Decision

We have another one from Amouage today, and this time it's Decision, a fragrance that the brand says represents "the paradox that lies at the core of all life's most powerful decisions: it is focused on its goal while remaining open to countless possibilities." It's a bit of a confusing statement, but the idea seems to be having a clear goal while remaining adaptable in how you reach it. With that out of the way, let's see if Amouage achieved its own goal of making a great fragrance. The opening of Decision is one of the most nostalgic I've ever experienced in perfumery. It starts with a lightly sparkling pink pepper, a sweet touch of cardamom, and a wonderfully crisp, piney, almost gin-like aroma from the juniper berries. The bergamot is there too, though more as a subtle hint of citrus peel than a bright citrus blast. Even from the first spray, you can tell there's a resinous depth waiting underneath it all. Almost instantly, it brought back memories of walking through holiday light displays as a kid, or simply spending Christmas in an old wooden house. It's the smell of fresh pine filling warm wooden rooms, with the cold winter air just outside. It's incredibly evocative, and honestly one of the most unique openings I've smelled in quite some time. Around the 20 to 30-minute mark, the frankincense and myrrh begin to emerge, deepening the fragrance with a rich, comforting resinous character. Rather than changing the direction of the scent, they reinforce that Christmas atmosphere established in the opening. Historically, frankincense and myrrh are perhaps most famous for their appearance in the biblical Nativity story, where they were presented as gifts to the infant Jesus by the Magi. That connection makes their role here feel especially fitting alongside the fragrance's Christmas atmosphere. By the hour-and-a-half to two-hour mark, Decision settles into its base. Earthy patchouli carries the fragrance forward, while soft cedarwood adds a dry, refined woodiness. A cool, almost "cold" vanilla smooths everything together. It's not the warm, dessert-like vanilla you might expect, but one that softens the composition without taking away from its fresh, resinous character. Now, this isn't going to be a fragrance for everyone. Some people will say, "Amouage is going mainstream with this one," while others have criticized the decision (pun intended) to follow up Purpose with Purpose 50 and then Decision over the span of just a couple of years. With three Quentin Bisch fragrances with noticeable Akigalawood undertones arriving in that timeframe, comparisons were pretty much inevitable. And honestly, those criticisms are fair. But as with any fragrance, technical comparisons and creative direction only tell part of the story. Fragrance is deeply personal because our memories are deeply personal. What smells cold or unusual to one person can feel nostalgic and comforting to someone else. That's exactly what happened with Decision. It took me somewhere I hadn't thought about in years, and that's an experience I can't put a price on. Whatever the wider conversation around Decision may be, it connected with me in a way very few fragrances do. For me, it couldn't have landed much better.

This will be a longer review because I'm feeling the need to express my thoughts not just on Decision, but the recent releases of Amouage and the community's response to it. To start my brief "review" I would like to quote a phrase attributed to Theodore Roosevelt. The phrase is the following: "Comparison is the thief of joy" which struck and sticks with me whenever I read a review here or on any other fragcom site about the newer releases of Amouage, especially the super recent ones. As someone who is not an OG I cannot talk about how Amouage was back in the non-magnetic cap bottle days or how strong their fragrances were back at that time. As someone who is deeply indulged in the perfumes of Amouage I can see why many of the fellow Amouage fans deem the Christopher Chong era as the golden age of Amouage. I can also see why they are frustrated with the current direction where the brand is heading. To refer back to Roosevelt's phrase, I feel that the constant comparison is what makes the newer Amouage fragrances viewed negatively, mainly by the devoted Amouage fans who are deeply love the Chong era's creations. The brand clearly shifted its direction and we can either accept and appreciate this new direction or we can quietly say that these newer fragrances don't hit the Chong era's mark for me and they are not for me. On to the point of my experiences and thought about Decision. For me this is not a "lesser, more mainstream Amouage" but "an Amouage which serves a different purpose" in my rotation. Decision is a fragrance which was my upgrade from Dior Sauvage as my nose became more well-trained and my interest and taste in fragrance evolved. Decision and Sauvage do not have any similarities in smell, but they serve a similar purpose in my fragrance wardrobe, being "an easy to reach for, semi-signature, all year around (minus super big heat) scent". When I first smelled Decision it reminded me something quite familiar, but I had to take some time to figure out what it reminded me of. Finally, I came to the conclusion that Decision is Bisch's take on the Ganymede/Bois Imperial style for Amouage which is more focused in the incense and juniper sharpness of the opening than the above mentioned two's metallic and green edges/sharpness. Decision starts with a citrusy-spicy opening which remains for not a long time, then the scent turns into a composition of woods and incense with the above mentioned slight sharpness from the juniper berries. In the late dry down the fragrance turns into a vanillic-woody-incense scent which I find highly addicting. As for performance it easily reaches 14-16 hours on my skin and stays for days on clothes. Projection is fairly strong for the first 2 hours, and after that it radiates around arms length creating a nice cozy scent bubble for the 8 hour mark on my skin. All of this was produced with 3 sprays so I do not reckoned to spray it more than 5 times (even if you are an oversprayer). I consider Decision to be a fairly approachable scent for the masses as well, so I think that with the correct number of sprays this is a super school safe scent.

