Amouage: Two New Fragrances by the Legendary Omani House

by: Juliett Ptoyan

After the February release Lilac Love, the house of Amouage is about to launch a pair of fragrances under the name of Myths, inspired by the Chinese heritage and personal metamorphoses of the brand's creative director Christopher Chong, as well as by his passion for opera. The male and female edition in Myths will embody his experience of living in Arab, Asian and European cultures, and will become an extension of the Portrait of a Life collection, which began in 2014 with the premiere of Journey Man and Journey Woman.

According to Christopher Chong, "Myths is essentially inspired by surrealism, in which elements are assembled in a dream-like and distorted state, in order to create a new interpretation."   Amouage's Creative Director also said that surrealism gave him the ability to pass on his experience in an artistic way and to create compositions that accurately reflect the various aspects of his past.

 

The Myths Man fragrance is described as an oriental composition in which the notes of orris and chrysanthemum are continued with a rose-alcoholic accord, after which vetiver and elemi enter the stage. The base brings labdanum, ash and leather. TheMyths Woman edition will have a more light, floral-green character, which is expressed by notes of narcissus, violet leaf, patchouli and galbanum.

 

Myths will be available in July of this year; both fragrances presented in a bright purple bottle of the classic Amouage shape, topped with caps covered with 24-carat gold and purple Swarovski crystals.

 

On the box for the men's fragrance, a Chinese dragon will be presented, symbolizing enlightenment and strength, while the women's outer packaging will be decorated with the outline of a phoenix, in some cultures associated with peace and prosperity.

Amouage(爱慕)的The Library Collection Opus X(图书馆收藏系列 作品 十)香氛

来自: Sandra Raicevic Petrovic

AMOUAGE(爱慕)品牌旗下特殊的THE LIBRARY COLLECTION(图书馆收藏系列)将在2016年三月迎来第十款香氛！该图书馆系列是在2010年推出的，最新近的一款是Opus IX(作品 九)。这款新香氛选用的是深红色的香水瓶，集灵感于1958年在里斯本上演的歌剧《La Traviata(茶花女)》。

OPUS X 的调制灵感来自传奇的红色小提琴“红色门德尔松”斯特拉迪瓦里，这把小提琴也是Francois Girard导演的，获得奥斯卡奖的《The Red Violin(红色小提琴)》电影背后的灵感来源。这部加拿大电影讲述的是这把著名的乐器，以及四个世纪以来它和不同的主人之间的故事。这部电影是由来自加拿大，英国和意大利的公司跨国合作完成的。

OPUS X(作品 十)香氛的开头带来的是千叶玫瑰，血玫瑰味，玫瑰花苞，以及有机的，来自玫瑰或玫瑰水的玫瑰氧化物成分。香水逐渐发展，展现出老鹳草，皮革和(漆木的)漆味。基调则是由降龙涎香醚分子，老挝沉香木，依兰和一种金属味构成的！

AMOUAGE THE LIBRARY COLLECTION OPUS X 2016版 千叶玫瑰，血玫瑰，玫瑰花苞，玫瑰氧化物 老鹳草，皮革，漆木 降龙涎香醚，老挝沉香木，金属味

OPUS X香氛沿袭了该系列已有的香水瓶形状设计，但采用的是从金黄到红色之间的渐变色彩，总体给人辉煌闪耀的印象。这款香氛的外包装盒上印有这款著名的小提琴纹样。这款香氛有100ml装的Eau de Parfum(香水)浓度。

DIA MAN BY AMOUAGE (2002)

Dia Man by Amouage is stunning. Stunning! Not my favourite Amouage to wear “daily” and forget about it, due to its very subtle presence on skin (which for me would be a crime to miss, so I’d rather wear it when I’ve enough attention and peace of mind to appreciate it), but surely and by far, probably my favourite ever of their range as a work of... hell, there, I’ll say it: a work of art. I think it accomplishes a level of vibrant creativity and impeccable perfection no other Amouage ever did, except maybe for Ciel. But Dia probably pushes the limit even above that. It manages to be smoother, to subtract even more, to make an even more precarious, complex and thin balance perfectly stand still as a transparent ice sculpture. Just replacing ice with air. Others in their range are more easy to love, richer and more fulfilling maybe, surely performing better and thus being more appealing and easier to wear. But Dia Man is just something different.

On paper it is seemingly quite a simple, understated floral-suede-vetiver scent with spicy-green accents – and you could wonder where’s the deal.  The deal is precisely in how Dia transform that mildly promising, yet probably not-overly-exciting structure into something completely amazing. And that sadly can’t really be described with words, which would only make it sound undeservedly boring. Or well, mines would surely. I could mention a mind-blowing weightlessness, a unique sense of natural refinement, an amazingly, almost hypnotic slow evolution bringing in and out vetiver, smooth smoke and posh powdery suede, quiet clean woods, delicate breezy flower petals (orris, peony, ylang) which you can almost feel agitated by some gentle wind, an incredibly crisp yet almost unperceivable sort of grassy-minty aroma breezing erratically through the notes as a fairytale ghost of an elf, a genius touch of silky fruitiness... but that would all make Dia sound “just as another good scent” – while it isn’t. Not because it isn’t good, obviously, but because it’s beyond a scent - it’s a world, really. I would add “totally unparalleled” if Hermès Cuir d’Ange didn’t exist, as in some way, I think these two scents share some connections – both in some notes (especially the powdery-suede treatment), in their stunning quality, and in their general texture and inspiration. But creativity-wise, Dia is probably a tad superior to that, as it dares a bit more in terms of minimalism and complexity. The palette is broader here, so to speak, but surely they share some roots.

Pardon this personal detour but in a way, Dia Man reminds me of some summer holidays I used to make in Switzerland, Engadin valley, some years ago. I always admired and deeply enjoyed the sense of cleanliness, clarity, purity and almost unsettling calm you can feel wandering through the lakes and the Graubünden mountains in the summer season, together with the warm, cozy, subtle yet somehow also very austere, pragmatic, even slightly decadent neat elegance of many houses and cafés there. In my memories the world there was all green and blue with a sprinkle of flowers, a constant uplifting crisp breeze, a Swiss sense of restrained elegance combined with a deep, archaic love for nature and for the mountains, with their dark shades and primitive secrets (which a couple of clouds are enough to transform from heaven to the most frightening place on Earth). I mean, Nietzsche spent his holidays there, in Sils Maria’s village – you get what I mean. It’s not only about some fresh air and good food to seek some rest. It’s like wandering through human nature. Now ironically Amouage’s heritage hasn’t much to do with of all that (or maybe it has?), and yet the refreshing, soothing sense of sophisticated, almost meditative yet also very “civilized” raw naturalness is quite the same. Probably “natural elegance” hasn’t ever make so much sense as it would for Dia Man. And it’s something really beyond simple charm, or a simple “natural feel”. It’s truly the modulating smell of a whole ideal world in a bottle, a blend of crisp archaic nature and modern cozy refinement. And the choice of giving it such a discreet, subtle texture is just pure genius to me, as it really feels like a call to your sensitivity and intellect to appreciate it at its fullest. Brilliant!

10/10

Amouage The Library Collection Opus X

by: Sandra Raicevic Petrovic

AMOUAGE's special collection THE LIBRARY COLLECTION adds their 10^th fragrance in March 2016! The Library Collection was launched in 2010, and its last edition was offered in 2015, under the name of Opus IX. This perfume came in a dark red flacon and was inspired by the opera "La Traviata" from 1958 as performed in Lisbon. 

OPUS X was inspired by the legendary red violin 'Red Mendelssohn' Stradivarius, which served as the inspiration for the movie "The Red Violin" from 1998, directed by Francois Girard, which received an Academy award. The Canadian drama speaks about the famous instrument and its numerous owners during four centuries. The movie was done as an international co-production of companies from Canada, Great Britain and Italy. 

The composition of OPUS X opens with centifolia rose, blood rose chords, rose buds and the organic ingredient rose oxide, which can be found in roses and rose water. The development of the fragrance accentuates geranium, leather and lacquer chords (lacquered wood) on the skin, while the base is composed of the ambrarome molecule, oud from Laos, ylang-ylang and a metallic chord!  

AMOUAGE THE LIBRARY COLLECTION OPUS X edition 2016 centifolia rose, blood rose, rose buds, rose oxide geranium, leather, lacquered wood ambrarome, Laos oud, ylang-ylang, metallic chords

The flacon of OPUS X repeats the shape of its antecedents and its body is iridescent in shades going from golden-yellow to red, with a golden overall glow. The outer carton features an illustration of the famous violin. The fragrance is available as a 100ml Eau de Parfum.

Nova Fragrância de Amouage: Lilac Love

por: Evgeniya Chudakova

Lilac Love é a primeira fragrância de Amouage na The Secret Garden Collection, uma coleção de intrincadas fragrâncias femininas, em que as sensações, os pensamentos e as experiências são livremente explorados sem as complicações do mundo contemporâneo. A fragrância capta o verdadeiro espírito da feminilidade clássica na mulher moderna.

“Estamos tão ocupados a tentar estar atualizados na modernidade que por vezes esquecemos as coisas simples e tradicionais da vida e em nós próprios.” - explica o Diretor Criativo Christopher Chong.

Uma vez que o aroma da flor do lilás não pode ser extraído, Lilac Loveharmoniosamente recria o acorde do lilás para exprimir os tons animálicos e atalcados com um melodioso equilíbrio de jasmim e rosa. O acorde é delicadamente combinado com notas de topo de gardénia, peônia e heliotrópio. O aroma floral é depois refinado com um coração gourmand de orris, cacaue fava tonka. O quente tom de sândalo também empresta sua carismatica sensualidade na base, juntamente com a suave riqueza do patchouli e as suaves facetas da baunilha, criando uma intemporal sinfonia floral com um romântico véu almiscarado.

Amouage Lilac Love

Topo: jasmim, rosa, gardénia, peônia, heliotrópio

Coração: raiz de orris, cacau, fava Tonka

Base: sândalo, patchouli, baunilha

A fragrância está disponível em 100ml Eau de Parfum por £260 em eclusivo no Harrods.

