Amouage, the grand Omani perfume outfit known for having some of the best natural materials in the business, is not a proponent of minimalism. That is great in my opinion, because I do not want to pay money for something that was miserly with its materials. It stuffs its scents, male and female, with the richest ingredients available and charges accordingly, presenting the perfume to you in a gold sultanic bottle. This makes Amouage an example of fair capitalism, since you are paying exactly what the cost of production would suggest.
Ubar originally came out in 1995 and was rereleased in 2009. You can read about both versions at Now Smell This. The note list, from luckyscent.com, is bergamot, lemon, lily of the valley, damascene rose, jasmine, civet, and vanilla. I don’t smell all of those notes, but given the layering techniques of Amouage, each one of them prefers to harmonize rather than call out in turn.
What I do smell, from top to bottom, is a dusty green rose as natural as the biggest rose in your garden after a rain. The lemon note takes its place in the background, and not only is a fresh and unusual combination with the rose but ensures that Ubar will not become a garden fragrance. I also notice a lot of Eastern spice notes, like frankincense, even though they aren’t listed. Not only that, there is also a deep but powdery note like the one in Chamade.
There’s a considerable amount of musk, but it isn’t quite the civet animalic musk that is suggested. Instead it’s more of an earthy, dirt-like musk that supports the rose perfectly. Ubar doesn’t change much, but it remains rich from top to drydown. In fact it becomes more radiant further on. I don’t smell the bergamot at all, which is a great technique because I smell bergamot in almost everything.
Ubar is womanly and sensual, but also very wearable. It even smells like it could be a skin scent. However, other Amouage scents seem like they are more packed than this one. Ubar is beautiful, but not quite sweet enough for my tastes. Amouage Gold, on the other hand, is a preternaturally luscious piece of St. Peter’s gate that only gained momentum as it fell down to Earth.
Perfumer:
Price Range: Very Expensive
Recommended Occasion: Any
Release Year: 1995, 2009
My Rating: 8
Check out more reviews at Perfume Posse and Perfume Smellin’ Things.
I really can’t get enough of the beauty of Ubar. I have only tried the newer version, and I’m fine with that. Pitch-perfect.
It does smell wonderful. I prefer sweeter, denser perfumes though; it’s a personal thing. Must be me.
A pleasure to read such writing.
Ubar is a queen of a rose, along with the entire court. People looking for novelty may be disappointed. Those who want to give a sensational gift, and get it absolutely right, have got it here.
Maybe the novelty thing is my problem…