Amryis elemifera shrub
For our anniversary one year, my husband and I decided to treat ourselves to 'his and her' perfumes. Since I'm the perfume blogger, my husband got the job of finding the perfect scents for us. It was a job he took very seriously. He did the research, sourced the samples, occasionally got sidetracked and but when it came time to make the purchase, the decision was easy: Amyris Homme and Amyris Femme from French niche line Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
Most niche line fragrances are unisex, but we wanted fragrances that were the same, but with different variations: one for women and one for men. Amyris Homme and Amyris Femme fit the bill. Both fragrances share the same two key ingredients as heart notes: amyris, often used in fragrances for men, and iris, a popular feminine heart note. According to the booklet that came with the perfumes, amyris and iris' create the link between man and women interpretations of this vibrant scent'. As well, they have different concentrations. Amyris Homme is an eau de toilette while Amyris Femme is an eau de parfum, although both are also available as extrait de parfum.
We were both very happy with our same-but-different fragrances, and very pleased with ourselves for being so clever to have bought them. But, over time, I began to prefer the Amyris Homme. Don't get me wrong, Amyris Femme is gorgeous, but Kurkdjian excels at making fragrances for men. After all, this is the nose who created Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier in 1995 - one of the world's best-selling perfumes. He is also the creator of one of my favourite fragrances for men, Eau Noire, for Dior. Smelling Amyris Homme on my husband, I realize I have another favourite fragrance for men.
Amyris Homme opens with a vibrant note of sweet, juicy mandarin juxtaposed by a note of aromatic, piney rosemary. The balsamy aspect of the rosemary draws forth the piney, fresh herbaceous aspects of amyris. The amyris also has a gorgeous woodiness that stays right to the drydown, though in a more muted form. A note of saffron, a cousin of iris, ushers in the Florentine iris with its earthiness. The earthy, floral iris is the perfect counterpart to the amyris, making Amyris Homme both powerful and delicate at the same time. At this stage, I smell sweet tobacco. It's the coumarin in Tonka bean. It lifts the entire composition, keeping it light and fresh. Notes of modern woods at the base echo and support the woodiness of the amyris.
Amyris Homme dries down to an elegant, alluring all-season scent that is unabashedly masculine, but modern enough to be worn by a woman.
I liked this idea of 'his and her' perfumes so much that I've been petitioning for it to become an anniversary tradition. My husband is less keen. Something about the fact that we bought a fragrance for each of us, but I got mine plus most of his.
That's when I remind him what my mother used to say to my father when she would eat her French fries and then half of his: 'We're married, so what's yours is mine and what's mine is my own.' It's not flying in my house.
Amyris Homme is listed in our Decant Store. Decants are $5.00 for 1 ml.
Image - Wikipedia, Dec. 20, 2007 by CapeVerdeWave