Fonte&photos: Harrods website

CIEL MAN BY AMOUAGE (2003)

So overall, something completely different from most of other Amouage offerings for men. No opulence, no somber incense-resinous sumptuosity, actually the complete opposite: Ciel Man, surely aptly named to this extent, is all played on a very clean heart palette of pastel colours which are all about floral silkiness, faint greenness, gentle fruitiness, sharp cleanliness, somehow feeling kind of “formal” and almost aseptic (oddly in a good way, a “calming” and soothing sort of asepticness). As I said there is indeed a subtle green-barbershop fougère vibe though, a sort of very discreet frame made of “mineral” herbs, light vetiver, soapy sandalwood and spices, perfectly acting as the manlier counterpart to the breezy feminine heart of Ciel. But still it’s probably more leaning towards the “floral-green-clean delicate stuff”. The drydown leaves most of the stage to the woody-spicy notes, so as time passes Ciel becomes more and more “masculine”, dry and woody, with a whiff of smoke too, still with a decided green-white mood.

The quality is more than remarkable to any extent for me, both of the creativity and of the materials, as I smell a lot of notes and nuances with an astounding clarity and richness – which is one of the things I love the most in the nicest Amouage scents, their intricate yet very clear texture, something only top-notch quality materials can allow you to build. It’s all consistent and harmonic, and yet perfectly “separate”, allowing you to dive into the composition and smell the notes with a heart-melting clarity and deepness. Overall an unusual, crisp green-azure unisex gem with some hidden darker nuances which I’d really recommend to any fragrance fan, at least for a try. Many seem to mistake it cleanliness and apparent light breeziness for dullness, while it’s actually an incredibly creative, complex and interesting blend for me (or I maybe wrong, of course). It could, and maybe should be a bit more powerful, but I appreciate its discreet yet long-lasting presence on skin.

8-8,5/10  

Scented Snippets New Fragrance Review: Amouage Fate Extrait / Baroquerococo at its Best

by: Ida Meister

Amouage Fate for Women is no wallflower, no shy cringing violet to begin with. She is a big-boned lusty "hunk of burning love" (thank you, Elvis).

In eau de parfum strength she feels like a perfume anyway, with her over-the-top opulence and heavily brocaded presence.

Enter the newest member of the family: Fate Extrait.

Amouage has successfully given birth to a new Mae West.

Or perhaps a Francois Boucher.  I'm going to let you decide; I'm still on fence, leaning more heavily towards Mae West, who was one outrageously smart and resourceful woman.

Mae West

Baroquerococo.

She's magnificent, intense, batampte (that's Yiddish for 'tasty'); bursting with life, spicy, juicy. We don't welcome waifs here, boys.

We want a woman and we want her now.

If you think that the original Fate had meat on her bones, think again.

The extrait is so rich, ornate, fleshly; she's a generous woman who's bursting out of her Merry Widow.

Fate Extrait heralds back to the power perfumes of the late '70's-80's: dense, almost chewy in texture, low-pitched and high volume. Think Opium, Cinnabar, Coco parfum: indolent, sensual, almost overpowering, long-lasting. Sillage which either entices or murders, depending upon one's taste [and application!].

Polarizing, to say the least – and commandingly charismatic.

[Now, charisma is a double-edged sword: it often connotes approach / avoidance, especially in perfume and political realms.]

Bergamot is a breath of fresh air, but it's off and running, leaving no memory of its introduction – because the spices kick in immediately, absconding with heart notes, fierce and vivid. The rose, narcissus and jasmine provide a narcotizing element: languorous, persuasive, soon to be wed to a cornucopia of base notes. The base notes are sinfully abundant; eventually, one is submerged in this opaque potion. You will be held captive indefinitely, because Fate Extrait is tenacious. Eventually, you are enveloped in spicy powder, a cocoon of resins that enfold you and don't let go.     

Do you actually want to be released, is the question.

I thoroughly enjoyed sampling Fate Extrait; it made me feel like I was in pre-war Berlin, listening to Kurt Weill in a cabaret where men dress as women, perhaps – and the joint is buzzing like a hive with attempted seduction, cigarette smoke and plenty of hooch.

Reclining Nude by Boucher

Conversely, I might be a cavorting Boucher nude, and the fragrance would be indicative of the prevailing atmosphere: suffused with every sort of excess imaginable.

Amouage Fate Extrait is a memorable experience, either way.

I'm always appreciative of Christopher Chong's keeping me in the Amouage loop!

Thank you, thank you for my sample <3

Notes: Top: Bergamot, cinnamon, chili, pepper Heart: Rose, narcissus, jasmine, frankincense, labdanum Base: Vanilla bean, frankincense, benzoin, castoreum, patchouli, oakmoss, leather

BELOVED MAN BY AMOUAGE (2013)

Meh...

