Amouage Lustre and Amouage Outlands - unboxing and first impressions

[@AngelMC11]

Thank you for this, I was holding off my purchase until I heard your impressions of them. In a short time, you have become one of the most trusted criterias for me in youtube. Hope your channel keeps growing steadily. Take care.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@AngelMC11 thanks so much for the encouraging comment. I plan to keep at this for a while ❤️

[@jasonjenkyns5083]

I'll second this!

[@david.huszti]

Love the review and how you describe things! I have Outlands since it was released but it's hard to describe the fragrance. I mean it's a Masterpiece but as it dries down it show's other side of the fragrance. It's like a journey. Give it some time and a few wearings and you'll change your mind. And keep up the good work!

[@SeldomlyOften]

what's your drydown like?

[@david.huszti]

@@SeldomlyOften woody, spicy prominent vanilla/amber scent. But there are a lot of thing happening in there!

[@cycy37]

As a small collector (+200 bottles), Outlands was blind buy worthy. I hope you give it a whole day wear. For me it wears smooth and it was a love as soon as I smelled the anis mixed with the amber like in Material and tango... 2 weeks ago i used the guidance lotion and Guidance 46 and top it with 3 sprays of Outlands.. got complements all night! . Amouage is my favorite house and i believe in their artistry.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@cycy37 well, I have the bottle and definitely plan to be wearing it a lot! I love Amouage and their products as well.

[@summerbasil8535]

Oh wow! I am so glad I read your review. I have both outlands and guidance 46. I will try the outlands on top of guidance 46 now!

[@Joseph-J-]

I agree - the descriptions of these scents everywhere on the internet have been woeful. So vague and unspecific. I’m glad yours is here for people to watch. Having all 3, I would echo your thoughts on Outlands - it’s just chaotic and doesn’t feel cohesive to me. I don’t like it at all, personally. I enjoy Lustre, but I can’t say I love it. It’s ok, but doesn’t feel distinctive. Reasons is distinctive & the drydown is compelling but the davana in the opening -> mid is just too strong for me. I’d be curious to hear if you’d buy any of them again now, if you didn’t have them already.

[@nisha10302000]

I agree with both of these. I blind bought both of the perfumer’s batches. I can’t quite understand Outlands and Lustre is just ok to me.

[@SeldomlyOften]

People give bad descriptions because a lot haven't even smelled the things... They just sort of want to interpret the notes with their best guess. Early days of releases like this are pretty much a shit show. As for me, after a night of sleep: none of these releases are pupil dilating like some other Amouage bottles I have. They are all enjoyable for what they are and I'm happy I have them. If I knew what these were exactly I would have probably waited for discounters to carry them, they are really expensive. I'm currently wearing Outlands as my sotd, I'm still puzzled, still feels kind of messy but yesterday's drydown was starting to be something interesting: fresh, light, pleasing. Lustre is more predictable and I can already tell I'll like it; nothing mind blowing but good nonetheless. I need more time for sure.

[@iumtfinci]

Nice review, personally I like Lustre and Outlands which is more complex to understand like you said. I will keep trying them until I reach a common ground since I found a big difference between trying them on my skin compared on the first time I sniffed them on paper.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@iumtfinci yes, every time I give this a full wear I discover new facets of the perfume that were hidden, loving the experience so far!

[@Eloisescents0309]

Nice review… Lustre may be on my wish list!

[@SeldomlyOften]

I'll give it a full wear tomorrow but first impressions were very good! Smooth, elegant and deep :) Sample first!

[@summerbasil8535]

I also own the perfumer's batch of Outlands, and there is nothing chocolatey about the scent. I think the strong cardamom and vanilla have probably contributed the cakey smell, but it only exists when you first put it on. What lingers for the majority of time is actually this very nice and soft musky scent that is so comfortable to the olfactory. It is a perfume that takes the wearer a bit of getting used to. But then but soon madly falls in love with.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@summerbasil8535 I’m really liking it now, I’ve been wearing it a lot and it has definitely grown on me. I still get a very dusty patchouli but I came to accept it and the drydown is beautiful. Very unique!

[@abalsaeed]

I'm looking forward to your full review so I can decide which one I’d like to buy!

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks! I still need time for all of them but I'll try to get the videos out before the holidays :)

[@moneyparhar]

I blind bought Interlude black iris. Didn't like it at first but I love now. I bought Royal tobacco after testing at Nieman Marcus and bought overture man after sample that came from Nieman Marcus. I might test these new collection at Nieman Marcus.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@moneyparhar do test them! My advice would not be to immediately just by the opening, these evolve quite a bit.

[@federicothatsit]

Non vedo l'ora di provare Lustre dopo i tuoi consigli! e sopratutto non vedo l'ora per la full review ! 🙂

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@federicothatsit Grazie Federico! I full wear che sto facendo sono molto promettenti 👍

[@alexceraudo9383]

First and foremost, I am really glad that someone within the community started supporting your channel and you. I am also happy that Amouage tried something new: they at least try to build a storytelling beyond the scents. Yet, as you pointed out, it is not clear to me whether the representation of time is intended per se , or it is time in perfumery or time as it passes within the history of Amouge as a brand. They chose a challenging topic (kudo for that) and it is not easy to translate into words what actually is inside of a bottle (and vicecersa), but forgive me if I point out - sounding perhaps elitist or snobbish - that Mr. Lutens, Malle and Chris for instance were (and are) one of a kind because tthey are culturally a different league. Give Outlands more wear and you should notice the beautiful flower accord inside its palpitating heart: in classical Zarokian style, a beautiful duet rose/geranium with a consistent twist by a surprisingly creamy orange blossom. One more thing: just ONE sample for those orders????? Amouage should feel ashamed (also for not signing the cards within the boxes as they did (at a different level) b4 the magnetic cap. Hope you will enjoy overture woman (I do not, too sweet). Forgive again the long comment. Cheers.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@alexceraudo9383 thanks for the comment! The concept behind the scents seems like a previous project that has been sort of ‘repackaged’. I’m wearing Outlands today and I’m liking it, still a little messy but I like the smell and the uniqueness. The single sample is an absolute shame!

[@alexceraudo9383]

@@SeldomlyOften thanks. Interesting that this was a revived project, I did not know. I think Outlands is full of surprises. I admit you are right: messy it is, but I decided to read this messiness as a clear separation through the scent evolution, like the boundaries we surpassed in our personal path...till the ends of time.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@ yes, messiness could go either way, I want to give it the benefit of the doubt also but we are almost at a modern art interpretation: is it intentional or random? 😂😂😂

[@alexceraudo9383]

@@SeldomlyOften do not bother with intentionalism. As users and critics, you more than I, we can build meaning even when there is none. 😁

[@scentsamurai5149]

This is why I love to test fragrances for myself and not go by what a reviewer says. Scents are so subjective. I have the Perfumer's Batch of Outlands and to me it smells NOTHING like you have described here. For me, it's a citrus woody, slightly oudy and VERY ambery fragrance with sprinkles of flowers. Nonetheless, this is a great video and review. I enjoy your content and approach to reviewing fragrances - very honest. I hope it stays that way. Will be interesting to see how things change (or not) when brands start throwing free bottles at you. That will be the real test.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for the input! I wore this the whole day yesterday and still got the same kind of idea; the drydown is way less patchouli forward with the oud notes coming out. I actually really like it, it's surprisingly wearable and light, yet extremely long lasting. I'm not really sure what it "means", it's not transporting me anywhere and not giving me any images yet.

