Marion Cotillard photographed by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott for Paris Vogue, September 2010 issue. Source: Glamscheck.com
She stared at the rumpled bed which bore the traces of their scent. As the light streamed through the windows of their hotel room at the George V, she saw the trail of clothes leading to the scene of their final tryst. She recalled how crisp, aloof and controlled she had been at the start in her sleek, sculptured, black, couture dress, smelling of citruses, oakmoss and cool daffodils. The notes were as sparkling and cool as lemonade, or the champagne that chilled by the window nook, until he began kissing her neck…
She remembered how her limbs melted when he unzipped her dress, warming the daffodil scent until the roses and jasmine came out, infused by a musk that softly mimicked that of her own body. Flecks of rich, warm, smooth castoreum flickered like the flame of the candles that he had lit around their bed. Subtle touches of leather stirred like the trim on the expensive lingerie that he admired with a gleam in his eye — lingerie as black as the trails of sweetened incense that ran through her fragrance.
Marion Cotillard photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott for the September 2010 issue of Vogue Paris. Source: bkrw.com
She thought of how he had gently placed soft, lush, velvety, pink roses around her body, framing her with their heady scent. He kissed her with all the spiciness of chili pepper and cinnamon, the scent of his soap mixing with their fire, with her musk, with the tendrils of incense and smoke, with the honey that he drizzled on her trembling stomach. She thought of their passion and how, when it was over, he had gently covered her body with the sheer, silky sheet that smelled of creamy vanilla and powder. She had been fated to meet him, she had been fated to succumb, she had been fated to have the affair end in the apex of passionate heat, and she was fated to forever remember him when she put on her fragrance. Fate.
Fate (Woman) is the latest release from the royal perfume house of Amouage and will be released worldwide in July. I received a sample thanks to one of my readers, “Dubaiscents,” who generously sent me a sample of both the men and women’s versions. Yesterday, I reviewed Fate for Men which is a very sophisticated, dry, woody fragrance centered on the immortelle flower. Fate for Women (hereinafter just “Fate” for the purposes of this review) is very different, but equally elegant and sophisticated. It is a chypre-oriental hybrid created by Dorothée Piot and which Amouage describes as follows:
Fate for Woman is a chypre oriental with a rich floral heart intensified by a dark and destructive accord resonating with the tumultuous unknown.
Top notes: bergamot, cinnamon, chilli, pepper.
Heart notes: rose, narcissus [daffodil], jasmine, frankincense, labdanum.
Base notes: vanilla bean, frankincense, benzoin, castoreum, patchouli, oakmoss, leather.
Fate opens on my skin with a burst of yellow: fresh, crisp citrus notes, and the sunniest of daffodils. There is a momentary flicker of something sour that is soon replaced by spiciness, rose infused with patchouli, oakmoss, stirrings of a quiet, soft leather note, and a touch of musk. The oakmoss is a subtle swirl of nuances: fresh, green, slightly mineralized, and grey. The castoreum is smooth, warm, ever so slightly animalic, and sweet.
The true stars, however, are the yellow notes. The bergamot starts off crisply but, within minutes, turns softer, warmer and spicier, evoking the scent of lemonade that has been sweetened by the sun and by honey. At the same time, a subtle hint of vanillic powder at its base also makes me think of powdered lemonade crystals. Swirling all around it is the daffodil note that starts off being fresh and cool, but, like everything else in Fate, soon turns warmer, spicier, richer. In its footsteps is a delicate rose that is never as sweet as a tea rose, but also never as jammy, fruited, or liqueured as a dark damask rose. It feels like the headiest of pink roses, except it has the crisp, fresh zestiness of lemon. Both flowers are flecked by a mossy patchouli which works from the background to turn Fate into a very smooth, lush, velvety chypre fragrance.
