Slumberhouse Ore (2022) Perfume Review

Slumberhouse Ore (2022) Perfume Extrait is a true journey through well-calibrated notes that are discernible while harmonizing in an exceptional way. It first reveals dark, smoky balsam and resin with rich cocoa accented with wisps of vanilla, and then later on, spiced, golden amber, patchouli, and oak. It is chocolaty and boozy at times, creamier and almost milk chocolate at others, and full of depth and curves.

The 2022 version of Ore is supposed to still be true to the original but with improvements on quality of materials and calibration of amounts of materials. It contains the following notes: oak, vanilla, guaiac, peru balsam, tolu balsam, fossil amber, muhuhu, benzoin, cocoa, patchouli, milk & bushman candle resin.

Scent Development

It opened with resinous balsam notes paired with rich, powdered cocoa that was dark and chocolaty with a touch of vanilla. The depth of the cocoa note was surprising; it was quite lush without being overly sweet nor too dusty. If you’ve ever wanted patchouli to be ultra chocolaty, the aroma of the cocoa note here was just that. Five minutes after application, there was a subtle, spiced resinous quality that appeared along with aged, oak barrel undertones, woody and a little boozy–but the cocoa was the feature.

The cocoa became more noticeably spiced, darker and richer as a result, and had a dollop of fresh cream mixed with vanilla. Even though different facets of the perfume were discernible, there was an element of truly superb blending at work; the elements flowed together in such a harmonious way that it took me by surprise.

While the first 20 minutes may have felt more gourmand as the cocoa led the composition, the crisp, coniferous effect of the balsams increased the woodiness, while the sweetness took on a deeper, spiced and resinous quality accentuated by boozy vanilla. The booziness ratcheted up at the 30-minute mark, bringing hints of oak over the balsams. The cocoa note was less prominent, more blended in with the other notes, but still very readily detected as part of the perfume’s structure.

It remained boozy and chocolaty with creamy, spiced vanilla, thick resins, and aromatic woods with different aspects being more noticeable at certain periods but no dramatic shifts. Two hours into the wear, Ore became more caramelized, slightly smoky, and sweeter with more of a creamier pour of chocolate. Four hours in, there was discernible shift into slightly drier, aromatic woods with balsamic resins with a softer, more background chocolaty note. The drydown appeared around the eight-hour mark and was comprised of rich, resinous woods, dark vanilla, and amber.

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

I purchased my sample in February 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Longevity

It lasted for eight hours until it was a skin-scent and about 16 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate with the sillage getting closer to the body after two hours and projection dropping to a few inches above skin after five hours.

Personal Thoughts

I can see why Slumberhouse has such a high reputation in the world of niche perfumery. Ore was a testament to something so carefully calibrated and perfected that I really got a sense of everything that went into it from the first moment through the drydown. There was an addictive quality to it for me; I kept wanting to sniff my wrist to understand the nuances and enjoyed every inhale of Ore’s journey. Bottle worthy? Absolutely–I bought one immediately after the drydown (just to be sure).

Available Sizes

• 50ml for $260
• 0.7ml sample for $6

Where to Buy

• LuckyScent