Imitation Man

So I was in a perfumery this weekend and thought I'll check the ones of Amouage I still didn't try. Most of the few ones that were left on my list to check out I didn't like and I left Imitation as the last one. Why? I've seen it for a really nice price before, and it says something, I've seen the dislike button here, and the rose in the notes. While I like it, I can't stand Lyric Man with that rose shower gel and I was afraid this is going to be the same not to mention the violet flower which sometimes smells like a toilet cleaning product (I love it when it doesn't, and violet leaves is my fav note ever). Then I remembered hey - Portrayal Man doesn't get many good reviews and I absolutely love it, maybe my taste is a niche of a niche simply. I spray on a blotter and put it closer to my nose. That's when it hit me. I don't know Aaron Terrence Hughes' work because it's not really worth it to pay all the taxes on shipping (fkin Brexit) but the first thing that popped into my mind upon smelling Imitation is the phrase 'Hard Candy'. The producer mentions that this composition is 'neon' and it couldn't be closer to the truth. It smells of neon and neon colored hard candy. It opens up first and foremost bright, very strong, and with the notes on the very different ends of multiple spectrums. It smells of colors, vivid and strong, and very different colors. The smell is very natural and the concentration of the oil high as it glistens on my hand with a fat/oily thick layer. It does smell of all the colors of the bottle, even more. It's neon yellow with that bright, zesty, acidic citron which - surprisingly, I can still feel in the base 6+h still on my skin. It's purple with that violet - a flower, not leaves this time. There's orris but it never gets full on earth, powder, or iris. Don't get me wrong, it is powdery, but as much as everything else - and that everything else is very different, making it so incoherent, yet so fitting each other. It's red, and at the same time green with that Turkish rose. It's red like a rose while not smelling feminine or like a candle and it's lime/cucumber-like green as TR sometimes can be. It says leather, and to be honest - maybe it's here, but it's not a lather fragrance to me. I don't think of a leather jacket. There is castoreum in the base but while Epic is full of it to my nose, having a sour piss note, here it does what it historically did - supports, strengthens, and prolongs the floral aspects. I can't wrap my head around this - it is so yellow, so red, so purple, so violet, and it's all in a thick, strong, aromatic, floral, but mostly candy way. It doesn't smell of sweets, it's not sweet, it's just... Hard Candy. And Neon. It's alive, it's on a high, it's in the mood, having it's time. It B L O W S my mind. I get the dislike bar - not everyone is going to love it. You need balls to wear it, you need not to give a F. And while you need balls - it's a unisex. I can imagine my wife wearing it, too. It is not office safe, and it's great for the whole year maybe except the 20+ summer. It lasts 8+h and projects strong for at least 5. Im kind of surprised they don't mention the natural oak moss extract which it has - because it says so in the INCI. It's important, and it's of value to me, yet they don't even mention it as a note. Strange. Nevertheless - I can imagine this being a hit niche bestseller if it wasn't released by Amouage. If any hip brand released it with a marketing campaign full of lasers, neons, a rave in a basement-level dark club with lots of people having the time of their lives on ecstasy. I can hear The Prodigy playing in the background. I'm fing hyped right now smelling this fragrance and writing this post for you people. I'm euphoric, my chest is about to burst out with flames, I'm jumping in my seat. IT'S AN OMEN, IT'S AN OMEN THE WRITING ON THE WALL

This is one big party from mid to the end of each decade when decadence was rife! 1977: Opening Night of Studio 54: When everyone interesting enough to Steve Rubell's gruelling selection criteria (he was bi-polar, so it could be anything depending on his mood), was granted access to the most hedonistic 'dancing ball' of NYC, rubbing shoulders with Warhol, Michael Jackson, Halston, Diana Ross, et al while snorting cocaine, drinking champagne out of the bottle, and engaging in all sorts of sexual behaviour on and off the dance floor, fuelling the night with the DISCO beat. 1987: Closing Night of The Paradise Garage: When everyone nearly unhinging their shoulders or hips, voguing in ecstasy to the snares, licks and bass-lines of 'larger than life' underground tracks, enabling the forgotten and deprived to be what they wanted to be on the dance floor, fighting it out with nothing but their bodies to the 4 on the floor. 1997: Ministry of Sound London: David Morales plays his remix of 'Plastic Dreams' and I go apes*** on the dance floor like it's 1999, dancing myself into the abyss of joint fatigue of early morning 6am. This fragrance basically wants to conjure up all our associations and emotions we link to the artistic freedom expressed in nightlife of yesteryear: for that reason alone I NEED to own it. Objectively, it is a very wearable modern chypre (even though we are told here that it is a floraleather oriental) reminiscent of 'Eau Du Soir' by SISLEY, 'Ô' de Lancôme and it even has some of the musky, aldehydic pungency of my beloved "Iquitos" by Alain Delon, that is long discontinued and gone.....I love the triangle that is Suede, Vetiver and Patchouli here. The rose is very abstract and vinylised, (not vandalised, although you can interpret perhaps a Graffiti Rose of the late 80ies), like a shrink-wrapped vinyl record, eagerly waiting to be opened, as you take it out of your suede 70ies style designer tote (courtesy of Chloé). The weird and wonderful castoreum (also used to fake vanillin, the genuine vanilla flavour, in cheap and cheerful ice creams) makes it all the more seedy and musky, if not a tad dirrty (like Christina used to sing). VERDICT: The bass-laden dance version of its opposite that is Opus X (which is a Stradivari sit down concert). When a fresh out of cling-film wrapper Gogo-dancer, releases heat pheromones. Perhaps not a safe option for a job interview, but surely a pull in a night club, when you feel frisky. Sits somewhere between 'Beach Hut' and 'Figment" and perhaps the most wearable of them all? 8/10 Not a masterpiece but an honourable and great attempt of trying to 'Bottle up' Hedonism.

