Amouage Memoir Man: Initial Impressions

I apologize in advance for this kind of rambling post. I've not slept much lately and have woken up early today (4:30am!) after only a few hours of sleep. Unable to get back to sleep, I thought I'd write about my impressions of Memoir Man which I tested while Basenotes was down. I'll be adding more to the thread as I wear it again and clarify my impressions and understanding of this scent.




Amouage Memoir Man
Category: Leather / Woody Fougere
Top Notes: Absinth, Wormwood, Basil, Mint
Heart Notes: Rose, Frankincense, Lavender Absolute
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Vetiver, Guaiac wood, Amber, Vanilla, Musk, Oakmoss, Leather, Tobacco


This scent is really quite interesting. I definitely need to give it another few wearings before I fully understand it, but I will give some initial impressions.

This starts out with a very realistic absinthe accord. It's rounder and deeper (and has less pine/fir) than the accord in Fou d'Absinthe, and is not the brutal live wormwood plant accord in the opening of Yatagan. Here you get a hint of wormwood oil (which is aromatic, green, almost minty like spearmint but darker and smoother and more full bodied), a very round anise note that persists through most of the fragrance, and a mint note that smells more like mint leaf than mint toothpaste or mint gum. The mint is a minor player though, so do not fear. I couldn't detect the basil as a standalone note but have a feeling that it is acting in such a way to flesh out the accord which could otherwise be too aromatic and thin. Well, this is anything but thin.

The opening of this scent is dark, mysterious, and hard to pin down as the notes dance and swirl like the opalescence in a fresh absinthe louche. It is unmistakably green but is not rendered with hues of green normally seen in perfumery. We get an almost washed out green with hints of olive and black tones.. something like this


The anise element of the absinthe accord is present from early on in the fragrance well into the drydown and imparts a round darkness to the scent that hums quietly in the background - never silent but never obtrusive. Quickly the anise accord is joined by a dark woody accord.. cedar rounded out with lavender absolute. Lavender absolute smells quite a bit different than lavender oil - it is sweet and round and coumarinic and yet dark and has some fruity/berry elements. In Memoir man it never jumps to the fore but acts to deepen the absinthe accord and perhaps more importantly round off the woody notes.

The drydown features a prominent cedar/guaiac accord that is subtly smoky. The oakmoss is detectable via the leathery and slightly salty notes it provides.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This scent is unquestionably dark and woody. Unquestionably darker and more brooding than Epic, and also more woody where Epic was more spice oriented. This is just as resolutely masculine as Epic Man, but far less oriental in nature. Memoir Man has an undeniable European feel, not so much as in the European tradition of perfumery, but instead a post-industrialized Europe that is just moving into the Romantic Era. The opening is downright melancholic. The dry down is beautiful but there is always a sense of bleakness present throughout - a black thread woven throughout the fragrance. And yet the scent is so very strong, not only in projection and sillage (both of which are as notable as in Epic Man!), but there is a sort of.. assuredness present that stands resolute against the melancholy and prevents the scent from ever becoming depressing.

The green elements of the opening last for the first hour or maybe two and this is where the scent is most enjoyable, to me. The drydown does become progressively "more similar" to Gucci PH (the original), with a fairly strong pencil shaving cedar accord tempered here by the lavender absolute, rose and vanilla (and I think I smell a bit of jasmine?) but as mentioned, this scent always retains a darkness that the Gucci never has. In Memoir, the accord is also fuller and weightier. Gucci PH is more like an idealized autumn day, while Memoir Man is that same day plunged into darkness as a storm rolls in.

