Going for my first Amouage purchase: Which one should I buy unsniffed?

I'm sorry dompierre, I won't be able to be of any help to you, because I have this exact problem myself. I've narrowed it down to Gold, Dia, Lyric and Memoir, but I love all 4 and can't seem to choose one. I'll be watching to see what advice others give you.

The best Amouage is Serge Lutens

I have to add, don't buy any of them unsniffed. Buy decants of each and wear them before you buy a full bottle.

Amouage sell great minis. No reason to buy a full botlle unsniffed.

With minis and free gifts, including lotions as well as perfumes, I've got a very nice collection of Amouage without spending a fortune.

I bought my first box of minis directly from Amouage by emailing and asking if they had any samples. That was about five years ago. They came beautifully presented in a black box, and it contained these small atomisers:

Gold for ladies x 2
Gold for men x 1
Ciel pour femme x 1
Ciel pour homme x 1
Dia pour femme x 1
Dia pour homme x 1
Silver Cologne x 1
Arcus x 1
Eau d'Amouage x 1

Then a year or two ago I bought the new white box of mini women's fragrances from Selfridges store (there is also a white box for men). The SA also gave me a free bag full of small lotions and creams. I later bought a Dia body lotion for a friend and got more free gifts with that. The SA tells me that Amouage is a lovely company to work for. That's what I like to hear. I want my SAs to be well looked after.

This white box has one small atomiser each of :

Gold Woman
Dia Woman
Jubilation 25
Lyric Woman
Ciel Woman
Reflection Woman

If you have trouble finding those boxes in Malaysia or even on the web, I can try to get them here and send them to you. I'm sure I saw them just last month in Selfridges.

I just found this:

http://www.amouage.com/boutique/products/?ID=205

Their proper minis are now 7.5 ml and are 180 euros for six.

My minis (or samples really) are approx 2.5 ml and a box of six was quite affordable. For some reason £20 sticks in my head, but that might be wrong. I bought my last box 2 years ago.

I'd advise against buying any expensive full bottle blind.
If you are going to sample some one at a time, I'd say start with Ubar, Gold, Dia, and Ciel. At least by then, you'll know if you like the house!

The Ubar perfume sampler and small tub of body cream were among my free gifts when I bought the white box.

When fumes are as expensive as Amouage, there's no point buying a full bottle blind unless you think you are making an investment.

There's no joy in that for me, but others may think differently. My first black box of samples has the sub-heading 'The most valuable perfume in the world'. I didn't know that when I sent for it. Like the Clive Christian tag line 'the world's most expensive perfume' , as soon as they mention high price as an attractive proposition , I have no further interest. I still love my little Amouage collection because it is here already, but I wouldn't touch vulgarian Clive Christian with a bargepole.

Here is a better option for sampling the line: from their website, a white box of ten x 2.5 ml fragrances for 65 euros:

http://www.amouage.com/boutique/products/?ID=14

Amouage is such a hit and miss line. Don't do it it! They tend to be complex and odd, so just reading the notes and reviews rarely help.

Gold Man, Memoir Woman, and Homage sounded like things I'd adore, but none of them worked on me. Conversely, Ubar and Memoir Man tuned out to be unexpected favorites.

Can't go wrong with Homage. Simply one of the best frags currently in production on the planet.

Why buy a perfume at that price, unsniffed? Get a sample at Lucky Scent. I love Epic with its elegant spicy frankincense.

I wear my Amouage samples only for reference, syncs, tests, and hardly ever as a SotD. That's why I've still got some left after all this time.

I want to wear it properly now. I might choose one for Sunday's SotD. Dia is my first choice. It's a very clean floral; nothing to get excited about, just very good quality.

I'm sorry, I thought you were in the US. I'm on an iPhone, I just noticed your flag is a little different than mine. I was going to see if you were near SF...tell you where you can go in person. The only tropical place I've been is coastal Mexico, from that reference, any of the Amouge scents should smell great. I've bought perfume in Paris and New York, brought it home and the scent was too strong. It's simi-arid here and climates with moisture, all scents smell good. You're lucky since you're in Maylasia.

I have the same problem. It's often chemistry. I don't like the smell of citrus, but on my skin, I like it and scents with citrus or a strong wood, last longer. The Amouage samples, last on my skin. I my theory is, the more scented good/bad your environment is, the stronger the perfume needs to be. Also, if other people are wearing perfume...scent competition. Moisture in the air, opens your nose. I'm not sure where you live, but I imagine gorgeous people wearing perfumes, big city fumes, with tropical food and floral scents. Where's my plane ticket! I love spicy exotic perfumes! There's a little French perfume store in San Francisco. The owner understands my taste...gives me Amouage samples including body soap and body cream (he wants me to save more money). A perfume I have trouble wearing in my dry climate, Bond's So New York. It's so New York, I can't wear it in San Francisco, but I can wear it in Europe! Do you have access to Montale? I'm a bit aoud/oud obsessed at the moment and this line has several. It's one of the few I must get online and I'm waiting for samples. I believe I saw it at Harrods in London, but ignored it.

