Amouage The Library Collection Opus I,II, III

[DreamerII]

The price is ridiculous. 275€ for 100 ml.
Bottles are very simple and cheap looking.
Ingredients are high quality, as always...
Originality is minimal. They are not very memorable, there is no very clear signature in these scents. Ordinary Amouage perfumes' collection is more original than these ones.

Opus I - smells like muted ant polite Lyrics Women. Less roses, less vanilla...
Opus II - have nothing to say. unmemorable scent.
Opus III - smells like Guerlain Insolence and Givenchy old classics - L'Interdit, Le de?? This one I liked best

[Craig]

I've not been impressed by either of these as well. To be honest for me personally, Amouage have gone down hill from the release of Lyric onwards, although some of their attars and the Ubar re-release which isn't as good as the original are fine.
The bottles are no way near as good as they were. Bring back the Cristal 24k, yet Amouage prices still remain high. I'm waiting for something that I can buy again from them. The last one I purchased was Jubilation, but I had many of the releases before this.

Edit: Opinion only based on the men's fragrances, plus my girlfriend uses the new Ubar whilst my mother always had the original.

[DreamerII]

I disagree. Ubar and Epic for women are great. my favorite is Epic for women

[Aerandir4]

trying the library collectiion made you feel as if you were stood in an ancient dusty library. Not to my taste, I would assume that they would suit the older generation.

[chocolateguy]

I think it's too early to know that you hate it that much. For Amouage scents, sometimes people need a little more time to feel them deeperly. Amouage is not that...easy or simple

I personally don't like the Opus bottle much, but however, the package is still artistic and beautiful. I didn't test the Opus II yet. I tried Opus I and III, and I loved both of them, especially Opus I. I think anyone who can't stand the strength of Amouage scents, will be able to fall into Opus I. Opus I is not an "in-your-face" scent like Epic or Gold or Jubilation. It is soft, smooth, deep, and wonderful. It smells like something's always there, something standard, something never change. It lingers for so long, and has many faces. When I tested it for the first time, I got surprise. How could a scent can smell that great? It opened with enjoyable and smooth floral notes for about 20 minutes. Floral notes started calming down, then dry rose note played its role, so deep and dark and seductive... The rose still showed the charm while woody notes, including strong dry and sharp guaiacwood + warm and smoky cardamom, appeared to stay forever... Very diffirent, very beautiful. Opus I becomes the best Amouage in my collection.

[mr. reasonable]

I would assume that they would suit the older generation.

Count me in, then

[Trebor]

Such conflicting opinions make this forum such a interesting place...

Yes, I felt that Opus II was very generic and unmemorable as well (even though it was the most masculine of the three) but the other two are pretty strong releases in my book.

I'm glad others have drawn parallels between Lyric Woman and Opus I, but Opus I is far more substantial. No, it doesn't open as loudly as Lyric Woman but it's far more complex and tenacious on my skin. Opus I is also the first Amouage that actually lasted more than 6-9 hours on me, with still a noticeable presence. Lyric Woman doesn't even last a good 6 hours on me (both the EDP and parfum extrait).

As for the bottles, well, you can say that about all the Amouage EDPs. Yes, it's expensive but, if you possess enough 'savoir faire', you can end up paying the same price as a standard 50ml Amouage EDP for a bottle. I most certainly did...

[Addict]

Thanks for the mini-review... I will be the first to admit I am not a true Amouge "connoisseur". I tried among all Amouages some of the usual suspects for men - Lyric, Dia, XXY, Ciel, Gold - and only one attar, Homage.

I found the attar memorable in a good way, good enough to want some for myself (3ml would be ideal), but the EdPs... quite honestly, even some of the Creeds I don't care much about seem superior to me. At best these EdPs seem "interesting" to sample, more like a marginal sniffing experience than as something one should wear, but bottle-worthy... sorry, not for me. One day I was wearing a rather discreet, at is is my habit, amount of Lyric Man... it was actually bothering me... and, while I didn't get complaints from my co-workers, I could see them frowning when they were getting close to me.

[Trebor]

The price is ridiculous. 275€ for 100 ml.

Where did you get that price from? It costs roughly 230€ at the London Amouage store. Still steep but...

[DreamerII]

in Vilnius these scents cost 980 LT = 285 € or 238 £ or 365$

[Trebor]

Ouch! Well, if you ever fall in love with one of them, you could always try calling the store in London.

[Hillaire]

Amouages are far cheaper in the U.K. than in the U.S.

For example a 100 ml of Lyric Woman at Harrods was 140 pounds, but some 280 USD here in the states. That's a HUGE difference, as 140 pounds translates to 215 USD.

