In The Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights), Scheherazade 
tricks her new husband into saving her life by enchanting him with a different tale each night. The powerful Persian king had become bitter and enraged by the infidelity of his former wife, so each day he would marry a virgin, only to behead them the next morning before they could betray him. Eventually, the kingdom ran out of virgins and the Vizier (or Prime Minister) was at a loss to know how to placate his bloodthirsty, vengeful king. The Vizier’s daughter, Scheherazade, offered herself as a volunteer; she had a plan to tame the king and stop the bloodshed destroying the land.
Scheherazade spent her wedding night by telling the king a story but, cleverly, she 
never finished it and stopped at the most exciting part right before dawn, the time of her impending execution. The king, determined to know how the story ended, was forced to delay her sentence. That next night, she finished the tale but began an even more exciting story. Once again, she stopped exactly midway shortly before dawn, and the curious king spared her life so that he might hear the conclusion. This continued for a thousand and one nights, as Scheherazade weaved her magic through stories of Aladdin and the Genie, Ali Baba, Sinbad and many more. By the end, the king had fallen in love with the clever Scheherazade and made her his queen.
If the bewitching, enigmatic, intensely feminine, aristocratic Scheherazade were alive today, she might very well make Amouage’s Jubilation 25 her signature scent. As I wrote in my review for the sibling fragrance, Jubilation XXV for Men, the royal perfume house of Amouage would be perfect for a fairy tale or Greek myth. (Or for The Arabian Nights itself.) Amouage is the official royal perfume house for the Sultanate of Oman, and created at the order of the Sultan himself. It seeks to evoke the magic of the Middle East at the hands of master perfumers, who are given all the riches in the land — nay, the richest ingredients in all the world — with a no-expense spared budget.
Amouage Jubilation 25 (left) and Jubilation XXV (right).
On its 25th anniversary, in 2007, Amouage launched two celebratory eau de parfums under the guidance of its artistic director, Christopher Chong. The men’s version was called Jubilation XXV and was created by Bernard Duchaufour; the women’s version was named Jubilation 25, and was made by Lucas Sieuzac. Both versions are eau de parfum concentration.
Jubilation 25
On its website, Amouage describes Jubilation 25 as follows:
Jubilation 25 captures the magic of timeless eternity with rich top notes of rose and ylang-ylang in which myth and reality are expressed using the finest frankincense from Oman.
This fragrance will appeal to the elegant, enigmatic and sophisticated woman who lives her life as an art form – evoking the time, place and cultures she inhabits with the mystical allure of amber, musk, vetiver, myrrh, frankincense and patchouli.
Jubilation XXV is classified on Fragrantica as an “oriental floral,” but it would be much more accurate to call it a fruity chypre. “Chypre” is one of the main perfume families. As a basic rule of thumb, a chypre perfume starts out with citrus-y top notes, has labdanum as part of its middle notes, and has a base that includes oakmoss. The oakmoss is traditionally the main key, but the base also often includes patchouli, musk or some sort of animalic note. (See the Glossary for a full explanation of the chypre family of fragrances, its general composition, and the range of its sub-families.)
Jubilation 25’s notes are listed as follows:
Top notes are ylang-ylang, rose, tarragon and lemon;
middle notes are labdanum, rose, artemisia and incense;
base notes are amber, patchouli, musk, vetiver and myrrh.
The perfume opens and I think to myself, “So Parisienne!” It’s a definite fruity chypre and a very heavy, mature scent. The opening notes are citrus and oakmoss, with a strong touch of tarragon and cumin. Unlike others, I don’t smell any significant amount of ylang-ylang from the start. Instead, what I get is a cumin-infested rose and peach note that is uncomfortably intimate. The peach comes from the davana flower which helps create the slightly fruity nature of the opening. It also evokes Guerlain’s Mitsouko, the standard bearer for fruity chypres, and a perfume which similarly calls to mind female intimacy and cumin. There is also a definite element of sweat which adds yet another type of intimacy to the scent. I can’t help but think of a woman in a slight state of arousal. There is a soft kind of blossoming and earthy fecundity which bring to mind a woman’s panties and… well, “intimate” is the only way I can describe it politely.
