Opus VIII
Amouage (2014)

Amouage Opus VIII (2014) is something of a black sheep entry into the Library Collection, as it doesn't really scream anything particularly Omanese to me as the line is claimed to do, and instead feels more "westernized" than it wants to admit. Perhaps perfumers Pierre Negrin and Richard Herpin put a bit too much of themselves into the release, or this is just a lighter and sweeter facet of Omanese culture than I was expecting from the land of oud, incense, smoke and musk perfumes. To be clear, this is still very much in the oriental composition lane, but Opus VIII plays with benzoins and sweet fractioned patchouli isolates along with fruity notes to create something closer to a modern "fruitchouli"perfume, but swaddled in the headiness of Middle East styles. I like it most of the way through, but that base is really want pushes me off a bit from Opus VIII, but more on that later. If you've ever felt ambivalent about animalic perfumes, this might be just the trick for you, as it just dips the toe in, then removes it once things get too risky.

The opening of Opus VIII is really quite nice. You get a huge animalic floral blast from jasmine indole and ylang-ylang sweetened by orange blossom, very "bordello" and very sensual. This "come hither" introduction is further enahnced by incense and smooth saffron in the base. Real olibanum meets with ginger and guaiac wood in the heart, with tiny touches of grassy vetiver to add a green body to it all. The love affair gets disrupted mid-coitus however as the slick and smoothly sweet "fruitchouli" accord comes into the base, with benzoin and some kind of undescribable late-stage fruitiness alongside bay that Amouage just calls "balsam", which is a catch-all for a sweet-smelling resin. This "balsam" is the deal-breaker for me, as it combines with the lingering orange blossom and a synthetic wood note after some skin heat in the late dry down to make Opus VIII smell too sickly for my taste, but others may find it nice. Wear time is eternal, and projection is above average, but use for me is limited to romantic scenarios considering the main theme of the scent overall. Cold weather is best for Opus VIII, but cooler summer evenings could see some action as well.

Opus VIII feels pretty gender-neutral (leaning feminine) assuming you're a lover of sweet, but as I'm not the biggest fan of massive sugary fruit notes and barely abide all the ethyl maltol notes in modern clubbers as is, so I feel indifferent after such a wild sexual ride ends so horribly "blase blah" at the end. Opus VIII is an evening of passion that leads to a make out session, then undressing, but decides last minute that catching a rerun of Seinfeld is more important than consumating the evening. In other words, this is the ultimate last-minute cold feet fragrance and I don't know how I feel with such a tease on skin. If you collect the entire series of the Library Collection from Amouage, then Opus VIII may be a no-brainer from the start, and I'm sure this will have its fans. However, as a fragrance rated on its own merits, Opus VIII is one of the few that I feel may have done better in the standard lines (possibly marketed to women) as a way to scratch the sweet and fruity itch. Definitely try before you buy. Neutral

Jasmine and ylang ylang permeated by incense and guaiac wood. Intensive incense, saffron, and sharp ginger follow suit. A tiny, sugary orange blossom fights to keep attention. Vetiver borders on harshness. It's very green. I don't find the jasmine and ylang to be over-bearing at all. I think their just fine.

Balsam and benzoin join the fray. I get some herbal note lurking about... Later, a mash of a sweetened (as if by molasses), wooden, incense creature remains. Still hints of herb with a minute metallic vibe. The top merges with the middle; the middle plops down into the base. Whole thing ends up smelling like a middle eastern gourmand.

I'm of the minority - I really enjoy this, and all of the Opus series I've tried thus far... It grows even sweeter over time.

Loaded with a jasmine & ylang ylang floral blast; spicy ginger and smooth saffron poke Opus VIII, leading ultimately to smooth mossy green vetiver, smoky incense atop a sweet benzoin base paired with balsam.

A sexy, smooth fragrance that feels better suited for ladies than men. Not for everyone, including me, but it isn't an awful concoction.

Opus VIII has a lovely white floral opening. The top notes lead with jasmine but the ylang ylang is in there. The floral notes do not totally blend together. Instead, they are detectable in a way that has them dancing around playing nicely together versus becoming one. Sometimes this one opens with the woody notes in the opening. No idea why it changes each time I wear it, but that is just fine by me

The middle notes are softer and add vetiver and smell a bit minty in a good way. This is the part of the perfume that I enjoy the most.

The sillage is medium to heavy, and the longevity is more than 10 hours.

In the beginning, Opus VIII invites you to bask in its warmth. A cleaned up, properly-presented jasmine-led white floral with a hint of something aquatic hovering round the edges, coupled with a radiant balsamic aspect. Admittedly, the idea isn't particularly complicated but it does have a degree of novelty and is executed with the typical Amouage richness.
The rest of the Opus line has more edge, to say nothing of peculiarity – this one is rather simple and friendly by contrast. It's also on the demure side, with reasonable rather than blaring projection to start with and a rather disappointing tail-off in the later stages.
After initially having come under its spell, I must admit to a lessening of my affection with greater familiarity. As it is mostly linear after the top fades, I think this contributes to a waning of interest; also the balsams get a bit malty during the wear which does the overall impression no favours.

Orange blossom and ylang ylang is what I initially got out of this one. Floral fragrance that is accompanied with a few light spices. Nice, but not for me. 7/10