Source: freehdwalls.net
Slowly, slowly, the base notes turn Fate into something warmer, richer, and spicier. As the rose note gains in strength, stepping on the center stage to share the spotlight with the daffodil, jasmine takes its place in the wings. Lurking further in the shadows is a subtle layer of soapiness. About twenty minutes in, like a brash understudy late to a rehearsal, chili stumbles in. Red, spicy, and adding a perfect touch of subtle heat, the red pepper bumps into the floral notes, warming them even further. In its wake is a shy incense note. It is far from the usual sharp, powerful frankincense so prevalent in many Amouage scents. Instead, the smoke is sweetened, soft, subtle, and verging on sunny.
Source: Kootation.com
Forty minutes in, Fate starts to slowly strip off its formal, crisp, citric-oakmoss, chypre veneer to bring out its oriental underwear. Like passionate kisses warming a lover’s body, the daffodil-rose bouquet turn more and more sensual, dancing on slightly musked skin. Infused by bergamot, trailed by jasmine, flecked by spicy chili pepper along with sweetened smoke and a shiver of vanilla, Fate is lushly heady, potent, incredibly elegant, and slightly haughty, but reeking of sensuous stirrings. The oakmoss and patchouli are still highly evident in the base, but the other notes feel alive with an oriental silkiness that evokes the most seductive of lingerie peeking out from underneath an elegant black dress.
“Red Orange Rose Yellow Abstract” by LTPhotographs, Etsy Store. (Link to website embedded within photo.)
At the two-hour mark, Fate shifts a little. The florals turn red with warmth and sweetness. Cinnamon replaces the chili on their velvety petals. But, to my slight disappointment, the underlying soapiness becomes much more pronounced. On a more positive note, Fate also begins to take on quite an ambered hue. The labdanum starts to rise to the surface, emitting a lightly honeyed aroma that mixes beautifully with the amber, the plushly sensuous castoreum, the musk, and the patchouli. The incense is still subtle, light and sweetened, and it still remains largely in the background.
Source: wallpaperswa.com
Three and a half hours in, the base notes fully rise to the surface. Fate becomes a labdanum, oakmoss, and patchouli amber fragrance infused with rich, sweet, velvety, floral nuances, along with musk and a quiet tinge of soapiness. The labdanum’s honeyed characteristics have been largely replaced by a nutty, almost chestnut-like undertone that is a perfect counterpoint to the dry, but plush, oakmoss-patchouli.
Source: Superstock.com
Slowly, slowly, like a flower unfurling its petals over the span of hours in the sun, Fate turns softer, more ambered, more golden. The barely animalic musk underlying the scent melts even further into the skin, the labdanum glows like bronzed gold, and the vanillic benzoin adds a radiating shimmer to the now muted, very abstract, gauzy florals. By the start of the ninth hour, the final stage has begun, and Fate is a sensuous skin veil of rich vanilla cream flecked with powder, golden amber, and a light, heated, sweetened muskiness.
All in all, Fate lasted an astronomical 13.25 hours on my perfume-consuming skin. The sillage was monstrous at first, wafting several feet across the room. It was heady, narcotic, sweet, but also very dry and crisp initially, before slowly turning more languorous, more sensuous, more oriental. Fate’s projection is powerful, even if it isn’t nuclear-tipped in the way of some Amouage floral scents (like Ubar, for example), but it did soften by the start of the third hour. My sample was a spray (and aerosolization adds to a fragrance’s power), but I think Fate would be forceful even if dabbed on. It didn’t become a skin scent on me until the start of the sixth hour, though it was still very noticeable when I brought my arm close to my nose. Fate only became hard to detect and somewhat abstract towards the end of the eighth hour, though it lingered on for almost another five hours in a very silken, muted, sheer form.
I think Fate Woman is an astoundingly beautiful, complex, refined fragrance — a sophisticated chypre-oriental which combines the best elements of both categories. It is perfectly balanced: never too sweet or too dry, never too indolent or spiced, never too charged by patchouli, musk, or castoreum. I was a little surprised by the softness of the frankincense smoke, especially as my skin normally tends to amplify the note, but I’m also glad that Amouage chose to mute its signature base accord. Fate doesn’t need it; the beauty of the fragrance lies, in part, in how pitch-perfect it is across the wide spectrum of its notes. (As a side note, the perfume stunned The Ultimate Perfume Snob, a.k.a my mother, who interrupted a conversation to ask “what is that smell?”, then shook her head and blinked in disbelief at Fate’s beauty, asked to smell it several more times, wanted to know where to buy it, and finally lost all reserved, British aloofness to become practically passionate in her raves. Trust me, it rarely happens.)