Year: 2013
Noses: Alexandra Carlin and Emilie Coppermann

Beloved Man opens as a pleasant sort of contemporary aromatic-fresh fougère, a woody scent with spicy-floral notes, a green accord (not listed, but I do smell something herbal, balsamic and pine-y). I also get something like a soft, smooth and subtle leather note underneath. The opening is fresh and vibrant, with a nice head accord of round and fruity citrus and bergamot notes (and elemi, which is basically only a generic candied feel), well blended with cedar and the aromatic, salty earthiness of vetiver. In the middle, violet, amber, spices (cloves, cumin), perhaps other flowers. Amber and violet above all provide a cozy sense of mellow warmth. As other Amouage scents, it has an “expensive-smelling” radiant brightness, and is surely pleasant and refined, although also quite a bit synthetic (not in a good way). Plus, nothing really original: again, like other fragrances by this brand, it shows a quite evident inspiration from several late 90’s/early 2000s masculine mainstream scents. Moving on from the opening, once the fresher side tones down, it becomes a darker woody-spicy scent which to me seems pointing towards a couple of “golden-era” Gucci scents. Notably, underneath Beloved Man I feel a sort of faded ghost of Gucci pour Homme I; just fresher, a bit more flashy, and with more Iso E Super, but the "spiced pencil sharpener" is quite totally there. For a while, the similarity smells quite clear to me, then on the very drydown Beloved takes a (slightly) different direction, becoming a bit more dry, herbal, with a more nostalgic and austere feel. Not bad for sure, so keep it and treasure it if someone gifts it to you; but nothing really new and surely unworthy the insane price.
6,5/1

AMOUAGE: SOME MASCULINES

Memoir Man (2010)

One of the nicest frankincense openings on the market: bright, rich, deep, resinous, masterfully blended with bitter green leaves, citrus, something pungent and candied-fruity (like elemi), vetiver, sandalwood, and something on the base which reminds me of castoreum, although it may simply be the “side effect” of vanillin plus woods, leather and citrus notes. Genius touch of dark rose coming and going. A sophisticated hybrid halfway contemporary woody-incense scents like Gucci pour Homme I and resinous-brighter ones like Maria Candida Gentile Exultat, with discreet echoes of classic “barbershop” masculine colognes – mostly because of a soft, and kind of “dark” touch of earthy lavender. Utter pleasure: Memoir Man is a balsamic, refined and cozy gem, stylish and crowdpleasing without smelling dull, shallow or generic, at the same time showing a really peculiar a nondescript sort of “enigmatic” charm. Creative but totally safe, appealing and versatile. Perfect leathery-balsamic greenish drydown with a prominent vetiver-tobacco accord, mellow and again, totally classy, on darker balmy-mossy notes - keeping that abovementioned barbershop-fougère inspiration. Raw but civilized, shady and fascinating, and totally well made and solid... still unworthy the crazy price tag, but really nice.

_______________________

Beloved Man (2013)

Beloved Man opens as a pleasant sort of contemporary aromatic-fresh fougère, a woody scent with spicy-floral notes, a green accord (not listed, but I do smell something herbal, balsamic and pine-y). I also get something like a soft, smooth and subtle leather note underneath. The opening is fresh and vibrant, with a nice head accord of round and fruity citrus and bergamot notes (and elemi, which is basically only a generic candied feel), well blended with cedar and the aromatic, salty earthiness of vetiver. In the middle, violet, amber, spices (cloves, cumin), perhaps other flowers. Amber and violet above all provide a cozy sense of mellow warmth. As other Amouage scents, it has an “expensive-smelling” radiant brightness, and is surely pleasant and refined, although also quite a bit synthetic (not in a good way). Plus, nothing really original: again, like other fragrances by this brand, it shows a quite evident inspiration from several late 90’s/early 2000s masculine mainstream scents. Moving on from the opening, once the fresher side tones down, it becomes a darker woody-spicy scent which to me seems pointing towards a couple of “golden-era” Gucci scents. Notably, underneath Beloved Man I feel a sort of faded ghost of Gucci pour Homme I; just fresher, a bit more flashy, and with more Iso E Super, but the "spiced pencil sharpener" is quite totally there. For a while, the similarity smells quite clear to me, then on the very drydown Beloved takes a (slightly) different direction, becoming a bit more dry, herbal, with a more nostalgic and austere feel. Not bad for sure, so keep it and treasure it if someone gifts it to you; but nothing really new and surely unworthy the insane price.
6,5/10

_______________________

Journey Man (2014)

The opening of Journey Man is fantastic: a zesty, vibrant citrus-green accord with fresh herbs, pine needles, pungent spices (mostly juniper and pepper), a subtle fruity note on a velvety, shady tobacco-woody-leathery base – that common type of nowadays’ leather, glossy and “clean”, chemical and bright, yet mellow and pleasant, blending with tobacco to create a refined feel of black smoke well contrasting with herbs and citrus notes. This scent is peculiar indeed: it’s “black” and smoky on one side, but somehow it smells really crisp, bright and vibrant, almost radiant even if it’s mostly about "shady" notes. The feel is like going out dressed in black leather on a sunny spring day, with your dark outfit being enlightened by the sunrays and the azure sky. It also has a really clean look and texture, this meaning it smells quite simple and neat (not a flaw for me, as long as it smells good). Also, as many reviewers already noted, the connection to classics is evident, as Journey Man’s roots are clearly and strongly dating back to several leathery-smoky-herbal fougères, from Krizia to Eucris by Geo Trumper. The only thing I don’t enjoy is a slight but persistent sort of chemical-metallic aftertaste, but overall it’s really pleasant, especially for the first hour or so. Being quite linear, though, after a while it starts to smell a bit boring, losing a bit of the first-sniff “sensation”. Shortly a nice and well-executed tribute to an era, with a contemporary feel, undoubtedly good-quality ingredients and a solid composition. Sophisticated and “smelling expensive”, yet versatile, easy-going and safe all-year ‘round. The price is completely insane, but at least the scent smells nice, so you won’t regret it (that much).
7,5-8/10