Regarding the Opus fragrances, I like I and III very much. II has way too much bay laurel for me to enjoy. I'd like it as a seasonal x-mas time environment scent.

I is my favorite, a really elegant cinnamon and santal scent. What impresses me most is its fabulous and distinctive character from afar. And like Trebor, I find it very lasting. Just a gorgeous Amouage scent.

As for the comparison to Lyric Woman, I don't think they are too similar, though I recognise the common aspects. I consider Lyric Woman a rose scent, however and Opus I is bluntly a spice scent. It' possible I also prefer Opus I, due to the impression of naturalness I get from it, as well as it's uniqueness.

I should say that based on appearance alone, having first seen the Opus line on the web, I, too thought the bottle-style was lacking. But... owning one, I can assure you they are very elegant: Heavy, structural, handsome, and the boxes are the most stylish and 'plush' (IMO) of the whole line; they are silk-covered and the velvet inside is very soft and padded. In fact, I wish I liked all three, since I'd love to have the 'set' on display.

In short, I love the Opus group, the packaging as well as the scents.

[SculptureOfSoul]

A ton of bay laurel in II? OMG - you've got me lemming.

[mr. reasonable]

We have been blessed with an extremely enlightened pricing policy on Amouage here in HK and I'm hoping this extends to the Opus Trio when they arrive in the next few weeks.

Hillaire, you have said what I was thinking about this line before now so I am really interested in Opus 1. Lyric Woman is a favourite.

[Hillaire]

Here are the 'official' notes, from my Opus brochure that came in my box.

I don't know if they are available elsewhere on this site. If so, sorry.

I:
T - Bigarade, Plum, Cardamom
M - Ylang-ylang, Rose, Jasmine, Tuberose, Lily of the valley
B - Papyrus, Cedarwood, Guaiacwood, Frankincense, Tonka, Sandalwood, Vetiver

(I realise no cinnamon is listed, but cinnamon oil is listed in the ingredients; well, we know how that goes...)

II:
T - Lavender, Absinthe, Pepper, Pink Bay
M - Jasmine, Rose, Cinnamon, Cardamon
B - Cedarwood, Patchouli, Amber, Musk, Frankincense

III:
T - Mimosa, Broom, Carnation, Nutmeg, Thyme
M - Violet, Jasmine, Ylang-ylang, Orange Blossom
B - Ambrette, Musk, Papyrus, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Guaiacwood, Benzoin, Vanilla, Ferankincense

[Larimar]

Count me rather unimpressed, too. I can't see a resemblance between Opus I and Lyric Woman, at least not on my skin. Opus II is, yes short-lived, generic fresh smelling and way too much bay laurel to enjoy. Opus I and Opus III are nice, well-done, but not terribly unique or special. Even if they asked 100 Euros less, there would be other fragrances competing to be bought. I have also sampled Ubar since Friday, which is excellent and REALLY playing in another league than anything from the Library Collection. I just don't know whether I can enjoy the pronounced muguet note running all through it. Lyric Woman remains outstanding in my books.

[DreamerII]

some corrections
in Vilnius these scents cost not 980 but 950 LT = 275 € or 228 £ or 363$

[BayKAT]

Opus isn't in Basenotes yet so I will have to wait to give my reviews.
I'm wearing Opus I right now, and quite honestly its a scrubber on me. I'll give more details in a proper review, but there is something here that is really off. A shame, because the notes listed really grabbed my attention. i feel like Amouage is trying to 'make a silk purse out of a pigs ear', as we say in the midwest. Their ingredients smell really synthetic. i bought samples for 1 and 3, so we'll see how 3 works this weekend.

[SculptureOfSoul]

Anyone else sample these yet?

I'd love to hear more opinions on Opus II, especially. Doesn't anyone like this one?

[peevish_yolk]

In my opinion, Opus II is a nice fougère, but it’s really nothing special. Although I don’t like floral chypre scents, Opus I is more interesting to me. It has enormous sillage and longevity, by the way. I haven’t tried Opus III yet.

[Trebor]

Anyone else sample these yet?

I'd love to hear more opinions on Opus II, especially. Doesn't anyone like this one?

Looking at your top 12, I think it may suit your tastes more than the others. But I could be wrong...

[SculptureOfSoul]

Well, I'll find out soon enough. I've got samples of all three coming, along with some other scents that feature bay, too, such as Monocle: Laurel and EldO's Eloge du Traitre.

I'm looking forward to finding the best bay of the bunch.