Something about Fate draws you in for another sniff, again and again, especially when its sensuous, warm heart starts to bloom. Yet, there is also a refined, cool sophistication in its opening which makes it very much one of those scents that feels like protective armor, if that makes any sense. Again and again, I have the vision of a cool, confident, wealthy woman, perfectly groomed and sophisticated in the elegantly cut, structured, designer black dress that is the uniform of choice for some Parisienne women. And I see her stripping off her armor to reveal the seductive satin and black lace lingerie below which she then peels off entirely to reveal her smooth, softly musked, lightly powdered, silky, amber skin. Control and abandon, French style.
Yet, for all that imagery and despite the gender classification in the perfume’s name, I happen to think Fate Woman is quite unisex in nature, and a scent which would be very seductive on a man as well. The same visual would apply to a man, only he’s cloaked in a dark Armani suit with a crisp white shirt, and looks a little like Hugh Jackman…. Regardless of gender, Fate is a very wearable fragrance, though I think its powerful projection may make it a little too much for the office unless you’re very careful with amount you spray. It would, however, be perfect to wear on a date or to seduce.
Lest any of this was even remotely ambiguous, let me put it plainly: you need to try Fate Woman. Like its male counterpart (Fate Man), it shows why Amouage is one of the leaders of the perfume pack. With its sophisticated, nuanced, complex, often innovative and intellectual, but always luxurious and opulent fragrances, Amouage is really one of the best perfume houses out there. And, under the deft, brilliant direction of Christopher Chong, I doubt that’s going to change any time soon.
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And a beautiful strong complex review Kafka.
Thank you, Jordan, I tried to do the perfume justice.
I think I need to go take a cold shower…..
Honestly, you couldn’t have given me a greater compliment! Thank you, my dear.
I was getting a bit stirred as well.
LOL! 😀
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Kafka, all my lemmings insist on reenacting the opening part of your review – and I’m not sure that they are practicing safe sex so there will be more of them 😉
HAHAHA, perhaps the best reply EVER!! Thank you for the badly needed laugh.
That is the best reply ever. In fact … is that really our Undina talking??! 😀
I know! Undina?! It actually made the comment even funnier to me. That with the mental image of tiny, furry lemmings trying to navigate condoms, but then saying to hell with it. *grin*
Oops… Sorry, I have stepped out of character. I’ll be right back to my rigit self 😉
You’re not rigid, Undina, and you have a wonderfully dry sense of humour, but you’re rarely *quite* so naughty as you were here! It was terribly funny, and truly one of the best comments ever!
Undina, I don’t think of you as rigid – I think of you as someone who is wonderfully disciplined and who really adheres to her moral principles. So I have to tease you a little sometimes … and I was also thinking, Kafka really wrote something great if it made Undina’s lemmings come so, umm, undone. 😉
BEST.COMMENT.EVER!
Thank you, dear <3
I agree with Hajusuuri: BEST. COMMENT. EVER.
Thanks, Daisy.
HAHAHA! That reminds me of this awesome animated video by Leslie Murard . . . but lemmings instead of bunnies, more black and less pink . . . and minus the cooking part . . .
:))
As a side note to everyone, I will be unable to reply to comments for most of the next two days as I will be taking The Hairy German out of town for extensive medical tests which may culminate in a 6 hour implant procedure on Thursday. However, since this is our SEVENTH attempt at getting the THR (Total Hip Replacement), I doubt we’ll be successful this time either.
Regardless, I will have limited internet access, won’t be taking my laptop with me, and am too verbose to tap away responses on my phone, even if I were to have some breaks as I wait at the medical center. So, please don’t think me rude if I don’t reply right away. I promise, I will do so as soon as I am able. 🙂
If that perfume is even partially amazing as that review, sign this girl up!
