Meander

This is an interesting perfume and not what I, personally, would typically expect from Amouage. This is a very light, very lush, green scent. The top notes of olibanum, carrot, pink and black pepper conduct an affectionate little dance with each other that gives a sort of minty or citrusy effect, without actually being minty or citrusy. It's fresh, slightly nose tingling, and sweet but in the way carrots are sweet when cooked, not outright sugary. The pepper subsides, but the carrot remains and blends with the heart and base notes of orris, rose, cypriol, jonquille, olibanum resins, vetiver, and sandalwood. The carrot plays very nicely with the orris, rose, and jonquille. The combination of the carrot with the florals gives a sort of green mango impression. The resinous and woody notes are very tame and restrained; they're there, but never really make their presence known - happily sitting as a calm foundation for all of the other ingredients to build upon. In the final dry down, after about 4hrs the vetiver and sandalwood gain strength and presence to create fresh, clean, green wood accords for a gripping yet strong skin scent that is absolutely lovely.

To my nose Meander is an ever so slighly floral but quite spicy sandalwood and frankincense fragrance. The sandalwood here gives off a very light pencil shavings-like vibe, but it complements the frankincense and spices so smoothly that this makes me think of café de olla, it has a warm spiciness to it that's very reminiscent of café de olla to me. Despite this being a spicy sandalwood and frankincense scent, it's surprisingly light and bright enough to be versatile for all year round. I haven't smelled that fragrance in a while but this was reminding me of Clive Christian's X for Men, although I remember that being a greener and less spicy scent. This is an excellent fragrance but I wouldn't necessarily call it one of Amouage's best, although it's hard to say since I love Amouage and there aren't many of their fragrances I dislike compared to those I do.

Meander is incredible, hypnotic, beautiful, and meditative. There is something very nostalgic and comforting about this scent, which exudes spring excitement and mystery. I love what others have said about this one wrapping itself around you like silk in the air. It has a creamy green-ness to it that feels almost fluffy and is very inviting. However, the performance on this one is bizarrely underwhelming to me, for an Amouage or otherwise. Like others have said, within an hour or two I can not seem to smell it at all, my skin seems to just drink this stuff. I may experiment with a base lotion to try to extend the longevity and may update after several wears because while it lasts, it is just incredible, but the performance precludes the Amouage price tag.

To my this is like a spiritual predecessor to Reasons - I'm getting very similar milky chai accord here, but even more spicy. And it's also stronger than Reasons. Maybe it's the orris that's adding to the creaminess, and just thinking - it also reminded me of Molecule 01 + Iris (with its spicy earthy iris). Spices are beautiful here, but somewhat quirky giving off what smells to me like an orange note similar to what I get from Outlands. However in Outlands this orange undertone is perfect, here it feels quirky and a bit out of place. That particular undertone is hidden amidst the pile of spices and the milky tea feeling, so it's not that important. I'm also getting minor pickle vibes from Purpose 50 and Le Labo Santal 33 which I don't like.

Compared to most of the Amouage scents I've tried out (this is the 17th), this one is a pretty tame fragrance. "Pretty" is also how I'd describe this. I think when Mackenzie Reilly was brewing this she was cooking up a fragrance for her own use. She also crafted A Lab on Fire's "Hossegor" which I do wear on occasion. As others have noted "creamy sandalwood and powder", and that's most all I get from this. Which is fine, but more feminine than I prefer. It doesn't fill the room like half the Amouage scents I've tried out, more of an "intimate range" fragrance. I know a pretty woman I wouldn't mind smelling this on, and her birthday's coming up, so I'll grab a bottle for her. But this won't be something I'll wear.