I had one really good shopping trip in London and Paris, while living with my family and working. Mortgage issues and the perfume shop owner gives me samples and says, (insert French accent) you can not buy Amouage, save your money! I'm surprised you can't get what you want. What about in the airport? Basenotes has shown me that I have access to greater amount of perfumes, but behind Los Angeles and New York. But, Basenotes and Fragrantica has introduced me to people who call Paris and have perfumes sent to them. I can't do that yet. Now, I'm finding out about Arabic perfumes from the UAE. More temptations!

As a side note, most of the notable older Amouages (which are the artistic core of the line, as opposed to their new niche-ish scents - though people claim that they're finding their feet with 2010's releases) are ridiculously strong. a dab of Ubar will fill a palace with sillage. The same goes with Gold. They're made at least in spirit for a middle eastern clientele, who need something very strong to stand up to desert weather and still feel luxurious.

Also, for my two cents: Ubar and Gold for Men both have the feel of classic French perfumes (Like No 5 or old Carons or old Guerlains, etc) but magnified into almost ridiculous strength. I can't imagine heat and humidity being able to wear them down, and I think they'd be what you'd like, based on the scents you listed.

I prefer their last releases like : Lyric, Epic and Memoir incl Ubar( it was re-lauched 2 y ago) and the attars in comparison with the Gold, Ciel , Dia which are too classical French.... So start with Lyric( totaly different rose scent which can be THE ROSE scent of a "I hate rose perfumes" person) or Epic Woman( so close but not a real oud , a lot of rose, tea and smoke... )

my best pick is Lyric Woman

+1


I just sampled it for the first time today and Oh my God, I am in love!! When I read the notes, I can't believe I like it because there is nothing in there that normally appeals to me, but it is just so unbelievably beautifully done. Soft, yet deep and full without being cloying. It's an absolute dream!

+1


I just sampled it for the first time today and Oh my God, I am in love!! When I read the notes, I can't believe I like it because there is nothing in there that normally appeals to me, but it is just so unbelievably beautifully done. Soft, yet deep and full without being cloying. It's an absolute dream!

Very short reviews of a number of Amouage WOmen's scents:

Reflection Woman - crystalline magnolia. Clear water. Beautiful and easy to wear. An opulent clean scent, but still a clean scent. Not indicative of the typical Amouage style.

Jubilation 25 - I always think of this scent as "The Golden Fleece" as it smells like a "golden amber" to my nose. A vague connection to scents like Chanel No. 5, this scent has more incense, far more labdanum, and a fairly strong herbal presence in the form of tarragon. A champagne like note, along with a faint lemon note, persists for a long time, giving it its golden character. A wonderful chypre with hints of oriental.

Epic Woman - a woody and spicy affair tempered with vanilla and iris. Probably the spiciest and least floral of the women's line. More of an introverted scent compared to their usual extroverted character. Warm, spicy, and yet soft. Green tea and oudh, with an iris in a vase at the table.

Lyric Woman - a spicy and cool rose affair that also has a fairly large orris presence. While it can be beautiful on some skins, on my g/f and mine, the orris gets a bit metallic, cold and sharp and unfortunately drowns out the beauty of the spicy, wine-like rose accord.

Opus I - A bit thin, this white floral with a semi-tropical feel doesn't have enough counterpoint and contrast for me to recommend it. An interesting opening quickly fades away to an overpowering white floral heart where I get mostly lily of the valley and tuberose.

Opus III - An odd scent. Some say this is like L'heure Bleu but i don't know the scent so can't confirm the comparison. To me it's a sweet, warm, round, and very dry thick and floral affair balanced nicely with dry woods (papyrus, sandalwood) that always take the back seat. I get hints of dusty books and old paper amidst the violets and orange blossom. Its texture, thickness, roundness, and dryness have something in common with Or des Indes by MPG.

Amouage Memoir Woman - an over the top grapey jasmine opening that eventually fades into a rather dark, spicy and smoky base. This is like Poison meets Dali PH. Interesting, quite beautiful actually, although I do find the grape/jasmine/tuberose to be a bit overpowering for the first 2-4 hours - it's so loud and persistent it becomes a bit annoying. Despite that I'd still say the scent is beautiful and its evolution quite interesting. A near-masterpiece.

Dia Woman - a clean and slightly soapy aldehydic floral. I've not tested this enough yet, but my early impression is that it shares a fair bit in common with the profile of No. 5 Eau Premiere. A nice enough scent but the aldehyde overdose kind of turned me off to Dia Woman.

I have not tried:
Gold Woman
Ciel Woman
Ubar