The Library Collection Opus XI

I am going to keep this simple and silly because I for one cannot pick out the notes in this. I usually can but some compositions beg to be smelled as a whole and we waste so much time in the finer details. I am not an oud connoisseur and the only ouds I have smelled are the rose/oud combos which I don't care for. The oud comes across as curated (and cured) leather to me and there is an almost antiseptic quality to the composition only you don't get the burning sensation that your brain makes you think you will get through smelling it. Obviously there is much more going on in there which lends that 'antiseptic' quality. I can only assume it is the Leatherwood (Tasmanian shrub, not a made up note) and Marjoram (herb) that may be responsible for this but sadly I am not familiar with either... The styrax lends that smoky hint and I am sure there is a hint of patchouli in here somewhere as I smell it in the base. I also smell some very faint floral note in here but I don't know what it is. I blind bought a bottle about two weeks ago and thought I had made a very expensive mistake but it's all in the perseverance. This does not come off clothes and I haven't washed the clothes yet to see if it would come off at all. I feel strangely drawn to it and wanted to wear something else but wanted to wear this too. I sprayed it under my arms at around 7pm. It is now 4:30 pm the day after (I am not working today hehe) and I can still smell it as if I have just sprayed it. I think it is one to be worn in the nights and the colder darker days are more suited with the overall feel of the fragrance. I am assuming this was created by one of the two Maestros: Pierre Negrin or Alberto Morillas. I think it is Negrin as there is an intimidating vibe going on here which commands that the wearer is to be respected (and obeyed haha)! The bottle colour is very apt and it amazes me how Christopher Chong interprets these colours through smell alone. All in all an exceptional composition (the word fragrance feels too casual in the context of Opus XI) that I fear a lot of people may not like... I like it a lot and have been wearing it almost everyday alongside with other stuff because of some strange kind of fear of missing out on it.

When I first sprayed Opus XI to skin, I swore out loud. There are two reasons why I would release a slurry of expletives when smelling a perfume, either because it stinks to high hell or because I feel the need to brace for impact. Before I get into my reaction, the accords according to Amouage are marjoram at the top, oud in the middle, and styrax/leather at the base. Supposedly the focus is on oud. I don't know about that. When creating this perfume Christopher Chong emphasized the desire for a fully synthetic perfume inspired by Chong's take on fake-news. News that is fake and spreads faster than sunlight is certainly emulated by the materials and their technical handling. But, the oud material is completely synthetic and "unfinished" - it's missing other critical materials to present to us "oud" as we would (mostly) naturally encounter it. Fake (news), yes; convincing enough to be news, no. Oud it is not, and not really convincing as a fake oud either. What is more convincing would be a focus on the leather aspect; it's acidic and chemically, like the tanning of leather, with a deep, dark animalic backdrop. The marjoram is a very interesting touch, if a very, very heavy handed one. The overload of marjoram pushes the opening into the realm of gasoline, calling to mind more violet leaf than culinary herbs, and lasts for quite a long time, nearly two hours. It smells like someone spilled fuel all over a freshly tanned leather jacket. Now, back to the "why" of my reaction. This perfume doesn't have energy, it has a nuclear volatility, a warfare explosivity. It is loud, it is powerful, it is bold and daring and dangerous feeling. It pulls no punches and gives no quarter. Yet, olfactorily, it is very wearable; I'm not struggling with the accords at all, despite their overtly synthetic and "unfinished" nature. And, despite the power, danger, and volatility, it is smooth - the materials are great - and it is very well composed. It does not go for shock and awe at the expense of technical execution, which is absolutely masterful. An avant garde leather oud that makes a statement easily understood. I love this perfume, very much.

Let me put my mark in the sand and say...”Toot...toot! HYpe train starts here!!!” If I cared about being one of the first to declare that shit!!! In fact I actively don’t want people to like it therefore making it more exclusive and just for those in the know, and being part of the Opus line that’s where I suspect it will remain, in relative semi obscurity. I could be wrong though, because it’s so excellent it deserves high praise. Opus XI Opens up with a wet flint/stone almost dewy sensation of lush greens but you can instantly tell that is the calm before the storm and there is an awesome, dense base lurking underneath. Already it’s sharp and cutting yet somehow smooth and meditative. Basically the combination of a huge styrax note which is INCREDIBLE serves as a The darker more enchanted side of resins, which can usually run the gamete between cerebral or uplifting incense or leathery and sharp or dry amber to warm cuddliness. Styrax and oud In Opus XI are the perfect marriage for each other creating a highly medicinal and cutting fragrance but one which has a ton of depth even with the relative simplicity. I absolutely loved this stuff! Bold and in your face but balanced and refined too the best way to describe its vibes if you’re not familiar with this sort medicinal/resinous/oud smell is that of Gucci guilty absolute pour homme. Not just the almost antiseptic feel (Opus is way smoother and better BTW) but a natural sense, true resinous power delivered in a unique package. There’s something raw yet refined about it and it lasts and develops for many hours. I’ve always been a fan of the Opus series, they are kinda deliberately overlooked and more obscure than the main (his/hers) releases. The first six books if you like, were nice enough but the additional volumes have just got better and better, I remember describing Opus VII as like something Al Pacino would wear in that movie ‘Devils advocate’ (although I may have stolen that from someone who said it about a different fragrance & will still not be credited

Opus XI is the last of the original Library Collection for me to test. Another excellent addition to an outstanding line from one of my favourite houses, OXI is an elegant, masculine scent with muted, woody oud as the focal point. It is aromatic and herbal with an animalic but not pungent amber base. It is an unusual yet wearable take on oud, made with the high-quality ingredients typical of Amouage. OXI opens with an aromatic herbal accord thanks to the marjoram on a dry, woody base. There is a camphorous effect here, alongside soft spices, which gives this a clean, slightly synthetic quality. It is pleasantly aromatic overall. The oud note develops, dry and woody but increasingly leathery as it progresses. It is like soft, worn suede. It becomes balsamic as the amber base develops, enhancing the animalic side of the oud note. There is a hay-like note evident in the late stages too. It remains dry and aromatic, becoming slightly musky as it fades, lingering for a long time without wearing thin. It is best worn in cold weather. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. Simple but nicely composed, OXI is a sophisticated yet undemanding high-quality masculine scent. Unassuming, nicely-composed with points of interest, this is a lovely addition to a great collection. 4/5.

I agree with the below reviewer. There are many things in here. Given that there is no oud in this perfume (at least it certainly doesn't smell like it), and that this is therefore an oud accord, that one note will in fact be a combination of many woods, woody ambers, possibly patchouli, possibly cypriol, who knows, and I definitely agree that there's sandelwood too. If the brand insists there's oud, they must be doing a Guerlain, putting homeopathic amounts in so they can say it's there. It's not an oud perfume, it's a scratchy woody-amber perfume. It's not bad, but it's probably the least wearable of this collection I've come across (although I haven't smelled them all). It's a scratchy, screechy aroma-chemical soup, and certainly seems like an acquired taste to my nose. "I shouldn't say this but it's kind of a fake oud" - Pierre Negrin interview on Amouage's YouTube channel Update: 99% identical to Gucci Guilty Absolute, and 100% identical in the drydown.