Trying to put Sweetie Aoud into words is an incredibly challenging feat, as nothing out there smells even remotely close to it. As soon as you spray it you’re transported to a classy French patisserie in the heart of Paris - hot, buttery pastries and burnt sugar fill the air of this quaint little shop, I picture marbled floors and luxurious leather seats in the background. As it settles on the skin it takes on this very warm and spicy cardamom note, accompanied by a dry and woody oud. An intense concoction of various resins and balsams add to the ‘smoky’ element of the scent, alongside soft florals and a smooth base of labdanum. Usually I’m fairly good at recognising certain notes but for the most part here I’m just trying to ascertain how the notes listed are working together. You genuinely cannot pick out any singular note. Sweetie Aoud is one of the most masterful creations from Roja Dove in my eyes, demonstrating talent and expertise beyond most of us. This truly is the best gourmand I’ve ever smelled.

Unisex I had a difficult relationship with this special unique so called “gourmand” for long time. I loved it from the beginning, that was sure but I needed to get to know her better. I’m just not so big fan of gourmands - I like many and love some a lot but I don’t want to smell myself like many of those. There is just few gourmands which deserves the place in my collection and Sweetie Aoud is one of those. Sweetie Aoud is not so obvious gourmand since the gourmand note is “patisserie accord” which is not any concrete food. That’s why I love it a lot. It’s rather a feeling and a smell which is a whiff of a French or Italian cafe full of delicious pastries made mainly from butter dough. The smell is a littlle bit sweet and soft buttery but the genious blend gives in the same time such a fresh vibes which I find extremely interesting. There is a really herbal fresh opening with Bergamot and Artemisia and quickly after that follows Patisserie Accord which is the strongest during the first 30 minutes. It’s so realistic that you can just close your eyes and you can imagine yourself in front of that glass in patisserie choosing something delicious to eat with your Latte. Rose is only supportive note here and Cistus is barely detectable but those tunes down the sweetness. After this starts the main show! Next the basenotes take over your senses and the buttery note melts beautifully together with spicy, aromatic and earthy notes, Frankincense and Aoud being the prominent ones. Like all Rojas this juice is so well blended that it’s very difficult to separate notes but that makes even the gourmand perfume luxurious, polished and charming. This is simply a stunning perfume for wintertime! Thank you for reading and I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes