(G)old School – Amouage Gold

This is a true story, I swear it!  So the other night, I was tossing and turning, having the weirdest time…because I could not remember the Sultan of Oman’s first name!  Seriously!  I ran through the alphabet….no dice….dropped back into a light slumber..when suddenly I shot bolt upright in bed and shouted “Qaboos!  Majesty!  Qaboos bin Said al Sayiid!”   at which point El O said ‘if this is some perfume or jewel $#!t I’m going to choke you‘.  Luckily he fell back asleep before he could carry out his threat because, indeed, it was about a jewel of a perfume: Amouage Gold (actually it was about me forgetting the name of Oman’s ruler – who forgets a name like Qaboos?)…

Most of you know the story behind the House of Amouage – short version (the one I’m going with, anyway), at the behest of His Majesty,  His Highness Sayyid Hamad bin Hamoud al bu Said created the House of Amouage, as an homage to the centuries-old craft of perfumery in Oman and the rest of the Middle East.  That the Sultan’s friends and families were gifted with the phenomenal results explains why I was dreaming about him.  I dream about him a lot.  The whole ‘jewels and perfume given to meeeee’ thing, y’know?  Great fantasy.  And he’s a cool ruler, too, working hard to move his Sultanate abreast of the New Millennium, in a challenging region of this world.  I would not want his job.  But I’ll take his perfumes, thank you.  Especially the Old School Opulence What Is Gold.

So what’s all the Gold fuss about?  Great Beagles!! I wish I could tell you  but it’s already been done- and by way more qualified folks than me – and I suck at that sort of thing anyway.  Luca Turin does it great justice in Perfumes – The Guide   and over the years a host of fabulous bloggers have written wondrous reviews of the scent.  So there’s no point in me reinventing that particular wheel zzzzzz.  What I can write about is why I think it is one of the top perfumes of all time – and how I came to love it so.

Gold was not at all on my Amouage radar.  I nodded at Gold, at Nordstrom, back in the wayback – but there were no testers and I was not about to pay a bazillion dollars on a ‘maybe’.  So, in truth, I came to Amouage late, with Jubilation 25 and Tribute.  Heck, I didn’t even fall for Lyric until after everyone and his pet falcon had come and gone!  Lawd, but I am slow.  The real meeting of Gold came via a Patty sample   – and at first I thought ‘oh, pretty!’…and gave it no more thought…but I kept returning to it…and returning…and returning….and then I got a scrab of the body cream and let me tell you: if you want to give ALL your money to His Majesty, open a jar of Amouage body cream.  Jeezus Pete!  Every single one of them is stunning but for sheer “I Am A Very Rich Princess” glam, nothing beats Gold.   Gold fits my rather outsized personality (and it’s perfect for my outsized size, as well).  I could wear this forever.  It’s a giant symphony of floral aldehydes – the vintage has a bit of an 80s vibe to it that I love (that’s the vintage ‘Cristal’ up there); the current edp has been streamlined a bit to bring it more in line with the new millennium (I have no facts to back that up but it smells thus (and I love it, too), so I say it’s so).  The extrait:  talk about gilding the bubbly rose!!!  It harkens back to Cristal in a major way and I would mortgage my toenails for a bottle.  My idea of Paradise?  A bottle of each!

Yes.  A bottle.  I am fortunate to work alone most days – my shop guys come into the office now and again but they couldn’t care less what I’m wearing and after a day on site probably can’t smell much anyway.  So I started thinking:  why am I so stingy with my perfume?  Slickering on the Gold body cream…omgosh!  I was in a gorgeous bathroom, overlooking my private rose garden, with a view to the sea beyond…I lavishly applied  the Gold extrait (dabbing be damned!)  and suddenly my embroidered slippers were tipping along the tiled  walk  to the courtyard, where a scented fountain playfully splashed in the sun.   In this Gold World, I don’t clean chicken coops or do dishes or bust sod.  I don’t worry about making payroll or buying dogfood.  I’m just a fabulously wealthy Princess, where my every whim is met.   And I’m wearing a helluva lot of Gold!

What’s funny about Gold is nearly every woman who wears it feels the same way.  There’s something about it that’s grounding and uplifting at the same time – it’s the fabulous aunt of  Beloved – both convey that confidence of knowing persackly who you are and the luxury of having a boatload of money to back that up!  I always have the first – but when I wear Amouage Gold I have the feeling of the latter as well – even when I’m out there, looking into the abyss of a wastewater  pit, with chicken poop on my steel toe boots!  And why am I looking into that abyss?  So that I can get paid.  So I can buy Gold!

Do you love Gold?  Hate her?  What scent makes you feel all Fabulously Wealthy Princess (or Prince)?

xoxoA  – ps stay tuned!  I’m getting (gasp!) SIX TONS OF TOPSOIL (and a ton of mushroom compost!)  – it’ll be the Dirt Posse!!!