Opus XII – Rose Incense

Before I begin, let me say that I'm not one of Amouage's biggest fans, there is just something in their DNA that doesn't appeal to me. I purchased this for my Fiancé as a gift as she loves roses, but of the girly pink fresh types, sadly unlike this (or that's my excuse for keeping this in my own collection). ;-) When I took a sneak peek of this and a tiny squirt, I was greeted with the common exquisite, eloqount and opulent high quality that you expect with all of Amouage's fragrances. The Rose was almost photo-realistic, but was accompanied with something that beckoned of history, old memories, but not that which one would find in the Middle East, no. Those that have visited The Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur, will know this smell; it is a conglomerate if you will, of memories, that smells of times past, the resinous saturated decades old wood, that has it's fair share of historical stories to tell. However, upon entering the Cathedral or Basilica, that smell blasts past you accompanying all those memories and smells, akin to an olfactory ghost, passing very quickly, or almost through you, as you catch a glimpse of a glorious bouquet of some of the reddest and finest smelling roses, your nose has ever had the pleasure of smelling. The two olfactory encounters seem to clash, like 2 millennial old armies, moments after battle has commenced, and yet in such a brutal clash comes a harmonious smell that amalgamates the two; those two are what I sense when I smell Amouage's Rose Incense. Although more or less a monolithic fragrance, it's monolithic enough for me to want it to remain as such. This is crafted and blended into a heavenly and amazing fragrance. Never have I smelled such a perfectly blended fragrance, of what I perceive to be 2 accords; resinous incense and rose. This is truly a marvellous feat of the highest artisanship that I have ever had the pleasure to come across. I'm not sure if I can call this a safe blind buy, unless the above concoction tickles your fancy. Add to the equation that at an RRP of £320 a bottle, you might want to be sure you're investing in something you will love, like I have fallen in love with this. This is not versatile, nor is it blind buy safe, and is made for those special occasions, those very very special occasions, or I can see some people rock this as their signature scent, for there is one thing that rings true about this fragrance; you will *not* smell this on anyone else, or the chances of it happening will be very slim. a 10/10 scent, longevity and sillage yet TBC, but it's Amouage, I think 2-3 squirts of this will fill a room and leaves a trail as long as a church's aisle, and a gorgeous one at that. Sadly for me, my journey to find that elusive, exceptionally perfect Rose fragrance that matches my gorgeous fiancé has not ended, but lucky me to find such an amazing fragrance in my venture, but not one that befits the woman of my dreams :) UPDATE: after wearing this for 2 days now, not out of choice, but because I've become so addicted to it's calming effect. @DawnBreaker nailed it on the head, I have renamed this in my head to "Rose of the Basilica of Sacré Coeur" because that is what I think, feel, and see in the eye of my mind. I think this is an absolute masterpiece. And by the way, I've compared this to other fragrances that ring true to me, that are akin to this; Xerjoff's Alexandria II and III, only because they have that Incense and Rose feel (subjectively obviously). But to me it's a finely blended portraiture of exactly that; Rose and Incense. Enjoy all and God bless..

An incredibly beautiful dramatic and 'full' scent. It opens with an artistic full rose that is carefully blended with the olibanum. The 'full' effect is (as far as I know) stimulated by the ink accord. This actually sticks to the rose and makes it a bit heavier so that it does not dominate. A little later (10-20 minutes) the olibanum comes a bit more to the foreground but in my opinion it stands side by side with the rose. With one sniff I smell more rose, and with the other sniff I smell more olibanum. They dance together in balance around each other while Myrrh, sandalwood and vanilla cheer them on. All attention is mainly on the rose and olibanum, but the audience (vanilla, sandalwood, elemi and vanilla) give the two components that extra kick that makes them do even more to make it a successful performance. All this with a Middle Eastern twist. I think this is a very nice scent for rose lovers. You have to like the smell of olibanum, especially when you burn it. This is, as the name suggests, a real ''rose-incense'' scent. You have to like that to appreciate the scent. Amouage is a perfume house from Oman that is known for the production of Olibanum or al-luban, especially the 'Hojari' kind. I have the luban al Hojari at home, and burn it occasionally with some other things. And I honestly smell the similarities with the hojari olibanum in this perfume. Great! Longevity = approx. 6-8 hours. After 24 hours I can still smell it on my sweater, not as strong as in the beginning of course but it is still slightly present. The sillage is not that great I think but then I only used a few sprays (2-4). I think you can definitely build this up. Unisex: yes! This does remind me very much of middle eastern people who often smell incredibly nice and leave a heavenly sillage when they walk past (me). I had this experience once, and this scent reminds me a bit, if not a lot, of that!