The cumin note is subtle at first. It’s not like the cumin in Serge Lutens Serge Noire but the earthiness is such that I have to wonder how the perfume would smell on me if worn at noon during the height of summer. The thought worries me a little. (Okay, a lot!) I can’t begin to imagine how this would smell in 110 degree heat!
A few more minutes in, the tarragon fades away as does a portion of the citrus-y note, leaving a very dry but pungent oakmoss scent. Officially, there is no oakmoss in Jubilation 25. None of the notes listed on the Amouage website (or, indeed, anywhere) list it. But it is there. Read any review of Jubilation 25, and you’ll see a plethora of references to oakmoss and chypres. The ingredients may not list it — just as they don’t list cumin — but dammit, it’s there!
Oakmoss is a tricky scent to describe or convey. It looks and smells similar to the lump of dried litchen that is often stuck at the top of flower pots or in floral arrangements. And, calling it “mossy, herbal and woody” doesn’t really seem adequate. To me, oakmoss has a dry, musty, dark green-grey smell that is dusty and almost mineral-y as well. It is often astringently pungent and a lot like a very damp, earthy forest. But a damp forest that is definitely musty and a bit dusty as well.
Twenty minutes in, the cumin (or whatever skank-ladened note is replicating cumin’s smell) is flitting in and out, making me feel, at times, that it’s actually quite delightful in its uncommon juxtaposition with rose and lemon. At other times, however, I have to resist the urge to sniff under my arms in alarm. It’s a bit of intellectual genius to combine the natural earthiness of cumin with the inherent earthiness of oakmoss, but it’s also rather disturbing.
There is a funky ripeness that makes me fear I am not brave enough for this scent. And, suddenly, I understand Luca Turin’s comparison of Jubilation 25 (which he very much liked, by the way) to Dior’s outré Diorella. Diorella was created by the legendary nose, Edmond Roudnitska, who also created the other monster of funk that Jubilation 25 is often compared to: Rochas’ Femme. (Jubilation 25 is compared to the reformulated, post-1989 version of Femme that had actual cumin added in.)
Femme
Femme is repeatedly described as far more than just merely animalic but, rather, flat out “intimate.” And a good chunk of the ingredients in Femme are also in Jubilation 25, even if the latter doesn’t officially list cumin. (It really should!) The same story applies to Guerlain’s equally “intimate” or “skanky” Mitsouko, which is the third fragrance to which Jubilation 25 is often compared. Mitsouko’s peach, rose, ylang-ylang, oakmoss, vetiver, amber and musky notes are the same ones in Jubilation.
In slight contrast to those “intimate” female scents, Diorella has been described as “fruit on the verge of going bad” by Luca Turin. The perfume blog Yesterday’s Perfume, elaborates on that Turin metaphor saying that Diorella “at its heart, … smells like garbage on the verge of going bad that someone has thrown a pile of flowers onto” but swears that it “shows you how to find beauty in the intersection of garbage and flowers. I know this doesn’t sound like an endorsement, but it is!”
Jubilation 25 combines aspects of all the aforementioned perfumes into one. I think that the last part of Yesterday’s Perfume’s quote about Diorella could really apply to Jubilation 25 if slightly altered: it “shows you to how find beauty in the intersection of [bodily funk] and flowers.” It just takes a little time to become enchanting (or, perhaps, a little less alarming).
But it is, unquestionably, a fascinating scent. It gets in your head with its juxtaposition of soft, feminine florals, earthy dampness and mossiness, and bodily funk. It’s got a little bit danger, and a whole lot of enigma. I can’t decide if I like it, or if I am repelled by it. As time goes on, I am less repelled than I was at the onset, but I’m still completely at a loss on how to assess this scent. It’s that bodily funk aspect that is all woman; it is both the fascination and lure, and the source of my continuing alarm. True, it’s less blunt, forceful, and sexually ripe as compared to Femme where, if memory serves me correctly, it clobbered you on the head. Here, there is just a sheer hint of it. Sheer, like Salomé’s seventh and final veil which was closest to her damp, slightly sweaty, naked
Sir Arthur Streeton’s “Scheherazade.”
body as she danced before the king she wanted to seduce and manipulate into committing murder.
