If I hadn't known that Amouage Jubilation 25 was new, you could have convinced me that this was the perfume that the snake dabbed on Eve when he handed over the apple. You could have told me that the scent of Jubilation 25 so mesmerized Adam that when he bit into the apple he thought it was something wholesome, like a vegan burrito, instead of a naughty apple, and I would have believed it. After all, Jubilation 25 smells like a blend of flesh and paradise.
Amouage released Jubilation 25 in 2007 to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Lucas Sieuzac, who won Fashion Group International's Rising Star award in 2004, hit it out of the park when he created Jubilation 25. The Amouage website lists Jubilation 25's top notes as tarragon, rose, lemon, and ylang ylang; its heart as davana, labdanum, rose, and frankincense; and its base as amber, musk, vetiver, myrrh, and patchouli.
Surprisingly, given the list of notes, Jubilation 25 smells to me like a carnal, sheer rose-fruit chypre with a dusting of cumin and a twist of lemon. It is a woman's smell, not a girl's, and a confident, sensual woman's smell, at that.
One of my first thoughts on smelling Jubilation 25 was that it is similar to the new version of Rochas Femme. Wearing them side by side shows that Jubilation 25 is more delicate and complex than Femme. It is harder to pin down than Femme, compelling me to smell it again and again. It's also more herbal than Femme. (I brought a sprig of tarragon in from the garden just to make sure I could smell it in Jubilation 25.) Femme smells like a drag queen next to Jubilation 25.
I don't think Jubilation 25 is for everyone. It's not the sort of fragrance that's easy to love if you're in the first stages of being a perfumista. If you don't get Dior Diorella, Guerlain Mitsouko, or Rochas Femme, you might want to spend your perfume dollars elsewhere (and thank your lucky stars, because Amouage fragrances are famously expensive). But if those names make your heart beat faster — and mine is pattering wildly — you should at least get a sample of Jubilation 25. I'm lucky to have a small decant, but it won't be long before I crave a bottle. Damn that snake.
Amouage Jubilation 25 Eau de Parfum comes in 50 and 100 ml bottles. A spritz lasts a good eight hours. For buying information, see the listing for Amouage under Perfume Houses.
Great review, Angela. I must try 25, but I'm already deeply in love with XXV, the men's version by Duchaufour. Have you tried it?
XXV is my special occasion scent or something I dab on just a drop of when I want to have a mini-reverie, and I'm hoarding my decant while craving a 50ml bottle (and I also find the bottle and cap exquisite).
Nice to see that the women's version seems to be as amazing as the men's. I think I will have to get a small decant next time I place an order.
Great review Angela. I quite fancy this one, unfortunately for my poor wallet. What really struck me about it was its sheerness — I really wasn't expecting that. I didn't know that it lasts 8 hours. Maybe that can help justify its price. I do love the herbal dimensions of this, and I'm thinking that I'd like to do a side by side comparison with Femme, now that you've suggested it.
I do have a sample vial of XXV, and I'll have to dig it out. I remember it as a wonderful incense–so different from 25!
I have about 6 ml of 25 left, and I'm hoarding each ml, too. If you do end up trying 25, I'd love to know what you think of it.
Its sheerness is one of the things that, in my mind, differentiates it from Femme. If Femme is a rumpled peach satin teddy, worn a day already, then 25 is a pale mousseline slip.
Hi Angela, great review. This is one of my favorite fragrances, very grown-up and come-hither!
Unfortunately, the price is just as spectacular…… :O
It's so darned expensive! If I win the lottery, though, it's one of the first things I'll buy.
I, too, loved Jubilation 25 enough to purchase a decant (can't afford the bottle these days!) And I enjoyed that “not easy to enjoy if you're in the first stages of being a perfumista” remark; I must have graduated to an intermediate stage without realizing it. Hurray! 🙂
I figured that the combination of chypre and cumin might make it a little off-putting for someone who hasn't smelled a lot of perfume. But for someone who likes a lot of different smells, I think it smells unexpected, complex, and lovely.
25 sounds absolutely great. I have never had an occasion to try any of the Amouge scents – it is a must though. I am very curious about the 25.
