Material

A paradox, Material is granted not very unique but a masterpiece nonetheless so allow me to convince you of the same. It reminds me of at least one other fragrance along the same vein but where it differs and thereby excels, is in the perfumer's vision and execution. It is a surprising fragrance from a house that boasts some of the most unique and hard to love, but nonetheless beautiful, fragrances I have tried. Under the new creative director, I think the house is undergoing some changes, going from niche to the extent where perfumery was art to a slightly more mass appealing direction and I will reserve judgement on how I feel about that, for now. An ambery vanilla can almost never do any wrong with my nose but what's really interesting to me is the way patchouli is used. It is a very commonly used base note in many fragrances, but surprisingly used as top note here, highlighting it's spicy, slightly herbal qualities and accompanied by elemi which is a balsamic note. As a result, the opening is punchy with a medicinal and aromatic feel to it but as the other notes develop - a powdery delectable vanilla and a molten amber which are of course the star players along with hints of oud and incense, the patchouli moves into the background, functioning now as a note that rounds off and balances these other notes. To summarize, patchouli is used both to create an interesting opening but at the same time it lasts through the entire life of the fragrance shifting roles by completing this composition. It is fundamentally a resinous, ambery vanilla with a noticeable patchouli running through it but Cecil's take on this is as close to perfection as the limits of my imagination will let me go. The performance is really good lasting a good 7-8 hrs on my skin projecting moderately with pretty good sillage. This has fast become one of my favourite Amouages, competing directly with Sunshine, which has been unchallenged all these years. Definitely full bottle worthy for me, the beautiful bottle only added to it's appeal.

Material is Amouage's take on an amber-vanilla scent. While it isn't groundbreaking and is reminiscent of other good quality amber scents (Lutens' Ambre Sultan in particular), it is excellent. The amber accord is rich and multifaceted, punctuated by other well-chosen complementary notes. Sometimes balsamic and sweet, other times salty and animalic, Material is a celebration of amber, as well as being elegant and wearable. Material opens with a beautiful elemi note - one of my favourite amber notes in general. Balsamic with a pine-like nuance, yet rich and grounded, it starts gets this scent off to an excellent start. A pinch of patchouli is an inspired addition - it adds an earthy, herbal counterpoint, while enhancing the green nuance of the elemi. As it develops, the amber becomes more resinous and the vanilla note adds smooth sweetness, complementing it to perfection. There is a peachy undertone here thanks to the subtle osmanthus - an unusual inclusion that really works. Warm and rich, this is my favourite phase of Material. As it dries down, the amber accord becomes more animalic - salty and leathery thanks to the oud. I get a myrrh-like hint of incense without much smokiness, and a soft sweet/spicy tonka bean note complements it nicely. There is a grounding woodiness during its later stages too. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. An excellent unisex amber-vanilla scent, Material is high-quality and features a few creative inclusions despite being a traditional, familiar composition. Cosy and rich, it's the kind of scent I crave in cold weather. It is the best amber-vanilla scent I've tried - now, I must try Grand Soir and Tango for comparison. 4.5/5.

I had to sample this given the similarities to MFKs Grand Soir, which I loved, but the dry down was far too masculine for me. The opening between the two is identical, a deep and intense resinous amber. Alongside the amber, there are also prominent spicy woody notes in the dry down. Yet, the oud in this is very light and not dirty smelling at all (coming from a person who dislikes ouds- this is the first oud I’ve liked- hooray!) I don’t detect much vanilla in this compared to GS but it still has a warm almost ‘sweet’ feeling. The scent becomes much more subdued as you wear, which I actually enjoy, I find ambers can become heady for me if they’re powerhouses. There’s something so addictive about this, it’s blended beautifully and obviously high quality. It’s very unisex and not masculine or aftershave-like with what I found Grand Soir’s downfall to be. This doesn’t project massively nor is it beastmode 12hr+ fragrance, but with how resinous I really don’t want it to be. I like how subtle it is. I always struggle with amber scents, simply because I love them but my mothers signature scent is Prada Amber, and I feel as if I was to wear a heavy amber scent then I’d be ‘stealing her shine’, so to speak. Yet, this might just be my perfect amber fragrance for me. It’s not too heavy, not too light, it’s not dated or mature smelling. I also think it’d work all year round but I imagine it flourishing in Winter😍 I thoroughly enjoy this scent and I think it’d make a very unique home in my collection. Considering a full bottle, once I get over the £275 price tag.

I am and remain an incurable blind-buyer and avid YT-influencer follower although I KNOW it ́s wrong...So I blind-bought Material because it`s Amouage and because it`s Cecile Zarokian and..yes because my fragrance YT-gurus Sebastian, The Perfume Guy and Demi Rawling put this on on top of their Amouage-ranking-list (two years ago).So I was so excited when I got the fragrance that I sprayed without a second thought a healthy dose on my arm and was instantly shocked...because I was hit by a blast of elemi and patchouli. I had not checked the notes before of course and being a sworn patchouli-hater (I can tolerate it in the base of fragrances) I was very tempted to scrub it off...which would have been a big mistake.Because Cecile is like a magician, and what followed was a mix of deep dark spices, resins and of course incense. The vanilla here is beautiful, initially not sweet, reminiscent of Vanilla Edesia, but it becomes more intense and sweeter on the way to the dry down, perfectly blended with the balsamic notes and the incense. The oud is (thankfully) barely there, between all the other notes. Conclusion; it is a powerful balsamic and resinous vanilla, unisex, better suited for cold weather because it is heavy and it is for sure NOT a blind buy! The olfactory journey is like a walk through a gothic castle: scary in the beginning, then dark, mysterious, but always thrilling. This one is not for the faint of heart,it is how I imagine Maleficent or Morticia Adams or even Akasha, the vampire queen, would smell like...

I am writing this review after a few day of wear during spring in the UK. This was a bind buy solely based on the fact the I absolutely love Grand Soir, and I was looking for similar ambers but with a different twist. That's exactly what you get with Material. To be honest, for me it feels like a crossover between Encens Suave EDP and Grand Soir. The sweetened incense note is VERY similar to what you get in Encens Suave, but it's less prominent here. It is very resinous and almost feels a bit dry, which helps with balancing the sweetness. The wear experience is more intense than Grand Soir (which is not wimpy in any way, but has a lightness to it that makes it very versatile) but the longevity is not as good. It lasted on me about 6h-7h before turning into a pleasant skin scent. Overall I think it's a good fragrance which will definitely go on my rotation... But please don't pay retail price for this. £320 for 100ml is an absolute joke for a fragrance that is not necessarily groundbreaking or filled with precious ingredients. Ah, it's also worth mentioning that the oud in here is basically non-existent. if there's anything, it's indistinguishable and shouldn't really be listed as a standalone note. If you care about that, it is fully unisex in my opinion and more suitable to colder weather/regions. Wearing it on a spring day of about 18 degrees celsius was a bit of a stretch and it felt a little bit cloying sometimes.