Adan

WhatsApp dialog with my dad:
"We're at the airport, do you want anything from Duty Free?" - "Hmmm... check if they have Dior Homme Eau for Men, it's not available in Germany (yet)." - "Yes, $82 for 100ml, we picked it up for you!" - "Thanks!"

I have already read reviews about DHEfM and therefore didn't expect much, and that's exactly what I got.

DHEfM starts off similarly to Dior Homme Sport, but without ginger and right away with a more pronounced sweetness that at times reminds me of coffee (similar to Play Intense by Givenchy). This sweetness combined with a hint of iris brings to mind Dior Homme with a touch of vanilla, nestled in a fresh citrus-cedarwood opening.
It's paired with a modern lavender-fougere accord, similar to Fierce/Legend/Le Beau Male.
Furthermore, DHEfM vaguely reminds me of Masculin Pluriel by MFK, which is also supposed to be a woody-aromatic lavender fougere.
Overall, DHEfM smells quite good and performs very well; I even received a "Hmmm, I smell like you :) "-text for it, but this lavender-fougere accord for me walks the fine line to the ordinary, as Axe Apollo smells similar and thus easily evokes that deodorant spray association. Well.

Perhaps it was calculated by Dior to launch DHEfM as a counterpoint to Dior Homme Parfum, as this way they can cover many tastes or "styles" within the Dior Homme line.

If I could have tested it beforehand, I probably wouldn't have bought it. But for a blind purchase, it's alright.

I thought I would rewrite my comment on More Than Words after I was able to compare More Than Words at Breuninger with Noir De Noir by Tom Ford and Rose d'Arabie by Armani Prive.

Because More Than Words opens very similarly to Rose d'Arabie, reminiscent of rose jam, and in addition, More Than Words is quite sweet. Sweet rose jam, that's how MtW smells to me at the beginning. In the base of MtW, there is - to my nose - a trio of patchouli, sandalwood, and a hint of oud, somewhat like in Nasomatto's Pardon, but without the obvious hints of caramel & cocoa.

This rose-chocolate combo can also be found in Tom Ford's Noir De Noir; this "jammy" rose is also present there, but the emphasis in NdN feels reversed to me, here you have more of the concept "dark truffle chocolate" + "a bit of rose," but conceptually NdN and MtW are damn similar.

I would consider More Than Words a hybrid of Rose D'Arabie and Noir De Noir. In that sense, this Xerjoff has an incredible complexity and feels very high quality to me; the scent lasts on me for more than 12 hours and has a brutal sillage.
It is possible that More Than Words is nothing special for some people, as there is a sea of rose-oud combos (Black Aoud by Montale, Midnight Oud by Juliette has a Gun, Silk Mood by Maison Francis Kurkdijan, Rosam by Histoires de Parfums, Rose Oud by By Kilian, Rose d'Arabie by Armani Prive, Noir De Noir by Tom Ford... those are at least the ones I have smelled myself).

But rose-oud combos in the style of Rose d'Arabie, with this mouth-watering, "jammy" rose, are not really that many (though I believe Agarwood by Heeley also belongs to this category and has a similar rose note).

I compared More Than Words to Noir De Noir in my last review, but now I tend to think that More Than Words stands between Rose d'Arabie and Noir De Noir, leaning towards Rose d'Arabie, simply because the opening is strikingly similar. Therefore, it is a great alternative for me to Rose d'Arabie or Noir De Noir by Tom Ford.

However, I must say that More Than Words does have quite feminine tendencies; I'm not sure if I would dare to wear it or if I would feel comfortable with it. But this "jammy rose" is totally addictive. Definitely one of the best Xerjoffs overall, so also across other lines.

When testing the men's fragrances from Amouage chronologically and comparing the quality, you can tell when Christopher Chong joined the house and made significant changes.

For me, Dia Man, Silver Man, and Ciel Man share a quite similar DNA; they all have a floral-clean accord that might remind one of something like a hint of baby wipes. Except for Gold, which represents a kind of Chanel No.5 for men for me, the pre-Christopher Chong Amouages are actually quite easy to wear, even though these fragrances seem to have been made for older gentlemen.
Ciel Man opens for me with a hint of lavender, while a very nice peach note emerges, which, together with a slight sweetness (heliotropin?), still conveys the impression of white flowers; one is reminded of Reflection Man (if one has smelled that first). This for me undefinable white flower accord also has something almost beeswax-like about it, and I think it is this accord that gives the fragrance an animalistic quality.
The transition from Ciel from this fruity-floral focus to a woody-spicy one is interesting; the further the fragrance develops, the more spices like nutmeg, cardamom, and a bit of cinnamon come forth, and if you smell very closely, you can also discover a crisp green note (probably vetiver/vetiveryl acetate in a very low dose).

Since Reflection Man from Amouage is often compared to Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier, I would like to make the following comparison for orientation:
If Reflection Man corresponds to an adult version of Le Male, then Ciel Man corresponds to an adult version of Fleur Du Male.

