New Niche Fragrance Review: Ex Idolo Thirty-Three + Got Oud? Draw

lippi-madonna-child-angels

Madonna with Child and Two Angels by Fra Filippo Lippi

On my first trip to Italy at the very end of the trip we finally got a ticket to visit The Uffizi Gallery in Florence. By this time I was a little burnt out by all of the travel, and museums we had been to, over the previous nine days. As a result, let us politely say that my mind was not in the proper place to really appreciate what was hanging in front of my face. In fact I was walking into each gallery, looking around and saying to myself as I looked at the paintings, “Pope, Medici, Baby Jesus, Mary, Next gallery!” Despite being unprepared to truly appreciate everything that was in front of me I learned a very important lesson that day. As I entered the third gallery the internal dialogue started up again but had a significant difference, “Pope, Medici, Baby Jesus, Wow! That’s Different!” what was happening was as I scanned the gallery looking at all of this there was one painting which stood out as something very different. It was of the same age and influence but it was special. As I drew near enough to see the artist I saw it was Fra Filippo Lippi, an acknowledged master. This visit to The Uffizi taught me that when something is truly special it stands out, you know it when you encounter it.

I could say the same kind of weariness takes over when I start sniffing oud-based perfume lately, “Rose and Oud, Wood and Oud, Incense and Oud, Amber and Oud, Oud and Oud, Next!” But as with my trip to The Uffizi when something different shows up it is easy to recognize it as something a cut above the rest. This happened earlier this year when I first tried Ex Idolo Thirty-Three when I was at Esxence in Milan. I was amazed that this could be a commercial fragrance. Almost everyone who is using oud damps it down for, what they assume are, the consumers who are unwilling to embrace something as powerful as a real oud. Ex Idolo Thirty-Three trusts that there is a segment of perfume buyers who will happily hug something authentic and true.

Ex Idolo - Matthew Zhuk

Matthew Zhuk

Matthew Zhuk is the owner and perfumer behind Ex Idolo which is based in London. He comes to perfume as someone who has an interest in vintage fragrance, 80’s Orientals and oud. Mr. Zhuk spent years studying oud. He also had access to a vintage oud distilled in 1980 and that was what he wanted to use as the centerpiece of his first Ex Idolo fragrance. This is also where the Thirty-Three in the name comes from for the length of time the oud has been aged. One thing is crystal clear Mr. Zhuk has forged a special relationship with oud through his time spent understanding it. Thirty-Three is like no commercial oud I have ever tried. It is closer in nature to the oud attars I have spent considerable effort obtaining than anything from a current fragrance house. It is a blend of contrasts at turns, soft then strong, alto then bass, light then dark. It is everything I want when I wear fragrance.

exidolothirtythree

I knew Ex Idolo was going to be something exceptional right from the set of top notes. Mr. Zhuk uses black pepper, candied mandarin, and caoutchouc. Caout..what? Caoutchouc is the natural latex harvested from rubber trees and it smells exactly like you would expect it to smell. If you like the rubber note in Bvlgari Black imagine it as something more real instead of synthetic and you’ll have an idea of what is going on here. The pepper and the mandarin are equal partners and the opening is engrossing as I spent so much time enjoying the interplay at work here. The heart is almost disappointing after the top notes but Mr. Zhuk goes for quality as he designs a setting consisting of a newly sourced Chinese rose oil along with orris and an accord he calls “damascus steel”. That latter accord is that slightly metallic aspect you get from violet or really fine frankincense although it doesn’t seem like either of those are present. The stage has been set and now the vintage oud arrives with a consort of vintage patchouli. This is where Thirty-Three turns from something interesting into one of the best fragrances of the year. This vintage oud has none of the rougher edges most of you will be used to smelling, there is no band-aid, no medicinal, none of that. Instead this is akin to drinking a finely aged red wine after all of the tannins have been aged away and what you are left with is a supple powerhouse. Don’t underestimate the use of the vintage patchouli here either as it is the ultimate wingman for the oud; without it Thirty-Three would be much less memorable.

Ex Idolo Thirty-Three has overnight longevity and average sillage.

The most important aspect to Ex Idolo Thirty-Three is the authenticity which is on display from top to bottom. This is a real attempt to show all of what is so highly prized about oud. One thing that I urge anyone reading this who is interested in this fragrance is to make sure you wear this on skin. It is excellent on a strip but on skin is where it is meant to be worn and it is there where Thirty-Three really is at its most brilliant. What Mr. Zhuk has accomplished will make it very hard on the next few ouds to arrive in my mailbox because they just won’t have this same sense of reality that Thirty-Three has. Then again this is one of the best fragrances of 2013 so I could say the same thing of almost every other new release. At the end of a long year of smelling many new fragrances I thank Mr. Zhuk for making me go, “Wow! That’s different!”

Disclosure: This review is based on a bottle of Ex Idolo Thirty-Three I purchased.

Thanks to Twisted Lily we have a draw for three samples of Ex Idolo Thirty-Three for three US readers. To be eligible leave a comment on what you like or don’t like about oud and whether you are in the US. The draw will end on December 4, 2013.

