Dia for Women (2002)
by Amouage

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.

A quality modern, fresh aldehydic floral. Sharper and lighter than Gold, yet just as beautiful. Dia is the sun to Gold's moon.

A real lady yet never stiff but sparkling. Wonderfully warm softness going hand in hand with the purity you will feel on your skin not after a simple shower but after a sophisticated bath ritual. dia is like light silk,the perfect white drop pearl, it is shimmering and noble.
a fragrance that shines without ever hitting your eye in an unbehaved manner.
it creates the kind of distance between you and the wearer that clearly speaks nobility, elegantly not arrogantly.
a fragrance of true grace and femininity.
a class of its own

I'm glad SilkandSteel wrote such a detailed review before I did. My interpretation is too simple. Keeping in mind that I can never detect orris/iris, and I'm not a fan of the frankincense, all I can report is that I get a soapy smell, which I'm guessing is a result of the combination of floral with musk and civet (I like civet in other fragrances). I'm obviously an inferior sniffer not to be able to appreciate what this scent has to offer. Happily, Dia is not too strong, so I'm not compelled wash it away.

When I first tried Amouage Dia for women, I dismissed it off hand because I had fallen so head over heals for Amouage Gold. Why in the world would I, or anyone, for that matter, wear Dia when I could wear Gold? But I have since learned, that just because you love a scent to death does not mean you can wear it EVERYWHERE and at ANYTIME. In the heat of the day, Gold can be too much, and Dia is the perfect choice for casual elegance.

Dia is very similar to Gold in some ways and very different in others. It begins the same jasmine, orris, and silver frankincense, which last throughout the day, upon a base of civet and powdery musk. However, all of these notes are softer, more muted, and Dia adds a very smooth heart of powdery rose that's just really spectacularly incorporated.

Dia is Gold's softer, more powdery, and less heady daytime sister, with a strong rose accord. It has the same longevity, but slightly less sillage. Dia is definitely a try-before-you-buy, due to it's high price, but is utterly lovely and charming, in a complex but unobtrusive way.