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