Amouage
Amouage
301 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The grapefruit and bergamot arrive first, bright and fleeting, but are immediately hijacked by a surprisingly aggressive wave of ginger and tagetes that creates an almost green-peppery sharpness. Within minutes, you're conscious that this opening has no interest in charm—it's establishing territory with the bluntness of frankincense smoke.
The composition pivots toward its resinous core as the florals emerge not as recognisable blooms but as abstract elements within a woody-amber matrix. Opoponax and frankincense dominate, creating a dense, almost incense-like texture, whilst the rose and jasmine provide a subtle floral shadow rather than prominence. The leather and oud begin their gradual ascent, lending an earthy, slightly animalic undertone.
What remains is predominantly amber, benzoin, and sandalwood, with oud providing a dark, slightly smoky foundation. The fragrance becomes progressively more intimate and linear—a warm, slightly powdery vanilla-tonka sweetness mingles with the leather and musk, creating something that smells lived-in, intimate, almost like a second skin that's been worn for years.
Interlude Woman is a fragrance that announces itself with architectural precision rather than seduction. Karine Vinchon-Spehner has constructed something deliberately austere—a spiced amber framework that refuses to soften or apologise. The tagetes and ginger in the opening immediately establish a peppery, almost medicinal stance, whilst the heart layers in a dense, almost liturgical mass of frankincense and opoponax that smells less like perfumery and more like the interior of a 16th-century chapel.
This is a scent for someone who views fragrance as personal doctrine rather than accessory. The rose absolute and orange blossom don't bloom prettily; instead, they're absorbed into the woody spine, becoming textural elements within a broader composition dominated by leather and oud. The amber and benzoin create a glutinous, almost resinous warmth that clings rather than floats, whilst oakmoss adds a grey, slightly damp quality—as if you've just stepped into a smoke-filled room where incense has been burning for hours.
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4.2/5 (132)