Harrods Swarovski Oud; Guest Blogger Perfume Review

A Walk on the Wild Side

By Carol Sasich

The love of perfume is a dance, a game of chance, a sort of bungee jump for the nose. Usually, I like my ride to be smooth, floral, and woody, with a hit of patchouli on the side. Exploring new notes and combination’s is about as thrilling as I want my life to get. I’ve sailed the oceans blue, hiked up a mountain in a dark and cold rainstorm by myself, just to get home, driven from Flagstaff to San Diego nonstop, and flown to NYC for the first time alone. I like adventure as much as the next person, but I’m older now…less inclined to learn to skydive…

Getting to know Oud has been a challenge. It is an acquired taste .

In combination with saffron and rose it can be VERY metallic and so not what I want to smell. Honestly, I have never possessed natural oudwood, nor have I smelled the quality stuff burning. Some high quality Oud oil is on my must buy list….but I digress.

Let’s apply a little Bond No 9 for Harrods Swarovski Oud, shall we?

I feel exotic, I hear a sinuous beat of the drum, I smell darkly sensuous things in the air, and I sigh. What is this foreign resinous thing? Crackling and dry, but with a sweet secret peeking through…Step back people because I am having an epiphany…sort of like when our plane landed on the beaches of San Salvador Island in the Bahamas and I walked up to that crystal blue water and fell to my knees in the sand. And I cried it was so breathtaking…

OK, this is only perfume after all, but Harrods Oud took my breath away, it really did. (Does!)

I finally grasp Oud!

This is big and round, no sharp metallic edges. Somewhat linear, with nuances of leather, medicinal sparks of vinyl, touches of sweet resin and darkness. It has serious longevity, remaining on my wrists through bread making and dish washing.

Can we walk on the wild side for just a moment?

As we close our eyes, the story unfolds…It is a dark evening; a full moon hangs in the sky – a pendant on a necklace of stars. I am alone but I am not afraid. Clouds scuttle across the horizon, thunder moans and lightening sparks the distant hills into view. I see her coming in the distance, her wild mane flying. I hurry down the steps from the porch and meet her at the gate, my untamable filly. I have named her Pandora; she is so unpredictable, so full of surprises. She stands tall and proud, whinnying, stomping her hooves impatiently, tossing her head as if to challenge me. I trust her enough to mount her sleek back (with the help of the fence). She nickers softly, I grasp her silky mane and off she goes down the track, swift and sure. We ride with the wind, up and up until the meadows spread out before us in the soft silver light. I gasp, as she pauses to catch her breath, sides heaving, eyes gleaming and a soft sweat glistening on her brow. Looking back briefly to make sure I have a hold on her, off she gallops again into the trees, taking my thoughts away to far distant places, where the modern world has never been. We could ride like this forever, and maybe we will…

This is what Bond No. 9 Harrods Oud does to me… Notes -Black pepper, cumin, amber, myrrh, Oud and vetiver

Bond No. 9 website www.bondno9.com

Harrods is available at the Bond No. 9 website and all Bond No. 9 boutiques listed below

Bond No. 9 toll free number: 1.877.273.3369

Bond No. 9 New York Boutiques:
897 Madison Avenue (73rd Street) 212.794.4480
680 Madison Avenue (61st Street) 212.838.2780
399 Bleecker Street (11th Street) 212.633.1641
9 Bond Street (Broadway & Lafayette) 212.228.1732