[@assumptaai]

This review is sending me Daniel 😹 really appreciate your bluntness. Tbh I kind of erase this house from my mind partly because of the hype over it. So it's super refreshing to see unglazed critique. I have some personal associations from people I know wearing it but it's probably time to reprogram those. I'm gonna get some decants + see. Sidequest: Do you know Caeleste?, their site texts are halariously unhinged& very intriguing to me, the dude from Toskovat is involved

[@SeldomlyOften]

If you disregarded the house because of hype, please revisit. Ignore Reflection and focus on the weirder side of things: if you haven't tried Interlude, that is an amazing start and an absolute must smell. Other notable ones are Figment Man, Myths Man (smells like a romantic tale of death), Silver Oud... Caeleste seems pretty cool, the one from Cristiano Canali looks interesting. You will definitely like the new house I'll be "Speed Dating"...

[@assumptaai]

@SeldomlyOften It's not just hype 🙈 it's cos my ex is big into Amouage & I don't want to smell like him 🙈 Will try work out which ones to avoid. I also avoid certain TF Nasomatto and Nishane cos of this. It's kind of necessary to just be careful what I sample but ja I don't want to avoid whole houses anymore.. Thank you for the suggestions. Caeleste bottles are beautiful I think. I'm gonna try get hold of the David-Lev Jipa-Slivinschi cos the profile is pretty obsession-inducing. You know I am always excited for speed dating the format works for my ADHD 😹

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@assumptaai Ah, too bad you have those associations, do you remember which he would wear? You can probably just avoid those; Amouage frags don't really have a specific DNA that ties them together, except for the frankincense notes.

[@assumptaai]

@@SeldomlyOften He wore black iris, portrayal & Overture definitely but he also trades&I can't remember his whole collection. But he wasn't into myths man, figment or obvs some newer ones I won't associate to him. I'm gonna take time working this out its making me too emo and I want to break stuff lol

[@justaddlight]

Great stuff Dan. And I'm actually wearing Beach Hut today so this was a nice synchronicity. Would love to eventually see a full review on Outlands. 👌

[@SeldomlyOften]

I'm definitely going to do full reviews of these, just have to get a clear idea of what these are first. Wearing Outlands as my sotd, very intersting but still feels a little messy.

[@kathywitter6076]

Nice one Daniel. I have to agree with you about the 1 complimentary sample; when you spend over £700 the least the brand should do is chuck in a few more samples or shower gel etc to encourage returning customers. Maybe they've been burnt, but most niche brands have discount vouchers to be applied to future purchases. You've certainly scratched my itch for Lustre and Reasons and I see they've just released an Essence sampler set for £41.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@kathywitter6076 I would totally check out the sampler, I think all 3 fragrances are good slow burners and definitely deserve a full wear 👍

[@pwj86772]

Outlands is so good, gets better every time you wear it. I was pretty thrown off by it at first too

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@pwj86772 can 100% confirm, wore it twice now and loving it!

[@AnotherPerceiver85]

your channel, material, and approach is a well scented breath of fresh air in an oversaturated influencer youtube market. i have been joyfully devouring your videos. Amouage is also one of my favorite houses with 26 bottles in the collection, including the 3 essences, after a few weeks Reasons has come out as my top pick among the 3 despite it being the lowest review looking at public consensus, the 2hour plus mark is really a game changer for me with this scent. I really look forward to your full reviews after spending more time with the scents and thank you very much for creating and sharing with us in your own way… you are talented…. oh and i respectfully disagree with your views on Zoologist Penguin 😜. you may have been going slightly nose blind from over sampling in one sitting! you should give it a full day wear and consider re-reviewing. we all have different tastes…. but penguin is good!

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for the comment! These are slow burn type of scents, Reasons really came around and developed nicely; the drydown is really good! I'll definitely cover these in a full review in the following weeks :) Also, thanks for the comment on Penguin, I appreciate it and it's a prompt to go back and check it out. Sampling like that is fun but definitely not the way to make a full evaluation!

