Launched in 2013 by London-based perfume house Ex Idolo, Thirty-three is what all oud perfumes should be: the perfect Arabian oud experience.  

The name Thirty Three refers to the number of years that the oud, which forms the backbone of the fragrance, was aged before being used in the fragrance. Let me tell you more about it.

On my skin, it opens with a note of spicy black pepper that’s soft and warm. A note of sweet, bright candied mandarin balances it. A note of caoutchouc, a natural sap harvested from rubber trees, has a smooth, fresh rubber smell that links with the black pepper and candied mandarin to create a gorgeous velvet opening. As it blooms, a note of Chinese white tea bonds to the caoutchouc to give Thirty Three shadows of Bulgari Black that bring forth the roses; the Chinese rose is light and earthy with hints of black tea that connect to the tea facet of rich, intense, Taif rose. The roses threaten to overtake Thirty Three until a note of orris that’s powdery, soft and suede-like tempers them. A slight metallic note, a nod to the Damascus steel blades once used to carve oud out of the Aquilaria trees, introduces a note of vintage oud, that’s the true oud experience. Oud and roses are a traditional pairing in Middle Eastern fragrances. Here, they’re perfectly paired, twinning to bring out and highlight the best in each other so that Thirty Three isn’t too oud-y or too rosy. A note of deep, dark woody patchouli bolters the woody oud at the base. A note of floral heliotrope, warm and comforting, with woody undertones, completes the fragrance.

Thirty three dries down to a drydown is rich, dry, woody and deliriously gorgeous.

Notes: Black pepper, candied mandarin, caoutchouc, Chinese white tea, Chinese rose, Taif rose, orris, Damascus steel, vintage Ouds, aged Patchouli, heliotropin.