I feel a little trapped and paralyzed by my polarized reactions to Jubilation 25. In fact, I feel just like a fly quivering on a spider’s web, as competing thoughts run through my head. From utter revulsion at the scent, I slowly feel some grudging fascination, then back to alarm as a particularly strong whiff of armpits flashes by before receding again. I scrawl, “Oh no. This is too much!” in my notes, followed a few minutes later by, “I think I like this???” Jubilation 25 is like Scheherazade luring into her mystery, her web, her tales, before trapping you with her enigma, and making you want more.
The soft dry-down doesn’t help free me. It’s all musky rose with a touch of sweetness from the myrrh and amber. For some odd reason, the ylang-ylang is stronger now on me, as is the peach from the davana and the patchouli. Perhaps they were just hidden by that huge burst of overwhelmingly skanky funk? The latter is still there but it is just a faint shimmer now, almost imperceptible. (Well, most of the time. It tends to come and go at this point, almost like a ghost.) I really like the dry-down, though it’s nowhere as fascinating as that opening which lasted a good two hours on me.
Unlike the king in A Thousand and One Nights, however, I do finally manage to break free of the enchantment. I don’t think I would buy Jubilation 25, even if I could afford it (which we will get to shortly). It’s just too mature, heavy and intimate a scent for me. I don’t mind heaviness if it’s resinous ambers or spice, but heavy oakmoss is a bit harder for me to handle as a frequent choice of scents. But it’s the intimacy issue which is more dispositive. I have faint images of slightly ripe panties and earthy underarms that continue to plague me a little. Yes, I don’t think I would wear it. No, on further thought, I think I would. Yes, I would. I can’t get it out of my head and I’m utterly fascinated by its dangerous, alarming elements. I don’t think it is just intellectual fascination, either. There are a lot of scents that fascinate me intellectually and theoretically — such as Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle — but which I’m not interested enough at the end of the day to actually want to wear them.
Jubilation 25 is different because it really has gotten inside my head. I can’t stop sniffing my arms, though I always do so with a healthy dose of trepidation. I could see this as the scent of a dangerous woman, a black widow, or a diva. I think of Angelina Jolie’s character in any number of her films but, especially, in Gia (one of my all-time favorite movies). I also think of Angelina Jolie herself in Alexander, where she met and bewitched Brad Pitt. I think of such diverse people as: the legendary icon, Ava Gardner; the racy, imperious, very sexual but haughty Princess Margaret of England; or the steely, hard, but manipulatively charming Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s former Iron Lady.
What finally breaks me free of the spell and the madness is the price of Jubilation 25. I am simply too much of a cheapskate to spend $300 (or approximately $330 with tax) on one single perfume. I just can’t do it, even if I could afford it. The most commonly available size of Jubiliation 25 is 3.4 fl.oz/100 ml and costs $300, £190.00 or around €220. There is a smaller 1.7 oz/50 ml version that costs $265 or £160.00, but a cursory review of a few US websites shows it is not available on any of the usual or big perfume sites. I found the smaller size only at Beauty Encounter, but it’s really not a good deal given that double the quantity (or 3.4 oz) costs only $35 more.
No, Jubilation 25 is just too expensive for me but, oh, how it tempts me. This is not an ordinary, cheap or generic scent. It smells haughty, regal, luxurious, feminine, and infinitely intimate. It’s dangerous and enigmatic. It’s Mata Hari, Salome and Scheherazade all wrapped into one. And it probably would have brought Scheherazade’s king to his knees far sooner than a thousand and one nights…..
