Amouage Interlude Man really surprised me. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to test it on my skin in a perfume store and let it work on me for a few hours.
Speaking of testing on skin: Do you know that feeling when you want to test not just one scent on your skin, but four? Each on both wrists and the inside of each elbow? :D That was exactly my situation.
I sprayed Interlude Man on my left wrist near my watch. The opening started off a bit fresh but immediately came with a dose of oriental spice. It became clear to me quite quickly, "No, this is not my scent." Then I let Interlude Man sit for a while. When I wanted to sniff my wrist again, I thought, "Oh my... What is that?! My entire wrist was stained black; the stuff actually transferred from the leather strap of my watch!" "Great... I can hardly walk around like this," so I wiped it off and then carefully sprayed it on again.
Within a few minutes, it was clear: Interlude simply overpowers everything else that was on my skin for testing. This smoke bomb will be detectable from kilometers away. The incense is pleasant and natural, but there’s also an earthy-dirty character (is that Opoponax? Please enlighten me). And smoke, a lot of it. It's actually quite penetrating. Respect to anyone who can wear this scent; for younger people like me, it's really not for us. Interlude Man needs to be worn with a lot of self-confidence.
In the drydown, it becomes much more pleasant, even slightly sweet-chocolatey, probably from patchouli. Still not my scent. But it deserves full respect because:
In the first paragraph, I mentioned that I wanted to let the scent work on me for a few hours yesterday. This afternoon, I visited my friend, who wondered what was smelling on my wrist. Indeed, Interlude Man had lingered a bit on the strap of my watch. Right now, I’m coming back from a restaurant after dinner, and even in the restaurant, I could still smell the perfume I applied 36 hours (!) ago from my watch! This perfume is just crazy; the burning smoky fire just won’t go out. On my skin at the wrist, it lasted a solid 12 hours yesterday.
Conclusion: To be enjoyed with caution, definitely test beforehand. Pure niche!
It's the leather; it lasts incredibly long. A while ago, I had a scent that *wouldn't leave me alone for weeks* after I sprayed it on my wrist while wearing a leather jacket.
You really have to be able to enjoy it.