_______________________

Interlude Man (2012)

The structure of Interlude Man is of a classic leather-velvety fougère with herbal and incense notes (on the polished-synthetic-woody side), reminding me of other contemporary niche fougères for man like Fetish pour Homme by Roja Dove. Decent and pleasantly plain, and a bit derivative too, as it basically smells like the drydown of any leathery masculine scent from the '70s or the '80s, even if (obviously, I'd say) less powerful and compelling. Nonetheless, it is surely balanced and pleasant, the leather is refreshed by balsamic notes and softened by incense, green notes and a hint of amber - all a bit plain and synthetic to my nose to be honest, but pleasant, refined and classy ("it smells expensive", shortly). Given the pretenses and the price, it's just not that worth it in my opinion.
6,5/10

_______________________

Jubilation Man (2008)

A jubilation indeed! Rich, balsamic, fruity, floral, masculine, dense, spicy... bittersweet tasty berries, foggy mist, honey, resins. Boozy vanilla drydown. A real circus of notes and accords, perfectly-balanced in a light-and-shadey, crisp and elegant scent, more consistent than one may think judging from the complex composition. Somptuous and sensual Oriental decadence at its best. Moderate projection and great persistency.
8/10

_______________________

Fate for Man

Fate Man opens with pepper, cumin, immortelle, a sandalwood-cedar note (“sweet pencil sharpener”, basically), softened by a warm balsamic-ambery accord, resins, incense (nice, rich, dusty olibanum), sweet anisic-licorice notes and saffron, well blending with a tiny rose note. I also get tonka and vanilla on the base. Basically Fate Man is a warm and spicy balmy-woody scent with a powdery-sweet breeze, essentially built around the “pencil sharpener” woody accord played on a darker, spicier tone - earthy-boozy immortelle, incense, saffron, dark balmy notes. Soft, smoky, spicy. The drydown is a bit cheap in my opinion, it lasts long but showing some unpleasant sort of rubbery-petrol nuances. Fairly pleasant overall, but also a bit uninspired and “already-smelled” (think of any niche scent with woods and immortelle), plus with a couple of “plastic” nuances that in my opinion lower the overall quality. It’s nice, but among the safest and least fascinating Amouage masculine scents for me.
6,5/10

Interlude for men by Amouage

Amouage is Walt Disney of Arab perfumery world. Comparing to authentic Arabian perfume houses it made a portfolio with Arabian themes presented in a global benchmark and launched universally. By the other mean, it produces high level crowd pleasing perfumes that brought them the success of being the most famous sign of Arabian peninsula in entire perfume realm. Oman is a rich country in balsamic notes. Yearly, it produces many sort of incenses and balsamic notes not only for perfumery. There is not surprise when Amouage perfumes unlike many Arabian ones are based on spice and incense. Interlude is the summit point of the method. A chaotic dense multifaceted incense spicy woody fragrance with too much things to construct a tremendous fragrance (by the time of this last editing on my draft a friend has said that the new version is not that enormous). It is always considered a success point inAmouage standard portfolio. Interlude is delivered by Pierre Negrin in 2012 which is believed to be the same father of other Amouage perfumes since there's a common vein in all the creations.
Interlude is a hardcore incense fragrance with polygonal character. It initiates with charismatic vibe of severe masculinity based on immense gassy peppery vibe tamed by citric note. The notes in the opening are intense and carbonated that makes the opening way harsh yet promising of persuading incense heart. It's all supervised by resinous sweet myrrh which injects soft sweet balsamic smoky mist to the aggressive rioters of the intro.

Frankincense in this fragrance has overlooked rendition that unlike many of ambry or resinous fragrances does not illustrate that caramelized brown yummy color; it is dark and gray petroleum blue/green colored in my mind, a little gloomy shade on the bottle color.
The chest of the fragrance is not harsh like opening disorder. It is now monstrous dark indigo gray smoke composed upon balsamic notes swelled by leather accord; bitter and merciless; and accented with efficient agarwood and sandalwood. I listed too much notes and too much descriptions right? So Interlude is that confusing as the notes I wrote for!
Interlude is an active multifaceted solid incense icon programmed to satisfy every kind of incense fan in all. It presents many forms of incense in common plus leather and oud and savory crisp. What else an intense incense lover wants? But in spite of all its majestic attributions I found this dense and complicated woven structure a drawback ofInterlude cause it takes away one thing that is so important for fragrance: character.Interlude is like someone who shouts with loud voice and all he says is nonsense. Too much incense, too much woodsy, too much leather and too much spice, so one term I can't use to describe Interlude is delicate. It's a mystic ritual zestless stony incense.

