Description
Amouage presents a new luxury collection The Library Collection, which includes three scents – Opus I, Opus II and Opus III. All three fragrances are created as timeless olfactory adventures that pay no attentions to current trends. The collection is not classified by gender – these designs are intended to highlight the quality of the essences and glorify the act of creativity, skill and art.
Christopher Chong, the creative director of Amouage, is credited for creating this collection. The new fragrances represent the memories as their very names are associated with the library in which many hidden treasures that lead us to ongoing research and study are hidden. The Library Collection is essentially a poetic homage to the art of living.
The composition of Opus I fragrance is characterized as a chypre, created by the perfumer Daniel Maurel. It opens with Bigarade notes, plum and cardamom, while flowering heart wakes all our senses with rose, jasmine, tuberose, ylang-ylang and lily of the valley. The base adds elegant rich shades of papyrus, cedar, giauac wood, incense, tonka, sandalwood and vetiver. The Library Collection Opus I was launched in 2010.
Shcola – :
Love the dry down…fruity floral scents…sweet and juicy… i can smell the plum, jasmine, tuberose, ylang-ylang hmmmm…very pleasant. works well with my skin. This one is not everybody cup of tea but definitely suits me.
maruta – :
Wearing this today for the first time.
The first things I smell are the ylang, tuberose and cardamom, in that order.
After that it is an interesting mishmash, with some notes coming forward, others fading, but I cannot tell what the “story” of this scent is, if that makes sense.
It reminds me of the sound of a really good orchestra tuning and warming up. You can tell they’re great but they haven’t started playing an actual song yet…
Even though this fragrance does seem a little directionless, I still REALLY like it! The ylang and tuberose together are gorgeous.
I don’t need a bottle but I will enjoy my sample.
Horcrussy – :
Not a bad fragrance but it seems like it has not a real reason to exist.
I mean is an amalgam of good notes but it has no a direction an its own nature.
The drydown smell like Versace l’homme. Just to start by the end.
The overture is very different. We have a sort of big flowery cardamome with a kind of vanillic and sweet cinnamon notes. Gourmand, biscuit with eggs and milk, and wet paper.
Again: nice but with absence of cohesion and identity.
Elenka1982 – :
I am not a fan of Amouage. Most of them smell like cheap French whore to me. But, i do like this one. It’s a big, bold floral. In the top you do get a short whiff of cardamom and a hint of plum with a lot of ylang then the tuberose and jasmine take over. This fragrance is huge for a floral. It has a depth to it in the base that takes it from sweet sickly headache inducer to something very alluring and complex with some sandalwood, cedar, papyrus and sandalwood.
jastone – :
A friend gifted me the slim black box which has sample size sprays of the first six of the Opus range. I will start with Opus 1
Sorry – I just can’t like this. My skin is amping up the Oudh like crazy, and the entire effect is overpowering and confusing. Why do I smell heliotrope?
I am quite disappointed as my friend raves about Amouage and I expected better.
I get the ‘old paper’ note but Demeter’s Paperback pulls this off better, despite the poor sillage.
Off to try layering this with something else to try and improve it – or it seriously is a ‘scrubber’, which is a pity.
tykarat – :
This is absolutely stunning and a perfect example of what makes Amouage such a great perfume house, astounding quality, unique and classic execution. Another modern classic.
The opening was striking – the kind that sends me scurrying to price a bottle-ylang, cardamon and orange. Just wow!
Pretty quickly it settles down into the main show which is a big buttery, rich ylang ylang slightly distorted by tuberose. I can’t separate the ylang and the tuberose. It’s more like ylang seen through a tuberose filter, if that makes sense. This lasted on me a full fifteen hours before I showered and it wasn’t until I smelled the blouse I’d been wearing earlier that I got the resins and incense of the drydown.
A couple of other reviewers have mentioned it smelling of something from the 80s or older. I have that sense too. It’s not LouLou. I’m thinking it might be Yvresse but I don’t have any to compare to. Another possibility is Chanel no. 22 which has a similar ylang chord.
It’s this sense of something older that keeps me from loving it. It’s certainly very beautiful but there are so many fragrances that tread this ground.
