Sunday, December 12, 2010

Amouage Lyric Woman - A Bad Blind Date


Amouage Lyric Woman has been on my 'must sample' list for months.  Highly recommended, I had equally high hopes that it would fulfill my craving for dark rose perfumes.

I wait for the sample with great anticipation, practicing my twirling techniques to adequately prepare for what I know will be my New Perfume Love.

Finally, it arrives.

Gently, I open the package and then the sample and apply it on the back of my left hand, waiting for the magic to happen.  My first impression?  Extreme heaviness, sweetness and - don't throw things - old lady.

Not at all what I expected.

Normally, heavy, dark perfumes appeal to me (hello, Borneo), but Lyric's opening is decidedly off-putting.  

This perfume floods my brain with the image of a woman wearing a fur coat and lots of jewelry with blood red fingernails and her hair in an elaborate updo.  She stands too close, has slightly bad breath and calls everyone 'dahlink.'

I almost scrub.

After talking myself off the Ledge of Nasty Top Notes, I decide to wait, breathe and hope that something else happens.  Fortunately, it does.

But it takes a really long time.  And, in the end, it's not enough.  

Perhaps it's the cinnamon/ginger/spicy thing that ruins it for me.  Cinnamon in perfume is just wrong.  And it hurts my nose. Ylang-ylang?  Not a favorite, either.

At any stage, I don't love it.  Not even close.

My sample of Lyric Woman will be filed in the So Not Me box where it can enjoy a spot of tea with Tom Ford's Black Orchid.

Lyric Man, however, is a completely different story...

Picture from Luckyscent.com

9 comments:

  1. Josephine I'm sorry this wasn't for you. Usually you and I enjoy similar perfumes, so I find, but clearly this is one where we diverge! I love Lyric Woman, but hey ho, skin chemistry and other things can make a big difference on occasion.

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  2. Michael, I was surprised, too, because you and I are kind of perfume soul mates.

    Actually, I can imagine Lyric Woman being great on a man.

    And I love Lyric Man! It's a bit more optimistic and 'fresh,' for lack of a more intelligent description. Still, it retains its rosy darkness and drama. Wonderful.

    Thanks for your recommendation - it led me to both of the Lyrics!

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  3. Well, this is interesting. I have both Lyric Woman and Lyric Man waiting for a proper test. I, too, have been assuming that Lyric Woman will knock me over, if perhaps not quite enough to spend money on more than a 1ml sample. Now I have Doubts--especially since Lyric Man, so far, hasn't been much more than Perfectly Nice.

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  4. Josephine I'm glad you enjoy Lyric Man, at least! It is very distinctive, I find. (Not sure how slightly bad breath fits with comment 4 though! Hurrah for spam...)

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  5. Hi ChickenFreak - I'll be interested to hear what you think of Lyric Woman. It knocked me over, but not in the way I hoped.

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  6. I haven't twirled in such a long time too...:(

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  7. Hi Marina, thanks for visiting! Honestly, I haven't twirled for a while either. Black Aoud continues to amaze me and a White Aoud FB is on its way (after numerous samples/decants).

    It's official - I'm on an aoud kick! This, too, shall pass.

    Happy Holidays!

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