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.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

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32 comments

  • I’m in the US and I admire aoud in some cases and combinations…. sort of like I don’t know art but I know what I like. When there is a wallop of so-called Bandaid accord I’m not thrilled, but this description is very intriguing. Thanks for the draw and review.

  • I’m in the US, and I have always been a huge fan of oud. My first ever niche perfume purchase was a fragrance with “aloeswood” listed in the notes, and that was long before the current golden age of oud in Western perfumery. I love the way oud adds richness and depth to the scent profile and I especially love it when it is combined with rose and has a metallic edge, so this new perfume is right up my alley. Thanks so much for the draw!

  • What I dont like about oud is that sometimes it smells like burnt tires, Black Aoud I’m looking at you. Other times it’s smells leathery or woody which I like very much. I’m in the US and thanks for the draw!

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    i like oud because it has strong cultural connotations..anything that represents some culture really well has to be praised..i am in US

  • I like the contrast it provides against sweeter notes like rose or amber. I live in the US. This sounds terrific just for the patch! But both? Excellent!

  • I’ve had oud fatigue this year. Your description has piqued my curiosity – I’m ready to be surprised! (US resident.)

  • I have not tried many oud based perfumes, but I actually kind of like the band-aid/medicinal edge in small doses 🙂 I am in the US.

  • I detested M7 for some time when I first tried it. I remember when Nordstrom kept loading me up with samples, I thought I’d never need a bottle. Then something happened. I started craving it. Now I find myself loving it, mostly because it seems to open up perfumer’s imaginations in ways that other wood-based notes hadn’t before. I’m in NY/USA.

  • I consider myself an oud novice. I’m not fond of the medicinal aspect I get from quite a few oud perfumes, but I keep looking for something deep and smooth, and your review of this perfume has me very interested! I’m in the US.

  • I have a large collection of fragrance samples, but have completely avoided oud. I don’t know why. Trendy? I do burn incense that has aloeswood in it and I love it. This review is awesome & I’d love to try Thirty-Three! I adore the latex note in Bvlgari Black and would love to smell that paired with something deeper! In the US.

  • I love literally everything about oud, I react on oud as cat reacts on catnip. And my goal is to know as many oud fragrances as possible if not all of them.
    I live in the US.

  • I’m in the US. What I like about oud is that it has so many different feels to it depending on how it’s used within a composition. What I don’t like is that – by that same nature – not many chances are taken with it.

  • I’m in the US and oud and I have a bit of a tentative friendship. I’m a bigger fan of subtle scents, and oud has a tendency to be overwhelming. But I like the deepness of it’s scent and how well it works as a supporting player once it has been tamed. And then I fall in love with oud-centric fragrances, but they seldom work for me in everyday life. Maybe I need to find ‘the one.’

  • Judy Woodfill says:

    I live in the US. I have a few ouds and love them all. The use of Mandarin in 33, intrigues me and makes me want to try it.

  • I love rose/oud, though I also get tired of the same-ness that can result from that pairing. I’m not a huge fan of the dry-dry ouds, but I’m super eager to give this a try sometime. I live in the US. Thanks as ever for the draw.

  • Oud is such an extraordinary ingredient that is very complex. Having tried so many perfumes with oud I really love oud. But to understand oud I yet have to smell pure oud. But so far I love the leathery and woodsy side of it. But I also don’t hate the medicinal smell or burnt tires or bandage smell. Many times all aromas are rolled up in this complex ingredient.
    USA

  • Dubaiscents says:

    This sounds amazing. Oudh is so prevalent in the Middle East that it always makes me think of old traditions and culture. I’m sad how commercial perfume has taken a lot of that away by over using he synthetic and fake oudhs. (US)

  • I am fond of ouds, but sometimes I find the roughness a bit too much for my taste. Your description of Ex Idolo sounds amazing, and I’d love to try it. I’m in the US. Thanks!

  • I like the complexity and sensuality of ouds. Oud also reminds me of the scents people would wear around me in my native country when I was younger. I am a US reader

  • I have not tried many ouds, but love the traditional uses for it. I have a small amount of oud absolute and the scent has really grown on me. I live in the US. Thank you for the draw.

  • I am a relatively new “oudie” but I’ve fallen hard for it and appreciate how varied and exotic it can smell. At Oudimentary I smelled some oud with orange blossom and I loved that combination. I’m in the US.

  • Your description of that Italian art experience is quite apt!

    I like the burnt, earthy, and animalic facets of oud on top of its woodiness. I love how it combines with saffron.

    I don’t like its ubiquity, especially when paired unsuccessfully with rose (meaning when neither is done right or they don’t balance well). It’s a classic for a reason but can feel thoughtless.
    Synthetics are not quite ‘fakes’–longer discussion about art, representation, artifice, etc– but I don’t like how the marketing often obfuscates the source. And do appreciate naturals.

  • I find oud interesting. When I wear a scent with oud in it, I find myself obsessively sniffing my wrist to get more of it! Whether or not I love it, it does keep me coming back. I really would like to explore this note some more. I am in the U.S.

  • I love the resinous quality of oud, and its persistence. I’ve learned to love it via Madini Agarwood and YSL M7 (worn by my husband) and Madini Mokhalate Maliki (worn by me). I live in the U.S.