Amazone (1974)

I used to wear this when I lived in Paris in the 70's so it was more with nostalgia than any longing for the fragrance, that I acquired a sample of EDP. On first spray I did not recognize the smell, there was no indication of visiting an 'old friend'. Anyway -first sniff gives freshness (aldehyde) and something else - woody but not balsamic - floral but not sickly -very different - the ingredients work together not against each other but I get this overall feeling this is really really old fashioned -classic but old - but then I sniff again and there's the leather again to bring it back to something different. It feels fresh and soapy but mossy at the same time -summer walk in a wood -I have horses but certainly don't smell them here! Then the dry down -oh big disappointment -after two hours this fragrance reminds me of drugstore talcum powder. I'm glad i tried this again in sample size before buying a bottle out of nostalgia - it will go into my collection to be sniffed on occasions but think i will spend my pennies elsewhere. EDIT Wore this on a very cold snowy evening sat in front of a log fire -divine - the smokiness of the moss oak blended with the log fire and brought out fantastic grown up floral/chypres not smelled before - perhaps an evening at home on a winters night with a tot of spiced rum fragrance ;-)

Here are the cool leaves and stems dappled with dew during transitional seasons, either waxing or waning, full of promise or looking back longingly. Blooms burst open with the promise of the sun and recede into the shadows and the fog. There's a horizon at sunrise or a sunset, the full circle is felt more lucidly as each year passes. I am somehow reminded of these truths when wearing Amazone. It is galbanum green, yet it foreshadows sweet, tender decline. Cassis berries and leaves punctuate the ripe hyacinths and narcissus. Ever so slightly wilting pedals are still beautiful. Aging and decline are not be feared but embraced, encased in iris and sweetened with berry-damascone-rose. "Butterfly's Dream" by Chihei Hatakeyama plays, a weary little Cabbage White flutters to remaining cosmos in the garden. Crisp and woody as the white and green floral procession passes, Amazone envelops velvety and soothing, a moss salve to mark the hunkering down for an approaching winter. The berry harvest comes to a close come November, allowing for a few more trysts with Amazone when I am feeling somewhat forlorn, torn between the splendor of autumn and the inescapable passage of time. An amber solstice glow appears in its last stages, ushering in the snow.

One of my many favourites from Hermes. It's one of my first pure loves for a galbanum scent. You both know this brand of galbanum... and you don't. (sorry, I had to) Many of the Hermes fragrances seem to be rather heavy on the horse saddle leather and oakmoss that surrounds you in a forest. This is no exception. However, is it an Amazonian forest? No. Does this make the fragrance any less interesting? Also no. When you first apply it, the galbanum hits you in a way not dissimilar to Guerlain's Chamade. That is to say: incredibly strongly. Then, with the help of oakmoss, this all softens out to a fresh, dewy quality and it becomes much more easier to smell. Hay, grass and various herbs and Grasse style florals. Powdery and soft. I only have the current EDT, so the vintage is undoubtedly different, but this is still a beauty mossy, woody and green scent. Too French to be associated with the sweaty, humid and endlessly damps forests of the Amazon. Which is good, really. I prefer this style of Hermes. Classic and classy. Perhaps there was a name of a horse or an obscure memory associated with the title? It's all a mystery.

Wearing from a very vintage dabber extract of unknown age. Has been stashed for years and not properly worn. The fruity pissy berry tone is stunning, the wilted wet florals haunting. It’s not nearly as galbanum-y or oakmoss-y or leathery as the famed Valkyries like Miss Dior, Cabochard, No 19, even Caleche. Not dominant aldehyde-y like No 5 or Arpege. Not animalic like Joy. It barely smells vintage in fact. The berry and cassis and melting snow covered flowers give it the edge of a cold steel sword and bring it into the modern era. It’s a very unique smell, and seems to be a harbinger of the fruit genre to me, driving me crazy regarding what it reminds me of. Is it In Love Again, L’Ombre Dans Le Eau, leapfrogging to Calyx? Wearing it properly, decades into my perfume obsession, just lights my fire over again.