I really like it, and I'd love to know what you think of it if you do try it.
Right now, the Olympics are a minor event compared to my to-sniff list preparation for Chicocoa Scentsation (Perfume Posse's Chicago event, Sept. 13), so there is no greater gift than a tantalizing (and nicely written as always) review of a fragrance that will be accessible on that glorious day. Thank you very much, Angela!
This is by far my most complex, grown-up, pearls & heels, come-home-and-ravish-my-husband scent. Not to be worn to the office or for casual wear, it's way too sprecial for that and must be treated as such.
I tried a samp a while back and totally shocked myself when I fell head first (nose first) for it. Totally not my type of scent, but I guess I'm at least a second-tier perfumista b/c I would have never worn this a couple of years ago. I splurged on the 50 ml bottle. I feel like a total diva in it. I would tell you what hubby says when I wear it, but this is a family board.
You guys are going to have so much fun–I'm jealous! I'll be with you in spirit even if my sorry old body will be somewhere else.
I love your description! Now I really, really want my own bottle!
Much appreciation for the review Angela. The cumin kills my lemming on this one…I am however literally craving to try the woman's Amouage Gold. Anyone tried this??? I've read differing reviews, just as you will for any fragrance..some good, some bad, some saying 'old lady, too cloying' .. others saying 'Holy Grail'. If anyone's sniffed Gold, do please reveal your personal impression.
I know what you mean about cumin–it can be hard to take. I think J25 does it really well, though, and I almost wonder if I'm misreading it and it's really a citrus-herbal blend. But it does smell like cumin.
I haven't smelled Amouage gold for ages, and all I remember is that it was a glorious mega-floral. I think Guy Robert did it, and that's sure a recommendation.
Amouage Gold is wonderful – a rich, womanly scent. Dia is wonderful too, a bit sweeter than Gold.
As for the Amouage Jubilation 25, I actually preferred the men's version – I do love me some Duchaufour incense.
I've heard a lot of people say they prefer the men's version. And count me in with loving Duchaufour incense!
Angela, your descriptive review and the admiring comments have persuaded me to add this perfume to my luckyscent sample order that went out today. I can't wait to try it for myself. Thank you!
My sample collection is growing quickly…but I am having fun trying many of these scents I read about on the blogs.
It really is fun to try lots of samples. And even if it turns out you aren't crazy about Jubilation 25, I don't think you'll regret sampling it.
Blast your great review… just ordered a sample from luckyscent!
Funny that you mention the young nose that doesn't appreciate Femme- I ordered a Femme mini a few months back-when I was even greener than I am now, tried it, and thought the cumin was killer (like I was cookin a pot of Fideo with flowers in my hair)…I put it away for a few months and then agreed to swap it on MUA. I put on a dab, before I packed it up, and I REALLY LIKED IT! I thought, this is so different than what I remember- soft feminine, sexy…too bad I am swapping this away! Guess I am rising in the ranks!
I am sure I won't regret it either Angela. I have been experimenting with essential oils for almost 20 years, but have just recently delved into the world of perfume. Had I known there were so many wonderful blends to be tried, I would have started playing with them long ago. My first love will always be the natural oils, but these niche perfumes, and some of the mainstream as well, are truly a treat.
I'd imagine that smelling anything–synthetic or not–would help you as you blend natural oils. Enjoy the ride!
Absolutely!
I think I'm crazy when I look at the things that I didn't care about when I first smelled them. For instance, when I first smelled Joy, I thought 'ho hum' (I know! I was nuts!). It took me a while to warm up to Mitsouko and Diorella, too, although I adore them both now.
I recently revisited Joy and it was love at first sniff. I love it in all it's incarnations. I had sniffed it at Nord's when I was buying all my Annick Goutals many years ago and thought is was so so…couldn't figure out what all the buzz was about. Boy howdy! I can understand it now.
helenviolet, I guess yours is a lesson in trying a fragrance on more than one occasion and giving your nose a chance to grow into a scent. I believe in the power of generosity returning to you 10 fold. Your sacrifice only means you have some truly divine sensory experiences ahead of you.
