Homage

(Variations with formulations and batches are highly pronounced. This is a bottle with the black top in the beige box.) This must be what heaven smells like - or whatever it is that Islamicists call heaven, I cannot recall at the moment. It is an absolutely gorgeous mélange of rose, frankincense, oud, ambers and lemon. It is also celestial and divine in another way: all religions say that "God" will never be perfectly present in front of your face unless he's sending you immediately to an afterlife. You've screwed up big time, somehow, if "God" appears to you outside of a transition to the afterlife. Instead, God is a presence that can be felt if you pay attention. Bringing my arms and hands to my nose I can definitely smell Homage, stately and present, but when my skin is not directly in front of my nose I can feel Homage's presence only by fleeting moments of it in the air as I move around. People say this projects like a spotlight and trails like biochemical warfare, but I don't get that. Either I'm slight anosmic to it, or perhaps my bottle is a bit turned (seems unlikely as all of the notes are intact), or it's a batch variation. However, or whyever, it isn't behaving the way some say, I am perfectly fine with it since it adds to this quality of being with you but not on top of you. This characteristic suits the accords very well. The rose note... that rose... oh my god that rose... it is simply perfect. I've never smelled taifi rose like this before, but this smells exactly the way it looks: a luscious, powdery, pleasantly but not saturated with color (like some red roses), soft, silky, expansive and symmetrical, pink rose. It is such a beautiful rose note that it makes me want to plant taifi rose in my garden in hopes that I could smell this every day. This accord lasts an age, with frankincense, oud, ambers and lemon sitting quietly in the background waiting for their turn. Curiously on the same time continuum the lemon is far more prominent on the blotter. Rest, relax, and wait with this perfume: you're in for a long but beautiful journey. A few hours in the perfume finally settles into its final character of amber and touches of oud, the rose quietly fading into the background. I'm at a loss for words. What few I can produce do not suffice: celestial, magical, joyful, beautiful, regal but not stuffy, powerful but not forceful, gentle and caressing. Homage is truly an olfactive masterpiece.

When I recieved my sample in the mail, I could smell it outside the packaging. Something about this combination is simply divine. It is light. It's not heavy, smokey incense laden, syrupy, dirty, or screechy oud. It's the concept of golden light made perfume. That golden light that filters through just the right windows & shades, at only the moments caught unaware. It seems shameful to pick it apart, but it has very beautiful orange & lemon at first, and the accompanying jasmine is crystal clear and soprano. Similar to that in Alien, but without the sweetness. Next we have perfect rose. She could stand alone, but not here, sweetened just a bit, smartened up by the citrus which thankfully does not overpower, & backlit by amber resins, smooth incense & woods. It's too well blended to pick anything else out. Gorgeous florals, honeyed light center & warmth. Suitable for a grand affair, and somehow light enough for summer wear. Incandescent oudh! Old art, the stuff of dreams. Divine. Ill be buying some. The very minute I can! As an observation, there ARE batch inconsistencies as between my first sample, my luckyscent sample, & my fresh from the factory bottle. The first was sweeter, the second soapy, medicinal in the opening & heavy on "white musk" oddly enough similar to Bounce outdoor fresh dryer sheets. My bottle is thankfully rose dominant, and I think as with many quality perfumes, will only get better with age. I look forward to getting older together.. My bottle finally made it! The strength of this is enormous! Not heavy or thick. I look forward to this all summer long! My home smells of roses.. This is a must try for any rose lover. Beware, these Tai'fi will steal your heart & keep it!

This is more of a 'shared story' than a descriptive review, but I will say I absolutely LOVE this fragrance. And come to find out, I'm willing to spend a lot of money to be sure I have it on hand. I just spent $$$$ on ebay to insure I have this magical perfume oil in my possession, because it is no longer available in stores (at the usual high price). The only reason I know this fragrance exists is it's high rating in Perfumes: The Guide. I obtained a sample from TPC about 4 years ago and felt this really did live up to that high rating (for me, not all of them do). About that time, I made a pilgrimage to MiN in NYC and decided to splurge on this Attar. I live in the middle of the country, so this was my big chance to just get it. No regrets. Homage has deep richness, while also conveying a glowing lightness. It seems to start strong, but quickly ends up close to the skin, with occasional wafts of delight. It is hard for me to do it justice, but this smokey rose scent hits me personally in all the right places. I'm sure for some it does not live up to the hype, but apparently I can't live without it. The attars change a bit from batch to batch...hope the bottle I receive is as good, or imagine, better than my current bottle.. (Sorry - this is a duplicate of the review below, but my first submission came in as 'guest')

This is not a review it is a warning. Amouage has rereleased a lot of their attars (in red boxes again) for distribution in the local Omani market only. They are very different from the original red box releases. The first release of Amouage Attars were in a white box. The second was a red box, with a clear Amouage sticker on the outside of the cellophane that would be gone when a person opened the package. The third batch was also a red box, but with the sticker on the inside of the cellophane so it stayed on the bottom of the box when opened. The fourth batch are the black boxes. And now the new red boxes that also have no sticker on the bottom of the box. Each batch is quite different. I have a 3ml sample of the new Omani local release. It is a very soapy rose with some frankincense. It is nice and I like it but it is so much different than the original white box, which I also have and is the legendary release that Turin raved about. It is a different fragrance altogether than the new red boxes. It is important to know what kind of box your samples came from, and if you’re buying a red box, to know when it was purchased. These Amouage attars are not cheap so it’s prudent to research exactly what you’re getting.

Love love love...just waiting for the day that I can afford it or find someone who wants to buy a bottle for me...lol As much as I love it, I can't bring myself to buy a bottle - just way to expensive for me. This just works magically on my skin. Not loud but enough that it rises from my wrists to remind me that it's there. Carries on beautifully and changes over and over again for many hours. Perhaps I will order another sample again for now :) Edit: Decided that I way to much in love with this beautiful fragrance and buying a bottle for myself. It's just so perfect on my skin and also very calming to wear. I wear it on my wrists, temples and collarbone. yummm :) Update 4/25/13: I've had the bottle since November 2012 and I must say that I truly love this fragrance. I have used half the bottle and stopped using it everyday so it can last. I find mixing a drop with some body oil makes it last on my skin even longer and it lasts weeks on a scarf. If you like citrus, rose, with a touch of incense, sandalwood and oud this is a must try. With the weather now getting warmer in NY this lovely attar puts me in a great mood. Happy sniffing :)