Dia Woman

Dia Woman unquestionably strikes this perfume fiend's nose as a rethinking of Amouage's classic Gold Woman. Dia Woman's aldehydic florals are achingly familiar, with the rethinking going down the path of stripping down Gold Woman to create a fresher, lighter, and less grandiose character. Gold Woman was composed by Guy Robert in 1983. Him and that period in feminine perfumery were no strangers to big, loud, aldehydic florals of the classically French variety. Gold Woman had enormous silky smooth frankincense tendrils running throughout it, diva-esque muguet and rose and jasmine, powdery orris holding the signature texture throughout the perfume, plenty of animalics of the good ol' stinky variety, and real, aromatic woods. It was a bold perfume from beginning to end. To strip down a perfume like this Amouage contracted the services of the early 2000s master of fresh, light weight, ethereal, and luminous perfumes, Jean-Claude Ellena - who seemed to have every fragrance house knocking on his door to ask him to create one of these perfumes for them. The storied Omani brand was one of the lucky few to attach this commercial juggernaut's name to their release, and, sure enough, it smells like Ellena, and it smells like a fresh take on Gold Woman. Comparatively, key similarities and key differences are immediately noticeable in the opening. Dia Woman has a watery and slightly sweet floral character thanks to the cyclamen that is very similar to the muguet we got in Gold Woman. This is not an aquatic or ozonic perfume; do not think this. Instead, think of this as gentle, slightly sweet florals kissed by morning dew, cool and humid air hanging about their aromas in an early dawn. Fruit notes present in tandem with the florals, not as separate individuals, reminiscent of watery, green, and slightly sulfurous figs and gently lactonic peaches. Devotees of Gold Woman will immediately notice the absence of incense, a cornerstone of Dia's predecessor. Amouage and Ellena clearly felt that incense was not going to be conducive to the mandate of freshness, luminosity, and transparency, and instead filled that hole with earthy and green herbal notes of tarragon and sage, which work very well to help keep Dia earthy fresh and clean at the top. The floral heart layer in the original formulation was a continuation of the fruity florals from the top with jammy roses, creamy citrusy orange blossoms, and peony. Newer formulations seem to focus significantly more on the peony note, which, when paired with the rose, has a nearly citrusy jasmine like character. The floral heart in new formulations is quite green citrusy, a touch florally sweet, and lucidly bright thanks to the peony, with the rose acting as both anchor and plinth to keep it a bit closer to earth and to provide greater breadth. Similarly in the dry down, old and new formulations have differences. The original had more of an incense and woods presence, whereas new formulations focus more on soap musks and gentle vanilla with the woody notes playing far in the background. For these heart and base layer differences, Dia Woman is not as compelling as it once was but it is still beautiful and still beautifully done. It isn’t until Dia Woman is very nearly gone from your skin at the end of a long day do the woods and a bit of incense make themselves more apparent. The detractors and on-the-fence folks seem to have a tough time with one or both of two things: the first being that they are likely tired of aldehydic florals, and wonder why we need this one and question if it is sufficiently different to stand out in a crowded room; the second being that retooling/rethinking Gold Woman is sacrilege. Both are valid gripes, but I still have plenty of room for Dia Woman in my perfume cabinet in response to those criticisms. To the first, yes, we do not need another aldehydic floral with fruity notes and soap musks since they abound by the thousands, but you pick Dia Woman because it is an Amouage made by Jean-Claude Ellena. Amouage's dedication to high-quality materials in the hands of a perfumer who nearly single-handedly created the luminous, transparent, minimalist style at the turn of this century has produced a perfume that does stand out in a crowded room. It is one of the better modern aldehydic florals to come our way in the last couple of decades. To the second point, Gold Woman is no longer with us. I mean - yes - Amouage still make it but it is hardly anything like what it was in 1983 save for its massively loud and muscular character chock full of aldehydes. Even if Amouage wanted and could preserve Gold Woman exactly as it was made in 1983, does that mean they should never produce a more modern aldehydic floral? Of course not. Dia Woman is Amouage's alternative option for an aldehydic floral, when you want something modern, lighter weight, easier to wear, fresh, and plainly-and-simply pretty - regardless of whether you have an old or new formulation. Maybe it's too safe, maybe lacking a bit of the specialness we hope from Amouage, and maybe a bit derivative, but when I want to wear something like this I struggle to think of a modern perfume that does notably better or that I would prefer to wear more than Dia Woman. That's more than enough to convince me.

Two years ago when I got a voucher to Selfridges for my birthday for £50 there was one thing I knew for certain: the money were going towards a perfume and the perfume had to be Amouage (I need to add: at that time I only knew that Amouage was expensive, exclusive and DIFFERENT). SA showed me Honour, released in 2011 and sprayed on paper with a big smile - lovely white floral (I learnt that day: I don't like 'lovely white florals'). Next one was Reflection - but Reflection was too 'main stream' for me. Then Ciel. I liked Ciel so I sampled it on my wrist. Nice, but something was missing... SA dismissed Gold, Lyric, Memoir, Jubilation 25 and Epic as 'too oriental' for me: blond, fair skin. She spayed Ubar on paper, but I found it too heavy. And then, as if she was saving the best for the end she grabbed Dia and literally made me let her spray my other wrist with a massive smile 'you'll love that one'. I wanted to sniff it immediately but she didn't let me! 'Wait!' She talked about notes (orange blossom and fig making this fragrance special and unique). And then, after about 2-3 minutes she said: 'Now sniff'. So I did. 'And?' she enquired. 'It's... heavy, and totally different, and beautiful!'. She sprayed more on my wrist, and neck, and then she said: 'Now go, smell it after an hour, two, three. You will come back.' I couldn't stop smelling my wrist on the train back home. I was smiling to myself. She was right: I did go back to buy it few days later. Now: whenever aldehydes are mentioned the perfume that comes to mind immediately is Chanel no5. It's the fizzy, soapy overwhelming top note. But that's exactly where the minimal similarity ends! Dia is nothing like No5. Dia is so much softer, so much more refined than no5. So much more classy and modern. I mentioned that before: I'm not great with notes so I won't even attempt to describe what I smell. But I absolutely love the dry down. It's sensual but not sexual, it's calm but not quiet, it's mysterious and yet you feel like you almost revealing too much. And I have no idea why but to me it smell like 'sunny, bright, hot color white', whatever that means... I'm so glad I got that voucher two years ago. I'm so glad this SA was so nice, enthusiastic and helpful. And two years later I'm so happy to know all Amouages and have few in my collection :-)

