16
Top Review
Amouage "Myths Woman"
A fellow perfumista once remarked (and I fully concur with this sentiment) that Amouage comes under fire no matter what sort of new fragrance they introduce. On the one hand, people moan that the company has set a low standard with un-Amouage-like scents such as “Lilac Love” or “Blossom Love” (a deviation from the company’s Arab roots is often quoted as the main complaint). Others, on the other hand, feel uncomfortable when Amouage releases a fragrance that does not follow suit, blaming its outlandish composition for its unwearability. “Myths Woman” is a case in point for the latter.
The thing that immediately struck me when I first sampled “Myths Woman” was how uninviting it smelt. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t mean this is an unpleasant aroma, it just flatly refuses to play the usual repertoire of tricks. There are no seductive sweet notes, no tangy spiciness or soft woodiness. This is an outdoorsy perfume which transports you right into the middle of a narcissus-and-chrysanthemum flowerbed. In addition to the flowers, you can catch light whiffs of composted soil to intensify your experience of the “great outdoors”. In about two hours, the perfume invites you to enter a different place: a dimly lit bar. However, you can’t help noticing there’s something odd about it: it’s deserted and the only trace of human presence is a stale smell of sweat mixed with cigarette smoke.
There’s no doubt “Myths Woman” is a nod to leathery green chypres of a bygone era. It successfully emulates not only their composition, but also a trademark feature of this category of scents, namely an air of standoffishness. “Myths Woman” may never become the signature fragrance of “shiny, happy people”, yet I’m sure some daydreamers and wanderers will be able to uncover and bask in its rugged beauty.
The thing that immediately struck me when I first sampled “Myths Woman” was how uninviting it smelt. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t mean this is an unpleasant aroma, it just flatly refuses to play the usual repertoire of tricks. There are no seductive sweet notes, no tangy spiciness or soft woodiness. This is an outdoorsy perfume which transports you right into the middle of a narcissus-and-chrysanthemum flowerbed. In addition to the flowers, you can catch light whiffs of composted soil to intensify your experience of the “great outdoors”. In about two hours, the perfume invites you to enter a different place: a dimly lit bar. However, you can’t help noticing there’s something odd about it: it’s deserted and the only trace of human presence is a stale smell of sweat mixed with cigarette smoke.
There’s no doubt “Myths Woman” is a nod to leathery green chypres of a bygone era. It successfully emulates not only their composition, but also a trademark feature of this category of scents, namely an air of standoffishness. “Myths Woman” may never become the signature fragrance of “shiny, happy people”, yet I’m sure some daydreamers and wanderers will be able to uncover and bask in its rugged beauty.