Fans of Gucci PH, Fou d'Absinthe, Yatagan, Epic Man, and anyone who enjoys dark scents or very woody scents should definitely check out Memoir Man. I'm not 100% sold on the dry down yet - I wish it had more jasmine or something to smooth it out a bit more and make it even darker (the darkness abates considerably from the opening after the first few hours of wear). If it had those tweaks (which are just personal preferences, mind you) this would easily be one of my favorite scents of all time. I'm going to try layering it with Memoir Woman as that has a much more noticeable (almost grape-like) jasmine accord (it calls to mind a niche take of Dior's Poison, from my cursory sniffing). The Memoir duo seem to have been designed, not only conceptually but olfactorily, too, to be layered, and I think the unification of these two 'disparate souls who see themselves reflected in each other' could be a very beautiful reunion, indeed.

One more interesting thing: my girlfriend loved this on me. She didn't know what it was and I had told her nothing about the ad copy but she said that it smelled dark, mysterious, and even "scandalous" on me, and said something to the effect of "It smells like.. well, if you could capture the smell of doing something you shouldn't be doing. Like the essence of one of those bad-boy men who women want despite themselves, and yet it simultaneously has this refined elegance and doesn't seem forced or contrived in any way."

An interesting take given what is mentioned in the ad-copy. That just confirmed that the scent really DID smell that way and it wasn't simply (a fear I always have) that the ad copy and expectations were altering my actual perception of the scent.

Sorry for excluding the notes list and the nose. The nose is Karine Vinchon Spehner who recently did Opus III for Amouage, too, along with L'Artisan's new vetiver and their L'eau de Jatamansi.

Here's the note info:
Top Notes: Absinth, Wormwood, Basil, Mint
Heart Notes: Rose, Frankincense, Lavender Absolute
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Vetiver, Guaiac wood, Amber, Vanilla, Musk, Oakmoss, Leather, Tobacco

I've now edited the original post to include this info. Thanks for the heads up Kevin!

I'll be wearing it again later tonight and probably a time or two in this coming week. I hope to be able to find more of the notes (I didn't really detect rose at all, but jasmine instead, for instance) and better understand the woody/vetiver/moss accord in the drydown and just how it evolves. There were a few nuances I forgot to mention originally too - like a hint of a peanut butter note amidst the wood, which appeared only briefly at about the 6 hour mark in the drydown and seemed to surface only after a significant increase in body temperature as I was running to and fro. That sounds weird but it was actually really quite pleasant as it didn't last long and was only a background note of the wood accord.

I'd love to..

..if someone would kindly send me a sample of it!

For some reason, Tribute is one of the few Amouage scents I've yet to smell, despite the fact that based on the reviews and notes, I should love it.

I did a bit of a comparison between Gucci PH and Memoir today. It had been so long since I wore Gucci PH that I had forgotten about the prominent bay leaf up top (which, as a bay lover, I really enjoy!). I think that green element at the top of Gucci, along with the underlying woodiness, is what would lead people - especially after only a cursory sniff on paper - to think the two scents are very similar. Even so, I maintain that the green elements in Memoir are more present, less dry (the bay in Gucci is rather dry), and darker, due to the anise that lurks in the background.

The oakmoss, incense, woods, and a fairly prominent vetiver note make the base of Memoir once again darker, and far more substantial. The Gucci, on the other hand, on my skin at least, becomes much more amber oriented with a rather clear orris note, too. There are some similarities in texture throughout, and there are some threads of commonality between the incense/wood accords, but as Mr. Reasonable says, their respective moods are very different. Memoir is the yang to Gucci PH's yin.

This little comparison was totally worth it (I'd suggest it to anyone who is interested in both scents). Not only did I get to really see the way two scents with some common ground can, in regards to mood, diverge quite considerably, I also finally came to see just how good Gucci PH is - a scent I had long overlooked because during an early test all I could smell was pencil shavings. I don't know what has changed but, while I still pick up something like pencil shavings, I pick up so much more in Gucci PH now.

While Memoir Man does have some commonalities with Gucci PH, I think it's closest analogue may be the oft-feared Salvador Dali PH. (the one in the greenish/black bottle with the lips cap).

