Amouage Jubilation XXV vs Amouage Jubilation 25

I think they are both excellent fragrances. While based on the notes and everything I should prefer XXV, I actually prefer J25. Why? A couple of reasons:

J25 is a very complex scent. Perhaps the most complex scent I've ever encountered. The layers and orchestration of the composition boggles my mind and despite many wearings I still have not fully wrapped my head around the scent.

I find J25 to be more elegant and mysterious. On a man, I don't think it reads as overly feminine as there is a nice dose of incense, the herbal tarragon, the balsamic resins, and perhaps most importantly the animalic aspect. I think there is some castoreum present here as I get that dark inkiness that castoreum provides. There is also oakmoss present (as per the box), and this adds a bit of an animalic edge with its smoky, salty, 'human' qualities.

I find there to be more 'colors' present in J25. I experience a strong synethesia with the scent and experience vivid yellows, golds and purples, later the yellows become more ochre and orange as the amber becomes more ambergris like. The myrrh is a dark red and the anisic elements of the tarragon along with the winey grapey davana conjure up purples, along with the hints of black and green from the inky castoreum and vetiver/moss/patchouli in the base. I was trying to find a picture of an elegant middle eastern style dress that has all of the colors present that I experience in this scent - this is the best I could find.



Although the elegance of the scent makes me think of a dress more like this in style:


So, imagine the second dress and cape (er, what is that thing called?) with the colors of the first, and that is what I imagine J25 to smell like.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think XXV is a great scent, I just think that J25 is more unique, especially for men. On a woman it smells womanly, but on a man J25 tends to smell.. well, maybe I shouldn't have used pictures of dresses up above to represent it because I don't think it smells feminine on my skin but instead just very very exotic. Like the male clothing equivalent - same colors and same level of elegance and almost ostentatious display of opulence - of the dresses above.

Jubilation 25 is of course an entirely different creation, the main link being smoke and frankincense (if one disregards the shaed name for a moment). I find it far butcher than XXV, but therefore not preferable. For me the evolution is from a Lutenesque spice market to shades of Mitsouko; it also moves from parched, spicy and rich to super sweet, spicy and rich halfway through the day. Gets a bit too much for me. It doesn't have the zing, originality and berry juiciness of XXV - but then they are two different perfumes.

The one other commonality between the two scents is the davana note. In J25 it is presented in a more fruity/plummy/wine way (sometimes it almost seems a bit rum-like), whereas in XXV it is more blackberry-ish.

Ah yes, now davana is a note that I cannot single out never having smelled an isolate or similar of it. But I bow to SOS's greater knowledge here. 25 is definitely richer, more complex. As for wearing it as a bloke - I'm probably not the best person to say as I never give notions of gendered scents a second thought.
SOS, that cape is a variation on the chunni or chunri. A drape usually slung across the shoulders in Indian women's apparel. But with the rich embroidery, it is probably edging closer to an odhni, which is more like a shawl. The pic is obviously a fashion shot for special occasion clothing - it's the kind of thing that might be worn at a wedding.

I've got some davana essential oil here and it smells like wine/raisins/grapes. It's VERY strong stuff. One of the rare natural oils out there that is actually fruity.

And now I bow to your greater knowledge when it comes to eastern clothing! Thank you! I felt weird calling it a cape as I knew that was obviously incorrect.

It's also referred to as Duppattah. Usually less formal though than the one pictured.

Right you are hedonist222 - all variations on the same theme...

Second lady, Angelina Jolie?

Any other guys out there wear Jubilation 25?

I recently wore Jubilation 25 and I kid you not, I was complimented at least five times in a 3 hour time slot! It is probably my favorite Amouage and my favorite chypre currently. What really struck me as different (you're right, this thing is complex!) is the overload of myrrh in the base, when mixed with the remnants of bay leaf really bring to mind Diptyque's L'eau Trois. I mean I was stunned by the similarity! L'eau Trois is kind of like a simplified version of Jub 25 but without the florals and oakmoss really.

Odd that you mention bay leaf. I'm wearing J25 as my sotd and now that you mention bay leaf, in the dry down I do totally pick up that note. Granted, tarragon does have some dry green bay leaf qualities, but I bet they used bay leaf to extend the tarragon note deeper into the scent.

There's a lot of myrrh in the base indeed, and I've been picking up a lot of rich labdanum in the heart as of late, too. It smell very much like real labdanum EO, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is as that stuff is *strong* and a little goes a long way.

With my last few wearings the davana note has been absolutely wine-like and I get a strong winey grape feel throughout much of the scent. Thankfully, *no* peach, as I'm not a fan of peach at all.