Best wishes and positive thoughts to The Hairy German!
Thank you for your good wishes, my dear. The operation didn’t go through — yet again. It’s been an exhausting few days, but I’m just glad to be home. As for the review, I’m glad you enjoyed it. It don’t know if the lemony start will be your personal cup of the tea (do you like chypres?), but the 2nd and 3rd stages are beautiful!
Well, I had to do some checking on my chypre situation, and the only fragrance I have that Fragrantica listed as a chypre was Ormonde Jayne Woman. I love that scent, but after reading your glossary, I’m not sure if it really is a chypre. If nothing else, it’s another type of perfume to explore!
I’m sorry The Hairy German is having such a rough go of things. I have a corgi and I never realized how much those doggy companions can mean to you until I met my Roo. Hopefully he gets the help he needs and the comfort he deserves soon.
Ormonde Jayne is sort of a chypre of sorts, but it’s also very different from Fate in its opening notes. Fate is more of a pure chypre with its citric-bergamot start which Ormonde Jayne lacks. The latter is more of a neo-chypre, if that makes sense. But it’s a great fragrance!!!
You have a corgi? They’re adorable!! So much personality! Thank you for your kind wishes on The Hairy German, and please give Roo some tummy scritches from me and a huge kiss on his nose!
Wow, steamy!! It made me laugh to hear that your mother loved it so much – such a high compliment! I hope she can locate a bottle soon. This makes me want to put it on again today.
Good luck to the Hairy German! The little Italian (greyhound) in Dubai is sending good wishes!
LOL! I actually didn’t think it was all that steamy (and I always try to avoid anything that might be erotica), but the reactions seem to say otherwise. I chalk it all up to the photos. 😀 As for Fate Woman, I’m going to give the rest of my sample to her so she can see how it works on her skin, and then she can decide. I know she adores chypres and is mad about Orientals, so it will be a question of longevity, no doubt. I think she becomes anosmic to many scents after 3-4 hours, but then, she hasn’t had an Amouage on her skin!
I’d like to meet The Little Italian one day. 🙂 Please give him some ear scritches from me. xoxox
First I read Jordan’s review and now this…wow, this must be some perfume! I don’t usually get excited over Amouage. I haven’t found my love in the line yet but this one is on the must try list.
Whether it’s Fate or another one, I hope you end up finding an Amouage that sings to you. I think the way Fate develops from such a cool opening with its lemonade-like notes and Spring flowers into something so much more indolent, sensuous, warmer, spicier is what is really intriguing about it. I think one reviewer mentioned dissonance and entropy, perhaps the CaFleureBon one, and I think the stages definitely have some contrasts that might lead to such thoughts. It’s certainly not a straight-forward scent, but that’s what I like about a number of the Amouage fragrances. 🙂
I am fanning myself just reading through the comments (have not had time to read the review). I wanted to drop in and wish you and the Hairy German the best of luck with the upcoming procedure.
Thank you, my dear Hajusuuri. The operation was cancelled — yet again. Seventh time around. We’re both home now and recuperating, though it may take me longer than it will him. I’m utterly wiped out. He has the best vets, no doubt, but it’s always an ordeal no matter what the end result is, surgery or not. For now, we’ll opt with pain management since I’ve been told it won’t shorten his life if he doesn’t get the hip replacement. That opinion conflicts with what I’ve been told previously, but I’m going to cling to that theory since he’s clearly not fated for the surgery (which is a bloody long 6 hours in length!!!).
Oh my! Super steamy love scene, Marion Cotillard photos, and the fact that it’s an Amouage and has your hard-won approval … count me done for. I might have to skip the test phase and just order a bottle. (No, I promise I won’t do that – but yikes, it’s tempting!)