I love it when I finally “get” a fragrance. After months of finding something “interesting” and longing to be smart enough to like it (I know, I know), one day I'll smell something and, bingo!, I get it.
Sorry to rain on the parade, but I just got out my J25 to see if I could discover this HG-like magic for myself. I hadn't the first time around, but Angela and the rest of you are very, very persuasive perfumistas, and I respect you all greatly. Many's the time I do a complete 180 on a fragrance, so I was hoping it would happen again.
Sniff. Sigh. Wait some more. Sniff. Sigh.
I guess it just ain't gonna happen.
I mean, it's great stuff, no doubt about it, but it has a complete absence, for me, of absolutely-gotta-have-it qualities. There are so many great chypres out there that don't cost this insane amount of money that do the job just as well or even better. Just my opinion, but that's what blogs are for. I write this to encourage any woman earning, say, under $150,000 a year who is thinking of spending a couple of days' pay on a bottle to make sure you really love it THAT much before you buy, and try to get a decant if you haven't sniffed it.
Just for fun, I spritzed on some Guerlain l'Arte et la Matiere Rose Barbare on the other wrist — just a little something Francis Kurkdijian whipped up in his spare time awhile ago. I wanted to compare J25 with another decent modern, high-end chypre, and it fits the bill. Gals, the RB is running circles around the J25 even as I type. It's blossoming and doing staggeringly lovely things. Again, that's just the reaction from two nostrils, but I must weigh in here, for the little it's worth
(And if you DO have a bottle of Jubilation 25 and find it glorious and diva-like and you feel AMAZING wearing it, I am very happy to hear it, truly! I mean, seriously, don't let me rain on your parade at ALL. I bet it smells delicious on you and you love it and that's all that counts.)
Love,
Yes, Robin, I too believe in trying a sample before buying a FB. If I were floating in money, it wouldn't even be an issue. I also enjoy trying samples of scents that probably won't send me into nirvana just to expand my fragrance horizons. Do tell, is that Guerlian l'Arte el la Matiere Rose Barbare still in production? I would also like to compare. '~)
Well, I love Rochas Femme, but I agree that it does sort of hit you with a club, so this must be divine. These are the kinds of scents that I almost try to make a point of not ever sniffing, so as to avoid falling in love, since there is no way I could justify spending that much on a bottle. Fab article, bty, as usual. Cheers!
Last I heard, you could buy it in Paris at their flagship store and also at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC, but I think TPC is selling decants and samples. . .
An interesting little factoid: Rose Barbare was created as a contemporary interpretation/spin on The Great Chypre of All Time, Mitsouko. . .neat, huh? To my nose, it is extraordinarily creamy and fresh, like the world's most gorgeous body lotion. Good luck on snagging a ml or two!
Thanks, I already have a wish list for TPC going, so I will just add a sample of Rose Barbare onto it. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get a sample of Mitsouko while I am at it? I LOVE most of the Guerlains I have sniffed so far…even the AAs. Very nicely done.
Angela, how nice to be able to review – and enjoy – this one after your week of drugstore dreck. Can practically see you glowing off the page.
After reading your comment about Rose Barbare, I went and dabbed some on my wrists. It is indeed beautiful and elegant.
I have not tried the J25, but will say that cumin and I don't usually get along….unless, of course, it's on my favorite Tex-Mex entree.
This is my first time commenting at NST, but I read this blog everyday and am a huge fan of your writing, Angela. Your series last week on the drugstore scents had me in thrall, even though I have no interest in drugstore scents.
Amouage Jubilation 25 is so superb, I sometimes think it could be my one and only. (I did spring for a bottle of it after I went through my decant, and despite the expense, absolutely no regrets.) This is such a difficult fragrance to pin down in description, but I think you nailed it. Excellent review!
i tried this on my last sniffing expedition, and it was the only thing worth a darn. made the rest of the new stuff – the feerie, the new ralph lauren, the david yurman, the sensuous – seem amazingly dull. and it lasted forever. would love to have this one.
R, like any art, this is the beauty of perfume! Some will love something, and others can easily live without it.
Now, of course, I'm dying to try Rose Barbare. On the list it goes…
Cumin can be a tough note to live with, it's true. I think J25 does it beautifully, but it could easily put other people off.
