Myths Woman
Amouage (2016)

Myths Woman by Amouage (2016) is a challenge for me in every way. Firstly, as a subject to review. Here goes: Myths Woman presents itself, as you'll nearly unanimously see from reviews here on Basenotes and elsewhere, as a green, earthy chypre that privileges dampness, shadow, and texture over standard notions of "prettiness." The dominant themes are synonymous with some sort of humid compost: damp soil, loam, leaves on the forest floor, and tilled vegetation. This is all decaying organic matter. You also see a lot about the bitter galbanum and the mossy patchouli that do most of the structural work. The florals, primarily narcissus and carnation, come through as addenda to the musty, florist-shop-bucket-at-the-end-of-the-day-after-Valentine's vibe. I agree with most of that, but I'll suggest the florals are not secondary (more on that later). For me, this is an evocative perfume rather than a clinical one, and it carries emotional weight rather than polish, as do so many Amouage releases from this era.

Across reviews, the affective register is remarkably consistent: melancholy classicism that tests the wearer. I think this means "goth." I mostly agree, and it's true, if people smell this on you and you're not a florist, they will wonder whether you've recently fallen into your yard waste bin in late summer. Wearing Myths Woman is clearly a "statement" (regardless of gender expression). You are announcing to anyone close enough to speak to, "We both know you've noticed my perfume." There's a strain of modest perversion in scents like this, and I can respect that.

I do want to emphasize that this perfume is extraordinary. The floral signature (again, overwhelming clove-like carnation, bitter narcissus, and buried sweet violet) asserts itself immediately, cutting through the obscene cut-stem galbanum and raw earth turgidity. This stuff smells of a different era, no doubt. But the flowers sing throughout. The musty, moldy facets and dense patchouli–moss base (which some will find masochistic or austere, or both) aren't bad, but they feel more like just a palette for an experiment in trying to reproduce the smell of cut, gathered, and decaying flowers.

Longevity is strong; after three or four hours the mossy patchouli base dominates as the florals recede, but the composition retains clarity and structure deep into the dry down. Projection is substantial for the first hour or two, then settles into something more restrained. As art, this perfume earns the strongest endorsement I can give: a masterpiece and one of Amouage’s best. As something one might actually wear, however, I have to give it a thumbs down. It is a very expensive way to smell outlandish and extremely strange. The saddest grade I’ll ever give.

Anecdote: the nearly offensive, animalic, and rank way the narcissus, carnation, galbanum, moss and patchouli interact in this composition evokes something quite specific for me. I lived in Central Mexico for some time, and upon first spray, Myths Woman reminds me of the ofrendas of Día de Muertos: piles of freshly cut, bright orange marigolds (cempasúchil), earthy mole and tamales, copal and other incense, candy, rotting fruit—the melancholy joy of honoring the dead with excess. Myths Woman will always summon this messy, inspiring season. To paraphrase the poet, "November is the cruellest month, breeding / Marigolds out of the dead land, mixing / Memory and desire, stirring / Dull roots with November rain." T.S. Eliot, or W. Axl Rose: same same.

This is another fragrance that could easily be unisex, though it leans slightly masculine. I found it fascinating. It’s hard to pin down—is it floral or herbal? You get a carnation note that hints at a classic chypre DNA, but it never feels dated. It strikes me as modern with subtle vintage facets. I’m not completely sure about the “rainforest” reference; it does lean earthy, but I might need further testing. The florals are very tastefully done—not pungent yellow florals like some vintage scents, and not overly oakmossy or heavy. Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised. It’s another strong addition to the women’s line and would likely gain more attention if it weren’t marketed as gendered.

Brutal opening of Narcissus and Galbanum. Carnation is totally obscured by a particularly dirty, overwhelming dusty Patchouli.Perhaps musk offers a small reprieve of softness, however the moss intertwines
to accentuate the grit in the Patch.
Much later in drydown, the scent is saved by it's remarkable beauty of the feathering of the Patch.
My objection is that I have to wade through a very dense thicket of nettles to reach that sublime moment.
Seems a little masochistic.

This fragrance is like a walk in the rain.

What is it about ones like this that's so appealing - the smell of violets in the rain, sweet watercolor melancholy, exuding moist, loamy earth? These draw me in because they invoke reminiscence. Myths Woman belongs to a family - Djedi, Apres L'Ondee, perhaps Dryad - that gives value to the bittersweet experiences of life, and embraces them; ones that are beautifully evocative, not of our gay, carefree moments, but of our deeper ones. Myths isn't an abstracted fragrance, it's an evocative one.

Although I haven't tried the entire line, this one was different for me than the usual Amouage style. I have problems with this house, because of a note that's present in many of them, a sort of Amouage ‘accord' that turns artificial on my skin. So far only Interlude Woman, Musk Abyadh Attar, and this haven't turned on my skin.

I tried it on a day this fragrance is made for - cool and rainy - that gave me a beautiful experience of Myths. Indoors it was a diffused musty, loamy green violet/narcissus, chypre-ish fragrance. When I stepped outside, wow... the must cleared off, and the plaintive sweetness of woodland flowers shone through, like the orb of the sun glowing through the mist. This one is poignant outside on a rainy day. It felt like liquid clarity. Buy some just for those days. It evokes autumn and earliest spring.

It has an intense bittersweet floral heartnote, but this isn't a floral fragrance. With the floral is a subtle leatheriness (the carnation note, like here, in old-style chypres was really about the clove, which was often brought in when making leathers. Clove essential oil has a pronounced leathery or animalic component which works well to create leathers). But it is all still entirely wrapped by the smell of moist earth in the rain.

I think pocketvenus got it - Myths is best after you've had a few love affairs gone wrong, some bittersweet experiences. Then this fragrance will really speak to you. I don't believe it will have much to say to teenagers (yet) and can't recommend it to that age category. It has a certain old-soul quality.

Long-lasting, about 8 hours, or most of a day; until the next morning as a skin scent.

(Edit: I like Myths when it's lightly sprayed. The evocative quality I mentioned can be too intense when over-applied.)

Soily and slightly herbal fragrance that can be worn by man or woman. It actually smells more masculine than feminine. A light violet and patchouli note gives it the herbal accord. The leather and musk give this one the earthiness. Not bad, just not for me. 6.5/10

Edith Piaf having a solo smoke backstage after performing La Foule.

The opening is earthy and damp, if not chilly. The galbanum is not as ferocious and vegetal as Opus VII but it has some bite. The opening rapidly segues into the scent's floral notes with the galbanum providing a subtle edge. It evokes the sense of flowers after it's rained – there's something cool and almost stony about them. It remains somewhat aloof, even as the scent then takes a turn into more musky, intimate territory. This more challenging stage eventually fades into a supple, floral leather.

Faded glamour is a great description. There is something sombre and guarded about it emotionally.

Outstanding longevity - the quality is fantastic. The majority of fragrances I've tried dry down to something very blurred and abstract, but after 9+ hours, even as a skin scent, Myths Woman's complexity holds. It still has a structure to it on my skin.

Myths Woman is stunningly beautiful and I love smelling it but ultimately, I must concede that I feel too young to wear it - for now.