Lyric Woman
Amouage (2008)

When I first started exploring the world of fragrance (I’ve always loved perfumes but there was a definite time where a deeper interest level arose), Amouage was one of the first niche brands I tried… and at that time, the beauty of Lyric was lost on me. I am so glad that I had the foresight even then to hold onto samples that I didn’t like to revisit later.

Now, now I can say that I fully appreciate Lyric Woman. There are many perfumes that I love, but very few do I feel comfortable calling a “masterpiece”. Lyric is among the few for me. It’s just simply perfect.

To me, I get retro vibes, and I LOVE that! It opens with a sharp and dry blast reminiscent of a chypre to me, before unfurling its legs into an alluring velvety rose oriental, with just the right amount of spice. I remember wanting this experience when I tried FM Portrait of a Lady, but it didn’t quite give me this. I set out for a while after trying POAL, to find a fragrance that delivered what I was looking for, and everything was just a bit off. It wasn’t until after I set down that side mission that was getting me nowhere, that I revisited Lyric. I didn’t even have the POAL quest in my head, just a simple urge to try some perfumes that I had previously written off.

And that’s when I fell in love with Lyric. Couldn’t even imagine how I could ever possibly dislike it in the first place. But I’ve noticed that the deeper I fall down the rabbit hole, the more I appreciate true perfumery, and not the oversweet stuff of today. I do still enjoy them, but my heart belongs to the fragrances that have something more to say than just sugar sweet.

For something as beautiful as lyric, I wouldn’t really even care too much about performance, but it doesn’t disappoint there either. Easily lasts all day, and has the Goldilocks amount of projection and sillage that it remains noticeable but not loud. It really is just perfect all around.

A low key scent by Amouage standard which is still unmissable. What's clever is how the bitter sweet Angelica rubs out the rough edges of Geranium which in turn lengthen and widen the rose accord. Rest of it is classic Amouage goodness. Love it.

Lyric Woman

Unexpected. The soft, powdery, mildly sweet, yet complex fragrance belies the fierce red packaging. Unlike the Amouage fragrances I've tested so far, no single note immediately sings out. This is well-blended, and dare I say unique? Arguably sweet with a slight fruitiness, it is nevertheless not foody. It's difficult to define, because while definitely an oriental and with all of those hallmarks including spiciness, it doesn't come across as spicy. Spices are a simple structure around the ethereal breeze of tonka and orris, highlighted by bergamot and filled out by white florals. At the drydown, it smells familiar. I can't place it, but I know it reminds me of Dior Addict and Iris Perle by Les Imodables. Pleasant, personal, pretty.

A bright and spicy opening blast characterises the initial stage: cardamom, orris,a touch of cinnamon and quite a bit of ginger - the latter's camparable brightness was a bit enhance by an influx of bergamot. Spicy, but not sharp and not dark.

The drydown turns floral, but thanks to some slightly bitter angelica it is not all floral softness and sweetness. I get a bit of muguet, a good lashing of a pleasant geranium, and a good bunch of roses. The rose never really unfolds fully, and blends in somewhat inconspicuously instead of taking on a lead role. This is more ascribed to a jasmin that developed a bit further down the track. There is an underlying restrained creaminess owing to an ylang-ylang, but again this does not come to full fruition and remains more of a forme fruste. All these notes blend in and remain intertwined; a team effort amongst equals if one expresses it in a positive manner, or alternatively a concoction that does not allow the notes to develop individual excellence if seen in a negative fashion.

The base displays the same characteristics: a nonspecific woodsy muskiness - a touch of a bland sandal breaks through occasionally - with a soft and slightly mossy patchouli, with a mildly sweetened undertone of tonka - again a mishmash focused on the collective impression and not the individual notes. The spiciness of the top notes is lingering still, have takes on more of and incense characteristic and displaying the spiciness in an attenuated strength.

In get moderate sillage, very good projection and and very good eight hours of longevity on my skin.

An interesting autumnal composition, with the top notes being the most convincing ones. The later stages are a bit too generic at times, and the sheer amount of different components can suffocate more than enhance each other at certain moments. Still, some of the ingredients are of high quality, the blending is excellent and the performance is very satisfying. Overall 3.25/5.

Well , I for one , am not breaking the positive streak of this fragrance...an exquisite Oriental masterpiece...totally unisex...i also prefer this much more than Lyric Man....opens with a volley of cinnamon accented juicy bergamot...for sure a rose fragrance , but the rose does not dominate or overpower the other notes....overall feel is sweetly sour, which i find to be a nice ccmbo...flavors and accents galore...other flower flavors accentuate the rose in the mid, and then a woody finish with traces of incense and a little bit of musky vanilla...gorgeous , exotic and erotic...

Lyric is essentially a well-crafted, spicy rose scent. But, oh, it is SO much more!

I adore Amouage scents. They offer bold fragrances that have clear personalities. Whilst the likes of Chanel conjure up a chilly air of sophistication & restraint (like the fashionista Aunt who air kisses & never hugs) Amouage scents proudly seduce you & envelop you in warmth. They are on another level.

Lyric is no exception: deep, sensual, creamy & bold. I find this perfume unabashedly raunchy in the most elegant way & it is all about the dry-down.

The syrupy cinnamon-rose opener hurtles up your nose & reminds me of iconic 80s power scents & glossy red lips - but ride out this slightly crazy stage & you will be greeted with the smoothest of sandalwoods & richest of roses, glazed in a vanilla-tonka butterscotch & tempered by oakmoss, frankincense & the tamest of patchoulis. The red lips now smudged by a passionate kiss, the clothes on the floor, hair tousled.