I think on a man this would be fantastic.
692 – :
Another Notino sample:
On me, this is too much ylang ylang and not enough tuberose.
This is the third Amouage fragrance I have tried, so far and I am beginning to see a pattern emerge…
They keep putting the diva at the back and the backing singers, at the front.
Or, at least, that is how they develop on me, anyway.
Tuberose should be the star, here; not ylang ylang.
But, they keep putting tuberose firmly in the back row, while letting lesser notes dominate.
It goes on sharp and slightly bitter, then the ylang ylang leaps to the forefront, along with the cardamom.
It’s OK, but it’s very sweet (nectar sweet, again) and kind of flat.
Why do this when you have tuberose to hand?
Why keep on dominating it with carnation and lily of the valley (in Honour), or ylang ylang and cardamom (here)?
Why not (in, at least, one fragrance) let her do her spectacular job and cast the other, lesser players, in supporting roles?
Will, hopefully, revisit Amouage when they, finally, decide to make a fragrance that revolves around tuberose, rather than the other way around. 🙂
Will also update this if the drydown is particularly nice/interesting/disappointing.
Edit: I couldn’t take this anymore, on its own.
It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great and I just ran out of patience with it.
However, instead of washing it off, I sprayed one spray of Michael Kors Signature on each wrist, over the top of the Opus I.
That is predominantly tuburose, sweetish but not overly sweet, with background notes which are mostly either similar, or fairly complimentary, to the notes in this.
Oh my gosh – so much better.
The combination (after it has settled down a bit) is, actually, pretty nice and helps to show how much better this could have been with more tuberose and less ylang ylang and cardomom.
LILxSAINT – :
اپوس ۱؛ عطر مهربونها… ا
اولین اپوس (اپوس ۱) با رایحه گل و آخرین اپوس هم (اپوس ۱۰) باز با رایحه ی گل… ا
در هرم بویایی اپوس ۱ همانند سایر عطرها سه طبقه ی بویایی قرارداره. نتهای اولیه. نتهای ثانویه و نتهای انتهایی. در مورد اپوس ۱ نت ابتدایی عملا وجود نداره. شروع کار اپوس ۱ با نتهای گلی است. گلهایی که در نت میانی عطر در ظاهر وجود دارند گل برف؛ رز؛ گل مریم؛ ایلانگ ایلنگ و گل یاس هستند. ولی در عمل سه نوع گل قابل تشخیص هستند. گلی که بالای ۷۵ در صد نت میانی عطر اپوس ۱ را شامل میشود؛ گل مریم هست. در کنار آن گل برف و به مقدار کمتر هم ایلانگ ایلانگ وجود دارد. طول عمر نت میانی عطر خیلی طولانی هست و بیش از ۴/۵ ساعت این رایحه گلها وجود دارند. تغییرات بویایی در این مرحله خیلی محسوس نیست. در قسمت نتهای پایانی در ابتداسدر و سپس آلو شروع به تبخیر و در نتیجه پخش رایحه میکنند. سدر یه بوی تیزی ایجاد میکنه و آلو هم یه بوی خیلی خیلی کم ترش. که البته میشه گفت که گیرنده ای بویایی بینی رو یکم تحریک میکنه و ترش به اون معنایی که در نظر میگیرین؛ نیست.
