SmellGoodGuy

In my experience with this, wearing this, as a man, has a lot to do with the weather. Imo, cool and damp is the ideal climate for this to thrive on a dude. Outside of that it smells too cloyingly feminine. But inside of that, this smells like a grown, put-together, man. It’s the oakmoss (to my nose) that tethers this to the manosphere.

Also, 1 & a 1/2 is more than enough. I’m so serious. It’s enough for a mild sillage that will cause the sniffer to search for it after faintly smelling it the first time. You add two and it becomes offensive.

What’s weird is—and maybe it’s only me—this smells off putting on a woman. Full phew.

These opinions are that of my own and you’re mileage &/or perception may vary.

NOTE:
Being as i am currently wearing this—I’m an intentional, intermittent, sniffer—i noticed, in the drydown, there’s definitely the omitted, slightly pickly, note of sandalwood in here.

This scent, as i prescribed it, is definitely more masculine. Esp in the drydown.

Again, my opinion.

This is a nice release.

Smelling it close is good, but can get played out upon further review. The notes can be a bit clashy when you try to wrap your head around what it is you’re smelling.

In the air, it smells like a private party at Silicon Valley.

It has that blue, gold button, blazer with white pants and the suede men’s version of espadrilles kind of vibe.

I definitely think it’s more of a Spring and situational-Summer scent. Though, year round would work. Just not a signature; it would just come across as pretentious.

Special occasions and weekends, only.

Of course, my two cents…

Like, wow.

I went on a sample run, at Nordstrom, looking for the newly announced Decisions, among other things(Buongiorno by Acqua di Parma being one) and didn’t find anything. I guess instead of walking out empty handed (i dislike collecting too many samples because often times i use them once or not at all and they just accumulate), Purpose 50 caught my eye.

Now, i don’t know about you, but i was never even remotely interested in the first Purpose. So imagine when i first heard Amouage was dropping this. It just felt random. But when i seen all the positive reviews, my interest piqued.

I got the sample, left, went home, pulled it out of my pouch and, AT ONCE, the fragrance that was emanating from the sample vial was MAGNIFICENT!

I audibly said “oh”.

Anywho, initial impression: this thing SLAPS.

NOTE: i can tell this is going to be a half spritzer based off just wiping the wet nozzle of the sample vial across my skin. Not only did it fill the room, but it’s still projecting.

******EDIT ******

I just gave it a full spray on the back of my hand and i felt so embarrassed for my initial take in regards to what it smells like i had to cut it out and add this edit part.

Cut to the chase: this may be one of Amouage’s most complex and best fragrance ever. Maybe second only to Overture. At least of the ones I’ve smelled.

Due to the price, I’ve never picked this up. However, this was instrumental in steering me clean into niche territory when I first started down the rabbit hole.

Years ago, as I was trying some of FM offerings at their flagship boutique in Manhattan, the boutique woman asked me what I thought of this while handing me the sprayed strip. Upon smelling it, I felt as if she was playing a practical joke on me!

My response was to quickly pull it away from my nose all along making a lemon eating face. However, me not wanting to seem totally uncouth and closed minded, I composed myself and sniffed it again. This time trying to understand the merits of this fragrance while trying not to wince as bad this time.

While doing this, somehow this cheesy, fecal, fragrance gave me a profound feeling of appreciation for it. After this I promised myself to one day get it, but just never did as I my aversion to debt tempered my impulsiveness.

Fast forward to yesterday (6yrs later), I decided to go back. I wanted to see if I can get a sample of uncut gem as well as see if they somehow had a dusty bottle of Dries Van Noten in the cellar. Too, I wanted to retest The Night and see how much my scent perception has changed, if at all.

Not having samples/bottles of any of the ones I wanted, being as I was going home, I asked to spray my arm with The Night. I was so hesitant. Lol.

When I finally gave him the green light to spritz me, i left thanking him and flagging my arm.

When I went outside, I put my arm to my nose, expecting to smell this big, bold, deep, oud fragrance but instead smelled a more complex version of Mukhallat Al Shams and a less complex version of Grand Musk without that deep, incense-y, fruity, blueberry accord. Both I own.

The question now is if this was somehow reformulated or has my nose developed to a point where this doesn’t do it for me?

In any event, I no longer want this and am extra content with what I have. Also, the fact that this is so expensive compared to VERY similar or even arguably better, less expensive (by at least 1/10 the price and as much as 1/3) offerings, just screams Jedi mind trick manipulation.

This is a life lesson, folks: ignorance is exploited and knowledge is key.

Until next time…

Ok, I’m not sure if my brief experience with it qualifies me to have a say about this. What I do know is when I first put my nose on this I was very dismissive. I guess the expectations of what I imagined, based on the notes, and what was, based off the fragrance itself, generated a bit of cognitive dissonance.

A revisiting of this has changed my mind, DRASTICALLY. Now, I’m quite fond of it.

Here’s how it clicked: shortly after spraying this on, I cooked. Intermittently I sniffed my hand; still reaching the same conclusion from my initial take. I finished cooking and began to eat. While eating I turned on my laptop and watched a show where the guys wore expensive suits and everyone was sharp. THEN, after sniffing intermittently, it clicked.

Somehow, my brain connected the scent to what the guy was wearing (older elitist type) and I said this is what I would imagine him smelling like. And this character was dressed to the nines.

Now, I get it.

I think, with most of these luxury fragrances, they are not meant for “us” (…I’m painting in broad strokes, I know…). These fragrances are more for the indulgent one-percent types where their very lifestyle defines and validates anything associated with them (in the minds of most, I would assume).

Barring the context of wealth and flamboyance, stuff like this becomes weird or just stink. But go to some soirée in France or some banquet in Dubai or fashion week in NYC and it will instantly make the one smelling it envious.

So next time you’re having a difficult time understanding a fragrance, consider imagining it under a certain context and reevaluate it and see. It did the trick for me.

Just my two cents…

UPDATE: The drydown is the best part! Primarily, this fragrance is a cardamom and iris infused sandalwood, with cedar, myrrh, benzoin and cypriol playing huge roles. However, in the far drydown, labdanum (maybe in conjunction with that Ambrarome note) and tonka becomes the biggest players, with iris, benzoin, and styrax being noticeably present. This may end up on my shelf.