There is a traditional structure underpinning this exotic scent that gives a grown up feel to Lyric. It could never be described as carefree but it also escapes being stuffy & formal. The notes are all very well-blended as there is that wonderful Amouage frankincense weaving its way between the base notes. It smells expensive.

Sillage & lasting power are, as with most Amouages, formidable. Spray behind the knees for the most beautiful of wafts as you walk.

You've just had sex in a rose garden. For a moment, both you and your lover are speechless, caught in a moment staring into each other's eyes. After some time, she rolls over, but you grab her and pull her close and she laughs as you spoon her. She runs her fingers along your arm, and through the soft fur of the wolf pelts covering the earth beneath you. You press your nose into the back of her neck and you smell her sweat, detecting the vanilla coffee that her servants prepared for her that morning, the cinnamon and the sweet spices from her escorted walk through the markets that afternoon, the bit of smoke from the men's cigars at the polo game that followed. She moves to get up and dress, and you understand that it's your time to leave. Before you go, she leaves you with a kiss, and you notice that your clothes, too, have absorbed all of the scents from that moment in her rose garden. Her guards follow you back to your horse, and you wonder if, or when, you'll get invited back to see your queen again. Lyric Woman by Amouage.

I would not call Lyric Woman a gourmand but there is a light touch of sweetness through the rich florals.

This has both sillage and longevity, so be wary of hot weather and how you apply. It can become cloying.

Otherwise, this is a sheer pleasure to wear. It is not a common scent, or something easy to identify from the mass market. It is luxe and sumptious. Wear it whene you go out, or in private. Either way, you will enjoy it.

The incense, vanilla and tonka are not achingly sweet, but provide the oriental touch to the rose.

A very vintage fragrance. It opens with a lot of spice (mostly cardamom and who the pepper) and a smoke veil. Then I get a lot of everything with ylang-ylang. Later it goes indiscernible. It's not bad, but it's just too much of a lot of everything for me.

"Spicy heaven perfume" opens boldly with a very well done strong rose, cardamom and maybe cinnamon blending together. Then it turns darker. The middle was still rose with patchouli and other scents blending together. The mid notes were my favorite part. This stage last through maybe 5 hours of wear. The basenotes are incense mixed with other things. The drydown is not faint, perhaps a mid-range sillage. I want to wear Lyric Woman again tomorrow. It does not smell like Penhaligon's Halafeti, but it reminds me of it in spirit. It is bold and interesting.

A masterfully composed... beautifully made fragrance.

Now, first of all, this is a perfume with a spectacular composition. If we listed all the notes here, you would think that it would be too much. A spicy rose, with cardamom, incense, vanilla, cinnamon, tonka bean & sandalwood. I can't detect all the other notes but I know that they are present. There is also a burst of bergamot and something light. However what is incredible about this composition, is that it remains light. It remains sheer, not heavy, too cloying, or overwhelming.

I think Amouage Lyric Woman is a truly beautiful fragrance. Often we get tired of the note of Rose in many perfumes, but again this house has managed to surprise me. A rose with a host of other players, perfectly blended in with them. The rose is not dominant, but it "accentuates" the other notes, and lets them shine individually. I admire this fragrance very much.

Even though it is marketed as female, I enjoy wearing it, and actually find it extremely unisex. It's a dark, intriguing fragrance, it's very "grown up" and sophisticated to my nose. It would wear equally well on a man or on a woman. It's expensive, so get a sample or decant first. I think you'll be surprised by how well blended this one is. Very good.

If I was not such a lazy individual as well as forgetful, I may have written off this scent as too old fashioned for me. The opening is a distinct reminder of 1980's home decor using potpourri as a bombastic icon of glamour and hopeless home scent experimentation. I know this because I was raised in the South by a proper Southern woman. I'm pretty sure one of our cats regularly attempted to eat some of that gloriously weird composition and yacked it up all over the carpet. But I digress.

So, the opening was not attractive at all. Cinnamon and overdone red roses with a candied feel...too syrupy and too much. This was going nowhere fast, and I was so disappointed! I had gone from making a space on my beloved antique silver serving platter for the bottle, to swiftly placing it back into the box from which it came, and stowing it safely within the confines of my dark, cool closeted shelves. You know the ones...those boxes can get sorta piled high, can't they?

I gingerly kept my left hand away from my nose throughout the rest of the day and evening. It was not until around 10:30 pm that I chose to give my nose another chance at this scent I had wanted for so long...and to my surprise, I had a most gorgeous scent on my left hand! It is all at once a sandalwood, with deep and resinous tones, lifted with Vetiver and vanilla, as well as arcs of dark rose flowing in and out. There is more here, but I cannot explain what I am smelling - perhaps incense in the base? faint, but something reminds me of some of our Holy Eucharist services.

I'm going to give this a proper wearing later this week, as I want to understand this scent fully before deciding whether I can get past the opening. If it lasts more than an hour, that will be tough. Hopefully, it will be less! The dry down really is quite nice!

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Update:
This is a keeper! I have no idea why I was so unimpressed with the opening upon the first wearing, but I really enjoyed it the second wearing. Truly a beautiful scent!

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Welcome back to the wardrobe, old friend. I shall never be without you again. We were parted so I could pay for some CEU's to renew my professional license, but now that I have you back, I'll never let you go.