Amouage Beloved Man - Page 2

I don't get much Interlude or Opus VI from Beloved. I dunno, I just don't see that; not at all, really.

It's not nearly as woody/smoky as Interlude, but is instead more powdery/bitter/suede, with a citrus opening, and a unique green/red vibe throughout. Of course, I'm thinking anosmia may play a role in this one, as it has worn differently on me nearly every time. That inability to pin it down is what is holding back my proper review.

Both Interlude and Opus VI smell "clearly Amouage" - Beloved, not so much.

I've spent a lot of time with this and realized that I had some major anosmia/hyperosmia issues early on.

Having worn it 20+ times now, with the last few finally cohering (the chemical sensitivity issues seem to have faded, finally, thank god!) I can comment a bit more on it.

I can see RSharma's comparison to Reflection, but there are some significant differences. The textures are very different - Reflection being thicker and more creamy/milky/opaque (shapeless, some say) whereas Beloved Man is more translucent and full of sparkle. They both have great iris notes, but the iris in Beloved - to my nose - is a fair bit different than Reflection's, which is woody and creamy. Here again, Beloved's seems more crystalline, with some lavender facets, and is like a cross between SL Gris Clair's iris/lavender and Dior Homme's iris/lavender. Actually, it shares something else in common with each of the scents; Beloved and Gris Clair share a similar peppery/woody quality, although it is less dry in Beloved and avoids the kind of burned/ashy quality that Gris Clair has. With Dior Homme, beloved shares a similar suede note - to me it smells soft and supple and conjures up a very very light beige hue.

While not smelling all that similar, it does share some semblance to Invasion Barbare too. Both feature grapefruit and cardamom and leather, both are classy and easy to wear, and I'd actually call both of them nu-geres. It also features an almost 'steam like' note similar to that of Sartorial, and has the sort of shimmering opalescent qualities of Amouage's own Opus II (with which it shares a number of notes).

Does this sound odd? Well, it's much more cohesive than it sounds, although it's still quite a kaleidoscopic scent with a slow but detectable evolution.

It's crystalline yellows and purples over a dark diaphonous wood/supple leather combo, with a few bitter and peppery elements along the way. Imo, it is brilliant how well the opposing elements are juxtaposed here; crystalline layers on top of dark patchouli and woods, a crisp and biting, slightly bitter vetiver/pepper/cardamom against the soft and smooth suede and subtle waxy jasmine, the resinous/waxy facets of elemi and grapefruit against the dry and dessicated cedar and pepper.

That being said, I do think it's not opulent in the way that many expect an Amouage to be. And it is, I agree, quite modern in smell, which might throw some for a loop. But it's worth testing because if you like it and it works on your skin - it is probably one of the most sensible Amouage's to own a full bottle of because of its extreme versatility and wearability. While some might write it off as too safe, I could see this becoming a favorite go to, all purpose scent for many people. The golden radiance of the citrus opening, the sparkle of the iris, that creamy leather against the slightly smoky vetiver in the base, ... it's got a lot more character than most "safe scents."

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It's not powdery like a woman's perfume. The powder is more subdued. It's not as woody/smoky as Interlude but does have more spice going on - there's a ton of natural guaiac in this (so, creamy woody pepper), and that is blended seamlessly with the cardamom and I believe two types of vetiver (I get a bit of smoky indonesian and also some of the greener haitian vetiver). The way the powder, woods, iris and discrete jasmine come together, it has more of a powder/shave cream nu-gere vibe. More spicy and woody than them, though - at least until the laaate dry down, which is mostly a suede-like orris alongside a bit of remaining guaiac and a light patchouli. Not as creamy as Rive Gauche or Prada Amber.

Where were those notes lists Sultanpasha? I've seen three different notes lists for this scent now - crazy!

I believe your list is right though. I definitely have noticed cumin and incense in the heart, and the geranium/incense/nutmeg/leather shares a bit of a similarity to Epic Man. All in all, Beloved is almost like a best of Amouage mashup. Very hard to pin this scent down - it behaves differently on me with almost every wearing.

In another perfume group I'm in I've been doing a kind of 'sniff-a-long' - posting my impressions with each wearing, and I've gotten cumin time and time again. Sometimes it's a bit much, other times it blend in seamlessly. Combined with the discrete jasmine, it definitely gives a sexy, human edge to the scent. It's not ostentatious though - clever actually, to hide those human elements in an otherwise classic (even a bit 'clean') masculine structure.

I think that notes list is accurate - it's just that it lists more notes than I've seen anywhere else. It helps to make sense of what I was smelling. I was thinking "Hmm, elemi doesn't usually last THIS long" - thus seeing olibanum listed cleared that up. The cumin thing, too, as well as the spices and cypress. Thanks for posting that more thorough list!

Not close to Interlude at all. Of Amouage's previous scents, it is closest to Opus II.

Dullah, I'm guessing you won't like it, no. I'm guessing most here and in the online fragrance community won't love it or find it FBW.

I find it odd in that yes, it has some 'mainstream' qualities, but enough richness and complexity (quite a bit, actually) and a few challenging notes (the cumin!) that I can't imagine it appealing to the mainstream audience, and yet is not that traditional Amouage that would appeal to the - er, traditional - Amouage fan.

It's sort of like Antidote in that regard - mainstream-ish but complex and weird. Less overtly pleasing than Antidote though. I still love it for what it is and am glad to have my large sample, but I wouldn't pay $425 for it.

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Btw, it is not Bernard Ellena who composed this, but Alexandra Carlin (a relatively new/younger perfumer. She did collaborate with Violane Collas on Honour Woman, so has a bit of prior experience with Amouage). I got this information directly from Christopher Chong.

Persolaise actually gets it right - his mention of Ellena was related to Beloved Woman, which Ellena did compose, and he mentions Alexandra Carlin later in the review (last paragraph.)

Not sure where the others got their info from.