Oud Wood 
Tom Ford (2007)

you read the basenotes.
You think you understand what it will smell like.
There is wood.
Faint amber, vanilla, and other ingredients that blend to smell rather lavender-esque. To simplify the scent, I would say lavender /rose meets woody meets a powdery musk.

This is winter, fall, evenings type of scent.
Yes unisex.
If you're into scent layering for something wholly unique, this pairs well with lavender oil for all you naturalists, and even better bleu de Chanel which makes the scent more "blue"

Overall this scent is not for me. I don't particularly care for Rose because no matter what you pair it with, I detect my grandmother's presence.

I would love to smell this on someone in person.

Quality ingredients as always!

The classic Oud Wood. I used to own it, but it was never really a favorite of mine. Some nice cardamom and dark woods in the opening, but it then transitioned to a sweet, woody, somewhat powdery dry-down on me. I eventually resigned myself to the fact that I didn't enjoy wearing it that much, and there were plenty of other woody scents that I would reach for instead. Some of which actually contain real oud, to boot...

A little oudy. A little woody. Some spice. Pleasant and inoffensive. Oud Wood is a nice scent and something I would own and wear if it were reasonably priced. It’s not particularly idiosyncratic, but far from ordinary and carries a bit of distinction. It sits in the same general category as something like Lalique’s Hommage a’Lhomme.

Speaking of, considering that brands like Lalique churn out oud fragrances of equal or greater quality for less than half of what Oud Wood will set you back, I struggle to give Tom Ford more than tepid praise for this one. Whether or not Tom Ford fragrances deserve their asking price is, I suppose, circumstantial. For me, there are a few I would splurge for, but Oud Wood simply isn’t one of them (and not because I don’t like it). If Oud Wood were sold at Lalique prices, it could easily fit into my wardrobe as a no-brainer, easy-to-wear, office fragrance, but at over $300 for 100 ml? Yikes. That’s a no from me, dawg.

Another reason to look elsewhere for your oud fix is performance. Projection is on the intimate side for me, but it does last a good 6-8 hours. I actually enjoy its understated elegance, but it may leave some wanting.

Overall, if you are reading this review and have more disposable income or fewer inhibitions than myself, consider this review a “thumbs up” endorsement. For anyone else, use your discretion; there are cheaper options out there that scratch the same itch. For more of an Oud-centric fragrance, consider Bogart’s One Man Show Oud Edition. For a classy violet-tinged variation, the aforementioned Lalique will do nicely. A quick internet search reveals that Versace Oud Noir also gets compared to Oud Wood. I haven’t tried that one, but you get the idea.

For me, this is a neutral.

I really loved this when I was first discovering the Tom Ford line. Got a compliment while wearing this one in a lecture, which was really rare for me. After smelling more and more fragrances, I distanced myself from this fragrance and started to forget about it. It doesn't appeal to me anymore and find it boring.

In short, it's a clean oud. Not really animalic, fecal, or dirty. The cleanliness makes it feel a bit empty. Perhaps it's a bit linear for my taste. Considering Versace's Oud Noir costs a fraction of this price, I find Oud Wood a bit overpriced and overrated now.

The cleanliness makes this mass appealing. Would I pay Tom Ford prices for a clean oud? That's debatable.