[@bulletje33]

I believe you consider Outlands to be weird 😂 Thanks for your video. I have Outlands, was a blind buy. Really wanted to have one of these in the perfumers batch. This one spoke to me the most. I totally get what you’re saying. It’s weird and chaotic and I don’t have anything in my collection that smells similar. Also not sure where I stand. It’s good, but difficult to wear. Very situational I feel. No regrets yet though, it’s a very good perfume and I will need to give it way more time to understand it. Anyway Amouage and in this case Cecile succeeded in creating something very creative imo. Curious what you make of it after a few wears.

[@SeldomlyOften]

I’m wearing it today and I do like it, it’s not off putting or anything but still feels a little messy. The smell is good and it’s creative, the drydown is really unique because the scent becomes lighter and dryer. I can’t wait to get to know it and give it a full review.

[@bulletje33]

@ my experience is that it slowly transitions to something very nice and ambery. I struggle with the sweetness in combination with that huge patchouli for the first hours though. It’s a long road since the fragrance lasts a very long time.

[@noumi3617]

I have Outlands and am still waiting for the others. I must say I share your first impression on Outlands. Yet after multiple wearing, I'm already in love with it. So, yeah maybe your impression will change after full wearing 😊.

[@SeldomlyOften]

my impressions, as I suspected are already changing (wearing it as my sotd), still strange, kind of messy but really unique and interesting!

[@asyrafmutalib8898]

Good first impressions! You raving comments on Reasons is making me want to get that too haha 😂 It seems that you are also having a problem trying to describe Outlands. Please give that one a go on one of your gym days. It just smells better on moist skin

[@SeldomlyOften]

Very very intriguing! I'm wearing it as my scent of the day and today also is gym day so I'll try it there too. It's growing on me, I like it a lot :)

[@asyrafmutalib8898]

@ Great! I am also with you in saying that the two I’ve tried did not quite meet my high expectations. The concept is great, only hopefully they will execute it better next time

[@silverfox311]

I was not aware that some niche brands offer “Perfumer’s Batch” bottles. Extremely Cool!! 😎 Great Vid. 💯

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@silverfox311 thanks a lot! I think in this case it’s simply the first batch where the perfumer opened the tap to bottle these. It’s a cool concept as for as collection goes 🙂

[@taher9358]

Hey man I’m excited about these new 3 releases!!!

[@taher9358]

Apparently most people are hyping Outlands. What about you?

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@taher9358 no offence to anyone but people are hyping Outlands because of Cecile Z alone, most have no idea what it smells like. I'm wearing it today as my sotd, it's really interesting, the drydown from when I shot the video kind of surprised me, a lot lighter that I expected. This will need many wears :)

[@TimmMmit]

Thanks for flogging that dead horse again 😉 Another great articulate review. Thanks!

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@TimmMmit thanks for watching and for the support!

[@orosz4001]

There it is! Glad to watch. Only have outlands. , and it IS weird! In a good way I think. Don’t get the King Blue connection though. This is so much more vanilla. BTW, have you come around to King Blue? I remember your review. I still love it.

[@SeldomlyOften]

The King Blue vibe I got is not in the scent profile itself but rather in the strange pairing of ingredients. I'll be wearing the new sample I got in this box, you guys have been raving about it and it's only fair I try it again :)

[@DavideV101]

Thank you for everything Dan, I wanted to ask you, from where do u use to swap frags? I just bought cuoium but not my taste really

[@SeldomlyOften]

Hey, depends on the country you are in, local groups are generally good! Cuoium is awesome, needs a lot of wears to really get comfortable with.

[@DavideV101]

@ I got really challenged by it. Thanks for the answer, I will think about it

[@Lunarangst]

I thought all the bottles were going to be slightly different shades of colour too. Part of me finds this collection to be quite special and tempting . Another part finds it unnecessarily pretentious and holding itself to unjust prestige . But I’ve not tried them so can’t form an opinion. Thank you for your first impressions!