جالبه كه بعد از ٦ ساعت آكوردي ايجاد ميكنه كه رايحه ي حاصله خيلي شبيه به عطر والنتينو اومو ميشه. با وجود اينكه هيچ نقطه ي مشتركي از نظر مواد تشكيل دهنده با ولنتينو اومو نداره، ولي رايحه اش در اين زمان خيلي شبيهش ميشه.منتهی شدت رایحه ی مربوطه بمراتب از رایحه ای که در والنتینو اومو حس میکنید؛ ضعیفتره
این عطر با وجود اینکه بیشتر برای خانمها طراحی شده؛ ولی آقایون هم در صورتی که رایحه ی گلی عطر رو دوست داشته باشند و یا فطرت خیلی مهربونی داشته باشند و یا اینکه طبع لطیفی داشته باشند (مثل شاعر پیشه) میتونند به راحتی استفاده کنند. چون با ساختار ذهنی و روحیشان هماهنگه… ا
daniil markovkin – :
Ylang ylang cardamom bomb. The real stuff. The resulting effect of pouring a bottle each of ylang ylang and cardamom EO on yourself. Really intensive! A powdery soft vanillic tonka bean develops after about 15 minutes. Notes of dry paper underneath it all. Something in there gives off the slightest hint of smelly bathroom, but that part is well concealed under the other, friendlier notes. Some smooth creamy tuberose adds to the fat, showy ylang ylang. Well blended woods start developing later. I don’t imagine this working on a man, or in hot weather. Impressive sillage, bordering on too much, during the first 30 minutes. A few dabs from the tester vial really went a long way. It calms down after an hour into something much more beautiful. The composition seems accelerated on my skin- it goes from top to base (with a few lingering mids) in less than an hour. This would easily be too much for many people, it feels opulent and over the top. However, I can imagine how someone unique could absolutely love this.
kyzmich198 – :
I love it! It smells just like Amouage Fate Woman but perhaps a touch heavier on the cardamom which is in your face here. I agree with the general consensus of notes appearing. The same “fizzy” intense aspect of Fate. Good sillage and fab longevity just like Fate.
dan22285 – :
I just sampled this. This is amazing!!! The opening is heady, an almost soapy floral, which I didn’t like. However, once it settles and starts to meld with my skin it is stunning!!! I will test a few more times, but I do believe I will be getting a FB. I would try to explain this, but too be honest, my nose is not good enough. The most noticeable notes to me are the cardamom, ylang-ylang, tuberose, plum, guaiac wood, papyrus and sandalwood.
Edit: I just bought a FB and I am in love! There is something so cozy and inviting about this fragrance. This fragrance is so hard to discribe that I won’t even attempt it…you need to try this for yourself!!! Let me just add the performance is amazing!!!
Also, the incense here is olibanum heavy in the opening before changing to sweet myrrh heavy in the dry down. It’s not overly strong though. It’s just something to consider.
svolota – :
To be perfectly honest, I’m yet to encounter a dull fragrance in Amouage’s rich collection. Without any hesitation, I’d describe a vast majority of them as (pleasantly) quirky. The Library Collection has been created with the intention of opening new possibilities for the brand and pushing the envelope again a tad bit further. Up to now I’ve sampled Opuses I to VIII and I can safely say all of them share the Amouage DNA.
The head of Opus I is dominated by spices and fruit. It’s an interesting introduction that makes one wonder which direction the fragrance is going to head down next. This becomes apparent in its deliciously floral heart: jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, tuberose, you name it. Given the notes, it’s not surprising this stage leans more on the feminine side, which might make some gentlemen feel a little uncomfortable. It shouldn’t because Opus I returns to the unisex path in its base. True, the floral bouquet never quite evaporates but it now occupies the background while the centre stage belongs to woody notes, frankincense and papyrus, creating a curious library-like aroma. Opus I is also a true Amouage fragrance in terms of sillage (with a rather intense head and heart yet a pleasantly soft drydown) and longevity (this is easily an all-day-long scent).
My verdict: Opus I is fantastic! I adore it primarily for two reasons: firstly, its oscillation between a unisex and feminine character (eventually settling for the former); secondly, its smooth and incredibly comfy base. Thank you, Christopher Chong, for begetting such an exceptional scent!
oleg1973 – :
This opens up spicy, but I can feel the cardamom only in the first 20 minutes and after that the florals take over the composition. There is a bit of a creamy woody aspect, but it’s really subdued and serves only as an accent. In fact, I don’t know why here the main accord is “woods”, not really in my opinion.
This is a VERY polarizing floral scent, it’s all about Ylang-Ylang, Tuberose and Jasmine.
A very sensual and feminine fragrance nevertheless.
smersFurrybum – :
Reminds me of Seville a L’Aube.
I can call it herbal-citrusy-solar scent.
Lasts all day, not much development though, it’s linear.
gorinich – :
I am a real fan of ylang-ylang and this hits you straight away with this perfume. It is a great developer on skin and takes a few hours to soften down. When this happens the scent is amazing. There is a stage in the mellowing down that reminds me very much of Penhaligon’s Artemesia- There are the soft musky tones. In my mind this scent becomes very creamy while still remaining strong. After nearly 7 hours on skin the scent still comes through. I would advise anyone who tries this to appreciate the changes the fragrance goes through. The floral tones to begin may be to strong for many but I would recommend giving it the time to settle before making a judgement on it.
seiloron – :
White flowers that, driven by warm spices, dance around a hinted note of plam, on a base of woody notes.
A persistent and classy fragrance that last for hours. It’s like best symphonies of most talented composers.
A MASTERPIECE!
moldovanlbt – :
Opens with a blast of cardamom with only a touch of the orange. Cardamom (and let me say that cardamom manages to be the entire back drop of this fragrance so, I can smell it allll the way to the final dry down., it’s that almost citrusy but not smell. I find it quite baffling. It smells like that, but the flowers in the heart are immediately apparent too.
The combination of white flowers in this fragrance are like a symphony!!! Oh lord! This is a white floral Chypre with bells on. Ylang Ylang is the main player amongst the florals are first, so, you have this ylang ylang cardamom combination at the forefront with tons of other stuff bubbling way in the background. There’s a promise of many woods to come but not just yet. The woods in the base, like the florals…are a symphonyyyy! (Can you call it that?) A symphony.
The florals are diverse in the way they behave, ylang isn’t always at the front, that beautiful cousin to jasmine but much smoother and in my opinion much more pleasant too. It’s giving the fragrance a smooth floral feel, sometimes it get a slightLy powdery rose, other times I can really feel the Tuberose and the tuberose in here is the classic kind, like you’d fine in fracas, not the fresh brighter type you’d find in say….Diptyque’s do son, or carnal flower. There are also touches here and there of a very natural and beautiful thing going on. Kinda like being surrounded In a wood by lots of plants and flowers. Amazing.
I do want to say as a side note that, this has an almost 80’s type feel to it, one of those powerhouse type fragrances but done with so much more finesse and grace. LOU LOU! I really need to mention LouLou because there are times when I can really smell a distant LouLou (mainly in the mid stage), they do share 5 notes! 5 major notes as well, plum, incense, tuberose, cedar, ylang ylang. So, imagine LouLous’s rich bitch sister coming to visit and throwing shade at loulou for being the slightly more dowdy sister! Hehe.
I can smell the tiniest bit of something skanky in here, starting to come through from the woods when it dries, and the fragrance kinda changes character when it dries. The woods really start to rush to forefront and the flowers go back, the guiac wood I can feel most strongly here, it’s a little bit like a bonfire, and the papayrus also….makes this dry dry dry. It’s really astounding seriously! So it kinda goes from a floral woody to a woody floral if that makes sense.
There’s a touch of incense in this woody drydown to give it something juuuust that bit exotic. The skank I mentioned before, does get a bit stronger towards the end but it’s not a scary animal skank, it’s a dry wood planty forest skank which is fine by me! It’s more carnal in the dry down, the symphony of flowers has gone apart from a tiny whisper of ylang ylang and the cardamom? Yep..still there.
An unusual beauty that I’m so glad to own.
77599201634 – :
Opus I is delicious, luxurious and intoxicating. A beautiful white floral/woody fragrance. At first spray I smell the ylan-ylang with the tuberose and jasmine. Then the bitter orange joins in with the woods (sandalwood, oud and vetier). It can be a bit strong, so go easy on the trigger. It lasts up to 8-10 hours on me. Masterpiece!
Piweram – :
Nice Opus 1. The first fragrance of this line..and I must say it is not a perfume that immediately may like, but you have to allow time to evolve… it’s nice, a bit floral and creamy. This is a classy perfume, but knows how to be young and fresh(I think it is thanks to the cardamom-ylang-ylang,) good chypre perfume,apart from the high price,I think It must also try it for longer. The sillage is strong, and lasts very long. I like.
