Showing posts with label Amouage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amouage. Show all posts

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Amouage: Lyric Man/For Men


I fail to understand this one, and despite an absolute love for it, I fail to say why I do when I'm asked, except to simply say that it smells just so good.

Don't worry though, you're not up for something complicated.

Well, it's versatile, inoffensive (anything is, if politely used), and beautiful. Sure, it is easy to say it's just another good-smelling rose one, and it is. And like most Amouages, possess the silky, powdery texture that is the epitome of an Amouage track.

Now, if you're expecting a close-to-life blown up of a rose petal, you'd be surprise. If we're comparing a fresh, moist, waxy rose, with a rose contribution to a potpourri..... it is the latter. But do not misunderstand me. This one smells great even for someone who prefers the smell of natural roses. It does not come across as a rose soliflore, more like a floral mixture.

Lightly spiced, but not in the chili-hot sense (an association I have a cultural habit of making), but rather, a little powdered mixture of the sweetest spices (you'll definitely notice some saffron, the rest is a blur to me), and typically fashioned with sandalwood (yes, what fragrance isn't?) and their famous-by-now frankincense. It might seem, just by brief discussion here, that we're looking at something old-school. It's hardly.

I told you, it isn't complicated, and I've left out the smaller and less significant-smelling bits. Whatever you do or expect, make sure you smell it, because it isn't mind-blowing, and it smells just so good. You might even wonder if it smells a little too familiar, like a favorite body foam.
And you'd wish all body-foams smelled this way.

Oh, if you happen to serve a bottle-collecting kink, you'd be treating yourself to a solid looking/feeling one. Lyric Man is not photogenic.

Oh, and if you're looking for something similar, but livelier/with more complexity(floral mambo jumbo), try Lyric Woman/For Women. (You didn't say less expensive right?).

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Amouage: Memoir Man


"Resonating the fragments of a memoir, this woody and leather fougere fragrance is inspired
by the sombre mood of an existential journey.
Both alluring and philosophical, this fragrance defies conventions and moves beyond sense and reason."

- quoted verbatim from www.amouage.com

For once, the copy despite its grammatical error, can hardly be accused of superfluous hyperbole. Having worn Memoir Man over a couple of days I found it to be a well-behaved gentlemanly fragrance with some pseudo-philosophical underpinnings based on a backstory that leaves plenty of gaps for the fertile imagination to fill. Clever marketing, huh?

Another aromatic fougere this may well be but its artistry is a delight. In particular, the pairing of absinth and mint to herald the arrival of a lavender heart showcases the work of someone who truly knows her stuff. I enjoy this prologue lot, as brief as it is bittersweet, mildly camphoraceous yet hardly medicinal. The accompanying frankincense adds warmth and character but retains a wispiness that allows a mildly barbershoppish fougere accord to radiate right through. Nice but nothing outstanding. Or so my thoughts go. But as Memoir Man hits its strides, I find myself held spellbound by the rhythm of its pulse - the ebb and flow of the basenotes as they warm up on my skin, delivering subtle whiffs of musky woods one moment, creamy vetiver on soft leather in another. Genius! How anyone could deem it a linear scent is beyond me though I suppose a bad case of cold on a review day could throw a spanner in the works.

Like Dia Man, Memoir Man is on the quieter side of Amouage, its sillage seldom venturing further than a foot, but when it speaks, it is with the thoughtful words of a seasoned veteran rather than the prattling of a brash upstart. This is definitely not a scent designed to impress the impressionable crowd (hint), but it is this same cool, self-assuredness that makes it a winner in my books...or should I say 'future wardrobe'?

Notes:
absinth, basil, mint, rose, frankincense, lavender absolute, sandalwood, vetiver, guaiac wood, amber, vanilla, musk, oakmoss, leather, tobacco.

Pic:
Henry Fonda in 12 Angry Men