Overture Woman

Overture Woman Amouage (USD 150, A36522G089, 2022 batch, 2nd hand with box, 99 ml. left) First Impression, My appreciation, Hail to Annick Menardo. Another masterpiece is born.. Overture Woman was bring to my attention in December 2023. I think it smell nice, boozy and cozy, sweet and enjoyable but it just didn't call me that time. Until middle of Luna New Year when I wear "Parfum de la Nuit 2" the boozy amber fragrance but old way. I had small thought to myself, "Old World Boozy Amber is so nice", it could be great if I can find something slightly. cheaper for daily wear, I just cannot spray USD 350 fragrance every day. It costs a fortune. Then the quest for alternative was began. I, then recall overture woman that I tasted out a few month back. I tried to seek a profile using supports from Fragrantica's tool but It is just can't. The range I was looking is so specific, apart from few offers from By Killian, It seems to be new way than old way. I finally land on someone's offer and I so happy now to have her in my collection.. Please first, all boozy / fruity fragrance is not natural. it is twist on note to create something new. In Overture woman, I think it is something twist from French Labdanum to create Calvados accord. The opening is sweet dry apple that have certain hint of dryness / balsamic undertone to it, boozy but fresh at a same time the phase linger around 2 hours. The leather is kind of there from get go, it adds mild animalic tone but not went to far into animalic note territory. As scent progress, the Calvados accord reduce into woody-spicy experience But dry apple sweetness still linger, but something in this reminds of woody scent. that similar profile to Bois d'Aragant. It build around Cinnamon + Myrrh. Fragrance reaches final dry down in 4 hours post wear, At this, still tiny tiny bit of Calvados accord left in more like a tint of booze. But major experience, was Olibanum and Leathery Labdanum scent. It is not really balsamic like the Labdanum dominant (I think majority of note twisted to use in top already)... also as final stage, it reminds me of Rose Incense a bit. Overall, it is smooth and fun Boozy-Amber experience. Its sweet, its dry, its ambery but I wouldn't say it is luxurious experience. It is not the same experience as "Parfum de la Nuit 2" which heading to Animalic amber with rum, very society. Overture profile provide more youthful and sexy. But I think the twist is same in both fragrances. It is manipulation of Labdanum and it definitely a fun wear. The point I would like raise is on cloth the apple boozy accord won’t go anywhere and I get a whiff all the time, in the last end it is labdanum and mild brown leather experience. I believe this is definitely try-on or full bottle worthy. Score 10/10 Projection Moderate-High for 4 hours, become 1 foot closer to wearer. Longevity: 9 hours+ Classification: Unisex-leans femme Summary: Old Booze in the house. Extension 1 : Dec 20, 2024 - I retest this today, This time I get it almost jelly like texture I recall often When Labdanum is strongly involve in fragrance. And I do understand vinegar comment as it is the sourness from Labdanum. It can be pushed as far as FM Promise but in this still pretty much boozy rose dominant. The Leathery is Saffron and Labdanum combination similarly. I think this most "Fun" Amouage offering from the whole line. Not girly or Feminine but fun, not as rich as typical Amouage but still high-quality amber. It's very Fun fragrance to wear.

Annick Menardo and her team made this masterpiece of a perfume, I absolutely love her work and this fragrance is amazing. I am writing this review after wearing, testing understanding this fragrance after almost 5 - 6 months. This perfume maybe termed as for women but in all honestly this is a unisex fragrance. My first encounter with this fragrance was in Kualalumpur Malaysia, I was shopping there and I found an Amouage boutique, there I was sampling multiple fragrances and I was hoping to find myself an old bottle of Jubilation XXV because the new bottles are very weak in performance, anyhow the sales representative introduced me to Amouage overture women and when I asked him about the overture man, he recommended me to try the women fragrance and without a doubt he was 100% correct to do so and he mentioned that this is more masculine and as a oriental fragrance lover he was very much on the point and it was instantly amazed by it because its such a beautiful fragrance. About this fragrance, this is absolutely amazing, its not as fruity as Erba pura where you literally smell like a mix fruit juice box, this perfume helps me with the fruity itch / craving that I have but not over the top like Erba pura. Overture women is very fruity, floral, dense and heavy, just the way I like my middle eastern fragrances to be. This perfume bas basically 2 stages, the opening followed by mid and the mid followed by base, its semi linear but complex at the same time, unlike other fragrances where it changes a lot this does change but not too much, there is a good consistency about this fragrances. The opening of this fragrance starts off with a juicy fruity apple and berries and after an hour or so the floral heart pops which stays there for a long time and after lik 7 - 9 hours or so you can smell the base which is this rich deep heavy oriental smell with fruits, flowers, woody and amber. This is spectacular work done by the perfumer same as she did with another masterpiece called Amouage figment man TLDR - Fruity oriental - Insane longevity and projection - Masterfully blended - More masculine leaning (IMO) - All year round but works best during winter & Autumn. Cons - Some people find it "overpowering" (which I disagree because there is no such thing as too powerful fragrance, its a matter of when and how you apply it) - Complex fragrance where you need test it out and wear it properly to understand. - High price point