Sillage: 8./10
Longevity: 8.5/10
Scent: 7./10
Overall: 7./10
iren slesar – :
Class in a bottle. I haven’t smell anything like this before and it is, if not the best, one of the best fragrances my nose has ever smelled. The projection and longevity are good. This will be my signature scent, at least for 2 more months before the weather gets warmer.
Scent: 9.5/10
Longevity: 9/10
Projection: 10/10
Price: 10/10 (you get what you pay for!!)
kamil – :
it’s such a marvelous concoction! it is oozing with class and sophistication. probably leaning more towards a ‘feminine’ scent, but quite unisex, also…
there’s a bitter, medicinal ‘spicey’ white floral tone throughout. it’s punctuated by a something moderately boozy, though that could be the accord struck between the florals and the spices. trace elements of woodiness and resin are also present. whilst not for me, i would definitely recommend giving this one a decent try. it’s quite a complex perfume…
Oxi – :
For Opus I, it’s all about the drydown baby!!! Believe it or not but this has the same warm fruity appeal as(sorta like a summertime version) Tom Ford’s Plum Japonais. Unlike Tom Ford’s offering, this is soapy, floral, and just plain ole light in nature…digest that one for a second. As weird as the accords may sound, Opus I kinda worked for me skin-wise. What didn’t work for me is the price to value ratio. I did appreciate the longevity because typically summertime fragrances struggle with endurance.
Максим-1996 – :
Okay so Opus I has a massively floral opening I thought it was like a lily maybe and definitely tuberose!
The cardamom is present but not over the top unfortunately the florals most certainly are, at least in the opening. There’s something I want to like about the floral element, probably the jasmine but in combination with tuberose doesn’t sit right with my nose.
Whoever first mentioned the musty book smell below is totally spot on. Opus I does have that strange quality to it, very apt considering it’s from the Library collection.
It’s not a good start, with that opening but as it dries down it becomes sweeter the florals become more settled and a slight tonka bean thickness starts to come in.
For me though this is not something I’d wear nor does it appeal but an interesting smell if you’re prepared to give it a chance.
Akimovaelena37 – :
I waited so long to try an Amouage fragrance and boy did I pick the wrong one. What a huge disappointment this was.
First I was almost knocked over with the sweetness of it but I thought, OK, I need to be patient… this has to get better. But nope, stayed the same boring sweet overpowering floral bomb.
I kept saying to myself, this smells exactly like something else… but couldn’t figure it out until I realized it smelled just like something I already have, Dolce & Gabanna Red Cap but I actually like D&G better and it’s half the price of Opus I.
I really should have stuck with my first choice to try, Homage or Lyric. Lesson learned, don’t second guess yourself.
bigGmaste – :
Ohhhh.. strange. Well I read the reviews before I sprayed and I was expecting a bit like L’Air de Rien. There is a musty book feel, it’s very strong and piercing to the nose at first, like smelling aspergillus. It’s not a very friendly beast… it’s been locked away in the box for centuries and now it’s pretty angry. I washed it down to take the edge off a little. I find it interesting, but not a perfume. It’s an experience. A wet library now drying out. I get no discernible flowers and no sweetness. The cardamom carries it through, like the pod hiding in your curry that’s been burnt around the edges. The drydown is long awaited as others have said. I am reminded of Monty Python, “the beast is moulting, the fluff gets up your nose”. This gets up your nose, but in an intriguingly new way.
vzl576Unlogrere – :
A little too much floral notes in this one for me. I could have sworn I smelled cinnamon in this, but not listed in ingredients. There is a perplexing blending of powdery sweetness and smokey incense which is sharply and harshly discordant. Definitely not worth the asking price for this one, as there are plenty of better offerings out there at this price point. (82)
Зайка – :
Flipping hell this is heavenly
Loove it
FoffArozy – :
I found it very gourmand with clove, cinnamon and horehound candy…..maybe licorice. Then overtones of carnation…..and perhaps cedar. i also find it linear and strong. It does not suit my taste.
depozitt – :
I have had samples of the Amouage Opus series for quite a while. I acquired the first three way back when they were launched, then I requested IV and V, of which I have rather small samples–not the generous manufacturer-produced ones, which come in adorable little boxes and line up next to one another to look like books. Apparently there are some newer volumes as well, but I do not have samples of those. Anyway, for whatever arbitrary reason, I chose today, the last day of 2012, to open up Opus I.
