If there were such a think as a perfect way to commemorate an illicit affair between lovers, it would be in the form of a suggestive fragrance. The Oud Affair from New York-based Vilhelm Parfumerie does just that, paying homage to a fling played out between the queen of the silver screen, Ava Gardner, and bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguin.
“She was the prettiest and the most fierce. I had a very fierce wolf in a cage,” is how the Spaniard described his lover. Vilhelm recreated that sentiment with a fragrance that registers as sweet, but with a mysterious, smoky bite. A middle note of tobacco leaves is sandwiched between top notes of wild honey and ginger butter, plus base hints of agar wood and black vanilla bean. Alongside this powerful concoction, pheromones won’t stand a chance. Vilhelm Parfumerie The Oud Affair, $245, Available from February at Barneys, 236 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011, 1-888-222-7639