They share a number of notes:

Memoir Man
Top Notes: Absinth (well, the anise component of it, anyhow), Wormwood, Basil, Mint
Heart Notes: Rose, Frankincense, Lavender Absolute
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Vetiver, Guaiac wood, Amber, Vanilla, Musk, Oakmoss, Leather, Tobacco

Dali PH
Top notes: lavender, clary sage, basil, anise and bergamot
middle notes: jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and geranium
base notes: leather, sandalwood, amber, patchouli, oakmoss, vanilla and cedar.

Also, geranium and rose share some similarities, and to my nose, the rose + lavender absolute in Memoir Man smells a bit like jasmine, so there is more crossover there.

Memoir Man is definitely more refined, and less ostensibly outlandish than Salvador Dali PH. They both have a dark character, with even a bit of bleakness present, although both have a number of beautiful qualities that more than balance the scent and keep it from becoming a depressing wear. Memoir definitely has less of the tar note that is so prevalent in Dali PH, although a tar-like note is present but subdued. Memoir Man also shares a bit of a dark smokiness with Dali PH.

As mentioned in the first post, there are a lot of hues of dark green present in Memoir Man, along with the traces of black (tar and burnt woods). I definitely think that the color and bottle of Dali PH would be very suitable for Memoir Man, and so I'd say there is even crossover in the packaging and the way it presents the scent..



I really like Dali PH but find it very difficult to wear, and the tar and smokey qualities of the leather note in it can become overwhelming. There is also a synthetic quality to it that can become irksome as the scent dries down, especially as it has such monster longevity. I find Memoir Man to be a more refined, if less daring, and definitely a higher quality take on a similar theme.

I found pictures of both boxes now. See my signature if you're interested in this scent.

Dreamer, didn't you get any smoke/ash in the drydown? While the drydown is fairly stark, I do think it's pretty interesting and unique.. at least on my skin. I get quite a bit of a burned incense, and ash smell, along with a hint of tar and something black and smooth (castoreum I believe, as part of the leather accord).

It's weird because I love the scent exactly as it is, and yet sometimes I yearn for the inclusion of something in the drydown. My thoughts are a bit more lavender absolute and some jasmine, along with more castoreum to smooth it out further and make it more inky black.

The thing is, that would make it a different scent, and I don't know that I'd prefer that scent to Memoir Man the way it is. Honestly, I want both! (alternatively, I wish the women's Memoir was butched up a bit, as that would make a great scent too, it would be somewhat like man but more floral and more extroverted and sexy, instead of introverted and brooding. I do think they did a good job of making these two scents complementary in so many ways though - they work well together even though each scent has almost the exact opposite characteristics as the other, outside of the fact that they are both dark).

It took me a few wears before I was sold on the drydown. As noted in my initial post I was skeptical of it. I actually find it very smoky and ashen. I really can't fathom how it can be said that it's not very smoky and incense-y. I'm just curious what the drydown smells like to you Cairo.

As with any of the more complex scents, they deserve a few wears before judgment is cast, if only because it often takes the nose a few wears to fully understand what is going on and see a fragrance for what it is instead of merely trying to think of it in terms of other fragrances - something I know I find myself doing (often subconsciously) on the first wearing in an attempt to better understand the fragrance.

I know it took me a few wears to love Dhofar! I hope you'll find the love with this scent. It's complexities and unique facets are a bit more 'hidden' than in some fragrances, and I really do understand how a lot of people think it is 'very similar to x or y' and yet after numerous wearings (7 or 8 now in a matter of two weeks, yikes! ) I find it more unique than ever before and truly one of the finest smoky, dark incense offerings I've ever sampled. Yes, I do see some parallels to other fragrances (mostly Dali PH and Serge Noire, with a bit of Gucci PH too), but it's far more natural and nuanced than Dali PH, and also more incensey whereas Dali is more leathery, and its more varied than Serge Noire with its transition from a green top to a grey and ashen base, whereas Serge Noire is more dark throughout and also more spice oriented (with its dark cinnamon and cumin notes). Perhaps best of all, I find the drydown to be very "thick" and full of body, unlike so many scents where the woody drydown becomes airy and ethereal. In this way, I find it similar to Epic Man - not so much in smell, but in the way it maintains its density even into the late dry down.