LOL!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the review!! I can’t wait to see what you think of it when you get to try it, Suzanne. I think the sharp contrast of the cool, reserved, controlled chypre beginning and the languid sensuality of the other phases will prove interesting, but I’ll be curious to see how much soapiness you get as whole. That part was not my favorite (along with some of the lemonade-like nuances of the beginning), but my skin definitely amplifies soapiness. (I wonder if there were aldehydes in the top notes to create some of that Chanel-like, lemon-soapy chypre start? I suspect there were.) But it’s the second through final stages that I loved the most. I think those who love chypres may enjoy the opening more than the oriental parts, though. 🙂
An Amouage with spring flowers? Daffodils yet? Don’t associate Amouage with the delicate scents of spring but this one might tempt me to test!
And my very best wishes to the hairy German because I know what it is to have a hip out. Ouch!
Thank you, Blacknallallen. He was diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia when he was 4 months old, and he’s only 4 now. Pain is something he is used to, unfortunately, but it doesn’t seem as if the hip implant is in his future. The surgery ended up being cancelled, yet again — seventh time around. Let’s hope pain management will work instead.
As for the Amouage, I’ll be very curious as to your thoughts on it when you try it. I know you like chypres, but find Amouage to be a little too “full-throttled” at times. I think you may like some of the lemonade-like nuances of the beginning which has almost a Chanel-like, lemon-soapy aldehyde feel to the daffodil-rose chypre bouquet. 🙂
Heady and groin-gathering: blimey. Gorgeous. I think I need to smell this.
Heh, and here I was thinking I’d merely written something romantic and, thankfully, far from anything particularly sexual or erotic. *grin* But the perfume really does evoke a very aloof, reserved, black dress — worn almost as armour or a uniform — being removed to reveal something much more sensuous, heated and warm. Is it hard to find samples of Amouage in Japan? I hope you get to try Fate sometime soon. 🙂
Amouage + Japan is an unimaginable marriage: no one would buy them!
I can’t wait to try Fate. Aren’t the box and bottle gorgeous, even by Amouage standards? I am sure I will love it…I would even buy it unsniffed.
xoxo
Caro
The box and bottle are SPECTACULAR!!!! I’ve seen some photos posted by the lucky few who have already bought the perfume and Amouage seems to have outdone themselves this time. I truly don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful bottle — ever.
Do we already know when it will be available in stores? *panting*
CaFleureBon says July, and given that the launch in Oman was just 10 days ago or so, that would seem to be an accurate date. However, I’ve seen a few people comment that it won’t be released until October, so there seems to be some confusion. I think it was originally supposed to be launched in June, so July seems to be the more likely date, and that’s what I went with. I hope they get it in stores soon or, at least, replenish their online stock on the Amouage website because people seem quite obsessed with both fragrances already. Men, in particular, are going nuts for the male version.
Thank you for the information, dear Kafka! The box, the bottle, the notes, your review…it all seems to herald a magnificent fragrance.
Oh boy…I just read this review. It sounds really good to me…but 13.25 hours!?! I wonder what it will do to me? I am sooooo tempted to buy this and Fate Man unsniffed. Over on the Basenotes Fragrance Splits board, Palmbeach has Fate Woman going for $98 for 20mLs. He could not keep Fate Man “stocked”…the 3rd bottle filled quickly (at $91 for 20 mLs)! I’ve participated in many of Palmbeach’s splits and he is top notch. In fact, he has an open split of Puredistance Antonia (it’s GUHWR-geous) that I may cave and get. Anyway, I’ll be “good” and wait until after I’ve had a chance to sniff this and Fate Man before deciding and I hope there are other splits available by the time I make my decision.
… Calling baconbiscuit, my list of to try perfumes are getting longer and longer!
I’ll be honest: I don’t think the Fate Man will be quite your thing, but I do think you may greatly enjoy the Fate Woman. The Men’s version has the oud-like rotting nuance underlying the wormwood and…. hm… I don’t see it meshing with your tastes. The women’s version is much easier, in my opinion, much more straight forward, much less intellectual and complicated. It’s probably why your perfume twin, Lucas, didn’t seem to mesh with the men’s Fate but preferred the Women’s. So, I think you should get that decant of the Women. It won’t be hard to trade it away if you don’t like it in the end, though I think you will.
