee?) And I am ashamed to admit I am one of those folks who prefers my oud dumbed down a bit, although I appreciate its qualities on others. 🙂
I have to say that I can see paying this much or more for the same amount of a *really* brilliant oud from Oriscent (2.7 grams of my fave from there runs $425) or Arabian Oud, but Trish McEvoy? What makes me think not? And if I weren’t getting an oud, I’d still choose vintage Guerlain parfum – am very close to mainlining the stuff these days.
There’s something about these uncertain times … or maybe it’s my red lipstick? I am not sure. Anyhow, all I want to wear are stodgy, vintage classics like Mitsouko, Jicky and Femme. I have never been quite on this sort of bender before.
whoa! better back that bus up there, li’l missy! Did I just hear you call that Triumvirate of Fabulousness STODGY?
Ooooh! I’m tellllin’……..:o
xo>-)
Ooh! Ooh! Me too March! Mitsouko, Chanel 19 Parfum, Vol de Nuit, vintage Scandal, and few modern takes on the classics — Attrape Couer, Rue Cambon and the like.
Let’s see — classics + plus red lips = 1932 or thereabouts I’d say. Anyone want to join me for a black and white Hollywood classic tonight while we’re at it? I’ll make the Gin Fizz.
Last year you said $200 is the new $100. They got the message. But that was last year. Last week the NY Times said 70% off is the new black. They need to get that message, too, and join us in the new depression! Otherwise, let’s buy gold: it lasts longer and also passes for a luxury item.
I’m dying to combine all these into $200 is the new black, because I really want some more parfum. Somehow I think that’s not what they intended.
It sounds really nice, but I always have to do the per-ml calculation. That’s definitely in SIP and JAR territory.
I’d rather have Bolt of Lightning. Or Lady Day. sigh…. 😡
I’ve never been so glad to have sinus congestion in my life, with these sorts of prices – yowza! This time of year is sort of Perfume Limbo so even if I want to try stuff it’s moot – little chance of falling in love or getting p.o.’d because I spent for naught…… I’ll be a mouthbreather for the next month or so (attractive visual, I know).
Carry on! I’ll be reading from the sidelines and quite like Masha’s concept for when I can smell again!
xo
>-)
Actually … my sinuses are killing me. My seasonal allergies seem to be seasonless at this point. 🙁
Let’s go get facials, the kind that steam your pores (and your sinuses) open….then let’s go sit in a steam, followed by one of those massages that open up your sinuses via the pressure points in your shoulders, then back to the steam…..then let’s see what we can smell! At that point I could probably smell Iris!
xo>-)
And then … let’s go shopping! For shoes! In … Paris!
A girl can dream, right? 8-|
Or you could just contract a sinus infection. Painful, yes, but when you recover, you’ll be able to smell (and hear) like you could when you were a teenager.
March, I love your honesty! It sounds like a nice perfume with a lot of great, much less expensive substitutes. Plus, I feel like you somehow gave me permission to buy some Guerlain parfum…
Absolutely! Buy some Guerlain! Heck, buy TWO!! Look how cheap they are! 😡
I am wearing some vintage Femme right now, thinking it would make you very happy if you were sitting next to me.
I’m happy just thinking of it!
I bought some incredible oud accord made by Givaudan, 15ml for around $10. Mix it with some amber, some woods, a little labdanum, all quite inexpensive, and I’ve got one heck of an oud eau de parfum. 20ml for less than $20. With prices skyrocketing like they are, I highly recommend the DIY route.
Wow, I bet that smells great! And I have a cheesy little Frankincense essential oil I got at our local co-op that I’m quite fond of. Everything doesn’t have to be Guerlain. 🙂
Good morning, good morning Miss March. I realized last night that I can’t for the life of me think of a single new perfume that I’m craving a taste of & it’s directly because I haven’t had time to read my favorite blogs for … could it be months? It seems forever since there’s been time in the AM to peruse, never mind post. I’ve missed all of you. So here I am & thank heavens you haven’t whetted my appetite for this one as it’s way out of my budget’s league and I’m doubting something that comes in 5 ml doses will be getting much play for swapping & splitting. And even though today’s Oud doesn’t call to me I’m sure that you all have something up your sleeves that I’ll be lemming before the new year 🙂
There you are! I’ve missed you. Come back on Weds., I’m doing something weird and trashy, although I’m still not sure you’ll be lemming it. 😉
Weird *AND* trashy? Wednesday cannot get here too soon!
I’m the first idiot to buy it , along with Lisa . I smelled nothing when I put it on at Bergdorfs , but it expanded and warmed on my skin so magnificently I bought it before I could walk away .
it is 6 ml (six milliliters ) if you want to split hairs .
1/5 oz .02 oz. , never will leak , I can apply a drop . And if you can’t smell any oud , your nose needs a vacation .
I am a novice at ouds and wanted one that didn’t melt my nose hairs . I love it , and it will last longer than some of my 100 ml bottles of spray .
So sue me .:x
That’s not splitting hairs, that’s accurate math and an extra ml. I made the correction in the post, and thanks!
You’re no idiot — you bought something you really like that smells great to/on you, and you got it for $100, which is the new $50, so why not?
Will quibble with you about the oud, however. Having smelled a lot of oud, including the Arabian essences and some Montale ouds – if it’s not melting your nosehairs, it’s not much of an oud. :)>- I put the Tom Ford Oud (which I also really like) in the same category.
It’s supposed to singe my nose hairs ?
OMG , no wonder…
It’s that last ml of Precious Oud tht smells oud-y anyway .:d
In general, if I jerk my head back and make squinchy face like I just sucked a lemon, that’s a sign of my having sniffed a quality oud. Patty sent me some Arabian oud oils that were out of this world, but you could smell them THROUGH the double wrapping, THROUGH the Tyvek envelope and in my mailbox, as I stood in my front door. :”>
Thanks for the warning about the Tom Ford Private Blend Oud…. “nice” moves it way down my craving list. If something is going to have the audacity to sport a label calling itself “Oud” and nothing but, then it better darn singe some nose hairs. I’ll stick to Montale.
Ooof! That does seem like a lot of $$$. In fairness, I admit that I have looked longingly at Strange Invisible Perfumes line — 1/4oz parfum for $185 😮 The couple I’ve smelled have been VERY nice, though, and you get the feel-goodness of their natural perfume discussion with the dollars spent. I don’t think Santa is bringing me any, though..
Well, there you go. I forgot about the SIPs. Although I think those are oils? And arguably higher concentrations… that Lady Day breaks my heart.
I have been known, on occasion, to spend a ridiculous amount on ouds. Hence, my participation in a split of Amouage Homage, which came out to approximately $30 per ml or a whopping $150 per 5 ml. I bought 3 mls and I think this stuff will last me for a decade. A drop of it really is sufficient.
But somehow, I can’t imagine that Trish has invested in the same quality of rose oil extracts and/or ouds for what is still essentially a mass market-type fragrance. Well, maybe not quite mass market, but not quite Amouage.
One drop of what you’re talking about seems perfectly reasonable to me. You’re right — it will last you a long, long time at that concentration. The Trish was potent, but I rolled it all over my arm, I had more than a drop on there. Still, it’s nice.
I am, um, totally in the camp of “it’s worth what it’s worth to you”. That said, I have spent large bucks on vintage perfume, and never regretted it $-) Well, almost never. But to me, I get a real “collector’s” groove out of those purchases.
I have spent some largish amounts of cash on other perfumes, but have always done splits on those (Onda, Luxe Patchouli, Reve en Cuir soon). I also have been lucky enough to have been gifted some precious dear scents-Poivre among them (thanks to my darling benefactors…).
But the Trish Oud is a bit of a harsh slap price-wise, isn’t it? It is certainly lovely, and I do get a touch of oud, which I like. Otherwise, it’s just a great incense (I think you may be right about the BC link…). And what’s to split of 5 ml 🙁 ? So, yeah, just not worth it…to me.
I only regret it when the bottles are empty. :”> Those kind of hurt. Or when the juice has been doctored. 🙁 But yeah, I paid big for Chaos, and a couple Guerlains, with no regrets at all. If you parse out the happiness per ml they were bargains. 😡
I do like the packaging, if not the price. I wonder if they’d leak?
I almost find that obscene, especially in this economic climate. But I guess there will always be people to buy it. I wonder how many bottles are being produced? What is *in* there anyway? Not much oud, as it seems, so what else could warrant that price tag? It really bugs me, for some reason. Grrrrrr..
Oh, and I bought the Guerlain instead. :d
It took me awhile to work the math out in my head, to be honest. At first I thought — hey, $100! Cheap! And it smells really good! Then I spent more time looking at the packaging… I never did see anything that explicitly stated the size, but Nordstrom says it’s the same as the others, which they list for $20 and which (full disclosure) I’ve never smelled but they sound lighter and simple — ginger and mandarin, that type of thing. I’d pay $100 for 5ml of something, in theory, but probably not this.
Yikes! The most expensive perfume I’ve bought was CdG Luxe Patchouli which I thought was really exorbitant, $285 for 45 ml. I would have to just love, love, love something to spend that much on it. Hey, I’d rather buy some bling at that price per ounce! Especially if the juice is advertised as an oud and doesn’t really feature any–might as well go for one of the Montales. Sounds ridiculous to me.
I think your average Montale oud junkie would find this a bit of a snooze. I am not the Queen of Oud and quite like it, but am not sure “Oud for non-oud lovers” is a ringing endorsement. I am still not smelling $100 worth of preciousness.