Fragrance Reviews: Floris Honey Oud And Leather Oud + Vintage Style and Grace Draw

Florisshop,89JermynStreet
Floris shop,89 JermynStreet
There are a number of claimants to the title of oldest heritage perfumer, but Floris, founded in the heart of old London town in 1730 by Juan Famenias Floris, a native of Menorca, is in fact the oldest established continually producing independent scent house in the UK. The flagship store is located in Jermyn Street, Piccadilly in the same building where Juan Floris founded his original business. With an incredibly rich and detailed archive Floris in many ways epitomises the rigours of classical English style cologne-based perfume, born out of Juan Floris’s homesickness for the refreshing citrus notes of his homeland.
JuanFloris
Juan Floris
Floris is a byword for vintage style and grace, the fragrances retain an effortless capture of antique with a blending of modernity and offbeat eccentricity that doesn’t stray too far from the ancestral motherlode. They still make Stephanotis, originally made in 1786, a pillowy dose of orange blossom, carnation and an endless landscape of powered white musks. The Limes from 1832 is a HUGE bitter shudder of lime nicely played with petit grain and a weird ozonic effect like cold sea air. I was a huge fan of Malmasion, originally made in the early 19th century, and re-orchestrated in 2000, warm and sexy, cinnamon, cloves, musky patchouli and a heady almost cloying aftertow of indolic ylang. Really it was Oscar Wilde’s infamous green carnation boutonnière, rebellious and theatrical, demanding erotic attention under the guise of dressed up reputability. Sadly it is no more.
 
Floris is a gentle house; the fragrances regarded perhaps as a little old-fashioned, secure. Nothing will shriek or reek. Yet in recent years, the house has quietly done things a little differently, smartening up the lines, sharpening up the marketing and launching some intriguing fragrances. The Private Collection includes Madonna of the Almonds, an Italian inspired almond blossom scent launched in tandem with the acclaimed novel by Marina Fiorato, a love story of art and beauty set in Renaissance Italy and Mahon Leather, an eau de parfum inspired by the redolent tang of horse tack, saffron and the local liqueur Calent on the Isle of Menorca, birthplace of Juan Floris.
HoneyOud
 
Now we have two wonderfully atmospheric fragrances, Honey Oud and Leather Oud, originally Harrods exclusives, created to showcase a particularly refined handling of precious oud wood. I know one could argue that oud scents have become ubiquitous to the pint of absurdity. Yet, the Agarwood Express shows no sign of stopping and it’s true, when moulded with skill, oud still dazzles and seduces. It’s warm, skanky animalic reach seems to trigger some primal urge within us to inhale and crave. I like my ouds sweet and rosy, perhaps a lick of chocolate. So this duo of gilded, hidebound eaux de parfums really appealed to me.
Honey
The Honey Oud is my favourite of the two, tawny and golden with a glowing waxen drag on the skin. Great texture and projection, a drop of marmalade-tinted bergamot in the top preventing too much sugared excess. The honey just drips beautifully over the rosaceous oud, opulent and just sticky enough in the heart. Amber and vanilla in the base reinforce the gilded drawl of the drydown. I love honey and beeswax in perfumes, effects I find fascinating in scent, inherently animalic, yet oddly innocent too. Floris’s Honey Oud is a potent woody oriental scent with delicious gourmand whiffs of mead and snuffed out church candles when I wear it.
HoneyOud
The Leather Oud is a much quieter proposition; a delicate, muted rendering of a leather theme, apparently inspired by the early days chez Floris when the perfume oils were delivered in small leather cases; thus imparting a scent of fresh pelt and hide to the valuable essences. Leather marries beautifully to oud, soft skin notes over the smoky aura of the ritualistic oud. Patchouli, rose, geranium and carnation have been wrapped around the oud to give a balanced floral effect that flatters the slightly verdant leather note.
GreenCarnation
I get a huge metallic saffron hit from the leather actually; it reeks of Safraleine, the aromamolecule that gives Tom of Finland by Etat Libre d’Orange its stunning biker jacket fetish note. The drydown is a little less interesting than the opening, it twist off its axis into a generic fuzzy flat skank-off, but the grey-suede floral opening is quite arresting and hangs on the skin long enough to intrigue. They are a pricy duo, £160 each (€210 or $240 approx), but it’s good to see a vintage house like Floris creating such interesting and sensual perfumes. Whether or not the world needs more ouds I leave entirely in your hands. But the Honey Oud… ooooh so tempting.
 
