Amazone (new) (1993)
by Hermès

Amazone lets go with a wallop of potent, soapy aldehydes along with its sweet citrus and herb (basil and tarragon?) top notes. The tangy herbs persist into the central green fruity floral and leather movement. Besides the leather accord, fruit, jasmine, ylang-ylang, and amber, Amazone’s core also includes a blend of aromatics at times reminiscent of certain “barbershop” masculine fougères. The resultant aromatic, green floral, leather, and amber motif bears some resemblance to Estée Lauder’s Aromatics Elixir and its male siblings Aramis 900 and Devin. In fact, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to learn that Amazone too was composed by Bernard Chant. Though Amazone is brighter, sweeter, and softer than any of the Lauder/Aramis analogs, it’s still sufficiently rugged that, as a man, I wouldn’t hesitate to wear it in public.

Rose eventually emerges as a dominant floral note, and persists well into Amazone’s ambery drydown. The scent’s power and projection are well-modulated throughout its several hour lifespan. While it makes its presence known, it is at no time loud, crass, or abrasive. All told, Amazone is an enjoyable and well-made – if not terribly exciting – fragrance.

15th April, 2011. (Last Edited: 17th April, 2011.)

Just got my tiny dabbing sample of this. Had I known how astonishingly beautful this creation was, I would have stockpiled a ton of it in all its strengths. I weep at the thought of this in pure perfume and that it has been dumped by Hermes in that strength as has the EdP. I love mostly all of Mr. Elena's creations in their spare ethereal beauty, but hope they won't paint their entire fragrance collection with the 'minimalist' brush. Now on to Amazone. Opens extremely briefly with a dark green vegetal smack, then moves smoothly onto the most gorgeous, lush, but bright florals (don't ask me what they are, they are blended seemlessly to my nose). Yes it is sweet, but in the most elegant and rich way. This must still have a good hit of oakmoss, because it always makes whatever else is in a fragrance, rich, deep and mellow in my skin. Womanly, beautiful, utterly haunting. How they could deem this unworthy of EdP and Parfum and bring Kelly Caleche to us in all three strengths absolutely gob smacks me and I'm not even British! If they wanted something lighter, why didn't they leave this one alone and just continue to release the lite version. And by the way, I like Kelly Caleche, I just don't think the EdP compares to the EdT and don't think it is a composition worthy of Parfum, but I haven't tried that strength. Time to stock up on Amazone . . . . again!!!! A thousand thumbs WAAAAY up!

3rd April, 2011.

Do you recall old utility candles that were made of that greasy, kerosene-y, smelly wax ? And do you *like* that bitter-hot smell of kerosene? Do you like the way it sears your nose and makes you crave more? Do you also like the smell of rusty old tin cans? Chamois cloths? Cedar planks? Silver polish? Saddles?
You do?!
Me too!!
Keep reading.
Do you like your fragrances bone dry, haughty and androgynous? Are you all about *not* smelling like pink candies? Do you want to discover a lesser-known classic with some of that old-style swagger the world is deprived of lately?
Allow me to recommend Amazone to you, my friend.
Amazone is another one of those "me" fragrances that I have to have around...no matter what.
It's a seventies-era animalic aldehydic, just like First by Van Cleef and Arpels, 1000 by Jean Patou, Metal by Paco Rabanne...But it's most like Gucci III, the cost-prohibitive discontinued marvel!(I don't know why more people haven't made that comparison; they really are quite similar.) But of all the aldehydic 'character fragrances' of that era, Amazone is the bitterest, the most "masculine", and the most raunchy. I really would LOVE to smell this strange, hot beauty on a man, but I am perfectly thrilled to smell it on myself!
Because... God, holy Christ,
it's good.

2nd November, 2009.

fine and sweet, sometimes too sweet, very feminine

18th April, 2009.