Years ago, I fell in love with Amazone and I bought it for my mom. She wore it for a few years than moved on to something else that was more her style. Now I am rediscovering this fragrance, but for myself. Many floral aldehyte/chypre from the past work very well on me. I find that they often play in the same ball park as Monsieur de Chanel, Aramis and Capucci pour Homme. Molinard de Molinard, Cabochard, Coriandre, Jean Louis Scherrer, Silences, Magie Noire and Chanel 19 were already in my rotations, so I decided to give this one a try. I was lucky enough to find a late 80's version and it works perfectly on me. Skin chemistry is everything, but on me, it doesn't come through as feminine, just as classic elegance.

One of my first ones! During my studies I used it a lot, do not remember where I got the precious bottle, AMAZONE is so great! But, it has changed, the new version is very different from the old one of 1975. The bottle is a little different too. I wish it was the same smell like then. Very elegant, sexy, classic, fresh and feminine. It was my only perfume for 2 years, no money for anything else! Then the bottle was empty. Never found the same smell again, really depressing. It was better than a Cartier or Van Cleefs and Arpels put together, it was better than a smell of Chanel or other classy ones. Just would suit every occasion, if party or not, and it stayed on me a long time.

This fragrance is PURE PERSONALITY !!!!! lots of wood I smell cedar and jasmine at the same time. FRESH, AGELESS, ADVENTUROUS. It surprises me from the moment I spray it till it disappears. It makes me feel FREE ! Last about 3 to 5 hrs total until it becomes pure amber at the very end. Although I've been using this fragrance since iam 8 years old, now Iam 39 now and I got to say that the vintage version as well as AMAZONE LIGHT are fresher and more floral and even when iam still a big fan of AMAZONE I do miss the other versions. I don't smell any leather in it, the masculine side of this fragrance it's to my nose vetiver and oakmoss.

When I was a student, my mom gave me Hermes Amazone and that perfume was all wore all day just splashing some on my neck or wrists. Not much. And it lasted all day long. The bottle sprays didn't exist then in 1975. My boyfriend loved it. Simply a symbol of femininity. That is what a perfume should give you. I wanted to feel feminine and all I had was Amazone to do that while studying. I cannot buy it these days, the price is scary. But I would

The name Amazone reflected my self image while in college; natural, spontaneous and never oppressive. 30 years later, it is still my gold standard for bringing the sense of warm sunshine on your skin wherever you go. I wish I knew more about the frangrance thing - it's undoubtedly got floral notes but something else that just enhances the smell of my own skin. Wearing it builds confidence; others notice but are never offended.

I saw at the Hermes Boutique in Hong Kong this evening that the Amazone bottle changed again to have a gold coloured cap and the name was also changed to Rose Amazone. I wonder if that is a new fragrance but could not find any information about it. It smelled very different from the vintage formulation and to me it smelled like a sharp, tart and fruity Kelly Caleche with very prominent notes of Cassia and Black Current

The vintage version (tall bottle, vaguely octagonal, brown cap) is warm amber, soapy sweet green with iris (floral sweet, somewhat reminiscent of Chanel no 19, not sugary sweet). It has notes that remind me of the sweetness of applewood fires, and a note like casmere or expensive wool. Very nice. Similar sort of thing to vintage Arpege, but stronger and more complex. Sillage is good. One of my favourites

I have a bottle of this which I tried over the summer, but found it unappealing. Today, with cooler weather I put it on and fell back in love with it. It’s sophisticated and clean. There’s a woody crispness to it on my skin. I remember now why it was my favorite many years ago. This is a scent for a confident, mature woman. I love the way it smells on my skin, even after several hours.

I purchased Amazone in spring 2008 (100 ml) and have worn it in pre-spring/spring ever since. Green-fruity in the opening with cassia and black currant. Prominent galbanum gives a sophisticated vibe to it.The drydown is earthy with vetiver and oakmoss. A French classic and one of my most loved scents.

I had it and I hope have it again some day,I keep the empty bottle from 10 years ago...still can smell the beautifull fragrance in it...nice sweet bergamot,I love Amazone...(dont smell horses and leather in it,no no no )

Thanks to my lovely friend NathalieZ, I now own a large vintage bottle!!! Nathalie, you are one in a million!!! Love you, Action

Really nice is vintage version of EDT! It is pure concentrate of freshness and wildness. I love it. Try Amazone one day.