I love Femme, too, but I have just the same reaction as you–Femme needs to be handled carefully. Jubilation 25 is more subtle.
I guess the big question is, is it better to have loved and not bought than never loved at all?
S, you are so right! Forget the Charlie, dump the Vanilla Fields, and give me some Jubilation 25 damn it.
Thank you so much, and thanks for commenting, too! I know that when I have my checkbook and I'm facing that bottle of Jubilation 25, your words will ring in my ears: “…and despite the expense, absolutely no regrets”.
Once my decant is gone, I'll have to have a serious talk with my bank account.
M, you and me both. I really like it.
I really enjoyed reading your review on the J25 and as much as I'm not fond of cumin, I will order a sample. Who knows? Maybe it will change my mind.
Thanks again for a lovely read.
Suzanne: Funny you say sometimes you feel 25 could be your one and only. That's how I feel about XXV. It's amazing. However, I don't think I'd ever *want* it to be an everyday scent, but it's amazing to own when I have a birthday, tickets to the symphony, or other events where I want to be totally transported. If I were ever forced to choose, I'd pick another Duchaufour incense, Timbuktu, as my everyday, and XXV as my special-occasion mainstay.
…or not. But it's a nice one to smell either way.
Thanks to your earlier comment, I found my sample of XXV, and it is truly wonderful. It's such a creamy incense. I see why you love it.
Darn it! Why couldn't these be just a little less expensive (or me a little richer)? I might have to spring for a decant of this one.
OMG! it is 200 EURO!
well, I recommended Iris Pallida to a beloved friend, and I gave her my decant. She is craving for it now, saving for it, and I felt really ashamed as I saw it costs 240 EURO! but I guess it will make her really happy, so Angela – go for it, and do not fell sorry if it really gives you the thrill.
I have tried Gold and I thought it was a knock-out luxurious floral – rich and smooth and opulent and “perfumey” – not me, but I wish I owned a sample to try it again. It might have been a bit cloying, I suppose – I am afraid I can't rightly remember, but normally, with headache-inducing things, they get me straight off, like Nuit Noire by Mona di Oirio and Amoureuse by DelRae. I would say this is comparable in “luxury” feel, but works better and had no discordant spices or candied fruit. I have ordered a sample of this one too, and though I think it is probably not me either, I had to try it!
I have just tried Rose Barbare in the last few days and it was also “luxurious” and honeyed and wonderful! I believe I did see it in the flagship Guerlain store in Paris in May, though I was “lemming” over Plus que Jamais at the time.
That's why I am still lemming over Plus que Jamais, and enjoying my 5ml decant from TPC instead!
When I'm feeling decadent, I wear the XXV on one hand and the 25 on the other. They compliment one another quite nicely and having the XXV around keeps me from feeling too femme when wearing just the 25.
I finally saved up for a bottle of Amouage Gold and tried 25 at the same time. So, after craving Gold two years, I almost bought the 25 instead. I like cumin notes in fragrance, but I LOVE them in 25. Nothing heavy-handed about this one.
How lucky you are, vanessa, to have been at the flagship Paris digs in May!!! Since falling in love with hard-to-get scents in the last year or two, I can actually see myself travelling just to explore amazing scent HQs. When I was in Paris last it never occured to me; I was focused on food and wine. (Could have been worse, I guess, but. . .)
You know, not so long ago I thought that chypres had to be the worst thing to happen to a set of nostrils. I'd almost recoil at the first sniff of Miss Dior et al. Strange how our tastes evolve. Now I wish I knew more of them, and I start longing to detect oakmoss!
On that subject — I know it's late in the thread, so I'm not getting my hopes up; Angela, perhaps you can recap for us — what are people's most beloved chypres out there? Thanks!
I know what you mean about wanting try something, even if you suspect it “isn't you”. It's like trying on a lipstick in an untraditional color or trying on a hat–it's fun, and you just never know.
Joe, when I read your comment I just HAD to find my sample of XXV, which meant dumping a pile of samples onto my bed and fishing through them madly. Finally found it; there were only a few drops left, but they are now on my wrist, and, wow! It is amazing. The incense is so smooth, and though it takes center stage, it still allows those velvety florals to float around it so entrancingly.
