Beloved Woman Amouage 2012

In the prelude bangs me a surge of solvent-like smell, almost like that of nitro-containing paints or adhesives. After a few seconds, a chypre-like scent unfolds. I detect chamomile and clary sage, also rose geranium, amid a cloud of flowers of jasmine, rose, lavender and clove.

Oddly enough, at this stage Beloved Woman reminds me a lot of Aromatics Elixir EdT, which was my one-and-only perfume for decades. There is also some overlap between the two perfumes in the fragrance pyramid: Clary sage, chamomile, jasmine, rose, incense, sandalwood, and ylang-ylang are common to both. Even if many here describe the Amouage fragrance as very intense, it comes for my sensation but far from the intensity, sillage and durability of Aromatics Elixir and so many other 80s Chypres approach.

Then, after that floral cloud recedes fairly quickly, there's a brief period where Beloved Woman develops a strangely sour note. I smell something bready and feel reminded of sourdough. It's not unpleasant to me, but falls distinctly outside the accord.

This sourness stays pleasantly only very briefly, to then make room for the darker and resinous notes. Patchouli, benzoin, incense, benzoin are very nicely interwoven. For me, however, the fragrance then also becomes quite quiet and has little to do with the expansive floral beginning. Developed a fragrance suitable for everyday use without sticky sweetness, without sultry swathes of flowers, quite dignified and classic, with slightly oriental hints.

Beloved Woman is a pretty fragrance for me, but, even measured against my former love for Aromatics Elixir, it still seems a bit too pale and smooth. The feel-good factor, which Beloved Woman has quite, you can get m. E. with quite a few other fragrances cheaper. The certain something, the esprit and the peculiarity are unfortunately missing for me. I find him on me simply too well-behaved and am therefore not sad that this fragrance will not tear a hole in my wallet.

(With many thanks to MiniGBIC for the exchange)