Coffeecat283

I purchased this without sampling, wasn’t really sure what to expect as this flanker seems to be getting some mixed reviews. Well, it arrived today and upon first sniff, I fell in love. It is so beautiful and classy. I actually like this better than Nomade Nuit d’Egypte, which I also have.

This Lumiere flanker is honestly not really similar to Nuit, this is a light, fresh, kinda aquatic, elegant jasmine with some noticeable green notes. (Whereas Nuit is more of a sweet, vaguely spicy orange blossom and vanilla.) Lumiere apparently has the same “spice” backbone as Nuit d’Egypte but I’m not really picking up on it. This will be a perfect spring/summer daytime fragrance.

Wow, this is enthralling, both on a paper tester and on skin. Even if it is not your usual taste, you will be drawn in. I found this almost disturbing when I first sprayed it, it instantly made me picture dark foggy forests, an evil tree, a poison apple. This is the scent of a Disney villain, maybe Maleficient. This is THE perfect Halloween scent, in my opinion.

As for the technicalities of the fragrance notes, etc. - this is a dark gothic chypre. It’s woody, medicinal, smoky. Upon initial spray, I got licorice (the absinthe note), woods, and incense. As it dried down, the woodiness became a tad more prominent, though it still retained a slight licorice-medicinal quality from the absinthe note. That “medicinal” tone comes across as both sweet and bitter at the same time. More smokiness emerges as well, evoking an autumn bonfire of dead leaves.

I’d say regardless of whether you’d purchase a bottle and wear it, this is one of those “masterpiece” fragrances that is worth smelling just to experience it. It is masterfully composed, super unique and guaranteed to provoke a reaction/feelings beyond just “meh” or “hmmm that’s nice I guess.”

As for me? I think this is stunning and I like chypres, but I do struggle a bit with the medicinal tone from the absinthe note that never really leaves the fragrance. That is what keeps me from wanting to wear it more often. Because of that, I don’t think I’ll be purchasing the bottle, but I’ll have my 2 ml sample to reach for whenever the mood strikes.

Beautiful straightforward white floral, dewy and green, reminds me of walking through a humid hothouse full of blooming white flowers. One of the less “challenging” Amouages, I think.

That being said, this isn’t terribly unique, especially to me as a white floral lover. I already have several iconic white florals in my collection (Fracas, Pure Poison, Carnal Flower, Do Son) and while Honour is a perfectly lovely fragrance it doesn’t turn my head enough to justify the price tag. This would be a good buy if you don’t already have a white floral you are happy with in your collection.

This opens with a clean yet also earthy “orris root”-type iris that reminded me a lot of L’Iris by Santa Maria Novella. After a few seconds, the vanilla comes in to add a sweet background note but the iris does stay front and center. I can detect the slightest hint of that mineral “ink” note that gives this fragrance a warm, ambery quality, but it doesn’t play a huge role in the overall composition. To my nose, this is mainly an iris and vanilla fragrance.

I can understand why this is one of the top-selling fragrances, it’s sweet, feminine, and very strong. I use a light hand with this one, though. 1-2 sprays to the back of my neck and that really is plenty to get me through an average day. This is definitely the kind of fragrance that becomes extremely unpleasant when it invades your space, and I understand why people have strong negative associations with it.