Let’s don’t mince any words – By Kilian Pure Oud, I love you. I adore it, need it, must have it. Yes, yes, this is what oud perfumes should be, so everyone else that isn’t By Kilian Pure Oud should pay attention. Now, the price has me shuddering – about 400 for 50 mls, though the refills once you go through the first 50 mls should be much less spendy. Since you’ll only buy this if you love it, you should plow through 50 mls in a hurry. This is one of the rare times when I will say it’s worth every last cent. Sure, I’d like it to be cheaper, but I have no qualms about the price.
Grain de Musc reviews it here, and Octavian 
reviews it here. Leathery, tobacco, dark, civety, saffron, Immortelle. What’s not to love? Well, if you like your perfumes bright, cheerful and flowery, please don’t go near this, you’ll hate it because it’s none of those things. By Kilian Pure Oud is moody and difficult, warm and embracing. So many oud perfumes are muscled by the oud and get all sharp and shrill and make my head hurt. This has the oud, but it’s a base, a complement to the other notes. Denyse and Octavian mention an inkiness, and that’s exactly it. Dry ink, dusty, slightly musty, nestled into leather. This is the melancholy letter you write at the end of the affair with the person you wrongly thought was the love of your life. This is the first By Kilian perfume I’ve smelled that belongs absolutely in that cunning little enameled black box with the black ribbon and the key, and the addition of the gold plate on top with a big K on it. The juice inside it matches all of the externals – it is the darkness that you covet.
This shit rocks.
I’ve got a couple of other things I’ll talk about next week that have made me scream “Oh, God” a couple of times in a frenzy like this one has. It’s been a pretty great perfme summer for me so far. How about you?
Oh, yeah, yeah, of course I’ll give away a couple of samples of The Preeeecioussss. Drop a comment and you’ll be entered in the drawing.
Goodness, now I MUST try this! For this Arab boy, it simply sounds too good! If the draw is still open, PLEASE count me in!!!
I have a fairly large sample of this scent and it is really nice. Its smooth and dusty and has an amazing warmth to it. For those people scared to purchase it with that price. I highly recommend Montales Original Aoud. It is exactly the same scent but lasts waaaay longer than Kilian’s Pure Oud and has a smoother dry-down because it doesn’t have that sharp saffron note in it that a lot of people do not like. I highly recommend people getting a sample of it from TPC and see what they think. Its ingredient list is only Pure Cambodian Oud and I think this is one of Montales sleeper scents. You honestly cannot tell the difference between the two scent with the exception of the saffron note in Kilians version which I am not the biggest fan of.
I bought Czech & Speake Dark Rose and it smells like a slightly lighter version of Montale’s Black Aoud – hmm, wish I had ordered C&S “Cuba” instead!
Sounds like a perfumista must-try although the price does give one pause…. My By Kilian choice to date has been Taste of Heaven, the lavender one.
I own Straight to Heaven and have been singing its praises for two years. I’d love to sample Pure Oud. Please enter me in the drawing, Patty. I hope I’m not too late 🙂
Pleeeeze let us have some of The Preciousss…Please?
must…sample…please!
I’m gonna have to find me a sample!
Drawing, please.
I would love to be in the drawing. With a review like yours how could one resist? Bring it on! I’m looking for an earth-shaking sniff. Speaking of earth shaking, last Monday there were 4 small earthquakes in the span of 10 minutes here in San Francisco. Such a spooky thrilling feeling. Hopefully, this Oud will do similar things….
Scott
it sounds… amazing. please, enter me.
I would love to be in the drawing. I have only tried Montale Ouds, so this would be a nice (and very pricey) comparison. Thanks.
Oud is amazing, done well. Please enter me in the drawing.
Wow. Totally fascinating to watch all you oud-and-leather freaks, I mean Sophisticated Perfumistas, come out of the woodwork. I don’t do Moody and Difficult, myself, and am a wee bit jealous of those of you who do. Dark and Mysterious I like, but not Moody. (The only ouds I’ve tried have been Montale’s Oud Queen Roses and Aoud Roses Petals, which were pretty much big “get me out of the doghouse”-size bouquets of roses, following a ten-minute opening of Permanent Marker and Bandaids. Not what I was expecting, but nice… and like I said, difficult perfume just makes me cranky, so no need to enter me in the drawing.
Maybe I’ll just *aspire* to Moody and Difficult.
Please enter me in the drawing. Would love to try a non-Montale oud! Thanks!
Wearing Golden Oud right now…I also loved Trish McEvoy Precious Oud, but it’s too pricey, as is this one! I sitll want to try it, though. Please enter me!!
Me too! Me too. Thought I loved the one by Trish McEvoy, but this sounds like the real deal.
I am dying to try this. Please enter me! Thank you!
Sounds excellent; I love oud perfumes. Please enter me too.
Ohhhhh yessssss…a mean n’ moody oud sounds right up my street. PLEASE enter me in the drawing!
I’ve been loving my ouds from TPC so I’m really curious about trying this one. Please enter me!
Christine
I would love to try this!
SQUEEE!!! I love, love, LOVE oud based perfumes! And this sounds so far up my alley in terms of notes that I swear I could almost smell it from your description.
So please, pretty please, enter me in this draw! 😀
Pamster
That sounds amazing. Like Judith above, I love Le Labo Oud, but I haven’t been able to commit to a full-bottle purchase–I feel like I can’t until I’ve had a chance to smell some of the other swooned-over ouds out there. Please enter me in the drawing!
WOW! I haven’t seen this much perfume love in a long time. I am only familiar with the Montale ouds. I would so love to try this one. Thanks. Loved your review.
dleep
Wow- This sounds gorgeous! gorgeous!! Please enter me in the draw.
You sure know how to get a girl’s attention; I believe there’s some eyelash-fluttering and bosom-heaving going around! Please enter me in the draw.
“Dry ink, dusty, slightly musty, nestled into leather.”
That actually made my heart speed up – it makes me think of the pleasures of spending hours lost in the British National Library, surrounded be lovely old books.
I would love to be entered in the drawing – although I’m terrified that it will make me lose my head and actually buy a full bottle.
Whoa! You are generally enthusiastic, but I don’t think I have seen you gush like this in ages, Patty.
Please count me in the drawing.
Hugs!
Well, yeah! I mean, I like/love a lot of things, but you have to really hit a new place for me to gush. I think they did that, and it’s tough to surprise me anymore.
Oh wow!! That sounds right up my alley! It would be worth saving up for. Thanks for your review.
Oh, do please enter me in the drawing! I’m too cheap to shell out to try it, but have been entranced by reviews. (And you are Part of the Problem!)
Congrats on finding a HG. It’s been a while for me…
Sounds like a Kilian I could dig!! Please enter me in the drawing! Thanks:)
Please enter me in the drawing. I feel as if I am opening Pandora’s Box and this will lead me down a dark, inky road to oud. Just what I need– another, different scented landscape.
Oh, my! (fans self) You’ve described one burnin’ hunk of perfume! I’ve tried a bit of Black Aoud and have the tiniest sample of Amouage Homage – I’m ready to try Pure Aoud. Please enter me in the draw.
Is it the perfume? Or your evocative writing? Anyway, you make it sound irresistible. So I’d love to put my name in the draw. And I’m also dying to hear about the other perfumes you’ve fallen in love with–can’t wait.
Oh, please throw my name in! Like smy above, I just did my big TPC order during the sale, and am trying to be “better” about the perfume spending 🙂
“Dry ink, dusty, slightly musty, nestled into leather.” Why must you tempt me with such provocative phrases? My heart was beating a little faster just reading this 🙂
Oh why didn’t I include this in my Perfumed Court order during the anniversary sale? I swore that was the last order for awhile due to budget . . . so please enter me in the drawing and maybe I’ll get lucky!
I’d like to be entered, please! I’ve never tried oud. This sounds like a tasty one.:)
I bought Fracas, thinking it was going to be the ultimate summer floral, but the heat kills it. Unfortunately it is so deliciously, sweetly crave-inducing that I’ll have the whole thing used up before the cooler weather sets in! So I’m still searching for a knock-my-socks-off summer scent. I think that’ll be next year’s project. This year has been all about exploration. 🙂
Ooh, count me in, please!
Are we really gonna get you out of the room you are sharing with that oud so you’ll come back and tell about others? Hmmm???? 😉 Glad to hear you are having such a successful scented summer. I think I might be like Tiara, holding back at the edge of the pool…but I’m willing to jump. Count me in!
No, i’m not coming out. 🙂 I’ve been keeping the box by my at all times. I’m going on a trip today and can’t take it with, but I’m taking some of it with!!!!
For me to get near this one, it would have to be a giveaway. Killian is a case of, “if you have to ask, you can’t buy it anyway.”
Oh my, it’s so good to know such things are still being made:)
It sounds like my kind of guy and I need to try it. Please count me in.
Thanks,Patty!
I would love to be included in the draw, please, Patty. We love ouds in our house. One bottle is usually fun for the whole family.
You have me fully intrigued. Please enter me in the draw.
Now you have me really interested! Please toss my name in the hat, would love to take that baby on a test drive.
Something about this actually frightens me, which is why I think I need to try it. Please enter me in the drawing.
I admire the fact you’re willing to part with something you love this much. Not sure I could or would!
You make it sound like the perfume equivalent of hearing really good blues. Please enter me in the draw.
Would love to try this one, I usually like shrill screamy ouds but I’m always open to trying others. I just popped my swiss arabian cherry on an oud recently and I’m dying to try everything I can get my hands on 😉
Please include me in the draw.
The fact that the price tag didn’t even make me blink worries me a little. Or not. Please, please enter me in the drawing. I think that I will wear Arabian Oud Prestige today for good luck.