Amouage Opus XII Rose Incense

February 14, 2023 by The Scented Hound Leave a comment

What would Valentine’s Day be without the obligatory review of a rose perfume? I aim to please, so let’s see what Amouage has in store for us on this special day dedicated to love…

WHAT I SMELL: Rose Incense opens with a lightly warmed incensed rose that quickly starts to bloom with a metallic edge. It’s as if a full bodied red rose has been sliced with an ancient sword and with such deft and swift action it has left remnants of the metal infused with the rapturous rose. The perfume is full of depth and mystery as it continues to enfold itself in an aura of light incense. The rose, metal and smoke seem to smolder with an ambery warmth, but I feel at this time as if it is a prelude of what is to come. But that transition is slow to come, or should I say that the journey is a thoughtful and meditative one. The perfume does sweeten just a little with hints of vanilla weaving in and out, but that seems to evade me because it feels as if sometimes it’s there and other times it doesn’t reveal itself. However, what does happen in the end is that the vanilla begins to meld into the perfume to make for the most delicious creamy rose and incense forcefield. The vanilla, along with a beautiful sandalwood help to escort out the metallic note which to me makes for a much more soft and welcoming wear.

Notes from the Amouage website:

ODE TO CHILDHOOD INNOCENSE

I should like a Rose, crimson and joyous. Velvety petals draped in clear, religious Elemi and coated in the sensual smoke of Olibanum Hyperabsolute – they remind me of our pure emotions, as we fell in love for the first ever time. I remember of Damascus Rose Water, flawless like our smiles; and caramel-coloured Incense Absolute, sweet like those hours lost in the depths of our imaginations.

What remains when our lives come to pass?

With bewitching and metallic streaks of Black Ink, I shall write down the memories of our love.

Moments, images and sensations of bitter Myrrh.

Vanilla is sweet, Sandalwood takes me to heavens of silk but Cedarwood reminds me of reality, dry, brittle and dense like Suede.

Inspired by the uncertainty of the ‘Rosebud’ mystery in ‘Citizen Kane’, Rose Incense is an ambery and pointilliste constellation of gleaming moments whose beauty compels us to believe that only childhood memories are real.

Perfumer: Bruno Jovanovic

- Top Notes: Elemi, Olibanum (Frankincense) Hyper Absolute, Black Ink Accord.
- Heart Notes: Damascena Rose Water Essential, Suederal, Frankincense Absolute.
- Base Notes: Myrrh, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Cedarwood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The perfumer’s Citizen Kane inspiration is perfect with a beautiful rose, the metallic blades from the sled and the incense to magnify the sled’s destruction…ROSEBUD.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ROSE INCENSE: calm, serious, mysterious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT INCENSE: The Velvet Life

BOTTOM LINE: As part of the Library Collection, Rose Incense is a perfume that may not be incredibly unique. However, like most Amouage perfumes it is a rose cut above the rest with quality and an execution that far surpasses many of the other rose/incense combinations that you will find on the market. Any Valentine would be so lucky to be wearing this today.

- Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Floral Amber
- Nose: Bruno Jovanovic
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $360 for 100 ml eau de parfum