Disclosure – From my own collection
 
The Silver Fox, Senior Editor and Editor of The Silver Fox
 
We have a sample set of Floris Honey Oud and Leather Oud for one US reader. To be eligible please  a comment with what  you enjoyed about TSF review and which one you think you might enjoy most. Draw ends January 19, 2015.
 
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

 

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20 comments

  • I thought the information about Floris being the oldest continually producing house in the UK was very interesting. I think I would enjoy the Honey Oud the most. I really like honey scents.

  • Loved reading something about Floris, a house I have had plenty of experience with going back ten or twelve years. I think I owned perhaps eight or so of their offerings at one point, including several from the “classic” line up – but only discovered them upon their Santal launch (a fragrance that I still love.)

    Unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to try any of the of their recent offerings, but have been dying to sample these; Floris really looks like they’ve gone the Penhaligon’s route and reinvented themselves, so I appreciate someone else noticing this as well!

    Of the two, I think Honey Oud is the one I’d enjoy more, perhaps because leather and oud is somewhat commonplace (at least to my nose as I’ve smelled the pairing from Montale to Dior.) I’m in the US – thanks for the opportunity – and great article – as always!

  • Count me out as I’ve sampled both. LOVE Honey Oud. I find the honey/oud combo utterly intoxicating. This honey smells like the raw buckwheat honey that I get locally – so rich and creamy, sweet without being sugary. Mix that with oud? I’m intoxicated. Great review. Cheers!

  • ” Floris’s Honey Oud is a potent woody oriental scent with delicious gourmand whiffs of mead and snuffed out church candles when I wear it.”

    yes. yes. YES!

  • I had no idea that this perfume house has such a long history! I am looking for gourmands I can handle and leathers as well – so both of these sound quite intriguing to me! Thanks for the lovely draw, I’m a US reader!

  • Read about Floris here and there but not had the chance to try, and with the history described, definitely want to! Honey Oud sounds really interesting, great ohrase “The honey just drips beautifully over the rosaceous oud” sounds like a delicate dessert as well as scent.

  • I also appreciate the (sometimes subtle, sometimes not) animalic effect of honey notes in perfume. I would especially love to try Honey Oud! Thank you, and I am in the US.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    i have two creations from Floris and when they do things well, they do well and when not, they miss by a huge mark…i may be interested in leather Oud more as TSF review makes it seem like not the butch leather oud but the wearable one, with rose, carnation and saffron etc. thanks a lot for the draw. i am in the US

  • I love the imagery used for Honey Oud- marmalade, gold, gilded… I love honey and this is the one I would most like to try. I’ve hear a lot about it. I’m in the US.

  • I enjoyed reading some history of the Floris house of which I can’t recall sampling anything from so far. I think I’d enjoy the leather one the most. The notes of geranium and carnation usually work well for me. USA

  • You had me at “whiffs of mead and snuffed out church candle”!!
    Would love to win this to sample the Honey Oud. Not oudded-out yet because I have not sampled many ouds. I am in the USA.

  • thegoddessrena says:

    I tend to like honey notes so I’d go with the Honey Oud. I own Malmaison but haven’t tried anything more recent

  • What I really enjoyed about this review was the way an established perfume hpuse and transform itself and surprise us with new innovations. It seems that aquiring reputation has both positive and negative attributes.The positive is that you become known, very well known so your brand seems secure, the other is that its hard to move away from the way you are perceived. so..its appears Floris are thinking outside the square. I think the Honey Oud is my choice of the 2. I am in the US.

  • Aimee l'Ondee says:

    I really enjoyed the snuffed candle description in this review, and the history of the Floris house. I live in the US and would love to be entered in the draw.
    I think the Honey Oud sounds the most appealing of the two, if I had to choose.

  • I love the photo of the Floris store exterior. I hope it still looks like this. So British! The Honey Oud sounds interesting, but anything with Honey in the title gets my attention. Thanks fo rht review! US

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I enjoyed TSF review and learning about this oldest heritage perfumer. I had not heard of Floris but will definitely keeps my eyes open for their fragrances. I think I might enjoy Leather Oud most.

  • I know that Floris Honey Oud will entrance me, because of TSF’s sensual words: “The honey just drips beautifully over the rosaceous oud, opulent and just sticky enough in the heart. Amber and vanilla in the base reinforce the gilded drawl of the drydown.” Gorgeous! Thanks for the draw, definitely Honey Oud for me. I’m in the US.