As for Puredistance Antonia, the fact that you like the soapy aspects of that makes me think that even the part of Fate Woman I didn’t enjoy would still be your cup of tea.
On spot left in the Amouage Fate Woman split! You are absolutely right that if I end up not liking it, it can easily get swapped away. You get an enabler pin!
Heh. I’ll wear my pin proudly. 😀 And if Fate doesn’t work out for you, I’ll probably buy your decant!
Call heard!
My word, that was quite steamy, dear Kafka! And I was already drowning in lemmings for this one. For the first time in a long time, I just want to buy it. Unsniffed. Thanks for the amazing review! And for the images. Where do you find these things???
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Baconbiscuit. As for the photos, well, it’s a lot of time and work to find images that seem to fit the visuals in my head. 🙂 But I love Mert & Marcus as photographers, so they can be a good starting point for highly editorial, fashion photos of a certain bent. 🙂
This really sounds lovely, but I would have to smell it before, it may be too sexy :P. I love the notes like frankincense, leather, vanilla oakmoss and jasmine so this could be positively great for me. However I´m looking forward the most to perfumes that are easily available in Europe the most, since I will for sure go to Europe somewhere between September and October and I may actually even move back there now.
Fate will be easily accessible and in stores by then, so that won’t be the issue. Your greater problem, come the Fall, is how you’re going to find the time to smell all the perfumes you’re intrigued by, given all the glorious fashion, makeup and food that will also available! Completely moving to Europe is clearly the only solution! 😉 😛 (And yay for you if you do! How wonderful!)
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You make this sound very enticing indeed! I feel like one of these days I just need to pull the trigger and buy an Amouage sampler set for both men and women. Sounds like a stunner!
I wish you would get a sample set. I think you’d be very impressed by Amouage and its quality. 🙂
The sampler sets are actually amazing deals. Amazon has the men’s and women’s ones for $45/set.
*fans self*
I may have to buy a sample of this- here’s hoping StC gets it soon!
LOL! No greater compliment, my dear, no greater compliment! 😀
I got lucky tonight and a wonderful person sent me a nice sized decant of this as a thank you for a full bottle of something else I sent to her. So I’m rereading your review and hoping fervently that I have the same experience you did, and also wondering if I do, will I need to go buy some lingerie. 😉
LOL at the lingerie! Leather or lace? 😉
Joking aside, how wonderful that you have a nice decant of this, Nancy! I know a lot of people would love to be in your shoes. Let me know what you think of it and how it works out for you. I’ll be interested in particular to see if you detect any soapiness at one point, and what you think of the drydown.
I will definitely report back! (And I know what you mean; I feel almost guilty having this, so many people want it, but it was a gift given with love for which I am quite grateful. 🙂 ) The soapiness intrigues me- I don’t mind it as a note as much as you do but it seems at odds with the rest of the fragrance? Sometimes that is good (contrast) and sometimes it is jarring. I woke up with my nose stuffed up so I am going to take an allergy pill now so I can experience it without delay.
Oh, and both, of course! (Leather and lace.) 😉
Now you’re bringing Pat Benetar into it! 😉 (No, seriously, didn’t she have a song with the lyrics being about leather and lace? Or am I mixing up my 80s hits?)
Ah, so you got some soapiness too. Well, thank God for that, because I wondered if it was just my skin, and it was definitely such a contrast from the rest that I wondered as well. I’m very relieved to know it’s not just me! It definitely didn’t seem to fit in somehow. Thankfully, it’s not a huge part of the fragrance.
You know, as soon as I wrote that I knew it was an 80’s song but I can’t remember which. I haven’t actually tried the fragrance yet– I meant that your mention of the soapiness intrigued me. 🙂 I will let you know if I do experience it. So far I have only tried one Amouage– I can’t remember which it is, but it was a men’s version, and I really liked it except that it had this odd note it in that smelled exactly like Dr. Brown’s Celery Soda. If you didn’t grow up in New York or LA you have probably never heard of this, but while it’s not unpleasant, it is a very, very odd thing for an expensive fragrance from the UAE to smell like!
