Oddity
Rag & Bone (2016)

Definitely one of the more unique entries in Rag & Bone's new new octet of EDP fragrances, and the only not named after a specific note, Oddity.

Oddity is a mix of many cold-weather-leaning notes, such as black pepper, cardamom, leather, incense, and vetiver. The opening is dominated primarily by the black pepper, which makes it spicy from the onset, and an animalic sort of spiciness comes from the cardamom.

I get a little sweetness from the amber and vanilla, but these are subdued by the vetiver in the dry down, for sure. The main notes overall are the black pepper, leather, incense, and vetiver, making for quite the wintry beast type of scent.

Performance is very good for a niche EDP. I see this as mostly leaning masculine but certainly some women could and would pull this off, I imagine.

As with Amber, I like the fragrance but definitely not the price of $140 for 50ml, so I'll have to wait this one out, as well.

***EDIT: i've grown to appreciate Oddity a bit more, its balance of woody, spicy, sweet, and resinous elements being a really flattering mix, especially for cool weather wear, so it gets an extra point. My second favorite in the collection after Amber.

8 out of 10

I haven't tried anything else from this house, but this is certainly a pleasant introduction. The tl;dr take is that Oddity an intensely dry, spicy take on a licorice and vetiver blend. It's relatively straightforward but has some nice evolution over its first hour or so of wear.

The more in-depth take is this: the Sichuan pepper and incense drive the opening, which is distantly reminiscent of, but softer than, Tom Ford Noir Anthracite (which also opens with a burst of prominent Sichuan pepper). A tasteful, calm licorice note sits in the heart and becomes more prominent as the spiciness recedes. Vetiver, softened by a dry vanilla, anchors the composition and dances with the licorice until it overtakes the composition.

The price is the hurdle here. Oddity is not exactly overpriced, but it sits at a price point where options are nearly endless (at least if you're taking discounter pricing into account). It's a nice curiosity of a scent, as the name suggests, but it's also not a best in class offering. Still, more than worth a try if you want a spicy, contemporary take on a licorice scent that doesn't lean gourmand.

What a nice surprise, this aptly named little "oddity."

With the exception of vetiver, my nose doesn't pick up individual notes so much as accords, which run in three distinct phases on my skin:

Burnt campfire wood
Moldy basement
Vetiver, vetiver, and more vetiver

Each phase is notable as well for being exceptionally distinct and radiant, assertive, but not heavy. And here's something weird—although I'm not sure exactly how to describe it—but I don't smell any alcohol in the opening. It's as if the smells had somehow been captured as they occurred and then suspended in air.

Whoever is behind this gem, well done!

The cardamom and the angelica in the opening blast are gorgeous in their dyadic interplay, and the underlying darkly peppery tone gives them a smooth carpet to rest on. A delicious opening blast!

The drydown remains dark, with a smooth incense that reminds me of entering certain Japanese temples. This is merged with a nigh-cedary side note, which at times resembles the fragrant content of an open cigar humidor. Glimpses of a dark vetiver do not interrupt the general dark and mystical atmosphere. The vetiver lacks any earthiness.

The base adds a sweetness that is never very strong; it is mainly due to a very rich, yet never cloying vanilla impression that blends in seamlessly with the whole, accentuated by a very discreet ambery background aroma.

I get strong sillage, brilliant projection and six hours of longevity on my skin.

This is a fine autumn evening scent. It is rich and intense but refined and well-structured. Once the top notes have passed the ingredients are not exactly breathtakingly original, but the whole is crafted very well. 3.5/5.

Absolutely in love. This scent has somehow woven all of my favorite fragrance notes into one smoldering addictive package. This is the signature scent of the brand. It encompasses classic masculine notes like black pepper, incense, leather, vetiver, smoke, and a bit of licorice. There is nothing smooth about this, at least not on my skin. The black pepper hits you very strong...it's like that blast of cold, bracing air on a winter day...that feeling that comes over you. Sounds like it would be overwhelming, and it may be for some, but it mingles with the leather and smoky incense notes beautifully and addictively.
This is the kind of scent that CDG would make. The notes very much remind of CDG 2Man, but with a blast of black pepper and more incense in place of the woods, and without that odd soapy note that so many CDG scents leave on my skin upon drydown. If you are a fan of that scent, Wonderwood, Black, or the Pepper one, I think you will fall in love with this.

My skin usually skips the top notes entirely, save for a few mins or so, regardless of edt or edp strength. My skin takes notes right to the heart of a fragrance, then within a couple hours its all base notes all day. Especially surprised and pleased by this scent because I get very little to none of the vanilla or amber, the black pepper top note sticks around for a long time, but the literal heart of the scent is what sticks out most on my skin.