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Lunarangst it’s both of those for me too. I like Reason and I’m expecting I’m gonna like these also after some wears. More Amouage is good for me 🙃

[@Lunarangst]

@@SeldomlyOften you are an Amouage fan boy 😁. I only have Love Tuberose and Material ( hoping to pick up Sunshine in the new year ) . And I love Xerjoff and have many from them . .. and and I think I prefer Ganymede extrait over the original. So you can see where our differences lie 😂

[@bel1614]

Hi Daniel a new subscriber here! Just wondering have you ever tried Amouage Rose Incense? On my skin after 30 minutes to 1 hour it dries down pretty much to only vanilla - I find it quite interesting because I heard that on some other people they can't smell the vanila at all, instead it dries down to pretty much to only ink and incense!

[@SeldomlyOften]

Yes and it's absolutely gorgeous, this will be my next Amouage purchase for sure. Sweet, creamy white smoke, beautifully relaxing. I don't get much vanilla myself, mostly incense and powder.

[@АлексаТодић]

Shampoooo colection...niceee

[@SeldomlyOften]

😂🤣 The bottles look/feel a lot better in person but I totally laughed out loud because that was my thought first time also!

[@digitalskala]

top tier word salad review 10/10

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@digitalskala love it 😂😂😂

[@jasonjenkyns5083]

I have a sample of Outlands on the way. I'm not expecting to like it but I'm curious. I haven't connected with Cecile Zarokian's work so far. Open mind though! Zero interest in Lustre. I have my eyes out for Reasons though! Looking forward to your full review of that!

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@jasonjenkyns5083 thanks so much for the comment. Outlands is a little strange, feels chaotic, the other two smell a lot more refined and thought out. Time will tell but io excited to wear these all 🙂

[@jasonjenkyns5083]

I also have a sample of Groove Xscape on the way, based on your review. I love Karine Vinchon Spehner. I'm almost hoping I don't like it based on the bottle and name though. ;)

[@jasonjenkyns5083]

@@SeldomlyOften I really tend to dislike Iris, so that scares me about Lustre, that and the name lol

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@jasonjenkyns5083 upon very first wear I don’t get much iris, it’s more resinous and incense forward for sure.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@jasonjenkyns5083 the stupid marketing really kills the vibe on Groove 😂

[@mattl7424]

Have you done LES ABSTRAITS/ LES INDEMODABLES

[@SeldomlyOften]

I have not done any review yet but I absolutely love Les Indemodables, one of the best houses on the market!

[@atnguyenthanh7564]

The atomizer on the old bottles kinda suck, i got 3 bottles of meander with different batches but all of them have horrible sprayer. The spray always leak some juice on the bottle which was so dirty and annoying. Hope that amouage new bottle can fix this😢

[@SeldomlyOften]

The atomizers are decent, nothing too crazy but they get the job done. No leaking or dribbling on mine :)

[@Ansary587]

Thank you!!!!

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Ansary587 you are more than welcome! Thank you for watching 🙂

[@AD.801]

I'd only assume the batch variation (and the hype which ensues) is regarded only as a feature - for revenue - not a byproduct, by the brand.

[@SeldomlyOften]

To be honest, apart from the release period, hardly anyone is talking about these and soon the whole manufacturing process gimmick and the batch variation will probably be ignored/forgotten. It's ok, I still like all three and will happily wear them, it's just kind of sad to see all that wasted effort for a useless, half baked idea.

[@aikjones1]

I also don't get the bottle design change.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@aikjones1 change is always difficult to stomach, sometimes brands need an update! In this case I’m pretty sure these will be the only frags with this design.

[@MrLanarana]

The point is, consumers have a silly story to tell. Sadly, Amouage got into it too. I love Amouage, but this is a step back from true quality to stupid social/hype. I like Zarokian works, I have silver oud, don't like royal tobacco too churchy, but I love her Nanshe

[@SeldomlyOften]

Agree, Amouage should have just stood tall, unfazed by silly consumers, focused on their creations with a solid marketing pitch and no unnecessary or unrehearsed messy public explanations. Outcome would have been 100% better.

