Great name, great perfumer, this won an award I seem to recall (or it was shortlisted?) I actually love the Olfactive Studios brand, and I got the sample (along with a box of others) for free! This was lining up to be an absolute corker. A bit of background is needed to set the scene for this review. I had reviewed Lumiere Blanche on my Instagram feed and stated that like many Olfactive Studios fragrances, they are magnificent concepts and great openers but lack lustre drydown and fleeting in terms of performance. (Woody Mood ironically is anything but) On balance I don't put that much weight on the performance aspect as many reviewers do, some fragrances are supposed to be like that. However, when you get something deep, rich and complex you kinda hope it will last and stay that way. Selfish and unrealistic perhaps but it's more out of disappointment than anything because I really like the smell. So I sort of slated OS for this and received some comments from Celine below my post. I can hardly blame her really, if someone even hinted at slagging off my baby, I'd claw their eyes out!!! Anyway, she was very lovely and gracious about it and gave her justifications for the concentration of Lumiere Blanche. Needless to say I felt bad as I was clearly a fan of the house regardless of my minor gripes. She suggested that I try her newer release Woody Mood and proceeded to send me some samples which was incredibly kind of of her. So it's terrible that I have to say.... I really don't like it at all. I appreciate that it is innovative and frankly brilliant perfumery, mixing a warm, dense woody, oriental with the modernity that Duchaufour seems to bring to everything he does. Elements in here I definitely like and as I said above the quality, performance and concentration of Woody mood are all off the charts, and I'm not surprised it's received critical acclaim, but there's no accounting for taste though and it's just not to mine. The opening is typical of the house very unique but right away I'm confronted by a smokey, rubbery, unusual woods, typically challenging and typical of BD. I get the tea note and the cacao and there's a conspiracy of clary sage and a kinda leathery smell, which make it more serious and dark. It's a bit like the new Dior Santal noire (If I had to back compare) but this has far more notes and maybe the sequoia is what's bothering me? I really don't know? I loved santal noire and I don't love this. It takes several hours for WM's more troubling notes to subside however and I'm left with elements I think are pretty gorgeous. The point is I don't like it, but I absolutely respect it. Facts are if it was just another spicy sandalwood or oriental with oud or leather sure it would be nice but wouldn't be breaking any new ground. I love the fact that I don't like it, because other people do and Woody Mood is truly unique stuff.