To my great surprise, OPUS I smells like an old book in a centuries-old library! There is a mustiness and a bitterness and a dustiness to the opening which immediately calls to my mind the stacks in the basement at a university library–take your pick: they all smell pretty much this way!
My second big surprise was that in vague wafts, OPUS I reminds me Miller Harris L’AIR DE RIEN, which I vehemently denied smelled like a library, though that was what Jane Birkin apparently requested of Lyn Harris, back when the perfume was being designed. So now I’m faced with a contradiction: was I wrong then, or am I wrong now?????
Oh well, I was a different person back then. Today, OPUS I does smell like a library, and it does remind me a bit of L’AIR DE RIEN. The two perfumes are really quite different, but the je ne sais quoi musty-old-pages quality binds them together.
In contrast to L’AIR DE RIEN, the bitter, wood-splinter opening of OPUS I is rather off-putting, and it, too, reminds me just a bit of another perfume: Clinique AROMATICS ELIXIR, which I have fallen in love with despite the harsh chamomile-clary sage opening. My impression is that the people who hate that perfume have never waited it out to the drydown, which is truly divine.
Does the same thing happen with OPUS I? Yes, and no. Yes, the perfume becomes less bitter and stern, but, no, the depth and wonder of ELIXIR never really arrives. Instead, OPUS I becomes less pungent and more likeable as it develops, not really changing so much as it fades.
There are two diametrically opposed prejudices working simultaneously here: on the one hand, we all know that Amouage is an überluxury house, so we expect excellence. The ingredients are always top-notch, and OPUS I is no exception to the rule. On the other hand, for the same reason (the elevated price), we always expect more from a perfume of this type in terms of its composition.
Don’t judge this book by its cover, just decide for yourself whether you like this odd assortment of notes which conspire to re-create the scent of an old library–or not. OPUS I is unique, and I am happy to have experienced this perfume, but I’ll satisfy the craving to smell it again, if and when it ever arises, by spending a day in the stacks!
Ram40678 – :
I get a strong lily note in the opening, then the chypre notes come in, but in the final drydown there are so many sweet notes that don’t seem to go with the chypre my nose is quite confused and overwhelmed. I would describe this as a very strange and overdone scent.
There is in there somewhere a hint of a vintage scent that I remember from childhood. A Lanvin? Or is it a bit of Dana? Not sure, but it is going to drive me crazy until I remember.
In conclusion, I am so glad I do not have a bottle of this. If I did, I would have to kick myself every day for 325 days, a kick a day for every dollar spent!
Also, I do not recommend the Library series- I find the mainline Amouage fragrances better in general. The Library line is the epitome of wretched excess in my opinion.
Burnendurne – :
Unique. Different. Quite like Arabia attars But not as deep. This fragrance stands on its own. Plum, jasmine, incense, sandalwood and cardamom notes stand out for me and they last with the fragrance life. And it is very long lasting. Probably 3 days on fabric and you still can smell it. This is a linear fragrance so it stays same from start to end. I really like it. But somehow I find it powdery and I am not a fan of powder. It can be worn all year round and ofcourse you wont smell like any other person in the room or actually a soccer stadium. This is very strong, so ride it slow.
Verdict: 8/10
freeman2 – :
Opus I starts out with a blast of cardamom followed by a hint of jasmine, that trough time, gets higher and higher, leaving us in the heart, with a fragrance totally devoted to the floral aspect, where jasmine is mixed with other floral notes.
At the base, we then have the appearance of woody notes and a hint of incense, serving as a balance between the intense feminine aspect at the top and heart, and this masculine aspect at the base.
nurs_kz – :
This is way too much. Opulence and richness are very dengerous territories in perfumeyr as they can easily cross the border of excess and vulgarity. Opus I may not result vulgar but it’s surely excessive. Way too sweet, way too strong, totally unbalanced. An overwhelming white floral potpourri/tuberose combo that’s absolutely devastating. I can’t smell anything else, sorry.