This is more of a comparison letter to myself than it is a review for someone else. Right now I have on Dia and I just sprayed it less than 10 minutes ago. Lots of aldehyde and other clean notes that are perfectly balanced. I'm not the biggest fan of this note pyramid but I like it here. It's not too much. It is clean but not too clean. Course we all think of Chanel. I can tell you right now I don't like that brand identity whatsoever. I have the jersey and that's it. So me personally, I think aldehyde is the least sexy fragrance note you can possibly put on. I don't connect the dots. It smells like you either got out of the shower or you just cleaned the kitchen. My brain does not formulate any attractive, sensual, exciting moments when I apply something that has aldehyde in it. However, you don't always have to have that element when you are wearing something. In this specific scenario, Dia is a wonderful offering if you are looking for something very professional, clean, elegant, perhaps even informative. This is a fragrance not associated with a younger woman. There is no fruity or vanilla or anything of that sort. Complete disassociation from that. And I'm here for it! There is something refreshing about it just because everything that has come out recently is either vanilla or some kind of sweet, spicy, a mixture of the two, or something else along those lines. Maybe you could say this is old-school. Yes you could probably say that. However, I don't consider that a negative here. If you let it sit, which is what I'm doing right now, the aldehyde starts to fade, and white blossoms start to emerge as well as a very gentle sweetness. All of a sudden it becomes 20 years younger. And this is some kind of an art form other fragrance houses simply cannot get right or even compete with whatsoever. I mention this all the time but I'll say it again. Don't make a judgment from Amouage until you have let it sit on your skin for at least six hours. Every single fragrance from their entire line transitions into something extraordinary. Dia starts at one point and ends up in an entirely different point. Not everyone likes aldehyde, especially myself, but I'll be damned if anyone says the dry down is not exceptional.

"SMELL IS A WORD, PERFUME IS LITERATURE ” Jean-Claude Ellena. I am fascinated by Amouage creations because each one of them tells a unique story and has a distinctive character. However, they all share the same seal of luxury and exclusivity that characterizes The Maison. DIA is an aldehydic floral fragrance that dazzles with its beauty and sophistication. It has an air of a classic French perfume but at the same time it is modern, innocent and youthful compared to others from this house. Although it may remind you of the iconic Chanel N5 for its sparkling and soapy output, Día has its own personality that is revealed in its evolution. Its aldehydic notes are of exceptional quality, vibrant and fresh, but also delicate and elegant. The fragrance begins with a green, fresh and clean accord that captivates from the first moment. Then it becomes sweeter and more floral in the heart, a bouquet of white and pink flowers, which provide sweetness and sensuality. Rose and iris blend harmoniously with fruity and spicy accords, creating a delicate and refined fragrance. The base is warm and enveloping, in a symphony of perfect and harmonious accords of musk and noble woods. Sandalwood, cedar and guaiac woods; Together with vanilla and amber, and balsamic accords, they provide a creamy and comfortable touch and at the same time also impart depth and elegance to the composition. Substantivity on my skin reaches 10 hours with moderate to gentle diffusion. It is not a fragrance for all tastes, but for lovers of aldehydic compositions, at their best! DIA is a heavenly fragrance, for women with class and style. He is the perfect complement to Gold, her nocturnal sister. If DIA were the sun,🌞 GOLD would be the moon.🌚

Oh wow, Dia Femme. You're like classy, classy sunshine in a bottle. Very retro and definitely very aldehyde heavy on the top. Chanel No. 5? Pfft as if. No offense to fans of No. 5 but if Chanel's classic is the queen of the perfume world, Dia Femme would be empress of the effing solar system. They're in such different ballparks it isn't even funny. I don't know what vintage 5 is like but I've smelled the modern incarnation and it doesn't hold a candle to Dia. That said, it definitely isn't going to be for everyone. Dia Femme smells, more or less, like the worlds must luxurious soap or laundry product. In other words amazing, but the association is going to be impossible to shake for some. If you don't like soapy scents don't bother sniffing Dia, it just isn't going to do it for you. On the other hand if you can handle that look forward to the most vivid, spring-like bouquet of florals you've ever set your nose to. A spray of Dia is like an explosion of spring flowers painted in the way only our good friend JCE could manage. It's sweet but not sickly, fresh but not ozonic, dense but not muddled, etc. etc. I can't help with identifying individual notes in such a busy composition but if anything I definitely smell peach blossom, orange blossom, and rose with a healthy dose of white musk. Woods become more apparent as time goes on as well. To abuse the over-used expression it's a symphony of a fragrance, many players contributing to one beautiful whole. Longevity is impressive, lasting a full 8-10 hours with 2 sprays. Highly recommended to those who don't recoil at the thought of a perfume smelling vintage or 'old'.