[@DaveNYC]

Enjoyed your first impressions but am slightly concerned by your apparent lack of enthusiasm. 😯 (not that I was going to blind buy them anyway!). But I’ll stay tuned for the full reviews. These types of fragrances always take some time to understand. I forget if these are going to stores yet but maybe I’ll run to Saks or Bergdorf this weekend to see.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for pointing my emotional response out. Yes, these were not mind blowing, pupil dilating or hyper exciting as some other stuff I smelled; they are good, perfumy, complex. I feel they are more slow burns; Reasons really came around and now I like it a lot. They will probably not be my favorite ever but I'm sure I'll be happy wearing all of them.

[@DaveNYC]

@ got an email from them today that the discovery set is now available. US$50 for 3 x 2ml set 😲. Makes Le Labo’s $13 city exclusive samples seem like a bargain!

[@ZachyB98]

Now that you’ve had these for a little bit, do you have a different favorite?? Which one is most worth it to you??

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@ZachyB98 Outlands really came around and I really like it. I would say I like them all equally, Lustre is probably the more simple one, Reasons might be still my fav.

[@adeelzero1445]

Still waiting for the Myths review

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@adeelzero1445 I know, I put out videos every other day, it’s coming 🙏

[@EndersFPS]

I really want to get my nose on these.

[@SeldomlyOften]

They are not as wow inducing as I though, they need some time to sink in; slow burn type of frags. I can tell they are good and high quality and can't wait to get more wears in (currently wearing Outlands as my sotd).

[@EndersFPS]

@ I’ve sold off quite a few bottles and can’t figure out how to find the next “wow” fragrance currently. I hope one of these Essences fragrances wow me, but I’ve heard a ton of mixed reviews. Need some more main line Amouage releases! Lol

[@SeldomlyOften]

​@@EndersFPS I'm feeling you but, as a word of advice, try to stop looking for something that will top the immediate wow feeling every time, it's not really sustainable in the long run. Great frags are often slow burns, they are the ones that demand time to be understood and that give back experiences and emotions.

[@EndersFPS]

@ I’ve been trying L’Art de la Guerre by Jovoy and it’s a very strange and interesting fragrance to me. It’s sort of a leathery fougere with a crisp apple note in the opening. Sharp rhubarb as well. I keep coming back to it for some reason

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@EndersFPS That has been on my radar for a while, sounds intriguing. Have you tried the house of Aedes de Venustas? a lot of wow frags in there!

[@Principemostprincipe]

My video for tomorrow while driving to work. Will come back tomorrow with new comment

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Principemostprincipe thanks! Let me know what you think 👍

[@Principemostprincipe]

@@SeldomlyOften i can tell you right now that your review is going to be great because it never disappoints, and fragrances i still need to try. They due to arrive in brown thomas dublin soon

[@nathanielmoody3656]

Interesting, Sebastian’s favorite was Outlands, but I guess that’s no surprise given how much he loves patchouli!

[@SeldomlyOften]

Well, if you like dusty patchouli Outlands is definitely a highlight. I have to say that the drydown freshens up a lot from the opening, much more wearable than expected.

[@alexceraudo9383]

and please, allow me to add: how much he loves Ms. Cecile (he is in good company!)

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@alexceraudo9383 exactly, it's all about PR. Nothing bad with that, it just creates a skewed perception ripple because people start repeating heard stuff like gospel.

[@Mr.Cologne]

Hopefully you got them for free

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Mr.Cologne they were a gift from a dear friend, so yeah, I didn’t pay for these but not free as in sent by the house.

[@Mr.Cologne]

As content creators we should get free products from the company's

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Mr.Cologne I'm a tiny channel so not worth investing from Amouage, also I like to keep things unbiased so I don't plan to accept any frag related stuff anyway :)