Amouage Imitation Man was released in time while Christopher Chong was still the creative director of the brand and one of the last fragrances created under his creative hand. Being no stranger to underappreciated perfumes, I happened upon this gem approximately two years ago, and after a couple of months, it claimed its place as my second favorite from an Omani brand, alongside Dia Man. TOP NOTES The top notes seem to kick off with a somewhat polarizing accord, which is a combination of citruses, spices, and the aforementioned rose note. However, this rose note initially comes across more like a nail polish remover than a burning plastic. Amidst the initial shock that some consumers may experience, the rose continues to shine and mixes with other florals from the heart notes, primarily watery violet, and powdery iris butter. At times, it can resemble a semi-sweet chocolate. The juxtaposition of florals, citruses, and spices creates a unique and sensual opening, likely not found in any other fragrance. HEART NOTES In the heart notes, as the fragrance begins to settle and shed its initial harshness, a captivating transformation unfolds from the polarizing opening. The rose, still a prominent player in the composition, finds balance with an increasing presence of iris (orris butter). This transformation evokes shades of Dior Homme Parfum but offers a smoother, and in my opinion, better-blended rendition than Dior. BASE NOTES After a good couple of hours, Imitation reaches its full dry down. The composition takes on a warmer and more sensual dimension, creating a blend of notes that introduces some of the animalic aspects reminiscent of many old-school scents from the past. A castoreum accord, akin to the one found in Chanel Antaeus, mingles with a halfway modern patchouli note reminiscent of the original Givenchy Gentleman (1974), and a touch of semi-dirty myrrh. All of these dance around the central brown leather accord and iris, creating a spectacle that demands to be experienced. OVERALL Sometimes, there comes a fragrance that defines an entire genre, and Imitation for Men is one such fragrance. Initially unsure if I would like it, this scent grew on me, and for that reason, along with everything else discussed here, I highly recommend sampling it as soon as you can. Compositions like this one are what fuel our passion for fragrance and keep us exploring the ever-evolving world of scents. Read the full review at scentgrail.com

This will be more of a rant than a review, but I want to clear the air with this one, so I’ll try to keep it brief. I bought a carded sample of Amouage Imitation Man. At first, it wasn’t a love—it was bitter and hard to understand. After a while, it REALLY grew on me. It developed this rosy soapiness that was made unique by a bright, bitter citron, with a beautiful orris-leather drydown. Then I went out and bought a bottle. I specifically sought out the older style of packaging, although it turned out to be a 2022 batch. I’m pissed. The rose is muted, and the citron is completely gone. In its place is this weird flinty gunpowder note that’s not too dissimilar to Baptême du Feu by Serge Lutens. I love BdF, but gunpowder doesn’t have a place in this fragrance—especially in place of the critically important citron note. With the top of the fragrance changed, the orris drydown doesn’t hit the same anymore, and who knows—maybe they changed that as well. And yes, even though I don’t believe that maceration will significantly improve a fragrance, I let this one sit for almost a year with no improvement. Needless to say, I’m not happy. I feel like I got bait-and-switched—duped, lied to. This was definitely reformulated, even though Amouage denies it. It’s honestly funny to me how fragrances never seem to change or get reformulated for the better—they’re ALWAYS worse—and I am soooo tired of being gaslit about it. The carded sample of Imitation Man was super addicting. I couldn’t wait to wear it, and I went through the sample quickly with just one spray on my hand a day. When the sample was gone, I ordered a bottle straight away and eagerly anticipated its arrival. I’d give that version a 9/10, maybe even a 10. The 2022 version that showed up is just boring and forgettable and, frankly, a waste of my money. I’d honestly rather be wearing almost anything else. I tried it again today, hoping I’d get something good, but I was left angry and disappointed yet again. I’d give it a 5/10. Maybe the creative director, Christopher Chong, in his wisdom anticipated all of this, and that’s why he named it - Imitation Man.

**** THE MOST UNDERRATED FROM AMOUAGE **** Imitation Man reminded me of my Grandma and growing up in the 80's in Long Island, NY. I guess it was her perfume that gave that smell. Who knows maybe it was my grandpa’s. Either way it reminds me of my grandparents house in the 80’s. It’s very nostalgic for me but not worth a full bottle, even at $138. Not sure when I could wear it. Luckily I was able to return it. FYI - it was a no go for the Mrs as well. UPDATE 12/02/20: Purchased a 10ml decant. There is still something about this scent that I love. I will give it more wearings. Being that it's not very versatile, I think my 10ml decant will be plenty. UPDATE 01/23/21: After some more wearings I have grown to love this scent. Imitation Man needs many wearings in different environments to truly appreciate it. There is a freshness about it that is amazing. I wore this to skateboard at a skate park with my son. While I was there I kept getting whiffs of an amazing smell. My parents showed up to watch my son. I thought what I was smelling was my fathers's cologne. I was about to ask him what he was wearing, then I remembered he only wears Aqua Di Gio Profumo. That's when I realized it was me who smelled so good. Imitation Man works great with some body heat. I retract my previous statement about this not being versatile. This again has an airy freshness about it and I find it be very versatile now. The dry down is the best part. Just be careful with the sprays if used in doors. With that being said my wife still doesn't care for it, but I love it and will be re-purchasing a full bottle. This is an artistic nostalgic scent that every collector should have. This is unisex leaning a bit more masculine IMO. This projects and performs literally the whole day. Out of my collection, I'd say Layton Exclusif and Dior Homme Parfum are the only ones that can compete with this. Dare I say Imitation Man is more powerful. 10/10 This would be my signature scent if my wife enjoyed this on me.