If you look at my past reviews of By Kilian fragrances they are rather lukewarm. I approach my reviews solely on what my own likes and preferences are which means that I rate and provide comments on what I like personally. Given that, I guess I hadn’t sampled the right By Kilian fragrances for my tastes. I had the opportunity to sample and test some of the other fragrances in the line the other day at Saks Fifth Avenue when I had the opportunity to interview Kilian Hennessy himself as he was promoting his new “Asian Tales” collection.
Well, I fell in love, and fell in love hard with Incense Oud. Sometimes love is hard to define and I find that it is one of those scents that is hard to describe. When first applied you are met with what I would describe as a lightly green spicy blend which quickly turns over to a nice and mild oaky smokiness which remains throughout. Incense Oud is warm and slightly woody. It is a scent that envelops and wraps itself around you in the 
most luxurious of ways. Incense Oud is a very personal scent, when you wear it, you feel like it was specifically made for you. It sits close to the skin and provides you with a layer of comfort. I have to say that this is easily the most elegant of scents. It’s perfect for the evening and yet it was perfect for me when I went to the grocery store in a sweatshirt and khakis yesterday in the rain!
I’m happy to say that Incense Oud is now part of my permanent collection and I was lucky enough to have Kilian himself sign my bottle. Besides my love for the scent, the packaging is beyond elegant, both the bottle and the lock box which it resides in. Yes, I’m in love.
From the By Kilian website:
INCENSE OUD is built on the duality of two primeval scents – incense and oud.
Incense, largely considered a mystic perfume, is layered with oud, rose, cardamom and labdanum,creating a fragrance that is both mysteriously warm and stunningly modern.
- Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent Type: Oriental – Spicy
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $395 for 50ml EDP
The Scented Hound 
April 24, 2012 at 3:06 am
Somehow Incense Oud escaped me. I have no idea how it happened but on two separate occasions when I was at a store that carries By Kilian I managed not to try it. Of course, now, with your five bones rating, I feel like I need to remedy the situation. But what if I like it?..
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April 24, 2012 at 5:57 am
That’s the thing, the price point is extremely high. When I went ahead and made my purchase I apologized to my partner for being so extravagent. He smiled sweetly and said it’s so fun to see you so excited 🙂
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April 24, 2012 at 9:51 am
I love that you have it signed and that the signature is so rock star-ish. I will get a sample of Incense Oud on your recommendation.
Portia x
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April 24, 2012 at 11:25 am
Portia – The packaging and signature make it like a jewel… and please do check it out, it is so incredibly elegant! Once you do try it, I would love to hear what you think!
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April 24, 2012 at 12:41 pm
You got it Buddy.
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April 24, 2012 at 2:31 pm
Coincidentally this is my scent of the day! By far the best fragrance yet from By Kilian. I have the equally gorgeous looking travel spray!
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April 24, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Yummy. Maybe I should get the travel spray as an incentive to travel. I’d be the best smelling on the plane 🙂
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April 24, 2012 at 3:11 pm
I love love love Incense Oud. Very expensive, but the whole experience of it, from pulling the felt sleeve off the polished black box. You open the box and there your bottle is, nestled in its own bed of satin. A key is provided with its own black tassel so you can lock away this precious jewel. Quel luxe! It’s really oaky, makes me think of really well-aged Scotch whiskey. I love incense and I love oud, and I think this is a little heavier on the former than the latter.
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April 24, 2012 at 6:39 pm
Sometimes you just have to ignore the expense. Trust me though, such purchases are far and few between. Tomorrow I have a horrible all day meeting that I’m running. I plan to spray this on first thing in the morning so as contentious as this meeting may become, I can just take a sniff of my wrist and use it as my scented Xanax!
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April 24, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Wonderful purchase!
It’s great to see you fall in love with something new, I’m very jealous! 😛
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April 24, 2012 at 6:40 pm
Thanks F. No need for jealousy as I’m sure there is a perfect scent just waiting for you soon!
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April 24, 2012 at 6:43 pm
I actually just found one tonight with my blind buy of Commando by Smell Bent! It is a zillion times more than I expected, completely bowled over.
But, I want a bix luxurious splurge! I have my eye on some things for blind buys, but I’d love to stumble upon something in store and just HAVE to buy it there and then. The last time this happened was with my Tubereuse Criminelle.
You must be a very proud owner of that signed bottle, and the comment about you apologizing to your partner was adorable :’)
I’m in that exact situation all the time, I’m constantly saying “Sorry” over every purchase approaching the three digit mark :’)
Your collection must be building with some great frags now!
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April 24, 2012 at 7:12 pm
I love great blind buys, they are so much fun when they’re perfect. The collection is good, but of course I want more. I know what you mean about the luxurious splurge, and I like you want to find that great deal. I was reading i think on Basenotes where someone had found Armani Prive fragrances at TJ Maxx (a discounted store here in the US) where they were not in the original bottles, but were only about $30 bucks for the fragrance. I need to find something like that!
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April 25, 2012 at 6:33 am
I love TK Maxx (which is what it is here), I found a whole bunch of L’Artisans in there around Christmas time, although it’s been full of junk ever since I bought every one for £25!!
I’d love to find some Armani Prive’s, got my eye on a couple!!
I am a deal hunter, it is so embarassing haha. But yep, I wanna find something really luxurious to spend on, I’m sure it’ll happen soon 😛
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December 16, 2018 at 6:47 pm
I want to get this for my significant other. I don’t know if what I am ordering is a fake. So I wanted to ask what design is on the front of your lock box? Is it an arabic character like design?
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December 18, 2018 at 5:06 pm
Hi Natalie – I believe the newer boxes have the more smoky incensed arabian characters on the box, the old ones just had a K. What a great Christmas gift! Happy Holidays!
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