Description
Amaryllis is a new fragrance by Floris London, which along with Madonna of the Almonds and 280 Limited Edition Eau de Parfum belongs to the Private collection. The fragrance was presented in 2010 as 100 ml EDP.
The fragrance was constructed as oriental and inspired by Amarilis flower. According to an old, tradition story, the color of petals of this velvety flower was created by the color of blood from the heart of young Nymph and romantic tale of unrequited love. The flower symbolizes pride and determination and radiates beauty. The word Amarilis comes from the Greek word “shine”.
Composition of the new perfume Floris Amaryllis is based on vibrant spicy-floral notes of Naked Lady lily in combination with incense, myrrh, tuberose, ylang-ylang and sea notes. A base incorporates warm aromas of patchouli, caramel and heliotrope, providing depth and moderate sweetness to this edition.
iraklij – :
Very unusual. Smoke and lilies. Sprayed on clothes Amaryllis stays without staleness but sniffing deeply I found another buried smell, old fashioned Camay Soap! Many years ago I had a bottle of Edwardian Bouquet gifted for a birthday. I wore that one but was struck by the ‘stale urine’ smell that persisted after the brief floral blast. Amaryllis is nothing like that. No watery floral it fascinates on all levels with smoke, lilies, caramel and a smell that reminds me of a holiday spent at Dungeness in Kent. Lilies and a warm breeze at a seaside resort! Unusual and special.
Piman – :
Fragrance Review For Amaryllis By Floris
Top Notes Lily
Middle Notes Tuberose Ylang Ylang Sea Water Myrrh Incense
Base Notes Patchouli Heliotrope Caramel
Divine Oriental fragrance. This is a smoky floral scent of which the incense and patchouli is prominent. If you enjoy florals with incense or patch, this is right up your alley. As an Oriental enthusiast this was a delight. It has white flowers: lily tuberose and heliotrope (a white version of heliotrope which can also smell like vanilla). The flowers are very detectable and give this a womanly air but it is not all about the flowers either. There is sea water which smells more like the shallow end of water near the shore, and a strange salty sandy smell. Then it smells of distinct patchouli. The incense is at the end very warm aromatic myrrh and incense paired up together. I was only disappointed with the fragrance’s name as it doesn’t contain any amaryllis. It’s a floral incense with an Oriental character. It has a sophistication and expensive air, classy, mature and definitely glamorous. It’s something to wear for the evening with formal wear. It’s also a bit like a Church fragrance. I hope to smell this on women at Church LOL It smells of something on a woman’s formal black dress for a funeral but in a good way. Floris has so many great scents but this is by far my favorite. I would also add that this frag’s decidedly unisex and a bit masculine in some portions but the white flowers keep it feminine enough for me. Beautiful.
ToveSpoof – :
WOW! I am stunned. It smells so similar to Tom Fords Black Orchid but more sweet. A bonus that there is no earthy truffle! Ive tested it 3 times which is what I do every time before writing a review. Its only fair. My nose is hit with a wall of lily, incense, ylang ylang, caramel and patch. I detected the lily and the tuberose at first but they waned quickly. What happened to the sea water?! Its barely detectable.
For me it’s better than Black Orchid. If BO is too much for you then definitely consider this beauty when choosing something sexy for night wear.
Average sillage and good longevity.
ofu464Unlogrere – :
A smokey floral.
sashka24161 – :
I don’t think I will ever understand fragrance-it will remain some kind of mysterious alchemy to me. Amaryllis, from the notes listed, should be my worst nightmare. Patchouli-meh. Caramel-sweet-urgh, tuberose-help, help, I have a headache…
So how come, all together, this is just absolutely gorgeous? The first few minutes is a very definite rich semi-sweet fruit, like a vintage apple baked with sultanas and a sprinkle of spice, but this melds seamlessly into a lovely incense-musk with a spicy side to it, but not so spicy I can pick out the individual notes. It adds warmth and depth, and then it changes again to a dark caramelly floral-again rich and deep and earthy and just altogether sumptuous. This is a Christmas day in front of the fire, drinking mulled wine, watching the snow fall sort of perfume. This is warmth and hearth and home, comforting whilst retaining a sensual feminine edge. I’m not sure how masculine this is-its semi sweet but not sickly sweet, its floral but not over the top frilly floral so I guess it would work. Its definitely not as sweet on as it is in the bottle. The marine note to me was very understated and came in about an hour into wearing, but really was very evanescent.
Just goes to show that my prejudices are precisely that-I might have to start giving patchouli a chance again.