I’ve never tried Dr. Brown’s soda, but if you’re talking about celery in a men’s Amouage, then I would bet you it had angelica in it. Angelica frequently (but not always) has a strong celery nuance. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t like Angelica as a fragrance note. Even when it doesn’t have that, it’s some incredibly unpleasant greenness that I find off-putting, but the celery just cements the deal. lol. If the perfume had labdanum/cistus, that can lead to a root beer or cola impression. (Labdanum doesn’t always smell of honey. In fact, it frequently doesn’t.) So, if the perfume had both labdanum (highly likely for an Amouage) and Angelica, then that would explain your Celery Soda. 🙂
Thank you for the explanation! I adore labdanum (in fact I have a straight up labdanum from an aromatherapist that I like to wear sometimes) and I didn’t dislike the angelica but it was very odd.
Okay…I am reporting back now though I haven’t had the full experience yet. Yes, I definitely got the soap, and at around two hours just like you said.
I’m relieved you could detect it too! Thank you so much for letting me know. It’s always good to know that one’s nose isn’t broken. lol. So, thus far, do you like it? To be honest, I’m not sure I really see you in Fate. It lacks the sort of edge that I associate with your perfume tastes, and I think the restrained aspect of the beginning isn’t very you, if that makes sense. The sensuality is, though.
Thanks for writing this Kafka, i’m about to try them. VERY excited.
Portia x
You’re welcome, Portia. I hope you enjoy them both. 🙂 I can see you really liking them, but I’ll be curious to see which one blows you away more.
Leather and Lace was by Stevie Nicks, BTW. 🙂 I can’t wait to smell this one now!
Oh, yes!!!! Yes, you’re so right! It definitely *was* the great Stevie Nicks! 😀 Thank you so much for stopping by, and reminding me. I kept having Pat Benetar in my head, but no, definitely Stevie. As for Fate Woman, I do hope you get to try it. Hopefully, the decant/sample sites will have it soon so that you can give it a sniff. 🙂
I have shivers down my spine reading this glorious, intricate, passionate review. I want to blind buy! At £200+ for even a small bottle, I must resist yet resist the urge…for now.
Hi Angela, welcome to the blog! I’m so glad you enjoyed the review, and your kind words mean a lot to me. As for the fragrance, I know how you feel. It’s not cheap, but it’s incredibly tempting. Luca Turin just gave it a full Five Stars, and I’m not surprised one bit. I suspect Fate Woman will be one of the biggest hits in Amouage’s female line! Let’s hope you and I can each get a bottle without selling a kidney. 😉
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There is an extrait version of Fate woman.
Did you have the opportunity to compare both EDP and extrait?
As I haven’t bought a bottle of Fate yet, I’m poundering, EDP or extrait!
I love the EDP. The extrait is said to be more chewy (meaning : it reaches such a density, that lends him a vintage vibe (I can picture that with old caron extrait and their chesnut cream(&carnation) accord) ; or the subcounscious is speaking and perfumista are thinking the extra flower lend a bubblegum feeling (which can happen with the greasiness of jasmines or tuberoses)).
Notino has very interesting deals on Amouage. Even more Notino US, that has a fate woman edp 100ml tester at 120$.
Notino FR has its own perk : fate extrait is at display, and is now at 194€.
(and they take Paypal)
I’m afraid I haven’t tried the extrait. You face a tough choice. If I were in your shoes, I’d go with the extrait because it’s not as commonly available and that seems like a fairly decent price. Well, assuming that it’s the 50 ml size. I think those normally go for something like €400 or €450, don’t they? Something like that. So, under the circumstances, hands down I would opt for the extrait. One can find good deals on the regular EDP at a number of places. But not the parfum.
Hope that helps a little.
Thank you for your answer !
Your doubts about the official Amouage extrait price is an interesting one. Indeed, there can be a 100€ difference between two official retail places, or, on the internet site, depending of the langage and currency you’ll pick. While the EDP have always the same price.