Also, you're right: as much as I am bewitched by J25, I wouldn't want it to be an everday scent. And there are other scents I couldn't live without for very long, so, in truth, I could never be truly monogamous (much as I am tempted to make that vow of faithfulness every time that I wear it!).
Adding XXV and Gold to my rapidly growing sample wish list…thank goodness I am only buying samples…for now.
Well, I can't speak for everyone, but my favorite chypres have to include Miss Dior (one I also didn't “get” at first), Y, Diorling, Femme (but now J25), Cuir de Russie, Corps et Ames–I think I'm forgetting lots of them!
M — you're going to have me running out for a bottle of J25 before you know it. 🙂 And me with JXXV already on my wishlist.
Fabulous review, Angela! Total lemming generator.
MBB, you say the words I want to hear! And dread to hear! Maybe I'll tie it to something, for instance tell myself that if I sell a particular article I can buy J 25.
What are you going to do when the decant runs out? That's the big question.
I'll have to try it!
So true, Angela. And, while lots of us have certain categories of scent we just adore and can't get enough of, that are just “us,” I'm sure many fragrance lovers out there — count me in — really are looking for RANGE: you know, to have one or two really great chypres, say, even if we're more the oriental sort, or one fab incense even if we gravitate to hesperidics or grassy scents. One day someone (wink, wink) will have to do a Definitives column: you know, the Top Five in each of the classic styles.
Scent monogamy is fine in concept, but impossible in real life, I think.
M, I wish Amouage had 15 ml bottles of J 25–it would be so much easier to justify having both.
Enjoy the Amouage Gold!
I've told myself the same thing many a time. Samples are terrific, and in the end I know they've saved me money.
Make sure you try a sample first–as you can see from some of the comments here, not everyone is as wild about it as I am.
Having both XXV and 25 would be pretty sweet, though.
A daunting task! But very interesting.
I'm wearing Vega now (speaking of Guerlain), and I love this one, too. I'm already dreading when the decant runs out (although its a generous decant from a very generous friend). Big sigh. I sure do love perfume.
Well Divinemama, I already did get a sample of femme from another swapper as an extra! About a day after I regretted sending mine off, so you are right!
Angela, will have to revisit Diorella one of these days, b/c the 1st time I sprayed it on (in a dept store), it was puro cumino…
Mitsouko and Joy are dreamy, tho….and I am finally appreciating Shalimar as something for me (and not just my granny)
BTW, laughed out loud at your scent monogomy comment below…
I don't get any cumin in Diorella–are you sure that it was Diorella you tried? It's a strange scent, to be sure, but not particularly spicy (at least to me).
I love Shalimar, too. In fact, I'm going to wear it tonight now that you've reminded me of it.
I am pretty sure it was, but then again I have a habit of covering my arms in different scent patches (it is not an exact science)…all the more reason to have another go!
Diorella strange? Interesting, Ang. I've always gotten just very complex and delicious lemons, greens, honeysuckle, melon, moss and a melange of fascinating base notes, nothing strange at all — and, being a newcomer, I do get spooked at “strange” scents!!
I do the same thing–sometimes I think I should draw out a map of my arms and hands ahead of time. (Of course I never have.)
To me there's something animalic mixed in with it that makes the mix of accords smell like nothing from nature. That's its beauty to me.
I getcha. Yeah, and I totally get the same thing, only you've described it better than I ever could! So true — it's a beautiful strange as opposed to a straight weird strange, hun?
I LOVE fragrance. It is the best kind of “hobby,” isn't it? It just never fails to fascinate. . .
Thanks for a great piece, Angela, and great comments from everyone.
Thanks for the warning, Angela. Diorella + cumin? Could be fantastic for me. (Or else not, but we'll have to see). Luckily, I'm not afraid of a little skank in my 'fumes.
