Amouage | The Scented Hound

February 14, 2023
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Amouage Opus XII Rose Incense

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

June 27, 2022
by The Scented Hound Leave a comment

Amouage Meander

WHAT I SMELL: Meander opens with a warm and lightly sweet and inviting olibanum that is quickly met with an amazingly beautiful carrot note. It’s not carrot from the earth, but one that’s fresh and dewy and lightly nutty and surprisingly gourmand. Soon the carrot is met with the softest of rose along with a buttery orris. Together they provide a aura sheen that’s smooth as silk. As Meander continues on its’ path, the perfume begins to grow and radiate. It’s thick and rich and incredibly elegant and warm…and it’s at this point the orris feels as if it has been ladled over the luxurious Rose and Jonquille absolute. After some time, an incense begins to hover above the orris infused florals. It’s very light but adds just a hint of mystery to the already beautifully warmed heart. This perfume is beyond gorgeous, it’s dreamy and quite voluminous, but so incredibly comforting while being quite grand.

Notes from the Amouage website:

A synergy of fresh Pink Pepper and vivifying Black Pepper, together with a dense, fruity and chalklike Carrot Heart bring alive the all-encompassing fogs of monsoon season.

Serene and steady, they drape over a lush landscape of emerald Jonquille Absolute and lavish Rose Absolute, before climbing over pale cliffs of earthy Orris and dark, humid groves of Cypriol.

Surreal march of white Sandalwood mists, they creep overhill and underhill until at last they meet the unending desert, still hot with the scent of dry Vetiver and balsamic Frankincense Resinoid – the unbreakable barrier.

Intricate blend of woods and flowy spices, Meander captures the exhilarating feeling of happiness when the south of Oman turns into a land of haze and running streams.

- Top Notes: Olibanum Oil, Carrot Heart, Pink Pepper CO² & Black Pepper Oil.
- Heart Notes: Orris, Rose Absolute, Cypriol Heart & Jonquille Absolute.
- Base Notes: Olibanum Resinoid, Vetiver Oil, & Sandalwood Oil.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A languid nap on a warm afternoon.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MEANDER creamy, soothing, encompassing

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MEANDER: Carpe Odor, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: Meander is so warm and beautiful; it almost has a heartbreaking feel about it as it’s filled with great emotion. At the same time it also has as dreamlike quality about it that makes you want to drift off in an embrace within its comforting arms.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Amber Fougere
Nose: Mackenzie Reilly
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $265 for 50 ml eau de parfum

October 11, 2016
by The Scented Hound 15 Comments

New Release: Amouage Lilac Love

WHAT I SMELL: Not surprisingly, Lilac Love opens with a soft sweet powdery lilac which quickly turns to cocoa…which smells like milk covered Count Chocula cereal. But that only lasts for few minutes as it moves towards a powdered floral that’s quite dusty and dry. After some more time, the perfume gains a lightly sharp sandalwood bite. The cocoa that was once front and center now seems to pop in and out of the perfume which makes the perfume much more alluring and moves the fragrance away from the gourmand. As Lilac Love continues to develop, a soft sweetened patchouli appears that’s pretty and rather demure. Without any big twists and turns in the development, Lilac Love leaves with you with very little lilac, but instead, you get a soft and powered slightly sweet sandalwood perfume. Lilac Love, like many Amouage perfumes, lasts a long time…but what’s different with this release is that it’s not a powerhouse. And that’s a pleasant surprise.

Notes from the Amouage website:

Top notes: lilac accord, gardenia, peony and heliotrope

Heat notes: orris, cacao and tonka bean

Base notes: sandalwood, patchouli and vanilla

Parmalee by Sophie Gamand

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Puppies and purple flowers*

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LILAC LOVE: soft, fuzzy, ladylike

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LILAC LOVE: Colognoisseur, Kafkaesque, Brooklyn Fragrance Lover

BOTTOM LINE: I found the cocoa opening a bit disjointed, but eventually the blending of the florals and the chocolate are more in sync. What started off as a little strange, ends up being a soft and light sweet dream.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Leans feminine
Expense: $400 for 100 ml eau de parfum

* I’m not sure why visuals pop up in my head with a fragrance, but they do. With Lilac Love, my first impression was of labrador puppies romping in a field of purple flowers. In trying to find such a picture in Google Images, I ran across some wonderful pictures of pit bulls in flowered headdresses which then led me to the website of photographer Sophie Gamand. Sophie created a series of photographs entitled “Flower Power, Pit Bulls of the Revolution.” This series was designed to provide a softer look at the much maligned pit bull. Each of the photographed subjects is/was up for adoption. For more information on this series, as well as Sophie’s cause, check out her website at: www.sophiegamand.com. Seeing these beautiful creatures memorialized with such love, respect and warmth will bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart.