Outlands Amouage 2024

I've been amazed by all the criticism and discussion I've read about Outlands . Some people think that it is a combination of Cécile's fragrances. Well, isn't it normal that many perfumers have a certain style in which to make fragrances? Let's take Roja as an example. He has certain signature raw materials that he uses in the majority of his fragrances and similar structures and aromas of notes can be recognized in both his Chypres and the fragrances in his Aoud collection.

If Cécile decides to make a new oriental fragrance, it will necessarily have the raw materials needed to make an oriental fragrance. This does not mean that the perfumer is somehow lazy or "copying" her previous fragrances. In my opinion, this is the same as if an artist painted a series of paintings in which a certain theme is repeated. In this case, that theme is oriental fragrances. To add to this how talented Cécile is, I myself am excited when she releases more fragrances in this category. Besides, Ani Extrait de Parfum , as has been mentioned numerous times in the reviews, is not even oriental in any way and it's extremely sweet with totally different structure compared to any other of the scents I mention.

The more inexperienced you are with this style of fragrances and/or especially the less you've worn them when writing the review, the more similar they may seem, but in reality, the scents combined with Outlands are vastly different and the similarities come across more in individual notes and how Cécile uses the ingredients, not in the fact that the scent itself is almost the same as any previous one.

Ani Extrait de Parfum leans heavily on vanilla and the creaminess of sandalwood, with many people even considering the scent to be in the gourmand category, which I wouldn't put it in myself. The texture of Outlands is not creamy at all. Due to the huge difference in the scents, I don't see it as relevant to say that Outlands is an upgrade from Ani. If it were an upgrade, the scent should at least be in the same category. Even if every note of Ani Extrait de Parfum were found in Outlands , the other notes and its complexity make the scent completely different. Of course, if you don't like the fragrance category of Ani Extrait de Parfum and the scent itself, you can consider anything with some same notes to be an upgrade from it.

The supposed citrus notes of Ani and Outlands have also been compared to each other as being similar and I strongly disagree. I am known not a fan of citrus notes and fortunately they are not the main focus of either fragrance. In Outlands the zesty, bright citruses disappear as quickly as they come and perform exactly as citrus notes usually do as opening notes. In Ani Extrait de Parfum the citrus notes are stronger at first and due to the simpler structure it is easier to notice. If I spray Ani alone on one wrist I don't think it is so citrusy, but when comparing Ani Extrait de Parfum , Outlands and Material side by side the citrus notes in Ani's opening are thick, bright and candied. However, that too disappears within an hour and it is overshadowed by intense Ginger and Cardamom.

In Outlands , vanilla is one small part of a really complex scent, it's not a vanilla scent, but above all a spicy and resinous oriental. In Outlands, the base is very skillfully made. Besides of Amber, notable notes there are Ambergris, Labdanum and Oud, which together with Caraway create a subtle animalic feel to the scent. Caraway is pungent and spicy, and its scent profile can be very similar to cumin, like is the case here. It brings "dirty" and animalic undertone, sometimes compared to body odor, to the scent. It's a characteristic some people find appealing in a perfume and others find off-putting. The aroma in this scent is balanced and soft, not too pungent, but that's what makes this scent so special and that is the most noticeable difference from the other fragrances mentioned and at the same time it may be the most challenging thing about the entire fragrance. With this divisive, addictive aroma, which is also found more discreetly in III-IV Tango and Epic 56 Woman thanks to Cumin, Outlands leans more towards Serenity than Ani Extrait de Parfum and Material combined. Serenity, however, is otherwise a much simpler scent and lacks warm spices and resinous texture.

The main features of Material are an extremely mellow, heavy and dark character thanks to dirty Patchouli and a hint of Oud, and a strong resinous presence. There are no spices in the fragrance besides Vanilla. The aroma of the fragrance is very unique and has no similarity to Outlands apart from individual notes.

Then another scent that you can see in the comparisons is African Leather Eau de Parfum (not Cécile's creation) and it again has a very clear tangible leatheriness and a clear rose and therefore the scents do not compete on the same line despite their oriental nature and heavy Cardamom. However, the texture and strength of the scents are clearly comparable, because they lack a certain thickness and creaminess. Cécile's leathery oriental scent with rose is III-IV Tango , and the stronger very oriental rose scent Epic Woman Eau de Parfum without leather and very small pieces of both can be found in Outlands . And the aroma of Outlands, the scent itself, cannot be imagined as a hodgepodge of Cécile's other scents because its style is so different. Outlands is truly complex and well performing, yet incredibly refined and elegant. If I were to simply describe it in terms of other scents, I would say that the style is similar to African Leather Eau de Parfum and Palais Bourbon . Let's remove the leather and rose from African Leather, and the rich vanilla from Palais Bourbon and replace them with a clear resinity, an irresistibly seductive "aroma of skin" from Labdanum, and a naughty sensual aroma of Cumin (here Caravay), which gives hints of Serenity because of dirty nuances. If you try to describe the scent using Ani and Material, the end result is anything but Outlands.

So to sum it up - yes, there are small bits of Cécile's creations mentioned, but that doesn't make Outlands a bad or unimaginative scent in any way. Whether the scent is unique or not is another matter entirely, and as a scent it's nothing entirely new, but the scent is just amazingly gorgeous and beautifully finished. There is an incredible balance between the different accords in the fragrance and that is what makes it so pleasant. I think it's unisex, but I still think it will appeal more to men. The naughty dirtiness and sensual animality I mentioned may not appeal to most women, but I'm totally hooked on the scent.

Thank you for reading, I hope my review was helpful.