Amouage is nowhere near the quality of Xerjoff or Kilian? Hmm, I think a lot of people here would disagree with that statement, dare I say the majority (as they did on the Xerjoff thread). I'm not knocking Xerjoff or By Kilian (well, ok, the two By Kilians I've tried - Cruel Intentions and Straight to Heaven - were the exact opposite of natural/high quality, loaded with white musks, fake oud, and a harsh patchouli isolate and synthetic rosewood note, but they were both by the same nose so I can't hold them as representative of the whole house). I like a lot of Xerjoffs. They're a completely different style than Amouage - and just like Amouage, some of their scents use more natural ingredients, some are more synthetic, some more daring, some less so, etc.

We'll just have to agree to disagree. It seems ridiculous to suggest that there's nothing to appreciate in a frag like Memoir Man though. Go put it up against 10 Corso Como Uomo, Gucci PH, the CdG Incense series, etc, and its quality quickly becomes apparent.

Is there anyone who has tried both Memoir Man and Aigner Black - if so, can you compare and contrast them?

Would anyone mind comparing this to Kyoto, too? Somehow Kyoto has slipped under my radar for a long time. It seems like the two scents may have a fair bit in common.

Rick, I understand all of your objections - well, most of them. I've not tried as many fragrances in this vein as you and others - maybe if I had I wouldn't find it as original as I do, but I still, personally find it well balanced for what I'm looking for in this kind of scent.

The only thing I can recommend is giving this one another wear or two if you haven't already. My initial impressions were only lukewarm regarding the dry down but it grew on me after the 3rd wearing.

Of course, if you just don't like it, you don't like it. I totally understand that! (I feel that way about Invasion Barbare's dry down.. I just can't seem to get the joy others do out of it. Oh well!)

Sadly, there's NO oakmoss listed on the packaging for either this or Memoir Woman. Now, they may be using one of those new synthetics that doesn't need to be listed in the ingredients, but I feel like if oakmoss is listed as a note they should be using at least SOME real oakmoss. It kind of pissed me off when I got my package and saw that.

For me, the lavender is kind of the saving grace to the composition as it mellows out the tobacco and dry incense and woods just enough so that they aren't scratchy and annoying. I do get something else dark and smooth, it almost smells like a hint of castoreum, and that too, saves what could otherwise be an unpleasant base.

I can imagine that not liking the lavender though is pretty much a deal breaker. Anyhow, hope it works for you.

Oh yeah, one thing I noticed is that.. well, we got our first snowfall the other day and the top notes of Memoir Man really work very well to make the scent "blend in" to the cold atmosphere. The mint and greens really work synergistically with the cold air to enhance the wintery vibe of the opening. It seems silly but, to me at least, when a scent works synergistically with the environment it can really enhance my appreciation of it. With Memoir Man, I can spray it on shortly before leaving and the opening notes will mesh with the cold air as I head out in the cold to work or school, and then upon arriving, the scent starts warming up just as I will be. Fantastic!

I actually do get a fair bit of smokiness in the dry down of Memoir, and it is that contrast - the contrast between the "living" opening notes and the "dead" and ashy dry down - that made me admire this scent so much.

Glad you gave it a second chance Rick, even if it didn't lead to love.

I'm kind of baffled at how someone could think this was Eau des Merveilles, though!

Dia Man and Memoir similar? Hmm, I don't see it much at all.

Anyhow, Memoir is a grower. It's not a scent that immediately wows, but I find that it is actually far more complex than it first appears and that its charms reveal themselves after a good number of wearings.