You can’t call yourself a fragrance enthusiast if you do not own a fragrance by Arabic perfume brand Amouage. Niche luxury fragrance house Amouage was founded in 1983 in the Sultanate of Oman at the request of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said. The perfumes are created by skilled perfumers in Grasse, South of France under the guidance of Amouage creative director Christopher Chong. Their extravagant flagship store is based in Muscat, which is also the location of the Amouage factory. The rich heritage and history of Oman and the Arabic tradition of luxury perfumes inspired the creation of Amouage’s exotic fragrances, available for both men and women. The brand’s first perfume was launched in 1984 and in 1991 Amouage won product of the year at Cannes. Their clientele exists of royals, world leaders and celebrated names from the entertainment and sports business. It is famous for its unique scents and use of high quality ingredients (+/- 120 ingredients!). While a lot of mainstream scents can smell very synthetic, Amouage uses natural components like: jasmine, sandalwood, musk, roses, lemon and silver frankincense. The country Oman is famous for the finest silver frankincense, which is an aromatic resin that grows on Boswellia Sacra trees. In Oman frankincense is considered a gift of God. Dhofar is where the ancient frankincense trail originated over 2000 years ago, back in the day it was valued higher than gold!
Amouage is the perfect gift for a special someone, as it is very luxurious and super exclusive. A true collector’s item for the fragrance enthusiast. Prices are a lot higher than your average perfume, but it is worth investing in a unique fragrance like Amouage.
Fragrance Review
Women: Reflection, Ciel, Lyric, Honour, Memoir, Gold, Ubar, Beloved, Dia, Interlude.
It was a great pleasure to review this collection. It is unlike other perfumes I own due to its natural and exotic ingredients. Part of Amouage’s charm are the luxurious bottles, reflecting Arabic architecture. Some of the scents are very powerful and exotic, while others are surprisingly fresh and light. The four scents that scored highly in my books were; Honour, Ciel, Reflection and Lyric. The first three are very fresh and are floral scents which you can wear on a daily basis. They are perfect for summer. Lyric is a lovely rosy scent for evening wear and special occasions. Ubar is super light, a scent perfect for younger women or those who do not like to be surrounded by heavy wafts of perfume.
The Fashion Orientalist top 3:
1. Ciel is a soft and fresh scent. It contains ingredients like: peach, water lilly, rose, jasmine, frankincense and sandalwood.
2. Honour is a white floral fragrance. It contains ingredients like: jasmine, lily of the valley, frankincense, amber and carnation.
3. Reflection is slightly stronger than Ciel and Honour, but still very fresh. Contains ingredients like: magnolia, ylang ylang and jasmine.
Men: Ciel, Lyric, Reflection, Memoir, Honour, Epic, Beloved, Dia, Silver, Gold.
I was quite prejudiced at first, expecting the male fragrances to be similar to the female ones, just a little more masculine and heavier. I was pleasantly surprised. There really are a few significant differences between the male and female versions. My personal favorites are Ciel and Honour, which are very fresh. Memoir and Dia impressed me, as they have a very masculine and rich scent. The other fragrances have a more intense aroma. My advice is to try them yourself to find your perfect Amouage fragrance!
In the Netherlands you can visit parfumerie.nl to purchase Amouage fragrances. You can also visit them in Amsterdam (addresses are named online).
Other countries: amouage.com.
Make sure to check back for more information about Amouage’s brand new scent Fate and The Library Collection, which will be published soon!
