Amouage Lyric

First real wearing of this scent and I must say I am thoroughly enjoying it. I really don't understand all the "it's just rose" comments as I'm getting a nice helping of angelica, galbanum and other greenness still a couple hour of application. Nor does it come across as particularly feminine, to me. Perhaps it is just the soft and roundness of the composition, something that I've noticed with all of the Amouages I've tested; they have that roundness and softness that all natural scents do (although I am under no illusion that Amouage is all natural) .

I find that this one behaves a fair bit differently on open skin than it does on my chest. On open skin it is softer and tamer and all rather muted and the rose is more prominent while on my chest the green and musky elements from angelica & company are fairly prominent, at least equally so with the rose.

The only problem I have with the scent is that it is one of the few where I don't think the scent I"m smelling matches the packaging. Some scents are just perfectly reflected by their bottle - NR for him, Le Roy Soleil, L'Anarchiste, etc. If not the bottle, most scents at least smell the color of their juice (notable exception, Azzaro Visit!) but here I don't get a deep dark red rose. From the appearance of the bottle I'd expect to smell something like C&S's Dark Rose, but this is a far more transparent, green rose that smells as if it is still on the bush. I've heard many say they feel that Lyric Man is a dark and rich scent, and while it is undoubtedly rich I don't feel it is either dark or in any way opulent. I'd almost venture to say it's not even particularly formal, but straddles the line between formal and casual. Does anyone else feel this way about the scent not matching the bottle or the formality of the juice, or am I just crazy?

Either way, I love the scent. It is the most unique rose scent I've come across in that it avoids so many cliches when it comes to the masculine rose (or maybe I'm just so sick of the rose/oud combo thanks to Montale's endless variations on a theme). I have to give Amouage props for not going down the traditionally dark/spicy/pepper or oud path with their rose. Its details are subtle and hence why I think some just perceive rose - the rose is definitely prominent and less encumbered than in other compositions. I think this is because the notes that join the rose here are both fairly natural to the smell of a rose, stem and bush (the green notes) and that they are not rendered with a heavy hand.

Haha, no, no baby wipe quality this time. It's amazing how different the opening is when applying just a tiny swipe or going with a proper application. Jenson, you are getting to know me and my tastes too well - first you recommended White Sea which is now one of my few 5 star scents (along with Lyric who just joined the ranks ) and you totally called the turnaround on Lyric. What should I try next? (please, something not so damned expensive! )

Another thing I noticed is that this scent seems to have therapeutic qualities. I was hit with more work and more stress this morning than I have been in a long time and I took it all in stride, remaining far calmer and more composed than usual. Does that have anything to do with Lyric? Well, I don't know, but it sure didn't hurt. It was almost a joy, in fact, as the stress related rising body temperature caused this to bloom in all its green musky rosiness (oh how I love that angelica note - it has a juniperesque quality but is muskier and green).

On top of that, last night was my first real wearing of it and I met a really fantastic girl whom I got to spend hours getting to know. That doesn't happen often to someone as reclusive and shy as I am. She didn't comment on the scent, and I had only a tiny dab on at the time, but it surely lended me some needed confidence. Granted, this might have had more to do with me taking the stressful morning in stride but I've got to give some of the credit to Lyric.

I like the song that Lyric sings!

I'm not a big fan of Duchaufours work from the little of it I have experience with (Timbuktu is ok, Fleur De Liane is ok until the drydown) but I have a feeling L'Artisan has far more restraints when it comes to material costs. His style seems to be very complex blends with many notes that evolve along a single theme, slowly, but I find that the two I've tried kind of fall apart at the end and come across as overly synthetic. I take it that is not the case at all with XXV?

I'm planning on trying all of the Amouage scents, men's and women's, soon. Despite the early negative reports, I am really looking forward to Epic.

Even with only my limited exposure to the new Silver EDP, Lyric, and Reflection it is easy to tell this is a house apart from the rest. Amouage, along with the old MPG are two houses that seem distinctly separate from the rest when it comes to quality. Perhaps I should include M.Micallef in there as well, although it's hard to say yet. LesNez, too, seems to be far more natural than many. Creed sways wildly from one end of the quality spectrum to the other, and L'Artisan, TDC and others usually seem nicer, more complex and interesting but most often just as synthetic as the rest.

Now I have to ponder, do I order Parfum d'Habit blind, or do I order Lyric and eat ramen noodles for the whole of August? Or maybe I could peddle an unneeded organ and order them both. Hmm.

It's weird because of my personality and dress I really thought I'd gravitate towards a darker rose like Black Aoud, Dark Rose, No. 88, Attar (well, Attar isn't so dark but is not as bright as Lyric) etc - and while I like the darker roses none of them ever struck a chord with me the way Lyric has. I find the Montales to be just too rough, in general (although I haven't tried Black Aoud - I've tried many of their other oud/rose combos and found them lacking). Dark Rose by C&S is nice but i'm not super keen on the fruit notes and the rose is obscured a bit much by the bitter oud.. still though, I do like this and it may eventually move into my 'drobe as my darker rose scent.

What other dark rose scents should I try? Soon I'm going to try a full wearing of my M.Micallef Aoud sample, which on a quick test seemed to be a perfectly proportioned and refined-in-a-non-Montale-way oud/rose combo. I haven't tried all that many non-Montale darker roses, and would appreciate all recommendations.

While I look forward to trying more Amouage scents, I'm almost scared to. Not only will they leave me bankrupt - they'll make the majority of my wardrobe seem so pedestrian by comparison. This is one of the few brands that could turn me into a niche snob. Perhaps luckily, I can't afford it.

Hey, if you have a source that can get me 12 ounces of Homage for $350, pleeeease hook me up. :bounce:

Ironically you have to have crazy money to justify the 50ml bottle. Who wouldn't spend the extra $45 (or $35 I think it is, for Lyric Woman) for twice as much juice?

A collection of 50ml Amouage really would broadcast that you have more money than you know what to do with.

I found the angelica mixed with rose to be absolutely intoxicating from the start. After reading Chandler Burr's comments about it having a cocoa note, I do pick that up too in the early stages although I think it is just an illusion created by the rose mixing with the nutmeg and perhaps the ginger.

I find every stage of the scent utterly captivating and can still smell it faintly twelve hours later. Nothing harsh or synthetic in this drydown. I hope that my impressions of it don't change as I impulsively ordered a 100ml bottle after only one full wear (madness!).