This is really bad. Last night I had to go get my decant of XXV and ecstatically sniff the bottle (didn't spritz, as I was already trying on TDC Osmanthus)…
Then I started webshopping and realized that 100ml of XXV is just soooooo much more “economical”: 50ml is $245 but 100ml is “ONLY” $290. Ugh. I think I'm going to need to start a “Christmas Club” account to fund my purchase of Amouage. We're all sick, sick, sick, I'm telling you!
You're welcome!
A little skank can be mighty fine indeed.
I've done the same comparison. For only $55 more you get twice the volume. But then I have to ask myself if I've ever used up a whole 100 ml of anything! Of course, maybe this one would be it.
Yes, it's a sickness. If only there were insurance for it….
Joy –
I'll bring a decant of Femme (my new all-time favorite, which I'm wearing as I type this) and we can sample it next to Jube25. I'm tempted to be insulted by Angela's description of Femme (for Femme's sake only Angela darling, NOT my own:-) but I think Femme can handle it, LOL! She's a tough old broad.
It will be interesting to see which one steals my heart more!
If it turns out to be Jubilation, I am going to be SO peeved, though. As you said, Angela, it's not a quick dip in the checkbook – more like a Very High Dive!
Wish you were going to be able to join us, Angela – I think it's going to be a LOT of fun!
xoMamaBear/Musette
Oh, I love Femme, too! If you doubt me, after that “drag queen” comment, see my NST review of Femme or my listing of it on my top 10 winter favorites this year. But Femme feels a little “been around the block a few times” compared to Jubilation 25. You must tell me what you think when you try them together.
You all will have such a fabulous time in Chicago! Please toss back a chocolate for me.
No, I definitely don't doubt you – it was just a irresistible opportunity to defend Her Femmeness and I can certainly concur with the 'drag queen' comment (ROFL!!) she's got that slightly 'hippy' feel about her, like Fracas (not hippie – hippy, like a woman in a slightly tight couture suit), which I love about her- it will be a lot of fun to test them against one another!
We will toss back many chocolates for you and some frags, too!
xo
But this is wear splitting makes sense, right? Two people can split $290 and get 50 mL each for $145, rather than one person having buying 50 mL for $245.
It completely makes sense for bottle splits. I guess I'm greedy and want the whole bottle myself!
apropos á angela: my friend will buy the iris pallida as soon as she finishes her master thesis. she is pretty motivated, I tell you…
Brilliant!
Joe. Go for the 100 mls. And then post on the scentsplits.wikidot.com page and I'm in to share some with you!
GGS
Haha…. oh, Pearl, I'm tempted. I really am. Maybe sometime in the coming months! (I also love that split wiki!)
I have at last tried this, and it smelt exactly as I imagined it was going to from the excellent descriptions! In the same vein as 31 rue Cambon, but edgier and dirtier. It is good, but I think I prefer the former still, which is more sanitised and creamy and more “want to bury your nose in it”-ish.
I never thought about comparing it to 31 rue Cambon, but I see your point exactly. 31 is easier to wear just about anywhere without feeling out of place, while I think J25 is a little more “paticular”.
“Particular” is a good word. It has that spiky personality of Le Parfum de Therese or OJ Woman though the latter's is in a much more Tolkien-like way (who said that recently?!). I did a side-by-side comparison of the notes out of curiosity and some of the ones they have in common will be attributable to their both being chypres, I guess: labdanum, patchouli, amber, incense and rose/cistus. 31 of course has iris and sandalwood while J25 has that herbal lemon vetiver thing going on. The specific element that manages to make 31 softer and “creamier” – though J25 is also pretty smooth – now that I would love to know!!
I wish I knew more about how perfumers work–about how they can balance the various elements of a fragrance so that each bit releases just when it should and at the “volume” that it should to make a seamless aura of scent that is smooth and yet multi-layered.
I first heard about the Amouage line from a tv show called Let's Shop on WealthTV. The hostess of the show was visiting Oman & visited a perfume shop. She fell in love with Amouage Gold. The prices of the perfumes were way out of my reach, so I settled for ordering a few samples. The Gold was OK, but the Jubilation 25 for Women was HEAVENLY. Since I only bought a small vial, I used it very sparingly…only a drop on each wrist, but the smell lasted all day. Everytime I wear it, I would find my nose finding its way to my wrists throughout the day! Long story short…I could not afford to buy 1.7 oz. for $268 or 3.4 oz. for $300. I did however, feel like I struck gold when I discovered a 1.0 oz Eau de Parfum Travel Size Spray ( Limited Edition ) for $50. I purchased 2 bottles from http://www.beautifulperfumes.com. What a find!