KALININSK – :
I was looking forward to finding out what Amaryllis smells like, as I assumed that this would be another traditional floral perfume from the historic house of Floris. Usually when a floral-named perfume features a relatively rare species, it’s for a good reason–among other possibilities, it may have no scent, so the composition is some sort of metaphorical representation.
Amaryllis was launched only in 2010, so perhaps I should not be surprised to find … drum roll: sweet musky patchouli–yes, Floris has created its own take on a very popular theme these days. This reminds me of the new Lalique Nilang (the one recently reformulated and relaunched in 2011).
I wonder whether I am hypersensitive to patchouli. I say this because no one else (aside from me!) selected patchouli among the dominant notes list. Musk is not a choice, so that must be why everyone is voting for “seawater”. To me, this is a musky scent. Here’s what the others think (again, no one had voted for patchouli until I did!). Check out the note votes above.
What does amaryllis smell like? Still waiting for an answer…
Danil-horev – :
This one is interesting. In the bottle it smells very sweet so I tested it on my skin.
Amaryllis opens with a white floral note instantly bouyed by incense and myrhh. Quickly the sweet caramel note becomes apparent, but all the time it is simmering right beneath a salty marine note, though the other notes are there, just to a much lesser extent. The marine note is quite genius I think, as it lifts up all the heavy notes in the composition. This is the smell for the rest of it’s duration (which is a long time), a salty, sweet, thick, distinctive and different scent.
I think lovers of Alien and all it’s flankers should definitely give this one a try.
tanalla – :
I have just bought this one and I must admit it is a truly gem! Extraordinary wellbalanced aquatic scent with long sillage and longevity. I was a little sceptic about the caramel ingredience but it flows very well together with the other notes like the lily and the marine accords as well. There is no heavy, overwhelming sweetness, only a wonderful dry down with delicious sweetness wich do very well on me. Usually I´ve had difficult to stand sweet perfumes but this one is an exception, this one just smells GOOD and even fresh to my surprise. This is a truly high quality perfume.
qdu494Negeltzex – :
I can see why FLORIS lists this among their Private Collection. It is simply amazing! I gasped in dismay when I got my sample, and the card was EMPTY…the only thing “loose” in the package was a vial marked PRIVATE COLLECTION. After reading this page and talking with the sender, I realised Amaryllis IS a private collection scent, and that I MUST get more soon, as this will go quickly, as the Summer turns to Fall…
Notes from the FLORIS London sample card:
TOP: bergamot, clove and cooling marine tones
HEART: “Naked Lady” lilies, frankincense, tuberose, myrrh and ylang ylang
BASE: carmel, heliotrope, musk, patchouli, tonka bean and vanilla
The opening here is mostly cloves (warm and smoothly spicy) and sheer bergamot, and the “marine” tones mentioned, in the description, are just that: more of a cooling watery wind than any “calone” or overly aquatic note. This scent is “built” around Naked Lady lilies; but to me they smell like “blood lilies”: those deep red, almost metallic looking lilies with dark spicy golden pollen. The inclusion of heady tuberose and warm tropical ylang makes this one all the more “exotic” and sensual. Frankincense and myrrh give it a resinous, very oriental, feeling; like some marvelous oil or attar you would find in some colorful stall in a crowded Turkish bazaar. There is a slight similarity here to another British perfume, Penhaligons Lily & Spice, but only in that they are similar in construction (having liles at their core and spices in them). Where L&S is a warmer lily scent with a very camphorous warmth; AMARYLLIS is more complex and intriguing. Here, in the dry down, are found delicious accents like vanilla, caramel, tonka beans and heliotrope (with its vanillic powdery sweetness) resulting in something “floriental”, yet mouth watering, and almost edible. The origin of the Greek name is from the word meaning “sparkling”, and this does…not unlike a bright star in the desert sky, calling out to you with its magic and majesty. Here is a perfect perfume for cooler fall days that are still sunny and bright, and something that will work really well for evening affairs, and will also let everyone around you know that you are not run-of-the-mill and like things darker, spicier and arcane.
Sillage: very good
Longevity: excellent
Overall: 4.75/5
I am usually a fan of very rich oriental floral scents with lots of earthy accents and the more incense and exotic sweetness, the better. Here, I have found a loveliest combination of floral, oriental, spicy and gourmand. Amaryllis, a very particular variety of lilies (also called “belladonna lilies” and “naked ladies”) that do not tolerate frost well, and require a certain period between blooming, finishing and (the bulbs) remaining dormant; so they do not do well in tropical climes. They can bloom indoors, and many (depending on rainfall) actually bloom in the Autumn, then afterwards lie dormant in the ground until late the following summer. How appropriate that this scent will just “shine” or “sparkle” in cooler fall days (or late summer evenings) as well.