It stays more than expected on skin; about 16 hours on my skin with no serious lack or looseness in sillage which is so strong. However, its projection is another matter of worry for me cause for such vulgar incense I wish less projection power. It is more than filling a room in just few seconds and leaves a huge trilling trail behind. Yet it is an indiscernible fragrance for every incense fan.

Amouage Sunshine for men

Recently the Omani house of Amouage made two surprises; Sunshine for man and for woman, which, both are totally out of opulent sultanate style of Amouage, both are out of incense which is cornerstone of Omani culture. While most of Amouage creations are cold-weather fragrances, the last pack offers summery mood!
It is not officially declared in the house's webpage but it is said the noses behindSunshine Man are Pierre Negrin (the most responsible portrait behind Amouagecreations) and Fabrice Pellegrin.
This review is only for masculine version. The feminine version, sooner or later, will be added to the actual review.

Sunshine Man opens out with immense and realistic lavender. The fragrance has a paradoxical treat inside; lavender and freshness are two not-completely-overlapping parties that come together in Sunshine Man. Although the opening is on pure lavender, and the next step is citric and fresh, and the base of the fragrance is identified by cedar, the pillars of structure are based on coumarin. Intense dose of tonkabean swirls into lanvender and construct the vintage dandy and chic character of the perfume. You feel it. You feel the retro aromatic spicy theme which appears with creamy delicious herbal mood.

Creamy for lavender, natural, filtered and refined. I'm not very good with listing notes one by one, so I skip over explaining the role of bergamot and junipers. They are minor parties of element. Brandy and cedar has great influence on overall composition. Sunshine Man in overall smells like tobacco and sun-oil! And unlike most ofAmouage creations which are impressive by their gigantic personas, Sunshine Man is straight sexy because of its simplicity and friendly manner. It sends a message, connects clearly, yet it is still firmly on Amouage's style, it's grand and bold. Just likeSunshine Woman it is not a fresh perfume, but it directly reminds summertime!

Sunshine Man is stingy, a little warm, a little herbal but not wild, it's urban, ultrachic, four season (not so wintery though, not even so summery), deep aromatic, spicy and active. It has great longevity (it stays for more than 18 hours on my skin) and great sillage (only over my wrist it flies softly and my sample is not a spray sample).
It's maybe not in my priority list but those who love lavender raw and bold, would most probably the ones who immediately put it in the basket after first testing! I assure!

Special thanks to Jovoy boutique in Tehran for their all the time helps and kindness!

Amouage Opus IX

Perhaps among those perfume houses located in Arabian peninsula, the house ofAmouage is the most successful and renown globally. This is not only because of their impressively extravagant creations, but also for their tendency to western world and spirits while preserving original Omani atmosphere and their tradition of incense. This, for sure, needs artistic and smart management which we all know who's behind the scene; Christopher Chong.
Less than a couple of months ago the house announced for their new member of the Library collection: Opus IX. The variety of auras in this nine-opera collection is like a bookshelf full of the top sellers of the century. All are impressive, all are remarkable. From the first Opus, back in 2010, to the ninth there's a considerable growth and evolution. Seems Amouage is reaching a summit step by step.
Opus IX as declared in the house's webpage, is inspired by La Traviata; an opera in three curtains composed by Giuseppe Verdi, set by Venetian libretto Francesco Maria Piave and performed for the first in 6 March 1853 in Venezia.

G.Verdi (1813-1901)

The opera is set to Alexander Dumas' novel; La dame aux Camélias (aka Camille) published in 1848. Although the first performance of the opera has changed the novel and narrated a story back in 1700, Verdi and Piave in 1880 could finally reach their goal and set the opera to a contemporary story and in the book. The main character of the play is named Violetta; however, the main character of the novel is named Marguerite Gautier (a demi-mondaine loved by several men and suffering from tuberculosis). The story, is narrated by the other main character; Armand Duval. Marguerite is named The Lady of the Camellias after her habit of wearing white camellia for when she is ready to make love with her lovers, and red camellia for when she denies the lovers for the time her uncomfortable condition intensifies.

A modern poster of the opera performed in 2013

The performance is in three acts: the Act I is Violetta's interpretation: parties, jovial life in which she's the focal point of attraction. In Act II she runs away with his lover to rural life: settled but not joyous. Act III is her tragic fall and droop.
Pierre Negrin and Nathalie Lorson have transferred the trio into liquid form elaborately. The beginning of the fragrance is harsh, strident and inharmonious, with too much pepper and flowers (jasmine and camellia accord; I have heard that camellias have no smell by default). The floral accord is highly dusty, green and indolic like sound of cello in adagio. The beginning shows up a paradoxical feature: a soprano-to-tenor variation of floral/peppery character. Harshness, and luxury. The balance of notes in the opening and in the overall when the animalic nuances appear, reminds me light and extreme darkness in urban sketches of infamous British painter Jeanette Barnes: dark vision of ordinary stuff.

