Polyantha

At the outset, a wave of solvent-like smell hits me, almost like that of nitro-based paints or adhesives. After a few seconds, a chypre-like fragrance unfolds. I perceive chamomile and clary sage, as well as geranium, amidst a cloud of flowers from jasmine, rose, lavender, and carnations.

Strangely enough, Beloved Woman in this phase strongly reminds me of Aromatics Elixir EdT, which was my one-and-only perfume for decades. There are also some overlaps in the fragrance pyramid between the two perfumes: clary sage, chamomile, jasmine, rose, frankincense, sandalwood, and ylang-ylang are common to both. Even though many describe the Amouage scent as very intense, it does not come close to the intensity, sillage, and longevity of Aromatics Elixir and some other 80s chypres, in my opinion.

After this floral cloud quickly recedes, there is a brief phase in which Beloved Woman develops a strangely sour note. I smell something bready and am reminded of sourdough. It is not unpleasant to me, but it clearly stands out from the accord.

Fortunately, this sourness only lasts a very short time before making way for the darker and resinous notes. Patchouli, benzoin, and frankincense are beautifully intertwined. However, for me, the scent then becomes quite quiet and has little to do with the expansively floral beginning. It has developed into a wearable fragrance without sticky sweetness, without sultry floral clouds, rather dignified and classic, with slight oriental undertones.

Beloved Woman is a pretty scent for me, but, considering my former love for Aromatics Elixir, it seems a bit too pale and smooth. The feel-good factor that Beloved Woman certainly has can be found at a lower cost in several other fragrances, in my opinion. Unfortunately, it lacks that certain something, the spirit, and the uniqueness. I find it simply too tame on me and am therefore not sad that this scent will not make a hole in my wallet.

(With heartfelt thanks to MiniGBIC for the swap)

After applying, there is a long olfactory silence: no water, no spice, no flower.... nothing. I search with my nose the sprayed spot on my arm, but no scent rises.

After about 30 minutes, something glimmers up: it lightly haunts me sweetly. Maybe it's floral? Maybe green? In any case, it's quite pleasant. Hopeful, I direct my nose to the spot I sprayed and sniff. Again, I smell nothing!

For me, this delicate scent cannot be located at the sprayed spot, it does not intensify when I smell at that spot. The scent behaves nothing like I am used to with perfumes. Instead, I feel as if I have to painstakingly feel my way through a pitch-black cellar and have completely lost the ground beneath my feet olfactorily.

I cannot identify any of the individual components: fenugreek? I take my jar of fenugreek from the spice rack and sniff: No, that is much sweeter and spicier and not so anemic and just different.

Texas cedar? Well, maybe the cedars smell like that in Texas. I have been there once, but unfortunately missed the chance to take a close olfactory look at a cedar. Oh no, wrong track, 'Texas cedar' is probably the essential oil of the so-called alligator juniper. Do I smell juniper? Hmm, that might fit, at least I don't want to completely deny it.

After an hour and a half, suddenly a sweet-fruity wave emerges, liqueur-like rum pot scent, and I think, okay, now it's finally starting! But no, after a few minutes the wave collapses in on itself and leaves the weak Texas cedar alias alligator juniper in the field again. The dry cedar has probably gotten engaged to the Peru balsam, because now it at least glimmers a little warmer and more incense-like.

But where is the vanilla? It still hasn't arrived in my nose after 4 hours.

Instead, I get a dry throat. And the spot where I sprayed the scent burns a little for a moment.

Conclusion: Actually, it could be a nice, spicy, slightly bitter scent that I might like. What I perceive evokes faint associations with the Badedas bubble bath from my childhood. But flower? Well, not really. Or if so, then really very well hidden.

Because I cannot locate the scent on my body and because it thus gives the impression that it is actually not there, this perfume truly lives up to the attribute 'caché'. It feels to me as if I am walking in the dark on thin ice. Everything about this scent feels very synthetic to me. Nothing is tangible, the scent is irritatingly oscillating and simultaneously leaves a burning and dry feeling.

Even though I find this perfume rather unpleasant overall, it was still a very interesting experience to sniff after its wave-like appearance, and I thank Knopfnase for the sample.

In a raffle here, I won a bunch of beautiful perfume samples, and I am very happy that I can now train my beginner's nose with them (a big thank you to Knopfnase for that!).
Now I can blindly reach into the box and just try out where chance takes me. Today I ended up with Timbuktu.

At first, when I sprayed this scent on my forearm, I thought, slightly horrified, "What kind of aftershave is this?". A few moments later, however, the aftershave stereotype gave way to a different perception: "...Hmmm... this has a delicious undertone....".

There is a very nice development of the fragrance here. The light freshness in the top notes, which I can't quite identify as mango, lasts a long time. Finally, here is a vetiver scent that doesn't collapse into citrus. Vetiver combines with myrrh, and the two make a great and unusual team that subtly incorporates the incense into its core. Patchouli also does not push itself forward.
Unobtrusively, the benzoin adds a slight spicy sweetness that pleasantly underlines the scent and offsets the metallic and somewhat musty sharpness of the vetiver.

A multifaceted and complex fragrance emerges, which beautifully and harmoniously brings out each of its components. Nothing here slips into the banal, and there is no cheap sensationalism. This scent relies on the refinement with which the individual elements of its structure are interwoven, has depth, and feels natural.

It is not a classic, even if it seems so at first glance, and it is definitely suitable for the office. Although not loud, its composition seems too unique and special for me to classify it as a classic.

Even though it is designated as a men's fragrance by the manufacturer, I can easily see it on a woman. I find it quite suitable for love.