Opus III by Amouage, 2010

After wearing it on skin, i think that while i can see how great this one is, it doesn't attract me. Opus III seems like the next generation of the floral oriental fragrances from the past. It's the kind of fragrance that you expect Chanel/Guerlain/Jean Patou to be launching, satisfying their more mature clientele. I don't say it smell old, but it smell sophisticade, something that a woman or a man at thirty would wear.

Opus III opens at skin very exotic. I can see what causes the caotic impression, it's really the ylang-ylang note. Only recently i've discovered that the essential oil of this flower has some aspects in common with tuberose. Both have a strange aroma which is tied between a nail polish aroma and the smell of new tires. But while tuberose has an oily, camphoraceous aspect, ylang-ylang goes on a frutier direction and has a slightly banana note. The opus III seems to have high doses of ylang-ylang, which is the first aroma that comes in focus to me when i sprayed the fragrance. At first, i got the nail polish aroma which lasted less than one minute on skin, giving space for the fruity and tire aroma of ylang. The bush aroma is missing for me, but the nutmeg is noticeable and it's the first spice that balances the ylang-ylang aroma. The ylang-ylang always makes me think of Jean Patou fragrances. It's a smell that you find in their elegant florals, like Sira des Indes and Joy, but while Jean Patou focus more on the sensual, slighlty animalic aspects of this note, Opus III doesn't trim anything of this complex note.

When this fragrance starts to develop, what i get is a powdery, resinous and spicy aroma. It's manly focused on carnation and violet to me, with jasmine and orange flower giving support to the accord at the background. This phase makes me think of Vol de Nuit, but it's less powdery than Vol de Nuit and it doesn't have the green, bitter aroma of the galbanum note that Vol de Nuit has. But it's the same vibe, powdery carnation and violet aroma, with some hints of jasmine and orange flower. I suppose that these two flowers contribute to the slightly indolic aroma, which was lacking on my skin but it's normal in fragrances that use these two flowers.

The base is the moment where it seems like a Chanel feminine from the past. I get the soft ambery aspects of ambrette, the woody, cream aroma of sandalwood, something slightly dry and woody, maybe from cedar i believe, and the smoky side of benzoin.
It's a departure from fragrances of Amouage, because it smells completely eastern, and like a homage to the great classical florals of the past.

I have never smelled a broom, so maybe this aroma is blended to the overall scent. Considering that this collection works like a library of classics, they did an awesome job mixing different facets of great fragrances like L'Heure Bleue and Vol de Nuit. You can smell the homage, but it doesn't seem like a plagiarism of these scents, it's like they capture the texture, the impression of some facets of these fragrances and create something that it's unique, but classic at the same time.

I have also noticed, after some hours and after writting my review here, that the base has a warm, christmas aroma of sandalwood and ambrette seed, which seems liked both to Samsara, Guet Apens and slightly reminiscent of Bois des Iles rich and sensual sandalwood base.

What intrigues me is that to me it seems like a feminine fragrance. My mom found that on me it smells like a flower fragrance for men. So i believe this is a truly unissex fragrance, which explore notes from both sides proudly. It may not be something i'd wear, but it's something i'd like to smell on someone.