I see that the one ounce travel size has been offered a few other places, too (and I bought one, too!).
hello angela. i hope it's never too late to comment on J25.
after months of toying the idea, i finally bought this yesterday for SAR (Saudi Riyals) 800. that is about US$ 213. =O
i like the scent the first time i tested it on my wrist and am happy i added a good frag on my shelf. however, i must admit it failed to solicit that “happy giggle” i do everytime i discover a REALLY excellent scent (well, at least for me). btw, i did that “happy giggle” with SL Douce Amere and Ferragamo's Subtil. =)
always thank you for the great reviews.
What a great price! I like the idea of the “happy giggle” test. You could write reviews and then put a smiling emoticon next to the perfume that win the giggle!
I tried Lyric the other day at a perfume shop here in Seattle (along with Lexington Ave., Chinatown, and Clive Christian No. 1 — thank god I didn't fall in love with THAT one at $865 a bottle.!) and then placed a bid on Jubilation 25 unsniffed(!) on ebay UK. And I won. It's being shipped to my friends' house in London who are coming to visit at the holiday. I paid $144 delivered for an unopened 100 ml box. Yesterday I returned to the perfume shop to try the 25 — thank heavens my love for Mitsouko didn't lead me astray: the 25 is amazing, too, and soon, soon it will be mine!
I'm getting a yen for a bottle of Lyric, but I'm going to try to delay it as long as possible. You got a terrific price on the J 25! It's a dangerous scent to buy unsniffed, because of that dirty, fleshy feel it has–dirty, fleshy, and supremely elegant, that is–but what a wonderful fragrance.
I'm with ya. I really love the Lyric, too. I love the Lyric immediately, and I love the 25 after some time has passed. On me, it starts out rather old-ladyish (not as much as the Amouage Gold, which I got a free sample of), but then becomes like a ridiculously layered Mitsouko — not as much peach, but that dirty, chypre quality we so love, and it's wonderful until it's gone. I like to tell myself that a perfume habit isn't as bad as a crack habit…um…right?
At least we can't get arrested for a perfume habit!
When you wear J-25 you don’t walk – you float! This is fab! THE QUEEN OF PERFUMES! Slightly masculine, but soooo sexy. So wealthy. So confident. It is strong, but the smell is so good it’s ok to be over powering. If a perfume is cheap and nasty and over powering then yuk, but this not so much over powers as totally seduces.
I LOVE IT!
I truly love this one, too! I’m surprised you find a masculine touch in it–to me it’s all woman.
When I say masculine maybe what I mean is that it’s not sweet and flowery and goody two shoes. Maybe a better word would be dominant lol!
I know just what you mean!
When I first received my sample of this and sniffed, I had an odd visceral reaction and put it away. The reaction wasn’t pleasant but it wasn’t unpleasant either. I knew I should have heeded the advice to train my nose a bit more before tackling this one.
A mere 6 months later and here I am, unable to keep my nose away from my wrist. Oh my; this is good stuff.
This evening when I dabbed a tiny amount on, hesitantly, slowly, a little scared (I didn’t like the way it smelled in the decant bottle), the first thing I thought was “oh no, I hope this comes off easily; what have I done?” Then I thought I smelled something bordering on sweet pee, yes pee, not pea. I know … And I apologize 🙂 I just could not pin down the biting, almost acrid smell.
Then as quickly as I felt I had made a mistake, I knew I had not. I sensed that trip through the Garden of Eden, just as Angela described. I equate those first few seconds of unpleasantness to the physical pain that often accompanies the first few seconds of the very act this scent alludes to ..you know, before it dissolves into sweetness and pleasure.
I am not demure, but I cannot in good taste describe the physical and mental reaction this is causing in me. Let’s just say: I don’t simply feel sexy, I feel as if all sex itself came from me. I am Eve, I am the snake, I am the Garden. I am in love!
