Late November Sky Photo By Michelyn 11/22/2015
November is nearly over, and as it passes on into the dread of winter and the attendant cold, I always want to remember how the light looks outside as the last vestiges of Fall leave the trees, and the ground begins to grow hard and cold underneath your feet. To mark the seasonal change, I need cooler tones, something in scent that matches the old, lost light of December. I could not ask for a more perfect complement in scent than in No 32 Blue Oud, the latest release from San Francisco-based artisan house, Cognoscenti.
Apolysis by multi media artist Soungwen Chung
Blue Oud is a cool, spicy and aromatic blend of notes that manages to be both light and airy, and yet firmly grounded in a deliberate, structured earthiness that pulls the entire composition together. It starts out with a needle dry and gasping cypress note that is lightly toasted at the edges by black agarwood. The heart is broadly built on an elegant, and restrained tobacco note, which complements the agarwood until the green, herbaceous vetiver and fern accord in the drydown arrives to mirror the cypress.
Dannielle Sergent of Cognoscenti Photo Annabelle Breakey
Dannielle Sergent, founder and perfumer of Cognoscenti, is also an artist, and she sees Blue Oud as a scent meditation on the color Prussian Blue, a hue that has fascinated of late in her visual art that she wanted to translate into olfactive art. Dannielle experiences Prussian Blue as “a deep color with a smooth density that allows in the light.
Topographies (Étude Op. 6) Soungwen Chung
And this idea definitely translates from the color spectrum into the scented one, as Blue Oud’s opening of cypress and agarwood is all about light – the coolness of the cypress is like cold November sun moving through a frosted windowpane, while the agarwood stands in as the weathered wood in the pane itself. There is an immediate impression of interior light at the beginning of this perfume, but it’s not bright summer rays pouring through, but instead a mere hint of sun, air and of a tight, cool breeze. Blue Oud is in need of a cashmere scarf and overcoat – there’s a gorgeous paleness to it that needs warmth from another source to complement it. Thankfully, that warmth comes from the scent itself as it moves into the heart. A tightly-focused tobacco note builds and separates out of the black agarwood opening and this is where the true strength of this scent resides.
Sougwen Chung Mytheme Mimicry (Étude Op. 4)
The airy quality of Blue Oud could easily allow the perfume to escape out of your hands and go sailing beyond the rooftops, but for the firm tether the tobacco note lends. And miraculously, the aromatics in the heart of this fragrance don’t dominate the coolness of the cypress note, or turn it sour. Instead, they play off of one another and continue the cadence of the gorgeous pale pulse humming inside.
Chiaroscuso Soungwen Chung
Some tobacco-based fragrances go hard for the “boy’s club bravado” or “fat, hand-rolled Cuban” approach, but not Blue Oud. Every note here is equally calibrated and so finely-tuned that they harmonize perfectly with one another, while still retaining their individual tones. It’s as if Dannielle has gone for a chiaroscuro approach to her perfumery, letting each note add touches of aromatics or spice or greenery, but not enough to claim center stage anywhere in the composition.
But it’s that light inside of this scent which you will remember most – that, and the airy quality it has on the skin. Which is an unexpected treat, considering this entire fragrance is built from aromatic spices and green accords. What could have become a thudding, heavyweight perfume is now as refreshing as inhaling cold, crisp November air. It’s invigorating, while remaining a definitively dry statement – there is a depth to the tobacco and agarwood, and a slight richness in tone, but the overall effect on the skin is transparency rather than lushness. Blue Oud, for all of its spice is a very light-bodied perfume. The sillage is moderate and the longevity is quite above average – Blue Oud will serenely float along for several hours after application.
Embryo Étude Op 5 Soungwen Chung
So if you are like me, and find that the transition from early Fall to the doorstep of December should have its own scent outside of the usual heavier fare, Cognoscenti No 32 Blue Oud is a welcome option. I personally detest winter when it arrives, so a perfume that allows just a hint of intemperate coolness while retaining earthy, inner warmth is a lovely new addition to my scent wardrobe for the holiday season. Wear Blue Oud and enjoy the last pale light through the leaves as you rush home to unpack your parkas from the attic.
Notes: Blue Cypress, Black Agarwood, Tobacco, Vetiver, Ferns and Flowers
Pam Barr, Senior Contributor
Disclosure: I received my sample from Cognoscenti; opinions my own
Art Direction: Michelyn Camen I chose the multi media illustrations, installations and paintings of Canadian born, Chinese raised and New York based artist Soungwen Chung as I believe her "digital meets organic art" often numbered, helped bring Pam's review to life and reminds me of Dannielle as well.
COGNOSCENTI No 32 Blue Oud Annabelle Breakely photo
Thanks to Dannielle Sergent of Cognoscenti, we have a draw for two registered readers (you must do this pesky step or your comment is void) as follows:
USA 50 ml of No. 32 Blue Oud
Worldwide 5 ml sample sprayer of No.32 Blue Oud
To be eligible, please leave a comment with what you liked about Pam’s review of No. 32 Blue Oud, what color you associate with the passing of Fall into Winter, and where you live. If you have a favorite Cognoscenti perfume or one you really want to try, please leave that in your comment as Dannielle will include a bonus 2.5.ml sample (No 1, No Bergamot Sage, 16 Tomato Leather, and No 17 Warm Carrot were reviewed here by Tama, No. 8 Aldedhydic Oakmoss is reviewed here, and No 17 Civet Chypre is reviewed here. Draw closes 11/25/15.
You can follow Dannielle on Instagram @incentro.
We announce the winners only on site and our Facebook page, so like CaFleureBon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will just be spilled perfume.