Meander

So to start out... Meander is a perfect name for this perfume, the vibe is a meandering one. I've followed perfumer Mackenzie Reilly on social media for a few years now (I think?) and it's good to finally see/smell her work coming through and certainly for such a high profile brand as Amouage, to be honest she's really made two fantastic perfumes for the Renaissance collection, Meander being my favourite. I saw a couple of reviews but they were from the usual brand sycophants who may have been sent free product so their positive view is met with scepticism. I shouldn't have been so cynical though, but it didn't sound like my bag, or like quintessential Amouage. I blame the reviewers. I think Meander falls more inline with Imitation or Portrayal than it does with Interlude or Epic (all the Man ones of these BTW) which is that it's a floral scent at heart, but surrounding by a swirling, changeling sort of vibe. The opening to me smells very airy, slight and mineral, misty olibanum, and that watery papyrus note you get, by immediate thoughts were... BE GONE THE SPECTRE OF SANTAL 33! YOU'RE NOT WELCOME HERE! Glad to tell you that effect only lasts for a few seconds before everything starts to build, but in a super gentile, civilized manner, Meander is the whimsical antidote to Enclave's full on woody, amber and Amouage Incense thickness. This only lightly nods in the direction with a lemon and pine tinged olibanum, but it's so veiled, vignette in the fabric of this scent, it's barely there at all. A transient, plastic, saffron twang at about the 5-10 minute mark is then gone just as quick. Orris or carrot are listed here in the notes and I'm not sure I get them from this a vague first impression but there's definitely a powdery, sweet element to this perfume. Then the knotty, earthy but fresh tentrils of a rooty vetiver perhaps? start to ground this fragrance. As it progresses it gets nicer and, nicer, a mixture of cool and aloof and warm and cuddly. I guess all this contrarian talk means that Meander performs a successful balancing act which is really what perfumery is all about, balanced harmonics. I hastily wrote this review without properly wearing this perfume at least once. I judged it on a single spray on my wrist but I think I can make something of an evaluation based on that and say that this is very good. To the point I'm tempted to get it. The colour of the bottle is Celadon or Baby Yoda green which is really lovely too.

This is the ONLY fragrance over $100 that I’ve ever purchased a full bottle of, which should tell you how much I love it. Not a perfumer, so I’ll describe it as best as I can. It opens with a slight spiciness alongside a chalky, earthy, dusty carrot note. The carrot comes across as rooty and vegetal (hard to describe but I can smell a whiff of cooking carrot), with a subtle sweetness, but never gourmand. As it dries down, it becomes slightly creamy, smooth, and grounded, while still maintaining that earthiness. I’ve seen some comments from men saying Meander leans too feminine. As a man myself, I disagree. I would call it unisex but leaning masculine because of its earthiness and restraint. That said, it takes a very specific type of man to wear this. Someone self-assured, introspective, not seeking approval, maybe a little quirky (I mean I first tried Meander after blind buying a decant of it after seeing "carrot seeds" as a note and thought "Carrot seed? That sounds cool, let me try it". Most common reaction from my male friends has not be "that smells like a woman's fragrance" or "too feminine" but “I like it, just not for me.” I was complimented wearing Meander once by a stranger, a woman who said "That's a really pretty scent". Make of that what you will but the point is this is not a classic "sexy" scent. As I mentioned i purchased a whole 100ml bottle of Meander to wear as my signature scent (Jomashop had it for 40% off -only way for me to justify it), mainly because of its versatility. Its powdery woodiness shines in cool weather, but it never becomes oppressive in warmer temperatures (I was using like 4 sprays of the Decant). If I had to describe how Meander behaves, I would say it “hums” around you rather than announcing itself. You get random whiffs of it as you move about your day. It isn’t a compliment bomb, and maybe that’s intentional. People generally need to be close to smell it, as it sits closer to the skin compared to most other Amouage fragrances. I would describe it as an introvert’s fragrance. Performance is excellent. I can still detect the drydown on my skin 10–11 hours later, and on clothing it lasts even longer. I’m sure there may be fragrances similar to this, but I personally haven’t encountered one yet. Meander feels truly unique in both its composition and behavior.