This intrigued me until you got to the armpits! With my overly-acute sense of smell I am constantly wondering “Is that her or me that smells unwashed?” all day long- our office is an old-fashioned rabbit warren of railroad rooms and there is one coworker whom I can smell (not her perfume!) from two rooms away. Sounds like they overdid it on this note. Might try a sample anyway because the ghost thing always intrigues me in a perfume, but I am sure I won’t be buying.
You know, I am usually exactly the same as you, and yet, the Jubilation 25…… I can’t help but like it nonetheless. It’s not heavy cumin but — by my standards, with my really acutely sensitive nose and with my slight neurosis about body scent — it’s heavy enough. And STILL I like this scent. I think. It terrifies me a little but it just lures you in and sucks you in — fully against your will and all normal sense. It’s like you can’t HELP but be fascinated and intrigued. I can’t remember the last time a perfume threw me into such a tizzy, made me so alarmed and yet, deeply mesmerized and intrigued, but also so…. befuddled. Yes, that is the best way to describe what this did to me. It completely befuddled me and threw me off-kilter. It’s like a hypnotic spider (and I’m not keen on spiders). You’re a bit alarmed but, yet, you can’t run away.
Never tried this one yet, although I do have a sample vial stashed somewhere and can’t recall where I placed it. I will have to do some searching. However I have tried Gold Man from this house. It starts great, with the florals and everything, but then it gets very animalistic (potent civet note) in the drydown. I’m not a fan of civet. I didn’t like it in Jicky or any fragrance that contains it. You are correct with the pricing, it is terribly expensive. That’s a lot of money for one scent, but not as bad as Xerjoff’s Richwood at $669-$700. Getting in on bottle splits are a great way to share the cost with other fume heads like us. LOL. People are always hosting them on facebook groups/network. The only thing I could probably afford is a small to large decant. Great review!
You wove a tale of seduction and repulsion that had me enchanted from beginning to end. I would love to smell this magical concoction.. What a tale of splendor and then the boom is lowered when it comes at such a dear price. Alas with Amouage I am as poor as Ali Baba looking for the cave of the forty thieves which I know is stacked to the ceiling with Amouage stolen from the Sultan of Oman. (A wonderful reveiw!)
What a lovely and stunningly eloquent comment, Lanier! It’s a huge, huge, compliment and I’m very touched. As for Amouage, I fear that you and I will both be poor peasants, standing outside Ali Baba’s cave as he enjoys the splendours within. No “open sesame” for us, alas! But, you know, Surrender to Chance can give you a faint glimpse inside the cave…… *hint, hint* I hope you will try this one and the Jubilation XXV, esp. the latter given how much you love oud. I thought of you when writing that review because I suspect you’d adore the opening!
In that case I must Surrender to Chance post haste! Thank you for thinking of me.
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I work with a woman who gives new meaning to bodily funk. Thankfully I’ve yet to find a perfume that ever gets that funky. I have a sample of this and I do like it but not enough to spend that kind of money.
I’m not sure I will ever like a perfume enough to spend that kind of money!! 😉 I don’t think this perfume’s funk is obnoxiously blatant or extreme by any means. And it certainly isn’t like Femme. But, my nose is extremely sensitive, particularly to cumin-like smells. It’s to the point that I can barely even cook with a tiny amount of cumin, and I’ve shied away from other scents with it, though everything else about them I’ve liked. Point in case: Serge Lutens’ Serge Noire. (And that had just a bit less of a sweat smell than this one.) So, it really surprised me how much this perfume got in my head and how much I ended up liking it. (I really could not stop sniffing my arms! A friend had had the experience with J25 but I hadn’t believed her.)
Was the funk very mild or mild-to-moderate on you? Or was it just more heavily chypre on you? Not that it matters ultimately, when neither of us are going to shell out the amount of money involved, but I’m just curious. LOL. BTW, I’ll soon get a sample of Penhaligon’s Amarinthine and that is supposed to be a HUGE skank and funk monster. So, it will be interesting to see how that one turns out. If it’s the way it’s been described, I suspect it may flat-out kill me. 😀
I don’t remember getting much funk. I may dig out that sample and try it again today. I’m not sensitive to the smell of cumin, it reminds me of chili more than bodily odors. I remember J25 being very floral on me. I’ll report back when I try it again.
