Hey Posse. Looking for a summer oudh? An oudh that hardly smells oudhy but uses its depths to create shadow and let the light shine brighter? Shams Oud by Memo Paris apparently literally means sunshine oudh or sunlit oudh. I can’t believe it’s taken me 10 years to find it. However, now that I have you all should get to know about it too.
Full disclosure, my tester bottle was given to me by my mates at City Perfume in Australia because they thought it would suit me. They were so right. It does.
Previously I’ve written here about Aoud Blanc, Leather Oud and The Aoud in case you want to follow the oud train.
Shams Oud by Memo Paris 2011
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Pepper, Rose, Ginger, Saffron, Cypriol, Cashmeran, Tonka bean, Tolu balm absolute, Styrax absolute, Labdanum absolute, Oud
Shams Oud is a calm, sunlit afternoon.
Spicy ginger and pepper open, it’s a zingy blast of happiness that is quickly joined by a sweet, lightly animal amber. Also a dark green woodsiness that is both earthy and shadowed. I love how it cools the fragrance and gives a beautiful dappled light sensation. It’s like sitting under a tree in the steaming heat of summer and finding it 15 degrees Celsius cooler. Blessed relief.
As a rose, saffron and oudh combo it’s interesting how little I notice them until well into the heart. Even then it seems to be as bit players rather than the lead.
Dry down heads warmer and sweeter. It’s lovely the way they’ve melded the resins, tonka and woodsiness. I’m surprised vanilla isn’t mentioned in the notes but maybe the tonka is hitting that for me. Slowly the fragrance fades, I can easily smell it on myself next morning.
Totally unisex veering modern niche masculine and fully fragrant but not a huge fragrance. Longevity is very good but projection is safe after the initial blast and not like many of the chest beating, bro juice, beast mode oudhs. You could easily wear Shams Oud to work and no one would comment unless you are in a very frag-phobic environment.
Have you ever wished for an oudh with a very soft focus amount of it?
Portia x
Ouhd is never for me in perfume to wear, but the dry down on Shams sounds cozy. I’m not sure if my nose has pepper anosmia, I can never smell it when described in a perfume, especially pink pepper. I still struggle to understand what that smells like!
heya Kathleen,
OH NO! Pepper is dry and raspy for me.
Pink Pepper is a funny one because it’s not even pepper, it’s a berry. I’m no perfumer but to me it has a zingy fizz. A bit like pepper, a bit like ginger and a bit like blackcurrant, but not really like any of them. Conundrum.
Portia xx
See, your description of pink pepper gives me a hint of what I’m supposed to be smelling. Pink pepper/berry sounds much better than black pepper in perfume! xoxo
Much less dry, scratchy and abrasive, yes.
I like both for different reasons. Black pepper and woods is one of my fave combos. Pink pepper goes better for me with something fruity.
I’ve tried since forever to love oudh – and it just isn’t happening! Alas. I remember trying Shams when it first came out and… newp! Dangit.
xoxo
Bummer Musette.
Looks like it’s here to stay.
Portia xx
oh, that’s okay – more for all oudh lovers!!!
xoxo
Whoa, that sounds lovely! I never thought oud would become the new pink pepper lol, it’s so barnyard in so many cases (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) This sounds like more my kind of oud.
HA! Yeah, I suppose that’s a very fair analogy March. It has seen itself rise nearly to ubiquitousness. I think oudh is more variable than pink pepper though.
Yes, you very well may like this one.
Portia xx
Wow, sad to hear it has been reformed to death so it no longer is the same fragrance. I have the original. It is wicked powerful. My review: true smoky oud without the sour or rotten fecal scent, lovely and rich; blind bought it, oud oud and oud with smoke and ash; dry and linear, one of the best, cheapest ouds on the market; lasts forever, projects and dries down to a perfect church incense. Yes, it actually was cheap in the beginning before everything got trendy and “niche.”
Interesting GinaT,
Like two completely different experiences.
Portia x
Hmm, this sounds lovely but I think the thing I’m most taken with regarding oud is the band-aid, medicinal aspect. So, maybe this isn’t for me. It’s 26 Celsius here, the coolest day we’ve had in a week and still quite humid. This fragrance sounds like it would be great in the weather for someone who isn’t hugely taken with oud.
Hey Cinnamon,
I love a band aid oudh too. Most facets of it intrigue me. It has such a diverse scent profile and fills in for so many base notes lost to IFRA.
I hope you are enjoying the heat, you have about 3 weeks more of it yeah?
Portia xx
who knows on heat. it could last, in a gentler manner, into October. which I would appreciate.
Fingers crossed then