Exemple : On the Amouage website, the cheapest is to pick UK store, extrait are at 290£. And the cheapest IRL place must be Paris galeries Lafayette counter, and the London one.
So you pay 330€ instead of maybe 450€. That price places amouage extrait as hidden gem, compared to their 280€ 100ml EDP, or Guerlain extrait with their 250€ for 30ml.
My taste : gold extrait, jubilation 25 are really worth it.
Gold is more rounded, more rich, and “blooms” in extrait concentration.
Jubilation 25 enters another realm. Where the 25 hesitates between many personnality, the extrait is settled on : a diorella extrait jasmine top notes, lot of iris at heart, and mossy patchouly plum bottom notes.
If you love Dia you can try it, but it doesn’t gain much, the cyclamen accord borders on functionnal, and the encense & white musk accord gets a bit raspy, and tiresome.
Lyric extrait is less equilibrated, and very alike to the EDP. There is a bit more rose at start (and a bit of mango to pair with it) but it kills your nose faster. The EDP equilibrium and maestria makes it more worth the price.
Epic, I do’nt know (I’m still trying to tame this extrait. It’s too oily on its own, it doesn’t “breath” well. It’s a 1-3 days engagement to wear it, so I haven’t tried it “for real”, outdoor, whithout the nose fatigue.)
Tip against counterfeited amouage tester : the frontal medallion is flat, glued askew, and differently carved. The glass is molden on the real ones, the overall shape is right. But the fake looks like they have been “coated” with a cheap coatting to have the right color. No cap.
So I’ll try to see if Fate extrait “blooms more” in extrait, or if it’s loosing its balance and is more tiresome.
“One can find good deals on the regular EDP at a number of places.”
I’m all ears! 😀
(When one makes the right choice, Amouage perfume are really worth their price. I’m not here to dissuade people to buy from their outlet. They’ll get there a better shopping experience.)
Here is my take on Fate extrait :
(bought it new, tried it twice)
Very similar to the EDP, but less powerful, with less evolution. All things considered, I should have bought 100ml of the EDP.
I emptied a 2ml vial of the EDP. My batch was pulsating lilly from the 20th minute and for a long time, with an underlying “à la Vol de nuit” balsamic accord.
I also picked up that the “amber” note smelled like rubbed amber jewel stone. Yes that’s a real thing, apart from ciste-labdanum and ambergris. A jeweller friend of mine once grinded a stone for me. It’s a potent smell of amber-labdanum, yet dry and without the need of vanilla, and pine needle, and feels very comforting, like an all-curing jurassic remedy.
What the extrait does :
The lemon to frankincense axis is more defined. The citrus gain a candied lemon rind effect.
The vanilla gets more expensive ingredient. It’s more hazy. I’m easily blinded by rare vanilla ingredients, like rare expensive synthetic one in “l’heure perdue”, or the rhum-like vanilla bean extract plus narcissus of “havanah vanille”. In fate extrait, the vanilla is more “bread in oven” and bread yeast, so I think that’s it.
The grinded amber stone is also here, with its soothing effect.
Please forgive what I’m gonna say, but maybe in a kind of “silent but deadly” efficiency, Fate extrait succeeds. It’s more stealthy when it fills a room, or a car, or whatever. It’s less perfumey, and maybe someone else in the room will enjoy its subtleties better than the wearer.
So no, the extrait is not more loaded with expensive flower, as I expected. It’s not balsamic with tons of narcissus jasmine and iris, and rose. Nope. There is a floral transient phase from 10-15 minutes, then its quite over.
If the extrait is more true to the perfumer intent, then Fate was deemed to be like sprinkled glittering dust. It’s less “big night out”, made to seduce, and more “christmas morning awakening”. One smell the candied citrus bakery in oven, the pine needles of the christmas tree, the warmth of the bed, the hushed sounds of the life outside of the bedroom, time is suspended and surprises are to come, with the underlying comforting presence of dear ones nearby.