Dia for Women (2002)
by Amouage

EDP review:

I’ve never been a great admirer of Chanel No.5 (regardless of the concentration) and this variation on such a theme will not change my opinion. Dia for Women is a heavy and powdery floral-aldehyde that just reeks of a decadent lifestyle I honestly have no interest in aspiring to.

I admire elegance but this is just too much.

Gorgeous! Dia is in the same rich, oriental "family" as Chanel's Coco, Fendi (woman), or the original Magie Noir. Dia is rich, spicy, sensuous. It does seem to melt into the skin, and has a lovely prolonged warm-ambery drydown. It is very sophisticated, very "French" in style. The sillage is medium strong and the lasting power is very good.

Both the men’s and women’s versions of Dia are marketed as daytime complements to the respective gender’s Gold, but where the masculine Dia bears little resemblance to Gold for Men, the feminine Dia smells like a trimmed down and re-balanced version of the women’s Gold. The volume is turned down by several decibels – particularly on the powdery floral accord. This serves to emphasize the frankincense that anchors the heart of the perfume while causing the entire composition to read as more staid and demure. However, given Gold’s cetacean scale, this slenderized sister scent is hardly an exercise in minimalism. Dia is actually a full-bodied, layered, floral-incense composition with an elegantly rounded profile. It is also, without question, more versatile and more wearable than the outrageously flamboyant Gold. Dia still offers plenty of sillage, projection, and lasting power, along with a very suave and ever so faintly animalic amber, incense and soft wood drydown.

What Dia for Women lacks, to my nose, is the distinctive character offered by its male counterpart, and by dispensing with its sister’s over-the-top exuberance it misses half the fun. When spending this kind of money, I want a scent that’s either utterly distinctive or gives a real sense of occasion when worn. Dia for Men satisfies me on the first count, and the women’s Gold amply delivers on the second. Dia for Women smells wonderful, but it’s slightly shy of the mark on both criteria. So while I rate it highly, I probably would not buy it.

Such a ladylike fragrance! It makes me feel elegant and classy and special, and makes me want to dress and behave appropriately when wearing it - definitely not a perfume for clubbing or pubbing!

I do find the aldehydes a bit overpowering at first, so it is wise to apply with restraint and quite a while before going out to allow the fragrance time to settle. Then just enjoy being surrounded by a softly-fragranced feminine cloud for the rest of the day - always definitely present but never loud or obtrusive. Very nice indeed!

I had high expectations of Dia, given the untouchable beauty of other Amouage fragrances, such as Lyric.

On me, the aldehydes, rose, and peach strike a soapy chord, somewhat pleasant for its nostalgic associations. I'm reminded of Ma Griffe and other scents worn by grown up ladies in lipstick, scents which remain in my mind unidentified but indelible. Paris and Chanel No. 5 may be Dia's less distant cousins, not in note-for-note matches, but in general mood.

After some time, I detect Dia's orris and woodsy base chiming in, but too softly for my taste.

This fragrance is ultra expensive. I recommend sampling and comparing to other soapy mixes before committing to the purchase.

Amouage's Dia is a lush, slightly heavy floriental-style perfume with aldehydes, powder, frankincense and a touch of bergamot. Dia is a warmer fragrance than its sister perfume Gold and mellows into a beautiful fragrance that reminds me something that an elegant woman living in London in the early 1930's would spray on prior to putting on her white fox fur stole and going out into the evening. Amouage Dia is perhaps even more beautiful when it has had a chance to dry down and is a close cousin smell-wise to Chanel No. 5. I liked smelling Dia for testing purposes but I can't really imagine wearing or buying it as it is a little formal for my lifestyle.

Here are the notes, from The Perfumed Court: Fig, Cyclamen, Bergamot, Tarragon, Sage, Violet Leaves, Bush Peach Blossoms, Rose Oil, Orange Flower, Peony, Orris, White Musk, Incense, Vanilla, Heliotrope, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, and Gaiac Wood.