Gold Woman

Amouage, now called Gold Woman, was the first perfume launched by luxury niche luxury perfume house Amouage.

Amouage, according to Wikipedia, came into being in 1983 “at the request of Sultan Qaboos bin Said , Sayyid Hamad bin Hamoud al-Busaidi, Minister of the Diwan of Royal Court , founded the company Amouage in order to reconnect with the Arab tradition of luxury perfumes.”

For their first fragrance, the Sultan of Oman wanted something luxurious, rich and special. He hired Guy Robert to create it. One of the greatest perfumers of the twentieth century, M. Robert was the nose behind such iconic fragrances as Calèche, Dioressence and Madame Rochas. In choosing M. Robert, the house of Amouage was declaring that while they were reviving the Arab tradition of luxury perfumes, they were going to do it through a French lens.

When the Sultan of Oman wants luxurious and rich, he gets it!

It opens with an aldehydic sparkle and hint of citrus from lime before blossoming into a gorgeous powdery/soapy, floral/fruity start. Don’t be put off by the ‘powdery/soapy’ idea – the aldehydes give it a classic feel so it doesn’t smell of clean laundry, but of clean skin. Notes of apricot, peach, neroli and lily-of-the-valley weave in and out as the fragrance develops. Amouage loves skin heat and it brings out the most opulent jasmine and ylang, ylang accord I know. Rose is here too, but bolster rather than dominate the white flowers, making them soar. As it settles, sandalwood and patchouli anchor it, giving it a warm smooth lushness. Ambergris is at the base sweetens it while civet and musk give it an animalic soul. At the drydown, Amouage is an opulent, rich fragrance experience with those white florals still humming softly in the background

In Gold Woman the notes are layered more than structured so that it’s experienced as a whole, rather than as individual notes, much like a piece of symphonic music. It is a testament to Robert’s skill to have so many ingredients so perfectly blended and so perfectly balanced.

I’ll tell you one thing: the luxurious, opulence of Gold Woman makes me feel special every time I wear it and that, gentle reader, is what perfume is all about.
 
Notes: aldehydes, lime, apricot, peach, lily-of-the-valley, neroli, rose, jasmine, ylang,ylang silver frankincense, myrrh, rock rose flower, patchouli, iris, cedarwood and sandalwood, ambergris, civet and musk.

Type: EdP

Parfumeur: Guy Robert