Oud Wood Intense by Tom Ford

Keeping things moving, in my remaining Tom Ford fragrance reviews, we have the flanker scent to the original Oud Wood. Oud Wood Intense, kicks things into a higher gear than its originator, but does it actually smell good? Is the performance great? Is it worth a buy?

---

What does Oud Wood Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: oud, juniper, leather, cypress, angelica, ginger

Click here to try: Tom Ford Oud Wood Intense 1.7 oz./ 50 ml Spray New 

---

My Full Wear Review

Before we get into my review of Oud Wood Intense, let’s see how Tom Ford describes it: “Unrestrained. Lavish. Intense. Tom Ford Oud Wood Intense introduces new dimensions of oud at its richest, most luxurious saturation. Often imitated, never duplicated, the classic Tom Ford Oud Wood reveals its full force through bold intensification, ignited by the smoldering grip of angelica roots and cypress.”

Wow. Does this stuff ever hit hard. Upon immediate application to the skin, Oud Wood Intense, hits with a warm spice and leather. It’s not just a fresh ginger, but also an animalistic kind of aroma.

Is the original Oud Wood in there? Sort of. It’ll be closer to the original later on in the wear, but at first, its a completely different kind of scent.

After the original spice, fades a bit, I start to get more of the oud itself. However, it isn’t overpowering the composition. Instead, I get that burning quality from the angelica, and the distinct smell of cypress.

This cologne really does have a dark and as they described it, smoldering, aroma. It’s a smoky wood, but as if it is currently burning, and not already burnt.

From there, what I get is a blend of the oud and cypress, with a less prominent angelica, a leathery smell, and a faint hint of juniper.

It’s a bit smoother, at this point, and has flashes of the original Oud Wood. It’s still got that warm smoldering sort of feeling, but it has really developed into  the cypress/oud hybrid.

---

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this fragrance is a bomb. Seriously, this can project like crazy, and easily be over sprayed. With that in mind, this is also a scent that you don’t want to overspray, because it ruins the experience. Plus, chokes out a room. Keep it to 1-2 sprays.

The longevity is also utterly fantastic. It can go all day, well into the double digit hours on my skin. Not that it’s going to be vital to do so, in most situations, but it is more than capable.

Climate wise, this is a cold weather fragrance. If you live in a tropical area, or if it’s summertime, I wouldn’t even bother. It’d be such a pungent mess, to not even be worth wearing, at this price point.

This is also much more of a niche fragrance, than was the original Oud Wood. It’s use and appeal is going to be limited, as it’s not the crowd pleasing type, and actually lives up to the intense name.

I’d probably say this is more of an evening wear or casual scent, that you’d wear because you enjoy it. Not many others, will agree, but it will have a small number of ardent fans.

---

Overall Impression of Oud Wood Intense

Do I like Oud Wood Intense? In a way, I actually do. Can I wear this, personally? Probably not.

I’m not a huge oud fan, but this strikes me as much more interesting, than the original. It’s got some real highlight moments, but ends up overwhelming my senses.

This is only going to really appeal to a select group of people. Not only is it prohibitively expensive, but the smell is going cut the number of potential buyers, even further. Oud Wood Intense is fairly niche with its style.

The performance is top notch, it’s unique, and comes together quite nicely. Not a blind buy candidate, but someone out there is going to find this to be an obsession.

Update: This seems to have been discontinued at some point. Not sure if Tom Ford is ever going to bring it back or do a limited run of it. So, you’ll have to track down a bottle online and pay whatever prices people are selling Intense for.

Again, this might not be something that everyone will enjoy. Don’t overpay for a bottle if you’re unsure.