Thepeug

The oregano and other green herbs found in the top of Interlude are still very much present. At the same time, violet leaf and especially the orris root greatly soften the opening of the original. The rest of the journey is basically identical: incense, leather, smoke, patchouli, myrrh. TBH, I don't think you need to own both, given their delightful similarities. Performance is beast-mode as usual.

Best advice: sample Interlude, Interlude 53, and Interlude Black Iris to see which one you prefer. You can't go wrong with any of them, especially if you can snag a deal at discounters. FWIW, Black Iris is my favorite of the three.

Indian Oud is my favorite note in all of perfumery, so this is an easy love. The classic rose/saffron/Oud triad at its finest. Incredible silage and longevity.

At the same time, The Night is unquestionably the most insanely overpriced fragrance I’ve sampled. Unless money is no object, you can get very close to this for a tiny fraction of the price.

Carnelia is a first for me, so I'm not quite sure how to identify it. An impishly animalic jasmine combines with sweet beeswax and the tartness of black pepper to produce a juicy floral accord that reminds me of tuberose. Luscious, creamy, indulgent, almost lactonic. My only disappointment is that the base notes--namely, civet, ambergris and vetiver--are some of my favorite notes, and they're barely discernible.

Very feminine. One of those "love to smell but wouldn't want to smell like"s for me.

Opus IX is Orto Parisi Seminalis with ingredients and blending of a significantly higher quality.

I'm not a fan of the old bottle design, but who cares. Male or female, you should get your nose on this at least once.

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This one is fun. Opens dry, herbal, and green with a lifting, effervescent quality that gets louder and louder for 20 minutes. A very bitter, pungent marjoram is the star of the show for quite some time. The oud is immediately apparent, but it's very obviously not a real oud: no barnyard funk, no real resins, no deep woodiness. I think this is where the "fake news" dynamic is most apparent--it's oud, but it's clearly synthetic oud. Instead of the real thing, I'm met with some of the more strident top notes found in Cambodian oud; namely, an astringent, medicinal, almost gasoline accord. Probably sounds weird, but this is the best part of the fragrance.

A few hours later, it dries down into a cheesy, "dirty socks" note that, while not repulsive, is also not especially wearable.

Opus XI is one of those scents that I love to smell, but I wouldn't want to smell like. Christopher Chong was a wild man back in the day. Good stuff.

Oh, man. I think this is one of the best things I've ever smelled. Grapefruit, cumin, cognac, sandalwood. I also get a toffee note in the mid that softens the cumin, and a slightly dirty, smoky leather that supports the whole structure.

The name is a bit confusing: "overture" typically refers to an introductory piece of music. Given that this was Christopher Chong's last project at Amouage, perhaps he should have named it "Finale."

Regardless, a masterpiece. Packaging befits the price. Smoked glass holds a beautiful amber liquid, topped by a magnetic cap and a pressurized atomizer that disperses sparingly so that the wearer doesn't make the mistake of over-spraying and choking others out with what can be a very strong--and to some folks, off-putting--fragrance.

A must-try for collectors, especially fans of the Middle Eastern tradition.

10/10