Year: 2015
Notes: bergamot, rosemary, basil, clary sage, galbanum, jasmine, vanilla, patchouli, amber, oud, vetiver
Inspired by Ruth Mastenbroek's student years at Oxford University, during the '70s, Oxford also tries to capture "the excitement of leaving home for higher education". However, one isn't entirely convinced by the concept, as personal olfactory memories of university life are so subjective (as well as socioculturally diverse).
Set on a woody-oriental canvas, a jasmine chord intermingles with some bergamot and an array of herbaceous-greens. Interestingly, there's also a vanilla-infused fruity aspect to the composition, which is very reminiscent of the pineapple-blackcurrant pairing in Ruth's eponymous effort. With a notable structural uncertainty, such déjà vu doesn't help matters at all. As for the drydown, it's a predictable woody-amber affair, with the oud providing a dark woody grittiness where the inclusion of some cedar would have sufficed.
Offering moderate projection and good longevity, Oxford is ultimately a middling creation that calls into question Ruth's (academic) humility more than her skills as a perfumer.
Set on a woody-oriental canvas, a jasmine chord intermingles with some bergamot and an array of herbaceous-greens. Interestingly, there's also a vanilla-infused fruity aspect to the composition, which is very reminiscent of the pineapple-blackcurrant pairing in Ruth's eponymous effort. With a notable structural uncertainty, such déjà vu doesn't help matters at all. As for the drydown, it's a predictable woody-amber affair, with the oud providing a dark woody grittiness where the inclusion of some cedar would have sufficed.
Offering moderate projection and good longevity, Oxford is ultimately a middling creation that calls into question Ruth's (academic) humility more than her skills as a perfumer.
