Il Mondo di Odore

Labdanum Ciste, Coriander, Orange, Davana, Frankincense, Blackberry, Honey, Bay, Cinnamon, Orchid, Rose, Clove, Celery Seeds, Gaiac Wood, Patchouli, Opoponax, Myrrh, Atlas Cedarwood, Musk, Moss, Ambergris, Oud Wood, Immortelle. Since I no longer have any previous-formula Jubilation XXV to do a side-by-side, it makes this review easier. I liked it 6 years ago and I still like; enough so that I purchased a bottle with the magnetic cap. There are some differences, but no deterrents and the current is certainly not inferior. What I do notice about the current Jubilation is that it's a more linear wear. The volume was never boisterous to begin with and it remains as such. The Frankincense is the theme on my skin with assists from an array of notes that are fairly seamless. There's intermittent whiffs of clove, woods, earth and herbs and they accent instead of bloom. Others may experience something different than I, but at least during my wearings, the Incense sits smack in...

Apologies for my extended absence. I won't bore you with excuses but will instead dive right into the His or Hers? entry of the day: Amouage Gold Amouage Gold pour Femme (1983) I first tried this perfume a couple of years ago, and my immediate impression was that it was very similar to Estée Lauder White Linen . Both creations offer a strong aldehyde experience. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the aldehydes really dominate these compositions. There are lots of other participants, but the aldehydes steal the show to the point where I have to be in a certain type of mood to wear this sort of perfume. In some ways I hate to admit this, because so many people gush over Gold , but to my nose, White Linen extrait is a more appealing perfume. I somehow get that weird buzz which appears to scintillate the central nervous system of devotees of Chanel no 5 . Everyone needs to have that essential life-transforming aldehyde experience with one perfume, but which one it will...

Shall we dance? A truly magnifi-scent Rose from Amouage!! I bought this at Dubai Duty Free some time ago and it was really love at first sniff ... so much so that I went into the bathroom just after take-off to wash off my other tests as best I could and gave myself a thorough dousing of Lyric! Two of the cabin attendants (one male and the other female) complimented it graciously and were never far away, offering champagne and warmed nuts. It lasted beautifully for the duration of the 8 hour flight I was on ... I find the Rose in Lyric Man to be deeply sophisticated, almost brooding ... lifted gracefully by the Bergamot up top and then supported faithfully by the Incense and Vanilla down below. Many reviews of this fragrance complain that it leans considerably toward the feminine end of the spectrum. I would offer that this view depends entirely on how much one appreciates Rose based fragrances! I personally find it pointless to ascribe gender to fragrance ... ...

I wanted to review Amouage's Reflection Man dead last for the year of 2011. It seemed only fitting since it is a time to look back upon a year that has passed us by so quickly. There's plenty to reflect on for all of us. I'm just not completely convinced a fragrance can accomplish a task as sobering as that. It may help the mood along however, so let's see if Amouage has succeeded in nudging me along this road.......or if, in the process, I turn into a pillar of salt. I sampled Reflection Man on and off for the past month or so. There was just "something" sticking in my craw about it that I still cannot put my finger on. What I did conclude is that there are periods in the wearings that I am reminded ( strongly ) of Pascal Morabito's Avec Amour.  Pascal's "With Love" has floral components with similarities not only in aroma, but texture as well. Reflection Man leans slightly rouge on me. Missing is the customary incense note that ...

From the incense masters at Amouage, we have Honour Man to grace our skin. When I see any Amouage scent, I already envision a terrific house rendition of frankincense. Okay......calling them incense masters is a bit hokey, but I never claimed to be a wordsmith. Enter Honour Man. First off, I have to admit that almost every Amouage I have sample-worn to date has numerous similarities. It's akin to Montale and its use of their house aoud note. That doesn't stop Montale fans from liking ( and purchasing ) numerous releases and it sure shouldn't deter Amouage aficionados from enlarging their wardrobes. With that said, Honour Man opens with a spicy duo of pepper along with an extremely short lived citrus. At least it seemed like a citric accord, but it was like a drive-by with pepper kicking the doors open and firing with both barrels. Nothing loud mind you, but very noticeable. You have to remember that this house is all about the smoothness, so obnoxiousness has no choice ...

My very first impression of Jubilation 25 ( after about 5 minutes mind you ) is what a damn good rose rendition is in this fragrance. The reviews reviling the implementation of cumin or tarragon have me baffled. Jubilation 25 is an excellent but more mature floriental than most. The opening accord is citrus mingled with a powdery rose. A transparent tarragon note soon appears and ( to me ) augments the progression nicely. The appearance of incense is not surprising and that, along with myrrh, labdanum and patchouli lend a slightly skanky aura to the accord. Jubilation 25 doesn't really have impressive throw. It's not a skin scent mind you, but it hovers close, encapsulating the wearer in a luxurious mist of incense-laden rose of the dusty variety. The construction and progression remind me of more vintage than modern. I smell no "Old Lady" here, but it doesn't smell modern either. It simply smells good. The floral components ( namely rose and ylang ) seem to...

Is it fair to review a scent before you're even gotten to the drydown? Well, after reviewing a scent that I hadn't even smelled , I suppose it's almost reasonable. I have been waiting for samples of Amouage Honour for a long time.  While a few reviewers received very early samples in May, I had to wait until Parfums Raffy got them in just recently.  But as soon as they did, I was on it.  Early reports of Amouage Honour Man seemed to indicate a good dose of pepper, and I'm something of a pepper lover.  I was hoping that Honour Man might be just the thing to kick Epic Man and Jubilation XXV out of first or second place in my Amouage rankings. But even more importantly, I was interested in the art.  Many scents are produced under a creative director.  This seems to be particularly important at  Amouage , where scents are produced under Christopher Chong.  Chong is often actually referred to as the artistic director.  I'm a b...

