Okay, so here’s the deal. I’m gonna walk you through my latest fragrance adventure. It’s all about trying to recreate or, well, at least get close to, that super luxurious vibe of “Royal Oud,” but on a budget. I’m calling it “Royal Oud Princess” because, let’s be real, I ain’t royalty.
Phase 1: The Research Dive
- First things first, I started by drowning myself in “Royal Oud” reviews and ingredient lists. I mean, like, really diving deep. What’s the core of that scent? Turns out, it’s all about oud (duh!), but also a good mix of cedar, sandalwood, and some spicy, peppery notes.
- Then I went hunting for affordable alternatives. No way I’m dropping hundreds on the real deal. Found some decent oud oils online, plus some cedarwood and sandalwood essential oils that seemed promising.
Phase 2: Mixing and Messing Up
- Alright, time to get messy! I grabbed a bunch of small bottles and started mixing different ratios of the oils. This is where things got interesting… and a little smelly.
- My first few attempts were disastrous. Way too much oud – smelled like a barnyard. Then, I tried to compensate with too much cedarwood, which ended up smelling like a pencil shavings factory.
- Learned a valuable lesson: less is more. Seriously, go easy on the oud.
Phase 3: The Breakthrough (Maybe?)
- After about five or six failed attempts, I finally stumbled upon something that was… tolerable. Actually, more than tolerable – it was kinda good!
- Here’s the winning formula (approximately, because I wasn’t exactly measuring things precisely):
- Tiny, tiny drop of oud oil. Seriously, like a fraction of a drop.
- About 5 drops of cedarwood essential oil.
- Maybe 3 drops of sandalwood essential oil.
- A couple of drops of black pepper essential oil to give it a little kick.
- Then, I topped it off with a carrier oil (jojoba, in this case) to dilute everything.
Phase 4: The Wear Test
- Okay, so it smells good in the bottle, but how does it wear? This is the real test.
- I put some on in the morning and went about my day. Surprisingly, it lasted a decent amount of time – maybe 4-5 hours.
- The scent itself? It’s not an exact dupe of “Royal Oud,” but it’s definitely in the same ballpark. It’s woody, spicy, and has that sophisticated oud vibe, but without the hefty price tag.
Phase 5: The Verdict
So, is “Royal Oud Princess” a success? I’d say so! It’s not perfect, but for a DIY fragrance made with affordable ingredients, it’s pretty darn good. Plus, it was a fun project. I learned a lot about how different scents interact, and I now have a custom fragrance that smells great and didn’t break the bank.
Things I’d do differently next time:
- Measure everything precisely. Seriously, no more eyeballing it.
- Experiment with different types of oud oil. The one I used was okay, but I think there are better options out there.
- Let the fragrance mature for a week or two before wearing it. Apparently, that can help the scents meld together better.
Anyway, that’s my “Royal Oud Princess” journey. Hope you found it interesting! Maybe it’ll inspire you to try your own DIY fragrance project.