Lyric Man
Amouage (2008)

Anyone else recognize a little Ungaro in here? Right off the bat Lyric Man made me think of two fragrances together - Ungaro I's piney rose and Vicky Tiel's Ulysse, with its soapy-white-musky-powdery sunny day feel, which is hilarious to me given I recall a couple reviews of the former calling it dark, brooding, and gothic, so why not slap 'em together and get the best of both worlds? I personally like this because I have always wanted a version of Balmain's Ivoire I could pull off wearing; t has a soapy cleanness like that as well as Pleasures for Men, and may well come across too soapy/powdery for some, but the "rose that never goes" sold me.

I had a surprising discovery within my recent shipment of fragrances. One of them was amouage’s lyric man. The interesting thing is I bought it despite me not liking the sample much, finding the sample to have almost negligible rose component, and performance to be laughed at. There was very little left on my skin after the flowery opening and was akin to more of a flowery soapy skin scent than a proper fragrance.

However in the reviews, most spoke glowingly of a beautiful, layered, sultry fragrance that was in the vein of what i was looking for out of a springtime scent. Thus, i took the gamble despite my lack of an impression with the sample, and when the bottle arrived and i got to give it a first wearing, it was everything i was missing from the sample. Rose was here there everywhere, greenyness throughout the evolution, and discernable layers with the base notes were apparent. Really settled into something alluring and unique, as it suprisingly leans true unisex.

Not many fragrances test your idea of what fragrances should be, or what they are conveying, but this one does.

Walking through a lush flower garden, a rose bush in the center, your nose detects it all. Down to the sweet earth; the melange of flowers surrounding, but the green rosey scent oscillates back and forth. This is the scent you remember the garden by all these years later

This fragrance opens with a pleasant and fresh floral accord, exuding a green and lively vibe. However, as it progresses, it transitions into a heavier composition dominated by white musk and rose notes. Unfortunately, this shift in character may result in a lack of interest and complexity, leading to a somewhat uninteresting experience overall. Given these observations, the fragrance receives a rating of 2 out of 5.

I am another that has no love for this one. I get a floral lime scent with something musty and sticky in the base that dulls the whole thing down and goes wrong. It clashes badly on me and while I didn't have to scrub it, it didn't smell good. No fresh soapy, clean anything. Pass.

An ethereal combination of lime, orange blossom, angelica, and rose (which is sweet, fresh, and smooth, with just a little bit of vegetal earthiness), resting on a base of spiced woods and incense dusted vanilla.

It only takes about thirty minutes for Lyric Man to settle down into its final beautiful form on my skin, and it lasts for at least ten hours. I am tempted to spray more than is required, to see if I can increase its projection.

There is something contemplative and uplifting about Lyric Man that I haven’t experienced with any other fragrance.

A masterpiece.

9.5/10

Soapy rose supported initially by angelica and orange blossom. The rose here feels bold but also cold and exacting. Some hours in the bitterness of angelica is replaced by spices, mainly nutmeg, which lends the rose a more friendly posture. Later yet sandalwood subdues the rose into a smooth accord that goes very well with the dry incense that is now more prominent. Certainly not very masculine, but I wouldn't call it effeminate either. Pretty much bang on unisex.

You get a lovely rose from several angles, and the materials are as always impeccable. If you enjoy a rose, don't miss out. You know it makes sense.

4/5