It is Ivoire by Balmain without the flowers to my nose!

It's been a long time that I have a tiny decant of hermes amazone(I don't know whether it's new formulation or vintage)but I wasn't eager to try it because it's notes aren't intriguing for me but finally I came to it as I didn't have any new sample to try It opens completely green with a strong galbanum which makes me think of Chanel no19 and Issey miyake a scent.I was puzzled to see it's categorized as a floral-aldehyde as it's definitely a floral-green to my nose,at least in it's initial phase.this mix of galbanum,narcissus and a hint of citruses isn't what I can like and I felt that it belongs to old times,when floral-green-chypres were trendy but it develops to something nicer.it's green quality doesn't completely leave but it calms down and gives way to sweetness and fruity notes to bloom.it's almost a floralfruity in it's middle phase.black current is not my favorite fruity note but it's lovely here and blends very well with powdery flowers providing a delicate sweetness and balancing sharp green edges.it doesn't feel old anymore,actually it feels youthful and lively.in this stage I can't put my finger on a specific floral note,there's many of them,narcissus,iris,rose&...but they're mixed well and are soft.it has nothing to do with chanel 19 anymore As it dries down chypre notes start to showup but in a light and easy way.no leather,no patchouli,just moss and subtle woods.I find it classy and easy to wear.for me it's year round wearable except very cold winters.all in all it's not a fragrance that I'd love and rush to buy but if I received it as a gift,I would happily wear it(unlike many of others in this genre) It's not a heavy Scent on me but it's quite longlasting and wafts around you in a way that it's noticable but not offensive for others ❤❤❤

Well, I finally managed to acquire a bottle of Hermès AMAZONE, after having tested only the light version. I am a bit confused by cinsot's remarks about my earlier review, as I do not see myself stating anywhere that 24 FAUBOURG and AMAZONE smell the same. What I said was that they are "clearly cousins", by which I mean: exhibiting the same general quality of richness, voluptuousness, complexity, etc. So, I would say, in response to cinsot: "What an intriguing inference pattern your mind manifests!" (-: Now for my review of AMAZONE, at last. This is indeed a cousin of 24 FAUBOURG, meaning: lush, thick, rich, complex, enfin, un vrai parfum! But maybe such a remark is redundant, since these qualities, I have learned through induction, come naturally to everything produced by the house of Hermès! The biggest difference I note between what I have identified as cousins (and let us remember that cousins can be very distinct indeed, for example, some of Barack Obama's cousins are totally black Africans, while others are pasty white Americans...) is the substantial patchouli presence in 24 FAUBOURG, which is nowhere to be sniffed in AMAZONE. AMAZONE also has a significant and persistent aldehydic component, without however reaching the stratum of CALECHE. The floral notes in AMAZONE work together harmonically, so I would not agree that this is anything close to a narcissus soliflore. (Nor, on the other hand, do I think of 24 FAUBOURG as a gardenia perfume!) To me, AMAZONE is a greenish-brown symphony of swirling scents. Love it!

27.june 2011 So i recieved a VINTAGE 30ml bottle of pure parfum of "Amazone" today. I must say i love it! To my nose there is a strong black currant note which i usually don ́t like in perfumes BUT here it is presented in a such nice combination surronded by all other notes that i simply enjoy it! After a while upon application i smelled a powdery note and was scared that it would turn into something powdery after all, but it didn ́t luckily. It lasts and lasts and lasts. Sometimes i can smell some notes similar to vintage "Magie noire", but only similar. Is it vetyver? I don ́t know yet, but what associates in my mind with this scent is the scent of leather but not dry leather. It smells like a fruity leather to me. Yes, there are green notes, but there are not too much of them, there is a little bit of everything in this bottle. A great scent for autumn, i guess also for winter time, but today i also enjoy it during not so hot summer time. I guess the EDT version might smell a bit different and more simple, but i have no clue yet, since i am not familiar to Hermes fragrances at all by far and this is my first positive experience with them.