The heart of the fragrance is just the extension of what happened in the opening but with woodsy vibe. Beeswax, leather, and wood; aspects of pastoral life and stability. Then finally the animalic vibes construct the base of the performance and smoothen the throne for Camille's death. It's civet, in cloak of death coming for jasmine. Blackness attacks light.
Now, concluding the perfume. Experimentally, Opus series are not so wearable fragrances. They are massive, brutal, absolute and dense. Many people may not love to smell like that! Opus IX is not an exception.
A friend of mine described it: "Opus IX is like a teenager who wears mom's dresses, wears over-age perfume and silly over-makeup to expose older than her real age". In fact there's a immaturity behind that massiveness and seemingly it tries to not show it behind immense jasmine assault.
The rough texture of smell in Opus IX conflicts with Venetian-red bottle and gold label on it, which signify wealth and luxury. Basically, for a grown house like Amouage, theLibrary collection is just demonstration of art and culture and I swear they even don't vacillate if you deny it!

Carpe Odor!

Interlude Man: Amouage's new Album!

Interlude Man drives me crazy. There are some aspects that I completely dig and others that I really can't get past. 

You're at a concert. The hall is packed with people waiting for the band to go on stage. Everybody talk to their friends and the overall result is the messy, cacophonic sound of thousand of people speaking at once but saying different things. You can't discern what they're talking about but you can clearly hear female voices mixed with male voices, someone is laughing hard, someone is screaming with excitement, others are calmly commenting the facts of the last few days. Everyone says something but you don't understand a thing, you just grab a bunch of words here and there but they make no sense at all. Well, this is how the Interlude Man opening acts on my olfactive sense. I pick hints of the spicy-oudy accord of Epic Man paired to a sweetish, almost gourmandic vibe and mixed with culinary herbs. A sparkling bergamot note serves as a slightly strident juxtaposition to the overall dark vibe but everything is so cacophonic to relust somewhat messy and confusing.

The lights on the stage start to play funny patterns announcing  the imminent start of the show. The general hubbub clams down and people focus their attention to the stage where the band's members are grabbing their instruments. The show begins, the crowd goes wild. This is the best part of the fragrance where a dark green earthy-herbal accord distantly reminescent of Memoir Man, is paired to the balmy quality of opoponax. Just magnificent. Moderately sweet, deep, dark and extremely addictive.

The show goes on and the band start to play a bunch of new tracks from their latest, partially successfull, album. Exaltation leave space to a bit of disappointment. You expected to hear more of the older classics but the band is now focused on promoting their news style which you're not very fond of. This is when Interlude Man introduces its drydown which is sweet, ambery, smoky and woody. Something we've already experienced in Opus IV, V and VI and something that seems to have become the new Amouage hallmark.

Downline: The show was somewhat good and at times funny, the band is technically perfect, some of their greatest songs still rock but, what seems to have become their new path is not completely convincing and feels a bit uninspired. Worthy the full price ticket? No, at least not to me. I'll check their next live shows on youtube first.

Note: The show lasted a good 11 hours (quite a perfomrace for a band) and the sound projection was awesome!

FATE MAN BY AMOUAGE (2013)

Nose: Karine Vinchon-Spehner

To my supercilious nose, Fate Man reveals itself from the very first minutes as one of the dullest and cheapest Amouage offerings for men, and sadly the evolution does nothing but reinforcing this impression. The opening is pretty much a mathematical layering of a ton of drugstore cumin with a fairly cheap Iso E-infused cedar-vetiver-guaiacol accord (we’re in the same territory of countless inexpensive woody scents here; I thought of Chopard Noble Cedar, Azzaro Visit or La Martina Secret Wood, but options are really infinite) and a darker, thicker shade clumsily emulating some favourite chords of several “dark Oriental” niche scents of the past years – an agreeable, albeit derivative and a bit nondescript blend of musk, rough spices and smoky balsamic-resinous notes (labdanum, mostly) with a sort boozy-tobacco flower note (immortelle – think of Histoires de Parfums’ 1740) tinted with a sort of oily licorice vibe and a robust base of something like birch tar with a hint of dry oud. So basically a moody Oriental rework of a conventional woody scent. All finally wrapped together with a polished, dry texture, quite on the dark-spicy side, and sadly (if that wasn’t clear enough) quite cheap too for me. By “cheap” I mean that I personally don’t get anything different quality-wise from several inexpensive designer woody scents, the woody notes smell clearly “average” with no nuances or richness or whatever may indicate a sign of a higher quality; and I also don’t get any other added value – nothing creative, or particularly refined. No surprises during the evolution as well. A really bland Oriental dry woody scent with a dark shade and a bit more thickness than usual in the unsuccessful attempt to bring Fate closer to a niche quality (if that ever existed). Still something you’ve to keep smelling to remember how it smells. It’s nice, but a true joke for the price.

5/10

Reflection Pour Femme & Reflection Pour Homme By Amouage

Reflection Pour Femme and Reflection Pour Homme are the latest creations by Amouage, a perfume house well-known for its image of luxury and the exceptional quality of their products. The Amouage perfumes seem to consistently offer a certain idea of polished cosmopolitan urbane and classic luxury but contrasted at the same time with the slightly unruly naturalness stemming from the sense of excess found in the opulence of their fragrance compositions. Luxury as an ideal of quality of life and luxury as lived experience are adequately expressed together, not one feeling lagging behind the other as can happen sometimes (See Fleur du Mâle).