This is the second women’s perfume I buy for myself, don’t really care, I love this scent! And I love it so much more than Overture for men, which in fact I kind of dislike... on the contrary, in Overture for women I can’t find a single note I don’t love... and that is very difficult with Amouage perfumes, which for me are a bit all over the place... as even the ones that I do like, such as Reflection or Jubilation, have some weird note somewhere in the construction. Overture for women is a bright, fruity, spicy, and somewhat leathery, delight! Longevity is amazing, it’s been hours since I sprayed it and keeps going strong, projection is moderate. I don’t think this perfume is as “fresh” as some reviews say, for me sweet perfumes fall in a category of their own. The only blind buy I would recommend from Amouage. ***Update*** First some context... my original review was from spraying myself at the store the day I purchased it... I sprayed only my right arm, and had at least two other perfumes on myself that day, one in my left arm, Black Powder from Jusbox which I also sampled and purchased, and Drakkar Noir which I had sprayed in the morning and was almost completely gone. Today I decided to wear Overture again, but now on its own, and as it turns out, the Black Powder perfume which I had sampled together with Overture, muddled or even disappeared two distinct accords from the latter... the first, a sweet honey opening, very likable and very reminiscing of honey perfumes and oils from Guerlain or Carolina Herrera... the second, a not so likable accord that smells like a very well perfumed woman who has been smoking all day and is now impregnated with cigarette smell. By the way, It’s not a tobacco note, it’s a smoking cigarettes all day smell. Sadly, as I said earlier, Amouage always adds a certain weird note to their perfumes... I thought Overture Woman was the exception... but it isn’t. Still an amazing perfume!

When I was first trolling through the Amouage offerings, I found a lot of them unwearable. I wanted to like the house, but usually there was too much incense, spice or burning plastic (as is true for Interlude). Eventually I discovered Overture Woman and I instantly fell for it, drawn into its warm, sweet amber. Interestingly, I began seeing the house in a different light and found myself enjoying what I had previously found offensive. For instance, I began to understand the complex textures of Interlude and found creamy amber behind the smoke and incense. It's always this way isn't it? Where your love of one perfume catalyses a love for the wider brand? The opener is very powerful, projecting resinous amber, boozy apple and a grating leather/birch note. This scent is much stronger than your usual amber/myrrhs (ambre nuit, ambre sultan) such that I'd put it in a separate genre. Up close there is a hint of aromatics/woodiness and yet despite these 'harsh' additions, the projected scent is a lovely, agreeable apple-amber warmed with cinnamon. The progression of the scent is mostly linear. The sharp edges smooth out, leather becomes less prominent, tonka pokes through a little more alongside slight smokiness from labdanum and spiciness from myrrh. The apple-tinged amber becomes airier, more muted, yet still projects substantially 5 hours in. Longevity is unreal, lasting over 12 hours. Though I would consider Dark Lord as my signature during nights, Overture Woman is what I'll put on if I need to run something less risky. Overture is an alluring, inoffensive powerhouse that will create a strong first impression. P.S: As much as I hate to admit it, Wanted by Azzarro does smell similar-ish (from the card). Though it is more masculine aromatic (juniper, sage), there is a similar apple-amber drydown. This could be an ideal cheaper alternative.

Most of older Amouages are complex and multifaceted and Overture Woman is in that same level. So many different traits are sweetly mixed in the scent. At first it amazes you with its bold and enigmatic side, it’s like a big mystery. It’s like a magic wand which put a spell on you and you don’t understand straight away what has happened. Overture Man is full of very realistic notes and personally Overture woman has been somewhat abstract to my nose since the beginning. It’s delicious and almost syrupy but still it’s not edible. It clearly reminds me of fruity apples and has boozy vibe in it but I have never tasted Calvados which has this kind of aroma. I mean this is utterly irresistible and I’m not a good friend with Calvados. Together with the elegance of Saffron in the opening it seamlessly combines with warmth and sophistication from the heart where Benzoin, Myrrh and Cinnamon create a golden aura and a subtle rosy touch offers a tiny hint of feminine elegance. Leathery base with Labdanum and Amouage's signature Incense is seductive and completes the fragrance as a completely unisex. The whole concoction is rich, polished and refined, everything in it intertwines perfectly. The scent is like a beautiful melody that lingers in your head even after the music itself has stopped. It is unforgettable. Like Overture Man, Overture Woman truly shines during the festive season and especially during Christmas time. The longevity is great, around 8 hours and the sillage is strong. Thank you for reading, I hope my review was helpful. I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG and/or YouTube (English subtitles): @ninamariahperfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