Angela, you nailed this. My goodness…you nailed it.
Whew! After reading your description I need to fan myself–there–that’s better. Yes, I’ve told people Jub 25 is sex in a bottle, and not everyone gets it. But I can see you do! There’s something positively witchy about it. And now I am compelled to dig out my bottle and spray some on.
Witchy! Yes!! 😀
Very!
Am I the only one who gets pencil shavings? I say pencil shavings in the best possible way, of course. 25 calls to mind a light, bright day in early autumn, and there’s a newness to it that I find so appealing, an ever-so-slightly lemony freshness, like the brand new start to the school year. I imagine a school teacher with a secret penchant for fine perfume pulling this off beautifully.
Since autumn is my favorite season for so many reasons, not least of which is that clean slate feel, the getting-down-to-learning-business and the smell of bouquets of sharpened pencils (Oh, how You’ve Got Mail warms my heart!), it’s no surprise that I’m completely won over by Jubilation 25. Surely a bottle or at least a decant is in my future.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if there’s some cedar or something pencil shaving-ish hiding out in there! I love love love this perfume. It’s almost too much to smell at once, like a truffle. Gorgeous.
This is my favorite Amouage! This one is out of the box and that’s fine with me!
It’s my favorite, too!
I just got a sample of this from LuckyScent, and I gotta say it smells a *lot* like Mitsouko to me. I keep seeing mentions of cumin here, and I don’t pick that up at all. I’m kind of wondering if maybe I just don’t smell cumin as a perfume note because this is the second thing I’ve encountered where cumin was mentioned but I didn’t smell it. (The other is Tom Ford Santal Blush). And it’s odd because if I sniff the container of cumin in my spice cabinet, I smell it just fine. Now, I love me some Mitsouko (I have a tiny bottle that I carry around in my pocket sometimes), but with this, the similarity is such that, while it is really beautiful, it just doesn’t excite me. I’m sure it would be the other way around if I had smelled this first and then encountered Mitsouko after. I guess I’m glad that of the two, the one that got me first is the one that I would be more likely to be able to afford.
I don’t know how I missed this comment when it posted–I’m sorry!
I just revisited my sample vial, and I totally get the cumin now. I did apply quite a bit more generously this time, so maybe that’s what made the difference. And I’m relieved that the cumin note doesn’t smell like BO to me. 🙂 It still does remind me of Mitsouko a little bit right at first, but not so much as it dries down. What I’m smelling really agrees with Angela’s assessment of a “rose-fruit chypre with a dusting of cumin and a twist of lemon.” I take back what I said about Jubilation 25 smelling too much like Mitsouko. This really is gorgeous, and I’m sniffing my arm compulsively.. a decant is looking tempting since I have now drained my sample vial.
I’m glad you like it! Jub 25 is my favorite Amouage so far. And hey, being compared to Mitsouko is a compliment!
Had my sample delivered today and on my skin its not good. Its heavy and old fashioned and smells very animally. Like a dollop of mutton fat slathered with some old lady vintage perfume. Am disappointed but relieved – the Amouage that I’ve tried on paper strips in the store have smelled ok – interesting but to spend that amount of money on something I needed to get a sample to wear on my skin. Sorry but Jubilation is not for me.
No need to apologize, that’s for sure. You just saved yourself some money!
OMG! Can I do a U turn….I’m here in sunny Spain and I found an expensive perfume shop with the full range of Amouage on display and sprayed several on bits of me BUT it’s the Jubilation that I’ve fallen for! It’s in my clothes and my hair and I love it and I WANT IT!! It’s a strange phenomena with perfume that very often it’s the one we dislike initially that turns out to be the favourite. It happened in 1973 when I first tried Diorella….I loathed it but couldn’t stop sniffing my arm…. and then went on to wear it for years and years. Maybe it’s the sun or maybe it’s just that time in my life when I feel that I can carry it off. It’s not for young sassy women, it’s for a woman who knows who she is better than she did yesterday……
I completely understand that response! I love Jub 25, too, and agree that it’s not a fragrance to be worn simple-mindedly.
Enjoy Spain!