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Sniff Test Fragrance Review: Eric Buterbaugh Oud Rose

Sniff Test: Eric Buterbaugh Oud Rose

Eric Buterbaugh Los Angeles Oud Rose
Eric Buterbaugh Los Angeles Oud Rose

Eric Buterbaugh Oud Rose (EDP Spray) 100 ml

She Says:

Los Angeles floral designer Eric Buterbaugh was a member of the the Gianni Versace and original supermodels jet set. These days the impish bon vivant has a warm and entertaining instagram presence, peppering boldface BFFS like Demi and Naomi among his beautiful blooms. Little wonder Oud Rose is an ‘an ode to fabulousness and extravagance’ inspired by the exclusive lifestyle of Beverly Hills and its denizens. Spiky oud is a natural counterpart to velvety rose (that’s why brands from Cartier, By Kilian and Frances Kurkdjian, to Jo Malone and L’Occitane have explored the pairing). More stealth than brash, but still powerful. Rewind a few more decades and it’s the sort of rich sensual scent you might catch a whiff of on night out at Romanoff’s, circa 1950, if you brushed up against Jayne Mansfield or Barbara Stanwyck on your way to powder your nose. 2.5 out of 4

dave lackie and nathalie atkinson sniff test fragrance review
dave lackie and nathalie atkinson sniff test fragrance review

He Says:

I’m a huge fan of floral design. I remember walking through London the weekend before the Chelsea Flower Show one year and seeing the most incredible floral creations decorating the store fronts around Sloane Square.  There were a pair of massive white swans crafted solely from flowers in front of the Hermes boutique. And literally a field of flowers surrounding the Rag & Bone shop. Designers had draped and twisted an exotic white and orange floral rope with orchids around the NARS store. It was phenomenal.

Eric Buterbaugh channels this same outrageous creativity in his floral installations for Hollywood celebrity friends and Silicon Valley tech executives. Google his name and you can truly appreciate his talent and transforming rooms and outdoor spaces into magical escapes thanks to massive flowering trees, rose sculptures and tiers of orchids like those created for the Chelsea Flower Show.

When I heard that Eric was relaunching his signature fragrances, I had high expectations. If anyone was going to turn the traditional fragrance approach upside down, it would be Buterbaugh. I expected to smell some very unique notes.

My first sniff is a disappointment. I can immediately smell the Centifolia Rose and the rich oud. Soon a little warm vanilla appears with a hint of vetiver. Balancing delicate rose notes with rich oud is a delicate art and this feels like it has gone awry. The oud overpowers. When I look at the press release, I see that his scents were created by Alberto Morillas who has created almost half the fragrances on counters today – from CK Everyone to Philipp Plein No Limits. He’s the fragrance equivalent of Danielle Steele, turning out dozens of scents each month. Perhaps Eric would have been better served selecting a more niche perfumer who could capture the brilliance of his floral creativity. 1.5 out of 4.

Eric Buterbaugh Los Angeles Oud Rose
Eric Buterbaugh Los Angeles Oud Rose

Sniff Test fragrance reviews are the personal opinions of Nathalie Atkinson and Dave Lackie.

  • Angela Citrigno
    September 30, 2020 at 11:09 pm

    I love the packaging 🥰. I guess they spent their budget on the bottle and packaging and missed the mark 📌 when it came to creating an appealing fragrance. I personally am not a fan of rose in a fragrance. I’ll take a fresh cut rose anytime over this.

  • Mariola daher
    September 16, 2020 at 7:22 pm

    Love the packaging and sounds like a lovely fragrance., would love to sniff test this one before I would add to my collection of fragrances

  • Jenn
    September 16, 2020 at 5:14 pm

    I am a big fan of floral scents so I am a bit disappointed that this may not be one I add to my collection. Of course I’ll still give it a test if I get the chance. I have to say though, that the backstory, experiences and inspirations for this is very interesting and neat!

    • daniela
      September 18, 2020 at 12:45 am

      im happy for the honest reviews, this one is off the list @daniela27

  • Heather Schell
    September 15, 2020 at 11:38 am

    Eek! Sounds like it smells like a rich, but still very old, lady. The kind of lady who’s grandchildren call her Babs, has fabulous stories about old Hollywood and sips sherry in the salon before bed.
    @heagiedonald

  • September Dee
    September 15, 2020 at 10:49 am

    I couldn’t handle an overpowering old rose scent myself. It would knock me to the ground. Getting rose scents right is tricky. Sometimes they smell heavy, dusty, musty and that teamed up with the sweetness can be sickening. I ‘m sorry Morillas has his name attached to this one since I like many of his creations.

  • Gabrielle
    September 15, 2020 at 9:43 am

    Another excellent review. I have to agree about the choice of Morillas as the creator. Not my choice if you want to create a brilliantly original scent.

  • Margaret @torontoviewer
    September 15, 2020 at 8:05 am

    Not a fan of rose fragrances myself. The scent reminds me of funeral wreaths/bouquets. Someone gave me a Joe Malone rose scent a few years ago…..it works well spritzed in my running shoes. 😉

  • Trisha Pedros
    September 14, 2020 at 11:16 am

    Beautiful bottle & the packaging is gorgeous!

    • Jibralta Merrill
      September 15, 2020 at 4:28 pm

      Beautiful bottle but the scent sounds like the heavy rose perfumes worn by my overbearing aunties who smothered tiny me with unwanted kisses + hugs made worse by their overwhelming rose perfumes. 🤦‍♀️
      @PeconicLady