The fragrances made by Amouage offer a very sophisticated style yet also seem very close to the natural world, the latter aspect to the point where one is ready to ascribe an aromatherapeutic value to them. The scents add not just an element of olfactory beauty during one's day, as other perfumes do, but at night, they reveal an unknown nocturnal influence in their capacity to make one dream the most harmonious dreams. In this manner, they seem to unconsciously promote a sense of peace as they balance out one's oniric universe (frankincense?)......

Reflection Pour Femme is a luminous light floral aquatic composition with a half-hidden lush core where the initial effects of transparency and freshness give way to a more intoxicating feeling. The scent starts with light fruity-floral notes then becomes greener before moving into an indolic heart. The greenness of the tropical green leaves has the delicate nuance of the scent of small fresh green bananas to my nose. Magnolia and jasmine are cited for the heart. The heart conjures up also the images of the well-formed little white bells of the lily of the valley and a very fresh green and white tuberose. It is very dewey evoking well the succulence of fresh waxy immaculate petals, their frosty coolness, as well as the mounting of sap in the stems and flowers in the inviting chillness of a cool morning during the springtime.Reflection Pour Femme was composed by Maurice Roucel, the famed author of Rochas Tocade, Hermès 24, Faubourg, Guerlain L'Instant and Insolence, Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur, Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist, Donna Karan Be Delicious, to name a few. The notes are described as: "Water violet, purple freesia, and tropical green leaves in the top notes, sit above cool white flowers such as magnolia and jasmine in the heart. Warmth is injected in the base notes with the use of amber, cedarwood and sandalwood." The character of the composition makes one think of one other perfume, Crown Perfumery Alpine Lily, a discontinued fragrance with a slightly unusual aqueous floral bouquet.

The composition has a quiet peacefulness about it which is adequately symbolized by the image of a calm lake in the advertisement. At the same time, the scent suggests that this may be just the surface of things or one aspect of them.The quiescent lake that has been conjured up in our mind seems to take on bluish but also purplish hues as the violet flower suffuses the mental picture of a still plane of water with its presence. There are some innocent, child-like tart fruity accents. The white flowers that unfold in the heart have a natural vibrancy to themselves as the flowers seem to make the light and the air quiver around their assembled bouquet. They never fade away completely, managing to keep their crispness, finesse and relief throughout the development of the scent, offering almost a 3-D dimension.

The perfume is fresh but also sensual and slightly narcotic, evoking the sultry evening nights spent on a terrace in a tropical country where the atmosphere grows heavier with natural scents and the electricity of an upcoming storm. 

Reflection for Men feels quite different from the women's version of the perfume, although both develop along an idea of freshness and use similar warm base notes. Despite the stress put on the kinship of the base notes by Amouage, their treatments are quite distinct and the dry downs differ in that the women's version is cleaner, muskier, and the men's version woodier and more powdery. While Reflection for Women plays on ideas of innocence, transparency, coolness, and hidden sensuality, the men's scent is warmer, spicier, more frankly and overtly sensual. Like other men's perfumes from Amouage, the masculine character of the scent has feminine nuances to it - as we would interpret them to be in the Western context, I think - in this case the powdery notes and floral notes are a little bit more prominent than in a typical mainstream masculine scent. Having said that, I would say that just in terms of powderiness and floralcy, it evokes a much-toned down version of Lalique Pour Homme.

Reflection Pour Homme was created by nose Lucas Sieuzac. It is described as "A sophisticated, fresh and spicy fragrance, conjuring images of high summer by the sea. Red pepper berries, rosemary and bitter orange leaves provide wonderfully warm and fragrant top notes, whilst the floral heart contains notes of orris, jasmine, and neroli. [...] the spicy freshness of this fragrance is balanced by warm rounded notes of cedarwood, sandalwood, patchouli and vetyver in the base."

The fragrance in the very first instants offers a classic fresh aromatic cologne outburst and then prolongs further its opening on a soft herbaceous top note that is slightly fruity followed by a warm powdery heart. The main impressions are floral, leathery, and powdery to my nose, making me think furtively of Cuir Mauresque by Serge Lutens for a few seconds. The sweetness of the neroli is quite perceptible and feels a little bit gourmand. I am irresistibly reminded of fragrant leather skin such as can be found in the Middle East. The leathery sensation may be derived from the orris which can offer a very suave "peau de chamois" effect thanks to its suede-like olfactory texture. The softer "feminine" notes of the scent are balanced out by more astringent peppery and aromatic ones. The drydown mixes both impressions producing a delicately scented antique-feeling powder as if you had suddenly happened on an 18th century box of wig powder lost at the back of a closet on an ancient country family's estate. The drydown develops a delicious fruity-woody note that conjures up the vision of yet another piece of antique furniture, a cabinet made of subtly scented wood with a bundle of letters kept in one of its secret drawers. The cedarwood is wonderfully refined and brings me back in memory to the fragrant boat-houses made of cedarwood on a lake in Srinagar, Kashmir.

The gorgeous flacons are made by Asprey of London. The women's flacon is shaped after the dome of the Ruwi mosque in Muscat and the men's flacon is inspired by the traditional ceremonial dagger worn by Omani men, the Khanjar. The flacons have a nice heft to them, are made of crystal, and plated with sterling silver.