Rose Incense An ingenious combination of rose and incense. It's one of the few Amouage that gives you exactly what the name states...or so I (you) thought. On my skin the olfactive journey begins with an explosion of elemi, unapologetically spicy, then it's comboed with a medicinal like ink, which sounds repulsive, but it's so entrancing to me. The rose already starts to bloom forth as your olfactive sense is trying to process the elemi and ink. This act lasts almost a minute or two, with the rose slowly blooming more, and more, and more until...frankincense The dramatic entrance calms down, the frankincense intertwines with the rose, and this is where Amouage showcases their prowess with frankincense. The elemi and ink takes a backdrop, but still there, just watching the main characters. Rose and frankincense instantaneously become symbiotic, as if they've always been together. On Amouage's official site, they mention the note of suederal. To be frank, I do not notice a leather or suede like facet, so I can't comment on that. However, the rose and frankincense are the whiffs that you'll enjoy throughout the day if you enjoy rose and frankincense. I'd say the rose and frankincense takes turns being the spotlight, but not one ever overpowers the other. The rose is bright and natural, jammy and lovely, while the classic frankincense is lemony with wisps of smoke and etherealness. The play ends off with some myrrh and vanilla, and the rose and frankincense are still there to lift them up gracefully. The myrrh and vanilla adds this warmth that almost hugs you without ever becoming too sweet. It's fascinating. As for cedar, maybe my nose isn't trained enough for cedar, but I don't quite pick up any cedar or woody facets. Duration and projection is what you expect, but never overwhelming. Enjoy this beautiful creation to the fullest.

After a year of wearing Rose Incense, I have a few more things to add: The rose accord itself is astounding. To call it realistic is to trivialize this rose. It’s like a rose as described in medieval Arabic poetry: associated with paradise, divine beauty, etc. In a sense, it’s more fantastical than realistic. The ink accord serves to idealize the rose by way of obscuring it — the same way a memory is obscured in detail, yet enhanced in emotion. Obviously, the frankincense is majestic — the finest there is. It smells like a 7-star spa in the Emirates: calming, meditative, clean and very, very expensive. But what really makes this perfume work is the base of vanilla, cedar and sandalwood. The creamy, sweet woodiness makes the scent tantalizing precisely because it is restrained; it dares you to draw closer, while the sharp frankincense says “not so fast”. This fragrance is guided by a very clear concept: beauty that is splendid, yet out of reach. That’s where it may lose some people who demand fragrances they can stick their noses in. But to smell it up close would be to shatter the fantasy it conjures; this fragrance is designed with sillage in mind. (Though to be clear, the dry-down is a delicious woody-sweet-rosy skin scent, which can be sniffed with abandon). In my collection this fragrance stands above them all. Some are easier wears (Reflection / 45), some are more opulent (Jubilation / 40), some are fashionably sophisticated (Montabaco Intensivo), some more challenging (Epic), and some are fresh dumb grabs (Sospiro Vibrato, Creed). All smell great, of course. But Rose Incense isn’t just a pleasing combination of ingredients. It is an olfactive treatise on the philosophy of aesthetics. 4/10 needs akigalawood (jk)

Opus XII – Rose Incense Amouage ===================================== A joyous and crimson Damascus Rose set in a Frankincense Hyperabsolute mount, waves of Vanilla clashing against bitter splinters of Myrrh, nocturnal drops of Black Ink crashing against citrusy streaks of Elemi, Opus XII is a study of both Rose and Incense, pushing them each to unexplored territories and pulling out an uncompromisingly novel take on an otherwise classic accord. Inspired by the mystery behind Orson Welles' Rosebud, Opus XII is an ambery and pointillist constellation of gleaming moments coming back and forth from the dregs of memory, compelling us to believe that despite our knowledge of the present, only childhood memories are real. Top Notes: Elemi, Olibanum (Frankincense) Hyper Absolute, Black Ink Accord. Heart Notes: Damascena Rose Water Essential, Suederal, Frankincense Absolute. Base Notes: Myrrh, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Cedarwood. ======================================= Rose Incense is another exquisite blend from Amouage. It opens inky and has a very nice soft incense with a mix of dry dusky green rose. It is pretty linear, not synthetic and really smells beautiful. Rose Incense seems more feminine but it shouldn't stop any guy from wearing and enjoying such a lovely warm, sensual mature fragrance. It can even be a great signature fragrance for the right person. It has very good longevity and projectivity at a good distance. Very good Silage too. If you like rose and incense you gotta have this.