Amouage are my favourite niche house and this is one of my favourite discoveries from them. Decision is an easier reach and a more versatile wear than almost anything else in their lineup. Yet it feels very much of that house; very "Amouage" in the way it feels. I'd say if you were someone new to niche, Decision should be the first one you try because it'll tell you everything you need to know about this house but without the Old Testament shock and awe drama they are famous for. You know what you are getting with Outlands, Purpose and the Interludes. They are clear about what they are and how you would wear them. They have their niche; they have their moment. They are proudly too good to wear every day. These wondrous creations are special because you need to understand fragrance a bit to appreciate them properly and wear them correctly. They are epic power and glory in fragrance form. But sometimes you don't need thunder, lightning and visits from your maker when you spray your fragrance. Decision is much easier. It has that signature cardamom note in the opening that isn't like the one we see in Outlands and is more akin to the one we see in R45. The incense is more gentle than the Cathedral-like wafts we get from Purpose, Guidance and Interlude, but is more central to Decision's overall feel. I feel like the frankincense and myrrh combo here is less of a religious experience than we see in Black Iris. The juniper berries and patchouli and especially the gorgeous bergamot and pink pepper notes in the top of Decision feel more subtle but also more distinct than others from this house. The spiced sweetness in the base feels almost honeyed, but is never cloying or sticky. It is very Amouage but a bit different at the same time. Similar DNA, same style; different execution. I remember thinking when I tried it last year that this was as close to a daily wearer as I'd found until that point from the luminary Omani house of fragrant opulence, and I was right about that. For me only Reflection Man and possibly Meander get close to its universal, crowd-pleasing appeal that also gives you all the complexity, power and interest but is easy enough to wear with anything, for anything, at any time of day, any season, anywhere. I cannot imagine anyone ever disliking this. It isnt a freshie. But it is a typically hedonistic and beautifully-blended take on what a day to day dumb reach freshie might be like, if the Omani Sultan needed a really, really impressive one. Make no mistake here, Decision is really impressive. It is a hyper-refined niche fragrance that feels like a reward for those of us on our niche discovery journey. I cannot imagine ever being without this one. Three Word Summary: The Royal Daily Outfit Suggestion: dark blue jeans, GMT on the wrist, crisp white shirt, suede belt, casual suede loafers and Dita sunglasses. Scent - 10/10 Sillage - 8/10 Drydown - 8/10 Bottle/packaging - 8/10 Performance - 8/10 42/50

Decision is a grounding and contemplative woody aromatic scent. In my opinion, it's Bisch's own take on Jubilation XXV and I'll explain how and why. What i noticed with this and Existence is that it seems Amouage gave Bisch the green light to drift the company as far away as he can from Chong's Picasso like abstract, overly complex and multilayered compositions. It seems the direction in those two was: Clear and easily understandable scents that reflect exactly the listed olfactory notes, with no hidden "fees". For some people, this could mean "simplicity", but not for me. This is still Amouage quality from top to bottom. If anything, the notes now seem to manifest more clearly, because as i mentioned, the quality is still there. Decision on my skin starts with a blast of juniper. It's piney and dry with a gin-like freshness. This note literally carries the whole scent throughout most of its evolution. Along the juniper, there is a very well balanced and carefully blended smoky incense. The composition somehow feels "compressed", as if it's pulling you in its own bubble of smell and showing you its own world, almost like visiting someone's house for the first time. Nothing "spiky", overly spicy or obnoxious here. Very smoothly blended. Things start to get very interesting though after a few hours, when vanilla and myrrh take a step forward. The mix of those two with the gin-like freshness of the juniper and the incense immediately gave my nose flashbacks of the infamous blackberry-incense combo in Jubilation XXV. I don't know why and how, but it does, and i certainly trust my nose :) The vanilla and the myrrh are exquisitely well blended and balanced. It's not the obnoxious overly sweet vanilla and it's not that sticky overly ambery sometimes annoying myrrh. It almost seems like there is a threshold going on in this scent for things not to cross the line and stay balanced. This is the reason why i mentioned the word "compressed" earlier. The Jubilation XXV phase though eventually fades out, cedar takes over, the incense smoke is gone, and the scent becomes an exclusively cedar dominated woody scent until it fades on the skin. In my opinion, this is an excellent creation. A scent that invites you to revisit it again and again and again, until you finally make the DECISION to stay for good :)

Decision feels like Amouage stepping into a more modern direction without losing what makes the brand special. And, special thanks to Mr. Quentin Bisch for making this masterpiece. It still has that elegant incense signature, but everything here feels smoother, cleaner, and much easier to wear. Some people are saying, it has similarities with Purpose 50 which is not appreciating in my opinion. As, both are made by the same perfumer it is possible to get some similarities but I can't agree with them. For me,the opening is fresh and spicy with a cool almost icy feeling from the juniper and pink pepper. As it settles, the incense slowly comes in, but it’s airy and refined instead of dark or heavy. The dry down is where it really shines for me. The bonding of soft woods, creamy vanilla, and a slightly resinous warmth that smells incredibly polished. What I appreciate most is how effortlessly well blended it feels. Nothing sticks out too much. It smells confident and luxurious without screaming for attention. Performance is also very solid. Good projection for the first few hours and the scent stays on my clothes until the next day. Some people who expect the bold complexity of regular Amouage releases might find it a bit safer than others, however, I think that’s the beauty of it. It keeps the niche quality and character while being genuinely wearable in everyday life. To me, Decision smells like cold fresh air from desert at night which mixed with soft incense and smooth woods wrapped in a creamy vanilla base. Overall, it is elegant, calming, and quietly addictive. It’s definitely a 10/10 release from Amouage.