Amouage | The Scented Hound

It’s always a good sign when you walk into the office and no sooner than you sit at your desk a co-worker comes over and says to you, “you always smell great, but today, whatever you’re wearing is incredible.” To me, Ciel is not groundbreaking, but it’s a very well crafted fragrance that is easy to wear and offers incredible quality. But I just had a feeling that someone was going to compliment me on wearing it. Maybe I’m psychic?!

WHAT I SMELL: Ciel introduces itself with a refreshing blast of bergamot. This is a scent that will wake you up if you’re a bit sleepy. Listed as part of the top notes are rose and lily of the valley. I’m not getting much rose, but I can sense the lily of the valley behind the bergamot. As it wears a bit, the frankincense starts to become more prominent.

As I was driving to work, what I noticed about Ciel is that it was almost two scents in one. From a distance, it smelled incredibly fresh, almost breezy. But as my arm would get nearer to my nose, that freshness was taken over by the incense which made what seemed to be a simple scent into something that was more mysterious, complex and spicy (and a little sour, but not in a bad way). It stays in this middle phase for a long time and this is where the fragrance resided when I received my lovely compliment.

In the end the fragrance settles into a nice and comfortable, slightly bitter sandalwood. For an Amouage scent the longevity is average, but the sillage is good.

From the Amouage website:

This fragrance bursts alive with the freshness of rich floral scents. Like a rain shower on a hot summer’s day it cools and invigorates. Using the intensity of silver frankincense and sensual woods it leaves an inner sense of serenity and softness, reflecting the warmth of the sun.

Top notes: rose, bergamot, lavender, lily of the valley.

Heart notes: peach, jasmine, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange blossom.

Base notes: frankincense, vetiver, patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A very masculine and powerful almost metallic fragrance that epitomizes strength without being unapproachable.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CIEL MAN: modern, traditional, mysterious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT IO CIEL MAN: Launched in 2003, I didn’t find any bloggers with recent reviews. Comments can be found on Basenotes and Fragrantica.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Aromatic Spicy
Classification: Masculine
Expense: $265 for 100ml EdP

I really hate it when fragrances don’t mix well with your body chemistry. Well, that’s what I am assuming since I have read some really lovely reviews of Opus VI. On me, well, lovely has a sour side. I have sampled this fragrance a couple of times and each time the same thing happens.

The promise of Opus VI’s opening is one of a beautiful invitation. It goes on warm, but light. There’s a rich buttery note that sits at the top. So pretty and inviting. I love ambers and they typically love me.

Well, after the first 2 minutes of that lovely opening, the dark side of this scent comes out. Metal. A metal component that is sharp and sour soon takes over. It’s still warm however and a mellow wood accentuates the base. But I still can’t get past that metallic edge. Nasomatto’s Pardon did the same thing on me. However, the Opus VI metallics aren’t nearly as strong as Pardon’s were. I was looking at both sets of ingredients to see if there was something similar that could be making this happen. The only ingredient I found the same was sandalwood which normally would not create such a sensation on me. The mystery continues.

I really can’t say anything more. Once the metal smell takes over I can’t get past the other elements of the fragrance. This really makes me sad, considering yesterday I was in love with my Parfum d’Empire scents.

Opus VI Notes:

Sichuan Pepper, Frankincense, St Thomas Bay, Periploca, Cypriol, Patchouli, Ambranum, Z11, Sandalwood, Cistus.