Amouage Tribute Attar

I have long been a fan of the Amouage line, having sampled just about all of the fragrances. I finally obtained a sample of the Tribute Attar from Luckyscent. I balked slightly at the thought of paying about $10 for 0.4ml of juice, but needn't have worried, as one or two slight dabs on the wrist last literally 10 hours on my skin. As someone who has very little experience of perfume oils firstly, and even less of Attars, I was initially taken back by how strong this is! 

The listed notes are Frankincense, Rose Taifi, Jasmine and Saffron. You can bet your last dollar that there are more ingredients than this; it is too complex and long-lasting to simply have these four ingredients. The opening is quite subdued, I think probably because it is so oily it takes a little while to warm up on the skin and open up. There isn't the typical top, middle and base notes of your EDP or EDT formulations. As it warms up there is a lovely rose note that emerges, not unlike that in Lyric Women, but slightly less dewy. As the initial innocence fades there emerges a smoky leather accord and its at this point that I realised I was in for a fairly dark journey. The attar intensifies quite considerably and takes on the form of a leathery chypre, not green, but rather dominated by rose, leather and something that emerges as slightly tangy/sour. I can't quite identify it, but it does seem slightly vetivery, although I have no clue whether this is actually the case. There is no distinct progression here - the rose, smoke and incense sort of weave in and out, mingling together a bit like a wafting smoky breeze. One minute it seems really intense and almost overpowering; the next I have to sniff quite closely. 

This is a seriously complex scent; thick, dark, sweet, yet dry. I find it quite hard to describe exactly how it smells. Much later the attar does smooth out and become a dry, rosy incense with some smoke and again, what I perceive as vetiver. If I could come up with one word to describe this, it would be shape-shifter - I can't pigeonhole this in any way. It changes character constantly and keeps me guessing.

Tribute is seriously expensive, so I think it is unlikely that I will ever own a bottle of it, but to be honest, half a millilitre could last you quite a while, if you aren't going to wear it every day. I find it too complex and dark to wear often, but every now and again is a real treat. I would say that it is more suitable to cooler weather, but having said that, Middle-Eastern perfume is usually strong and complex and usually worn in very hot weather so I am keen to try this in the summer and see how it wears on my skin - perhaps another facet shall emerge to keep me riveted. This comes highly recommended, even with the hefty price tag and I would urge you to at least sample this; it is brilliant.