I never heard of Penhaligon’s Amaranthine. What funky notes are in this one? Actually I’ve never tried anything from this house as of yet, but that is sure to change very soon. I tried to grab a bottle of English Fern from my usual source (fragrancenet) but somebody else snatched it up before I could complete my order ( darn it) since I have a thing for aromatic fougéres. But all is not lost, I will certainly grab a sample from the wonderful ladies of the perfumed court. Anyway great review! I loved how you described this scent, I can almost smell it.
I know you read/listen to/follow Katie Puckrick, so here is her comment on Amaranthine: http://www.katiepuckriksmells.com/2009/12/penhaligons-amaranthine.html
It won’t be for you, esp. given that you don’t like animalistic scents. *grin* But I do hear quite a bit about the house and their fougères, so I’ll be curious to know what you think of your sample of English Fern. I also hear their scents are very light as a whole, so let me know if you end up liking it or if it’s too light. 🙂
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Wonderful review, and definitely makes me think I’ll want to smell it just for the sake of smelling it. I love scents that combine the dichotomy of revulsion and seduction, and while I’d need to smell Jubilation 25 for myself to judge it fully, it’s always interesting to see how the two can co-exist. For me, M7 sort of fits that bill. As a rule, my judgement of whether I like a scent is determined by whether I am able to stop sniffing it. Some I put on and forget about, others, I keep sniffing just to smell more and more. 🙂
I have started a beautiful catalog binder of all your reviews.
As one friend opined about your writing , “so meticulous in dissection… I felt as if I were reading her diary and a voyeur to her and her Lanier!”
I am touched beyond belief! And very humbled. Thank you to both you and your friend. I am so touched, I’m at a loss for words. (And you know how rarely THAT happens!) Thank you again.
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Can you believe that I am only now finally getting around to trying this? And strangely, I chose NYE to do it. Looking at the date on this post, I am goggle-eyed at knowing that I am doing it almost exactly a year from it!
Without remembering anything about it, my first reaction was also: “Mitsouko!” But a richer, thicker, much more balsamic, and powdery (on me) version of it! Imagine my surprise when I saw on Escentual that there is no oak moss listed in the notes as it is pretty much all I smell. But that’s okay because I love me some oak moss. Floral oriental? This is definitely a chypre.
As for skank, I can see where you are coming from but on me, it turned out to be more herbal than sweaty. I actually think it’s wonderful. Not wonderful enough to buy a bottle but if a djinn made one appear in my apartment, I wouldn’t be sad or mad 🙂
Thank you for the wonderful review, Kafka! Just looking at the notes, I thought I was hallucinating!
Glad you finally got around to J25, my dear. It’s definitely one of the more interesting ones in their female line, I think, simply because it *is* such a classic chypre in nature. And LOL about feeling like you were hallucinating the Mitsouko and Chypre-ishness of it all. They did a wonderful job in recreating the feel of the oakmoss. I’m glad it didn’t go sweaty on you, but the excess powder is a pity.
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Hi: You’re the only one I know of who approaches a perfume review like you’re building a case — utterly candid with no stone left unturned. I really appreciate your meticulous reviews! I just wanted to add that Jubilation 25 in 50 ml and 100 ml is available in Canada at Etiket. They also have the solid perfume in a lovely gold compact, which is more affordable at around $100 (and comes with two extra replacement discs). It’s not as bright or long lasting on the skin, but it’s a very intimate and subtle way to wear this perfume, which becomes more noticeable as it warms on the skin. If there was a fragrance where the solid form lends itself nicely, this is it!