Personally, I bought Ciel Man blind and still need to warm up to it, but from the experience I have had with Ciel so far, I can say that Ciel is definitely a solid fragrance. And oh, that peach note, it is beautiful.
Among the pre-Christopher Chong Amouages, Ciel Man is my favorite so far, as it subtly reveals contrasts.

First of all, I must gratefully mention what a cool guy Erik Kormann actually is. I initially reached out to him out of curiosity because I wanted to get input firsthand from someone who really works with pure substances and raw materials and has contact with them.

I first received a small sample package with a bit of stuff like Iso-E Super, Ambroxan, Vetiverylacetate (side note: these are the substances that define Molecule 01, Molecule 02, and Molecule 03 from Escentric Molecules) and also Javanol.

Erik said that Javanol is his favorite molecule, which he has used extensively in September (his favorite creation among his own fragrances).

My first impression of September was rather sober; it has a nice, citrusy and "orangey" opening. On Scent & Chemistry, it is mentioned that this is orange oil derived from the pressing of the peels, and the "lead molecule" for this "orange juice" scent impression is alpha-Sinensal, a terpene with an aldehyde group (hence Sinens-al, the "-al" at the end stands for aldehydes).

Long story short: this alpha-Sinensal is chemically difficult to synthesize, the yield is too poor for industrial scale, and therefore it is cheaper to press the stuff from peels. And yet, this alpha-Sinensal has such an intense "orangey" smell that one might think it is a synthetic molecule (but it is not).
In any case, over time, this dry yet creamy sandalwood note from Javanol creeps in, which then represents that "wow" moment for me, because Javanol smells quite authentic to sandalwood.

My mother was an interior designer in her former life (well, before she had me and became my mother) and had the opportunity to work with many materials for interior decoration, including all kinds of woods. During our vacation in Taiwan (where it is always tropical heat in the summer), she bought a fan made of sandalwood. And Javanol smells exactly like that fan (which was pretty cool; you cooled off by fanning yourself and always got whiffs of the sandalwood scent).

And this created another association with "refreshment," because without a fan, the weather in Taiwan is hardly bearable (36°C with maximum humidity is killer).

September appears extremely minimalist in its components; for me, only the "orange juice" and the "sandalwood" are recognizable.
And the concept seems to work so well that it has already been copied a few times:

"South Bay" by The Different Company and "Bergamask" by Orti Parisi also work with this citrus-sandalwood combo, with September still representing the golden mean, more durable than South Bay and not as extreme as Bergamask.
September is a great example of how one can create a magical perfume through nature (O-juice) and synthetics (Javanol).

Quote from Christopher Chong, Creative Director of Amouage, from this interview:

http://stylem.ag/YDIvZM

I chose this quote because I usually react exactly like he does.
You often read quotes like this in forums and Facebook groups. And well, a polarizing perfume is usually a demanding perfume. It is true that the opening of Fate Man is a bit overloaded with cumin, but those who have patience with this fragrance will discover its beautiful facets.

In my other two comments on Reflection Man and Beloved Man, I mentioned that these two are actually quite "unconventional" Amouages, that they are rather uncomplicated for what Amouage does.

In any case, I think it's good that Amouage as a perfume house has a good balance between uncomplicated and easy-to-wear fragrances as well as demanding and artistic ones.
Fate Man definitely belongs to the latter category. The marketing around this fragrance, the packaging, and the bottle design somehow suggested to me a bright, radiant incense scent, perhaps a bit with aldehydes in the top note (as I believe I smell in the women's version).
Instead, there is initially a good dose of cumin - but once you give the fragrance a bit more time, other components like licorice, incense, and something balsamic, which I cannot define further (maybe that's exactly this Copahu balsam?), unfold.

In any case, the cumin recedes for me to the point that it becomes more of an element that emulates this impression of burning incense. At the same time, Fate Man somehow feels clean and clear, just exactly as I had imagined it.

To me, Fate Man smells like a beautiful, clean-burning incense that somehow calms but also keeps you awake and alert. This cumin element partly reminds me of Black Afgano, where there is also some cumin, but in a pleasant dose and volume. Through this parallel, I would describe Fate Man as a kind of brighter and clearer Black Afgano.

Because Fate Man somehow has soft facets despite all the spices and woods (a slight sweetness from licorice and perhaps this Copahu balsam?), it feels "clean," as if you had smoked your fresh laundry with incense and thus perfumed it.

I am a fan of strong contrasts, and in Fate Man, you definitely find many contrasts. And well, Fate Man is a fragrance that makes me want to sit down and dissect it, simply because clearly more is at play here than cumin. The comparison with curry, however, is crazy; my mother cooks super delicious Chinese curry, and the scent of that has nothing to do with this. I imagine Fate Man conceptually like the idea behind L'Air Du Desert Marocain: it is a dry desert wind that carries a hint of the souk - the market where all sorts of things are sold, incense, spices, carpets - along with sand and dust.

I would even go so far as to say that Fate Man is probably the flagship scent for the house "Amouage." And that despite being one of the youngest creations.