I blind bought this and it came in today. I’ve been wearing it all day and I just reapplied so here are my thoughts: I’ll start off by saying that I’ve never smelled anything like this at all. It’s not strong, but it lasts a long time, and it’s one of those perfumes where you’ll get random whiffs of it over 8-10 hours instead of a constant cloud. It’s very dry and earthy without smelling dirty or rough. It’s such an unusual scent but it’s so addictive for some reason. Usually with amouage, I have to kind of grow into them, even on the ones that I liked a lot the first time I smelled them. But this is one that I’m already addicted to. I bought a 50ml bottle and I’m actually worried that I may run out soon despite the amount of perfumes I have in my collection. It’s creamy and a touch bitter, but equally as sweet (imagine the sweetness from a carrot juice, not a vanillic sweetness) that really balances it out beautifully. This is one of the crazy underrated Amouage’s that I think is really perfect for a signature scent because it’s insanely unique, but at the same time it’s relatively versatile and it’s not overpowering while still lasting a long time. 9.8/10. Gorgeous perfume. Edit; I’ve been smelling this on a tester strip while chilling and watching a show. This thing really has a grip on me. Edit #2: woah. The more I smell this perfume, the higher it shoots up on my list of favorite perfumes. If I had to describe the scent in a way without using notes, I would describe it as so; a dark and windy day in early March with light drizzle and the faint, but sweet aroma of the earth. You’re out in nature but it’s eerily quiet besides the wind, and it feels like the perfect start to a zombie apocalypse movie. Like the calm before the storm... but the storm never arrives. Meander is calming, yet weirdly keeps you on edge. It’s oddly addictive. This isn’t the scent of a perfume that’s meant to smell sweet and alluring and sexy and boring. It doesn’t even smell like a perfume. It’s like a place that you’ve visited in the past. Maybe when you were a kid, or maybe in a distant dream. This is one of the best Amouage’s I’ve ever smelled (although aren’t they all?) 9.9/10.

This is an interesting perfume and not what I, personally, would typically expect from Amouage. This is a very light, very lush, green scent. The top notes of olibanum, carrot, pink and black pepper conduct an affectionate little dance with each other that gives a sort of minty or citrusy effect, without actually being minty or citrusy. It's fresh, slightly nose tingling, and sweet but in the way carrots are sweet when cooked, not outright sugary. The pepper subsides, but the carrot remains and blends with the heart and base notes of orris, rose, cypriol, jonquille, olibanum resins, vetiver, and sandalwood. The carrot plays very nicely with the orris, rose, and jonquille. The combination of the carrot with the florals gives a sort of green mango impression. The resinous and woody notes are very tame and restrained; they're there, but never really make their presence known - happily sitting as a calm foundation for all of the other ingredients to build upon. In the final dry down, after about 4hrs the vetiver and sandalwood gain strength and presence to create fresh, clean, green wood accords for a gripping yet strong skin scent that is absolutely lovely. I'm not sure how it's doing what it's doing but it is captivating. Meander has an airy and cooling wetness, like a fog, but it doesn't feel wet or thick, in fact, it's quite dry after a lot of time and close study. It should also be said that because they did not skimp on high quality ingredients, not that Amouage ever does, it has another effect that is quite different from your typical green freshies in that it feels substantial, enveloping, elegant, and regal, whereas most green freshies feel like an effervescent spritz that tries to immediately escape to the air. Not Meander though. Meander wants to hug you, and stay close. A great companion to meander with.

Wow I love this one.... For me, my love of Niche perfumes first started with Interlude Black Iris. I also grew up in the Syriac Orthodox Church and have always been surrounded by incense and that has really made me appreciate Amouage so much and fall in love with the brand. So, Meander for me is a continuation of that love of incense fragrances Amouage is famous for... but this one of course is lighter, more intimate, fresher and super smooth.... after sampling first I went ahead and bought a full bottle. This is what I've been looking for as far as an every day scent that is both fresh and middle eastern with that incense.... and my wife happens to really like this one too surprisingly because she doesn't like anything.... I've been wearing this daily from early morning and I get 5-6 hours with 4 sprays..... and if I want to keep it going late into the afternoon/evening I'll just reapply. This is not a loud scent... sometimes, I'll layer Jubilation 40 or Interlude Black Iris in the evening if I'm going out and want to experience something deeper and louder but for every day wear that is office friendly this is perfect. Before I bought this I sampled Reflection 45 and a few other "freshy" ... "summer friendly" fragrances... but in the end my wife liked this one the most and it ranked highly for me as well... so while not super loud or strong, it's perfect for daily wear and worth every penny if you ask me considering you can buy it for around 1/2 of retail now. Smell (me) - 10/10 Smell (wifey) - 9/10 Versatility - 10/10 Performance - 6.5/10 Overall - 9/10