I’m touched that you can see my approach is like that of building a case. It actually means a lot to me that you can see that. In some odd way, it’s as though the hell of alllllllllllllllllllllll those ghastly years is actually bearing some fruit now, you know? *grin* 😀 You may be surprised to know that a lot of people don’t approve of the length of my reviews or their detail, so it’s always lovely to have someone appreciate it! lol
As for Jubilation being sold at Etiket, that is hugely useful to know. So, I guess that means they carry a lot of the Amouage line?? That will be a great help for the future when I’m doing my list of retail links because finding Canadian online vendors isn’t always easy. I’ll definitely keep Etiket in mind for the future. And I’m sure any Canadians interested in Jubilation 25 will be very grateful for your added details. Thank you, Shauna. 🙂
Hi Kafka, the moment I saw that you had a background in law, I thought, “Yes! That makes so much sense!” And I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s noticed 😉
You may not have enjoyed the profession (I know a few former lawyers who were thrilled to leave it, and some current ones who wish they could), but you’re fortunate to have these skills. And I think it’s amazing to see them applied in this context — it’s fascinating, actually. If I’m ever curious about a perfume I haven’t tried, or am looking for another perspective, your blog is the first place I look because it’s so thorough, and leaves you wanting for nothing.
To answer your question, yes, Etiket carries a good part of the Amouage line and several other niche brands that I thought I would never find in Canada (Etro, Rance, Olfactive Studio, Arquiste). I just discovered this store recently, and they are top notch for service (free shipping within Canada, too). I’m just thrilled to not have to deal with Customs. You’re welcome for the update — and I’m glad I could contribute something useful. 🙂
Replying about two years late to your review of Jubilation 25 because I just discovered your blog. This is my “house” scent, the scent that works so well on me I wear it every day at home, to work, at night, to garden. I get compliments on it all the time, including many from people who tell me “You wear it so well,” whatever that means. I have never felt so comfortable in any other scent, so it was fascinating to read your take on it. To me, it is not particularly heavy, whereas Journey for women is unbearably strong and long lasting, and Lyric rather too light and uninteresting.Your reviews give me a lot to think about, and I love the pairings of art with them.
Hi Gretchen, and welcome to the blog. 🙂 How wonderful that you’ve found a scent that suits you so well, fits like a glove, and works for all occasions. That’s rare. I was interested to hear that Journey Woman was unbearably strong and overpowering on you, while Amouage 25 isn’t but and Lyric was light in weight. Quite unexpected reactions that I don’t hear often. Most people seem to find Jubilation 25 overwhelming (including in its strength and boldness), while Journey is the quiet, soft, easy one, and Lyric is the lush, rich one. I’d love to smell them on your skin to see how it treats them, but I have no doubt Jubilation is glorious on you. 🙂
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*bumps old review*
Just smelled the extract version of Jubilation XXV Woman at the Amouage Boutique in Kuala Lumpur… I didn’t expect the scent I was about to sniff.
I have never read your review before for Jubilation XXV Woman before, but I have read (and commented) your Roja Dove Diaghilev review and saw it share some similarities.
It smells so similar to each other from the onset, but there’s something distinctively about Jubilation. Honest to God, it swear I smell a lot of peach which I don’t get in Diaghilev. Imagine the look on my face when that’s the same thing you say here.
It’s surprisingly fruity on my skin, and less animalic and penetrating than Diaghilev. In comparison, Jubilation is like the more (fiercely) feminine, softer and even summer-ish version of the latter. I still very much prefer the latter, but I can recommend this to someone who can’t afford the astronomical price and can opt for the next best thing.
I am not yet educated on the notes contained in specific perfumes to be able to comment with any degree of discernment, however after obtaining a 6-7 sample assortment based on Kafkaesque’s listings, I went for a full bottle of Jubilation 25 Woman. I respond to this scentual frequency with a confident “YES”!! I find it intriguing, warm, personal and intimate. I am wearing it now, listening to HeartSpace Desert Soul and imbibing single malt Scotch (so please forgive any excess.) I do not get “sweaty” (not sure what this smells like), but I know I like this perfume.
Yet… while it is enjoyable and suits/fits a certain facet of me, there is something missing, something that if it were included would have taken this to another level.
However wearing this, I dance seductively to the music, enveloped in a confident warmth that enhances and reflects that inner aspect of myself. A grounding, aromatic experience that is lovely indeed.
It’s easily my favorite Amouage fragrance (apart from attars, which are very hard to find) and deliciously lost-lasting. Although it’s marketed as a female fragrance, I think it’s perfectly unisex. In fact, Amouage’s female-marketed fragrances are generally better imho.
I’ve never thought Jubilation is skanky or sweaty, at least it’s not my skin. It’s beautiful and sophisticated, and to me it resembles Roja Dove’s Diaghilev closer than Guerlain’s Mitsouko.
I would even consider getting a full bottle… if it wasn’t for the price 😛
It’s a gorgeous scent, Jody Joy. Out of curiosity, do you mind me asking if your bottle has a magnetic cap? If it does, then it’s probably a reformulated version. I hate to say it, especially after what you wrote in your first comment regarding your shock at the changes to perfumery and what you’d learnt about the IFRA/EU restrictions, but I have little doubt that Jubilation 25 has been reformulated. Not only have many of the Amouages been changed, but J25 was a particular candidate as a chypre-oriental. Most brands reformulated their fragrances around 2013 in preparation for the increased tightening of the rules with the then-upcoming, new IFRA/EU limitations, and Amouage was no exception. It’s said that almost all the Amouages with a magnetic cap are weaker versions of the originals. Personally, I don’t know how much of that is true and the extent to which the “Magnetic Cap” theory applies to all the fragrances, but I do know that Jubilation 25 is one that people frequently, repeatedly say has been changed.
I don’t know what precisely is missing for you or what Jubilation smells like on your skin, but what is missing for you is that reduced level of mossiness and plush greenness that is so central to a really good chypre? It’s a thought.
By the way, if you’re a hardcore chypre lover and someone who also enjoys the old, classical, opulent style of perfumery, then I hope you will try MDCI’s Chypre Palatin. It’s gorgeous and a personal favourite. If you have no issues with tuberose or skanky, vintage style fragrances, then I would suggest trying Bogue’s MAAI as well.
Sadly, yes it does have a magnetic cap. I am rapidly (trying to at any rate) educate myself about this reformulation situation and it was hard to find out if Jubilation 25 was a victim. I will be on the lookout for a non-magnetic cap bottle if I can find one. The other Amouage I would like to acquire is Fate Woman.
As for my preferences, I never even knew about scent categories, but I am learning about them now. My first bottle of perfume when I was 11 was L’Air du Temps, if memory serves from then on and through my twenties, I wore Cabochard, Caleche, Rive Gauche, and I think Paco Rabanne. I also remember wearing English Leather in my early teens. There were more, but it’s only when I see an image of the bottle that I remember – Yes, I wore that. Of course these were original formulations.
I do believe I am a chypre lover, although I also enjoy citrus green wood during our Virginia humid heat. Both Chypre Palatin and Bogue Maai were in my LuckyScent sample order and I really like them. However so was Chypre Mousse and I had the same reaction as you – stunned, stopped in my tracks at the unique olfactory experience and immediately got a full bottle. I joined Basenotes asking to split Chypre Palatin but honestly there are so many (men it seems) hankering for the latest Tom Ford or Killian, etc. that so far no luck.
I would LOVE to take AbdesSalaam’s perfume course for so many reasons, and my project would be to recreate my favorite perfume-Jean Marc Sinan. I looked it up and it is apparently a Floral/Oriental Chypre. From my research one person put forward his/her idea on the formula:
Possible original formula for jean marc sinan:
Here is all I could dredge up for a formula (can’t attest to its accuracy, but it sounds about right): Top notes: Bergamot, green note, coriander, aldehydes, rosewood Heart notes: Rose, geranium, lily of the valley, jasmine, orris, ylang-ylang, cardamom Base notes: Patchouli, vetiver, amber, moss, musk, cistus (some said labdanum.)
So I thank you for the education you are providing your readers, it is helping me learn more about my preferences. I have a very keen nose, and I only knew that I liked something when I smelled it, or didn’t like something, now I want to know why.
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