Outlands

The sharp, citrusy, and incensing opening is simply magical, but what comes next is what makes this scent otherworldly: the drydown. The way this fragrance evolves on your skin should be the prime example of what should be expected of the perfumery. While the opening is sharp and almost intrusive, the drydown feels like an invitation. The performance? Nuclear, it's going to last for hours, and thanks to the enormous projection, you're going to be noticed in the crowd; it will most definitely make you stand out. If you want to wear it, be prepared to wear it with confidence; there can't be any doubts surrounding you while wearing this monster of a fragrance. Many people are probably wondering about the infamous Outlands clone, Rayhaan Terra. I compared them both, and while there are differences (the opening is very different) the drydown is VERY similar. You cannot expect the same quality as Amouage, literally grow most of their ingredients by themselves, while Middle Eastern clones like Rayhaan use cheaper alternatives at much, MUCH lower asking price, but in the end the similarity is there. If you liked Terra you will love Outlands, if you liked Outlands you will probably enjoy Terra very much. If you're ready to pay the premium price, then go for Outlands. However, if you'd rather settle for lower-quality ingredients but a very similar drydown phase, then Terra will save you a lot of money and bring tons of joy. Last thing, the price. The price is monstrous. A few months ago, Beautinow sold it for 250 EUR a piece, but don't expect such a sale to come up anytime soon, and don't buy it on the second-hand market, if you're not well versed in distinguishing fakes from originals, there is an enormous chance you will get scammed. If unsure, always ask on r/colognecheck subreddit, there are people who are always willing to help you with distinguishing fakes from OG's. As of right now, the safest place to buy Outlands is directly from Amouage.

I am new to the world of niche perfumery. The reviews of Outlands kept saying that it’s not blind buy safe and that it’s not suitable for those without a mature nose. So naturally I bought a sample. I live in Texas and it’s about to be july so needless to say I haven’t been able to wear this much. However every time I do I’m reminded of how beautiful this is. A lot of people complain about the opening. My family said the opening was very rich and pleasant. My best friend said that the opening was “a little stanky”. However about 10 minutes later he said that it had morphed into a beautiful scent he couldn’t describe. To me the opening is a bit harsh but not too bad. So what does it smell like? To me this smells like a resinous, incensey smoky vanilla, but not a sweet treat type of vanilla. More like a pleasant waft of warm vanilla that’s been smoked to give it depth. I wouldn’t call it a gourmand. There’s definitely a “sticky” texture to the smell but I love it. Every now and then I get some whiffs of spice and something fresh that helps keep this balanced. That’s another thing. This is really nicely balanced, it never feels too heavy either way but also never feels like it’s confused on what it is. Projection is amazing, even with just one spray. My skin struggles to project and eats everything. So finding a fragrance with real performance has been a joy. I enjoyed this fragrance so much I bought a full bottle after just one wear. I’m not an expert by any means, but I feel like anyone who hates on this didn’t give it time to get past the opening. That’s fair enough, Lord knows I’ve skipped over fragrances after a disastrous opening. It’s much more versatile than people give it credit for. One spray for work/warmer days. Two sprays for colder days where you’ll be outside. I think three sprays would label you a bioweapon.

Opens with pepper, sichuan, capsaicin, cardamom, behind that is powdery and sweet, similar to Layton without the verdox green apple note. Something else takes the place of verdox, I think it is a blend of the geranium, rose, wormwood, and anise that blends with the citrus notes to make a pseudo fruity flowery anisic accord. The opening and top notes are sure to be a crowd pleaser unless it's oversprayed or used in high heat, the powdery aspects can become overpowering and cloying in these scenarios. Once the pepper and citrus calms down you can really smell the amber accords, very high quality warm benzoin, just the right amount of oppoponax, labdanum, blended with vanillin, ethyl vanillin, maltol, I suspect, harmonizes with the peppery spice essential oils to make this into a unique warm marshmallow sugar sweetness, mixed with something akin to Nishane's Spice Bazaar. Photorealistic eating warm marshmallows while getting sprayed by bear mace, but in a good way. The usual white musks in the background doing the projection, ambroxan, iso e super, I think I smell a clean towel musk maybe tonalid? The drydown has a sweaty body odor cumin note in it that will have you second guessing if that's your sweat or Outlands, and it is actually the Outlands. It is not so prominent as to be off putting, but for people that love that aspect of cumin in perfumery, this is probably one of the most well done fragrances to utilize cumin in this way. Not for beginners, this is for people who are actually *into* perfumery. Amouage uses more natural ingredients than most, which is what pushes their price point up, obviously there are synthetic ingredients in this as there are in literally every fragrance ever, but you can tell Cecile was cooking with this one, and put the naturals to very good use.

So I just bought this today and am I having buyers remorse? Not quite. I’m just stunned I paid $515 w/ tax for a fragrance. I got a sample from the Amouage boutique 2 months ago and lived with it. I’ve been on a hiatus from fragrances for the last 1-2 years kind of in limbo waiting for a fragrance that spoke to me. I had grown tired of the hype of the fragrance community. One random day of just sitting in the mall I decided to go into the Amouage store. They gave me a few samples and this captivated me. Maybe because it’s familiar yet distinct. This is resinous, spice, vanilla flavored, with a sweetness, yet has freshness. I kept wearing the sample and each time I loved it more until I was like I need this then boom $475 I was floored. However this is something that resonated with me. I then get on YouTube and find out this is going viral. I see why it’s polarizing however I don’t think this is ground breaking but it’s really good at what it does. I love it. It’s going to be a staple in my collection. It’s last well over 12 hrs and projects nicely all day. This isn’t for everyone but I believe it smells amazing I. The air. This is one of those commitment fragrances because once it’s on it on everything it touches for months literally. If you love dark, powerful, resinous fragrances you might like this.

Picked up Amouage Outlands today after a long internal battle with Jubilation 40, and I have zero regrets. Cardamom is my favourite note, full stop. Growing up with it in Pakistani food and tea, I’m extremely sensitive to how it’s handled, and Outlands absolutely gets it right. It opens aromatic, warm, and spiced in a way that feels familiar yet elevated. Comforting but undeniably luxurious. The balsamic notes, vanilla in the heart are borderline euphoric. Genuinely one of those moments where you roll your eyes back and just let it wash over you. Rich, smooth, and addictive. What really works here is how the cumin, oud, amber, and frankincense are blended. On paper it looks busy, but in practice it’s cohesive and well judged. Even though I’m not usually an amber fan, it sits comfortably in the composition and supports the other notes rather than overpowering them. It’s exceptionally well blended, with smooth transitions throughout the wear. The fragrance evolves in stages, revealing small surprises over time rather than staying linear. A solid pickup, and honestly, a standout Amouage for anyone who appreciates spice driven, resinous compositions done with restraint and class. Edit : Someone said this smells like a spicy coca-cola and I can't unsmell it now 😂 anyone else smell it?