[Trebor]

Great! Well, please post your thoughts as soon as you can. I'd really like to know your thoughts on these (for better or for worse).

[SculptureOfSoul]

Oddly, out of all the samples I ordered I'm most looking forward to trying Skarb. It seems to be generally disliked around here although the ever hard to please (much like yourself, Trebor ) thebeck really loved it.

[SculptureOfSoul]

Opus II generic? Ok, maybe in structure, but definitely NOT in execution. This scent is absolutely divine, and that's after only a paper test.

I'll be skin testing this soon and giving a full breakdown. Dang, I just put a bit more on a card (as I'm currently sampling Skarb, which is also amazing and has really gotten the short shrift here, I believe in large part due to biases because of the silly ad copy) and I am blown away.

The top notes capture the essence of winter and the pleasant aspects of the Christmas season and distill them into an airy, ethereal, magical brew where the dance amongst each other like snowflakes on a blustery day.

You guys sure are hard to please, and then when something genuinely different comes around (eg: Skarb) you slam it for being weird! Grrr!

Anyhow, I wouldn't be surprised to see this one quickly catapulting itself into my top 10. Watch out Prada Amber!

[mr. reasonable]

Just marking time, here, guys.

I bought Opus I and have tried II & III but work has been busy and I want to spend a bit of time getting to know them. I think the library concept is cool - there is a different mindset at work here from the ongoing paired releases.

BTW, the SA mentioned today apparently there is IV expected in December and possibly a fifth not too long after. I have been staying close to the retailer here because they work closely with Amouage - the workshop with Christopher Chong scheduled for a week ago seems to have been postponed indefinitely.

[SculptureOfSoul]

A fourth and a fifth? So soon? Wow, that's awesome. Don't forget that the Memoire duo (supposed to be housed in the traditional Amouage bottles, but this time in black) are supposed to be coming this year, too.

I'm hoping that Lucas Sieuzac (Reflection Man/Jubilation Woman) is behind one of these new scents.

Of course, whoever Amouage hires as the nose, they really seem to get their best work out of them.

[mr. reasonable]

Still trying to find more info from Amouage about Memoir - the official notes and composers.

They are in the usual Man & Woman Amouage bottles, translucent charcoal black, and there is a black feather motif on the boxes. I was told this is from the Black Swan story / legend that has been mentioned elsewhere but waiting for more detailed info - no press release at this point.

I'm sure these will be out soon - I think October was mentioned as the official date.

[rickbr]

After have wearing all of the fragrances from the Opus Collection, I have a mixed feeling about them. While I do liked Opus I and Opus III, i don`t see myself spending more than 300 dollars to buy them.
Opus II is just an error bottled in the form of fragrance. Is like paying for an original of Shakeaspere and discovering that you received a revised edition of a book written by Stephenie Meyer, which it wasn`t exactly what you were expecting for. I found Opus II weak, generic, badly executed, with a poor sillage and a longevity that only lasts if you spray the entire 2ml sample. It`s on the same team of their Amouage Reflection man, the kind of fragrance that they do to attract clients which want to spend more for something that they can buy at affordable prices, with a justification of better ingredients. To me is just a waist of great ingredients that could have been used for something more interesting and unique.
Opus I is not chypre for me. It`s more like a oriental floral i think. It seems like a cross of Kingdom, Dune, Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme and the original giorgio. They kind of condensed some aspects of each composition and created a huge, spicy floral. There`s something that smells very cummin on me on this one, which reminds me of an indian store. It`s a cummin-curry accord, in the way of Kingdom, but with a more pronounced rose a la Dune, a soapy, carnal rose. The other flowers seems to be more in the background for me, and there`s a kind of fruity-flower accord that starts on the top notes and seems to goes and disappears. It`s kind of the combination of plum, tuberose and ylang-ylang, camphoraceous, fruity, indolic and loud. It seems like the flower aromas of Giorgio and the original dolce & gabbana, but less loud and without the aldeihidic aspect.
The Opus III is my favorite from the bunch. It starts a little bit overwhelming, because of the Ylang-Ylang, which is proeminent and gives you strange aromas of medicine, camphor, rubber, but after the strange facets of ylang-ylang goes, you have a fruity, banana-like, ylang-ylang surrounded by a clove base similar to some Guerlain fragrances, but without the talcy aspects.
I cannot see any library aroma in each one of the fragrances. Tough, they do sound like a collection of condensed classics, and you know that every collection has always an awesome one, a great one and one that you ask why do they bother to launch (Opus II).

[Trebor]

Thanks for your input, rickbr. As always, a pleasure to read!