While sample wearing Epic Man, I chuckled to myself about the "younger crowd" on basenotes; notably the ones who cry "Dated"!!! or "Smells like old man"!!! when referring to 1980 era classics that employ the inherent accord structures and notes associated with them. I chuckled because from about 2005 or so, the incense influx and its indelible imprint will forever "date" the releases that are all the rage now. In 20 years ( maybe less) the youngsters now will be middle aged and putting up with the bellows of "Dated"!!!.....or "Smells like old man"!!! from novices that smell incense accords. Ah yes.......the human condition......such as it is........ Now.......on to Amouage's Epic Man. Incense you say? Why, of course my good man. Did you expect anything less than the House's signature note, accompanied by other notables, coupled with masterful blending? Is it Epic? I can't say for sure.......but I can say it...

Bertrand Duchaufour is the man behind this extremely, well constructed scent. The thrust of Jubilation is spearheaded by incense. While always present in the accords, the drydown is where you know that this note was the focus and all roads led to it. I have read reviewers complaining that it exhibits too much of a fruit accord. Surely, I find that to be an exaggeration. Orange and blackberry are present, but with very supporting roles. Jubilation XXV is one of those fragrances that is well blended to the point of making note detection a bit difficult. Labdanum and incense are in the opening with an assist from coriander. This rendition is smooth folks. It goes on my skin like a velvet incense with subtle....( and I mean subtle) nods to the fruit notes. What amazes me about Jubilation XXV is its ability to utilize rose, cinnamon, honey and immortelle in such a fashion that they work as a team, a unit, with no one ego centric note stealing the spotlight. That is admirable considering...

Ah.......the fanfare that this house causes is amusing. Even more amusing to me is a fragrance that is a quality creation and fails to move me. Enter Amouage Gold Man. From the very beginning, Gold Man introduces itself in a conservative fashion. Other reviewers have stated the powerhouse nature of the scent, yet I don't find it outspoken. The essence is full bodied, but the conglomeration of notes used here never exceed an intelligent volume. For whatever reason, I feel ambivalent towards this scent. You can smell that it's well made and blended, but I want a fragrance called Gold Man to be provocative at the very least. Gold Man opens with a duo of Rose and Muguet on me. There's a hint of frankincense coupled with the floral component and the accord is very smooth to say the least. I like the way the rose is restrained here and there's just enough of it to peek through and let you know it's there. After 15 minutes, a subtle musk makes an appearance and it to...

I am happy to have another go at the Opus series, courtesy of "Mimi the Terrible"....lol..... After numerous tries with Opus 1 and being satisfied that it is an excellent fragrance, I am sampling Opus II in the hopes of not only the opportunity to review it, but that it would be a suitable wear for me since #1 was a bit too feminine for my tastes. So......here I am ready to discuss #2 in the Opus lineup. The opening of Opus II is just as good as #1. There's a transparent "fullness" to both, in spite of them being different fragrances. Opus II is a bit lighter in the projection and also a bit more masculine in aura. The top accord is a melding of mild lavender with a bite from pepper. There's also a spicy wood note apparent from the initial spray that's well mannered and very appropriate. I like it very much due to the cardamon sneaking up from the heart and embellishing the first few minutes of Opus II. The heart isn't nearly as bold as Opus 1....

First off, a big Thank You to my friend Mimi for yet another generous sample package sent my way ! You are terrific Mims and so is your taste in fragrances. Since my dear friend sent me samples of Opus I, II and III, I must begin with Opus 1 and see if the creations meet my expectations. That may sound a bit arrogant, but I have high hopes for these releases and want them to deliver. As luxurious as this house is, there has been some near misses along with the opulence. Opus I starts off with an impressive opening volley of notes. They blanket you and emit that smooth denseness I look for. The top smells like nothing I have encountered before. I wouldn't say it's incendiary, but it's very good.. The listed Bigarade, Plum and Cardamon are excellent together and seem to mushroom outward with exceptional projection. The floral heart develops rather quickly, but on me, the top still manages to stay afloat the sweet heart accord. The florals are very clean, sweet and trans...

I have sampled this 1995 floral release from Amouage at least 3 times now. I have concluded that I would truly enjoy smelling this scent on a woman. There's an edginess here that is alluring and there's just enough of it to keep it interesting. Quite a few floral creations have a way of lulling me to sleep. That doesn't mean they're not good......just unremarkable. They are either too soft with no grit or overpowering. I appreciate a floral that has other components vying for the spotlight as well. Ubar is a rose dominant release that is extremely well blended with civet and vanilla. The opening of citrus isn't bold on me. It's combined with muguet and that seems to restrain the manifold rose notes from going postal. A deft touch is used here and I think it is very well executed. I either love a rose accord or find it unsettling....depending on its volume. The triumvirate of rose implemented in Ubar is rich, deep and in balance with everything else utilized ...

Allow me to thank MimiGardenia for sending me this extremely extravagant sample of Amouage. I don't even want to go into the price of a tiny vial of this except to say it would make your hair curl ( if it wasn't already). Very, very precious juice to say the least and extremely concentrated. Mims.....you are a true sweetheart and I am grateful for the sample more than you know. I haven't gotten around to this house, but I have read opinions and reviews. I am glad to have opportunity to sample and review this fragrance since most opinions are glowing. I have to cast my lot with the "glowing" crowd. Allow me say this is an occasion scent.....unless, of course....you have the resources to wear this on a regular basis. That, however, would be an injustice since this is special and should be worn as such. I have not become an Oud fan nor do I see that ever happening. My Western tastes are too ingrained, but I do take opportunity to try certain oud releases that g...