For every perfume we review we usually get an official press release which lays out the vision for what the fragrance is supposed to represent. We get these press releases well ahead of the time we actually get to sniff the fragrance. It is fun to speculate on what the eventual fragrance will smell like based on the press release. Most of the time the anticipation isn’t all that far from what we get. Then there are times like the very intense description of Amouage Memoir. The press materials describe a dark journey invoking Baudelaire, Flowers of Evil, and The Black Swan to name just a few of the highfalutin phrases. My expectations were for an Amouage journey into the darkside. The note list which contained a central axis of absinth, frankincense, and vetiver made me think this journey into hell was going to be a real pleasure. Instead Karine Vinchon must believe one of the circles of hell is landscaped in pine trees because Memoir Man comes off as an intense study in heady camphoraceous conifers.
Mme. Vinchon begins the journey with an herbal accord supporting the absinth. Basil is the main herbal component along with lavender all surrounded by the alcoholic anise of absinth. There is a hint of mint but just a hint. The heart then turns solidly pine. It is like walking through a stand of sentinel pine trees on a crisp cold night. There is a strong camphor feel to Memoir Man as it turns woody. Vetiver in the base adds smokiness to the mix which feels like the smell of far off woodsmoke from a chimney. Memoir Man never turns as dark as the press release portended instead it stays refreshingly woody.
Memoir Man has excellent longevity and outstanding sillage.
After I realized the journey that Mme. Vinchon had in mind was one through a winter pine stand instead of through the circles of Dante’s Inferno I relaxed and let Memoir Man have its way with me. Once I did that I realized that Memoir Man was a pretty darn good pine fragrance and something that will get better on me as the weather gets colder. So ignore all of the pretentious PR imagery and instead breathe deep and fill your senses with a lovely slug of pine.
Disclosure: This review was based on a sample purchased from Luckyscent
-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor