This above is my new obsession – the sleeping mask Holly Golightly wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I have one on the way, and when it’s here, I’ll post updated pictures of me a good long time post-surgery and include this cute little mask.
Lee has already done a great review of Le Labo Poivre 23, the city exclusive for London from Le Labo. On first sniff, I would have thought it was Annick Menardo that made it, there are some full-on whiffage in the same vein as Bvlgari Black. Smoky, thick, meaty. We know now that it wasn’t Annick that created it, but someone took a page out of her scented book. This is pungent, and in all the best ways. Peppery, smokey and magical. I think Lee got less (or no) smoke than I do, and maybe my mind is just flipping that fresh, great pepper smell into something that reminds me of smoke, but I don’t think so. I’m getting major incense and smoke on me. Great sillage, too – I just leave trails through the house as I walk around. Notes of cistus, patchouli, bourbon pepper, sandalwood, gaiac wood, incense, vanilla, styrax. It is distinctive and beautiful. Of course it is uber-spendy, 400 plus U.S. for 100 mls. I’m thinking of layering it with Patch 24. Too much? Oh, no, I think not, that will be great! People might think a coal-fired locomotive just went by with that combination.
Reviewing Amouage Homage Attar is a skosh painful because this takes spendy and vaults it to a whole new level AND it is a limited edition, so who knows how long they will sell it. Running about $360 for 12 mls, it is an oil created by Amouage for its 25th Anniversary. Notes of rose Taifi, silver Frankincense, Tayyiba (jasmine), sweet amber, white musk, silver oud and Al Andalus (blend of orange, lemon and sandalwood). If you don’t like ouds/attars, the good news for you!? This won’t change your mind. There is the familiar sharpish oud smell right off the bat, but this is almost molten oud, smooth, rich, some bite, but like it’s cradled in a rose incense velvet glove. It’s not as sharp as I find a lot of the Montale ouds, but not as sweet as some of the Arabian Ouds. The Al Andalus blend adds a slightly sunny brightness to it that doesn’t seem out of character at all and persists in keeping it from brooding. As with all ouds, once you get past the open, there is a certain linearity because of the overriding note of oud going all the way through the drydown. It’s beautiful. Is it worth it? You know, my ridiculous-price-meter is just pegged out after the last two years and has no sense of decency. It may be - if you are a huge fan of ouds and you like yours not as sharp as you get in the Montales and you want it surrounded in a cloud of seriously rich notes. As ouds go, at this point, this would be my go-to oud. If ouds aren’t your thing or you can take them or leave them or already have a favorite, you can probably keep on going past this.
As my penance for reviewing two horrendously priced perfumes in one day, let’s do a drawing. Drop your name in comments to be entered in the drawing for a teensy sample of the Amouage Homage and the Poivre 23.
Please consider me an entrant in the drawing, thank you, I’m waiting to find my perfect oud.
And I think several others from Amouage are tdf (Jubilation and Lyric).
What recession, I say!??
Would luurve to smell both of these – thanks Patty.
And don’t you worry about smelling like a locomotive – I smelled one up close in Germany (this summer) and they smell yummy. But then again, Nostalgia by SMN is one of my favorites.
I’m in! BUt what I really want is a copy of that sleep mask and the earplugs with the chandelier tassles from BatT. Where’s Biiss Spa when you need them?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=380039106709 for the sleep mask. I know I saw the earplus somewhere!
http://earplugs.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=812517 here they are, blue tassel earplugs, I just ordered a pair to match my sleep mask!
Yes! please enter me in the drawing. I only wish that the sleep mask was included. I do like several Amouages (XXV, 25, and Gold). 12 mL for $360? Wow…
Please enter me in the drawing for both, love oud and love smoke!
I’d love to be entered in the drawing…rosy barbeque, mmmmm…
I’d like to be included in the drawing, please
oh, pleasepleaseplease, I’d love to get those samples!
I’d love the possibility of trying either – thus please enter me in the drawing as well.
Please, enter me in the drawing of these two. Thanks!
I need to do some adjustments on my description of Poivre 23, though I’m delighted you agree with my Menardo line of thinking…
As for the Homage, I plan to sniff it in Selfridge’s sometime, though it might be locked away in a vault…. The only oud I’ve sniffed that I love is that black stuff (Black Musk?) you sent me a sample of sometime – so potent it lasts for days on skin and even that 0.5 mls still scents one whole drawer in my bedroom….
You naughty, naughty temptress, Patty :d/ ! These are both so tempting.
The scary part to me is that after Onda led me to break a well-deserved, but very high price point per ml, very little seems completely out of reach. My investment planner just might disagree :-w
Ohhhhhh, those sound gorgeous. Please do enter me in the drawing! thanks!
Count me in. I’ve never put anything that’s that insanely expensive on my skin, and I’d love to know if it smells as good as it ought to for that kind of price.
Patty, anything Menardo-ish is bound to catch my attention, and both of these are impossible to get in Paris, so count me in.
The price of the Amouage attar reminds me of a day in Beirut were a very persuasive male SA at the Al-Kureishi boutique tried to sell me some attar of Ta’if roses. I blanched at the price, and he kept diminishing the quantity he was willing to sell me. His big selling point was : “If you want to have something perfect in your house, this is it”.
I didn’t give in… God those prices were fierce.
Winning samples would be about the only chance I’d ever get to sniff these. Please count me in!
Please enter me in the drawing, you might prevent my making an expensive mistake !
I haven’t yet found an Amouage I love, but that doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying to bankrupt myself! And eau de coal-fired locomotive sounds fabulous… Please enter me in the drawing, and thanks!
both sound great. count me in the drawing
Oh, what the heck. Please throw my name in the hat.
That sleeping mask? Seriously cute.
I was having shakes and cold sweats from withdrawal! I couldn’t log onto the Posse all day. Please enter me in the drawing and I’ll feel so much better. :d
Oh, please enter me in the drawing, too!
so my only chance are the internet store. Slowly, I’m starting to think that maybe I will have to open a niche boutique 
Here where I live we do not even have any niche perfumes
Yay! You’re back online! I was getting a little jittery too, what with not being able to read the ‘posse this morning. Thanks for the reviews of those two rare beauties, and yes, please enter me in the draw too. Love oud, love Menardo!
Yes, I have been refreshing my page all day trying to get the Posse up.
I would LOVE to try these. Both sound heavenly, so please put me in the drawing, Patty. Will either of these be available through TPC? Here, let me go look now…
Thank the LAWD the Posse is back in action (my RSS feed was down all day and I was getting frantic)! And just in time to [-o< to be entered in the drawing. I'm still learning the ouds...sloooowly.
xo>-)
I was looking forward to this review all day! I found the Tom Ford Aoud loverly, but could not have both she and the Black Violet…I would love to be entered into this drawing…
Please include me in the drawing – I’d love to smell these….
Sure, enter me… a draw is possibly my only chance to sniff either of these. Poivre sounds very intriguing.
Please tell me that a tiny little drop of Homage will last all day, even on my fragrance eating skin. Or maybe tell me that it won’t. Should I or shouldn’t I? I just know that I will adore it! Please count me in!
Love to be in the drawing!!
These both sound beautiful. I would LOVE to be entered in the drawing, thanks!
The Poivre sounds fab, I’d love to be entered in the drawing (already have a sample of the amouage). So happy you’re back up again – was going through serious posse withdrawal!
please throw my name in the hat:) your review of homage has me fiending for oud.
Sounds like I was not the only one jonesing without my Posse fix. Please count me into the drawing. That sleeping mask is just profoundly cutsie. Waiting for the pics.
Patty, I was having a fit not being able to log on and get my daily fix of the Posse. What a relief to finally, finally be able to log on and comment.
The fragrances sound beautiful. Please enter me in the drawing.
Thank you, and welcome back!
Hugs!
Yes, please.
So glad to see y’all back up! And yes, pretty please, put me in the draw…
me too please!
What the heck, those fragrences sound beautiful, nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that, so please, throw my name into the hat.
Laughing at the”ridiculous-price-meter”. Count me in on the draw. I only bought Amouage Jubilation XXV recently, when the $50. “travel size” went on sale on the etailer site. I am definitely not a candidate to buy the new Amouge, but would love to sniff it…
Would LOVE to try these – please enter me in the drawing! Thanks!
Ooh, do enter me! I need a shock of the new.
Please include me in the drawing – they sound wonderful!
Count me in on that drawing…. I’ve been staring at the Amouage website for days now…..
Yay! Glad you’re back up. Please include me in the drawing.
Those both sound wonderful. I’d love to be in the drawing!
Thanks,
Roland
I would like to meet an oud that is smooth and rich. A man smooth and rich would be nice too. Maybe HE could afford the Homage. The Poivre sounds lovely too. Please enter me in the draw too.
Allow me to help you ease your self-flagellation a bit…please enter me in your draw…meanwhile, I have a sample vial of Jubilation 25 that I treat as a rare antidote, used only as often as Basil appears in Brenda Starr. (Uh-oh; turns out he’s back again…draw name S-L-O-W-L-Y… )
Funny, I was just about to pile on both of these houses for the price of these two fumes…but I think I’ll just say that they sound great and I’d love to try them, even if I think it would be insane to buy a FB.
Otherwise, I’d be a hypocrite, right? 
Please do include me, Patty! Jonesing for a smell of these two!!!!
Thank God you’re back. Please could you add me to the drawing.
Thanks for the reviews Patty! Did you detect strong rose in the Attar? This sounds like a nice balance between the Montale and Arabian Ouds with Wafi being one of my favorites!
I would enjoy being in your wake of Patchouli 24 and Poivre 23…and in the drawing as well if there’s still time!!
These sound fantastic even if completely off the radar of my budget . . . so please include me in the drawing!
OK, I’ll never ever purchase either of these ($400???), but would love to try them! Please include me in the draw. Thanks, Patty!
Please enter me in the drawing too! The blog was down yesterday for me
I hope I’m not too late to be entered; I’d love to smel both of these!
Seeing that I didn’t get lucky in Lee’s draw, please count me in if it’s not too late!
Please enter me for the Amouage Homage prize.
I have been a big fan of Amouage for years. My favorite is Eau D’Amouage. The review of the Amouage Homage Attar was very interesting and helpful. I am glad that Amouage has come out with some new scents.
Also, Parfums Raffy is having a 10% off your entire purchase placed online until October 23rd by using the code: Sale2008
Please put me in the draw – though I may regret smelling Homage and then never being able to buy it!
(
I adore your description of it – sounds just perfect to me!!
Never mind, I just realized I was too late!
(:((
Yes — please, oh please, if it isn’t too late, consider me for the samples. Both sound like they could be must-haves for me. Thanks so much!
Likely too late, but please enter me if not…Thanks1
I love that movie and love her sleep mask. Please enter me in the drawing if it’s not too late.
sigh…too bad the bailout package doesn’t include giftbags for all of us…? Please enter me in the drawing if it isn’t too late!
Drop-box me if you haven’t already drawn–I’m not a huge Amouage fan but I do love Montale’s aoud scents and if Homage Attar falls betwixt the two, who knows?
….SOUNDS SO TEMPTING….WOULD LOVE TO TRY?..I WOULD SHARE?…