Rating: 4/10
оля13 – :
For my nose this is the least favorite from the Opus Line, much too flat for the price tag for sure..too many different notes, nothing distinguishable at first but later I got some vanille or tonka been note that I could not wear on my skin. Not even exciting enough for a decant for me..
Meufl627intitytek – :
This is so thoroughly blended that even in the opening it was hard for me to make out individual notes. It’s a unique and original smell all its own, but it reminds me of something I can’t quite put my finger on, possibly a perfume that my mother had when I was a child. I suppose the emergence of a unique scent is the mark of a good perfume.
If I were hard pressed to say what it smells like, I would describe it as a gourmand floral, or a slightly spicy plum scented with old-fashioned violets, tuberose, camphor, and tonka. It’s not what I would call a chypre. OK. I’ll narrow it down primarily to a tonka-violet combo. Odd, because violet isn’t listed in the notes. This must be one of those chameleon perfumes that behaves very differently on different people, because I don’t get much of the white floral and LOTV that others here complain about. Believe me, if I did I would scrub.
As the heart develops, there’s a key-lime-pie note that creeps in, boosting the gourmand aspect. There’s plenty of sillage, but it’s enjoyable, never crossing the line into excess. To me, the key-lime-pie note persists into the drydown, dominating any resins and woods that might be there.
The fragrance is still going strong at the end of the day, so I would say that its longevity on skin is about 24 hours. It sticks around for days on clothing. I actually like Opus I very much and, while I wouldn’t rush out and buy it even if I could afford to, if someone wanted to give me a bottle as a gift I certainly wouldn’t complain.
zelaymboltame – :
This has a wonderful opening but too quickly the white floral heart takes over. Now, these are NOT “old lady” white flowers, but what they are is rich and opulent and sheer and airy.
Yes, that may sound like a contradiction, rich and sheer? Opulent and airy? But it’s true. They are rich but diaphonous, but the problem is that there is no counterpoint to them for hours. What starts out as a beautiful heart becomes a bit ugly and then even annoying as the hours go by. Finally the woods of the base begin to peak through and again some balance is restored, but it’s already too late.
It may work on others’ skin better than my own, so it’s worth a sniff. I think this scent is the most feminine of the Opus trio (with III being almost right in the middle of the masculine/feminine divide, and II leaning slightly masculine). Longevity and sillage are excellent, as is usual with Amouage.
kocas – :
What I can smell on the first place is lily of the valley. For me it is a bad news…..
With the plum and cardamom it goes really weird.
A bit later maybe tubarose is more emphatic, but I am not sure. I wouldn’t say it is a chypre scent.It has an almost sweet, woody, bit fruity(how can it be?) smell, notes can hardly be found inside the frag, it is complex, rich, and queer. Really-really interesting. But I could not wear this.
The price? Well, I wouldn’t pay $325 for this stuff.
plaxotnyvova – :
I’m a beginner, so I got a sample of several classic/must smell decants… this is the first I received.
If they are all as good as this, I may have to retire and spend the rest of my life sniffing my wrists.
LOL
dart veyder – :
The opening of Opus I is very complex and promising. But as Kterhark mentioned, the heart of the perfume isn’t very special. But the drydown is very vanilla/benzion which I like but don’t want to wait several hours for.
However I wouldn’t say that the difference between Opus I and a $50 bottle goes unnoticed.
Vurd – :
This opens with a pine note, which I like. It’s very refreshing. Unfortunately after the opening it takes a turn for the litter box and stays there.
This was a scrubber on me. I’m now trying it again just to make sure, and nope, the kitty is still sitting on the box with this one.
I’m baffled how this could have gone so wrong. A Chypre? With plum, ylang ylang, rose and incense? This required an effort to bomb. I’d be willing to place hard earned cash on the table that if you blindfolded someone and stuck this under their nose, followed by a similar ingredient fragrance that was less than $50, the sniffer wouldn’t be able to pick the $325 bottle.
Sorry to be catty, but i was expecting more from this price tag.