Honour Woman
Amouage (2011)

A big, loud, opulent floral. The most obvious is tuberose, paired with mint on top and cherry later, with a creamy, rich ylang adding further density. Over the course of hours, the ylang fades into orange blossom, while the cherry tuberose remains constant.

Honour Woman definitely belongs in the Fracas/Giorgio Beverly Hills school of loud florals, and the mix of cherry and tuberose means that it leans heavily towards Fracas. It's quite well made and long-lasting and I quite like it, but I think it could be taken from "good" to "great" with a better base and some aldehydes on top. But even as is, it's definitely a thumbs up.

Thick diaphanous clouds of tuberose and mature florals mingle with sparkling, spicy carnations. AHW is a sophisticated, elegant experience.

Tart, peppery-sharp rhubarb was present in the opening. Alas, it melted away as it developed into a full-bodied, yet light and pleasing floral scent. There're powdered leather and resinous incense in the base, rounding it out and grounding it down.

The fruity combination of light pepper, cardamom and a general fruitiness - rhubarb with hints of ripe apple - makes for a pleasant opening. Not too fresh, but light and bright.

The drydown turns floral- muguet in the forefront. Seconded by carnation, the main player arises a bit later: a bright tuberose, open, bright and lacking any waxiness. Lovely!

Again another turnaround in the base: some incense, with opoponax and an ambergris-like undertone adding further depth.

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection and a very good nine hours of longevity on my skin.

This spring scent's three phases are contrasting with each other very nicely, making for an entertaining array of olfactory experiences. The main drawback is the egregious use of synthetics. 3.25/5.

The opening left me unimpressed, thinking "just another floral". Then the tuberose developed and I fell in love with it. It made me think of hypnotic poison, but less powerful. It could be worn in winter.

Honour Woman has a sweet and fruity white floral open with lots of jasmine and tuberose. The notes were blended nicely, but not over-blended with a high projection. The middle softens, and stays fairly linear. It projects a bit more than a skin scent at six hours. It is an amazing, well-made white floral perfume.

Genre: Floral

Sometimes, as in Gold or Lyric, Amouage's paired masculine and feminine releases are indeed twins. Mercifully, that's not the case here, and Honour Woman has nothing to do with the rather disappointing Honour Man. The bad news? Honour Woman opens on a big, soapy, muguet top note that's a dead ringer for Glade brand lily-of-the-valley air freshener. Anything this nakedly chemical and cheap-smelling is shocking coming from the house that brought us Dia, Gold, and Lyric Woman, but somehow I don't think the effect was meant to be ironic.

The muguet introduces a conventional white flower accord of jasmine, clean musk and the faintest trace of tuberose, none of which is terribly interesting in context, and all of which is effectively spoiled by the potent and persistent air freshener muguet. A complete train wreck of a fragrance, if you ask me. Had anyone opened a bottle of Andy Tauer's Carillon pour un Ange or vintage Diorissimo while Honour Woman was in preparation, they would have given up on the whole thing.