There are perfumes I’d love to own, if only I wasn’t a fumie.
What I mean is that some perfumes deserve to become part of a person, deserve to stand alone, be admired and most importantly, be used day after day to become a signature.
Amytis Parfum Fin by French luxury niche label Nabucco is such a perfume. Luxurious, exclusive, hard to find, expensive, unusual and interesting, Amytis surely deserves a review, but it also deserves a wearer worthy of her.
Sadly, I don’t think I qualify…
Amytis celebrates the memory of the wife of the king Nebuchadnezzar II to whom he dedicated the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, part of the seven wonders of the world of antiquity.
Notes include almond, coriander, heliotrope, vanilla, jasmine, honey, patchouli, violet, blonde woods, musk, amber and praliné. The perfumer’s identity is not revealed.
Amytis is an oil-based perfume in extrait concentration. It is applied with a golden applicator (yes, real 24K gold-plated, I told you it was luxurious). Like all oil-based perfumes it has lower sillage and wears closer to the body than alcohol-based scents, but it lasts for the entire day.
The application alone feels terribly luxurious and sophisticated. It is almost an anointment, the ritual of application is very important here. It is certainly not a spritz and go thing. Applying Amytis needs time, respect and love for what you are doing and you are rewarded with the feeling of having done something special, of being part of age-old rites and not least of all – you smell divine.
But all external trappings aside, what does the juice smell like? That’s what is most important after all, and Amytis does not disappoint.
Amytis opens with a warm spicy accord, then almond and heliotrope provide the idea of a soft, grey haze slowly receding to unveil a gorgeous woody vanilla with ambery hints and soft floral edges teetering on the edge of gourmand, but never falling over.
Amytis is a very warm and comforting perfume, not made for summer, it needs the cool air and warm skin to shine. It is refined and elegant, never overbearing, but present throughout the day.
The oil feels very good on the skin, caring and like a warming veil (one more reason to avoid it in summer, I think it would feel a bit much in hot temperatures).
I put up a lot of resistance to like Amytis, for all the usual reasons – expensive, hard to find, a bit gimmicky… but I can’t help but say that is is a very beautiful perfume indeed. (Many thanks to the kind reader who generously sent me a sample from her own bottle!)
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
As I said in the beginning, Amytis is a Queen and she deserves to be worn with respect, worn often, worn exclusively. I will never be the person to do that, but Amytis makes me wish I was.
Which is pretty much the greatest compliment a perfume can receive.
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That sure is one fancy bottle!
You are very deserving of such luxury B, you are a Fragrant Queen after all!
*blushes*
Aww, you are too sweet! Would you mind sending that comment to my husband! 😉
Of course! Anything to aid a fellow perfumista 😀
This is indeed food for thought: we perfumistas tend to hop from sample to sample so are we really worthy of something exquisite? There are times I truly wish I could be happy just with one bottle of the perfect perfume 🙂
Me too, Christos. To find the one, the ideal, the perfect scent – that idea has a lot of appeal, it speaks to me of peace of mind and a clear sense of self. But then again, the joy of discovery new perfumes bring, can’t be beat. I probably will never be content with just one, even if it might be the one…
Gorgeous bottle but, I am a little put off when the website says that we can only buy it “by invitation”. I should not need an invitation to give you my money 🙂 I would love to give it a smell though. It seems like something Dubai people would love, I am sure it will be here eventually.
It is available at several online retailers, such as First in Fragrance and Parfümerie Brückner in Germany, Alla Violetta and Sacro Cuore in Italy, who all ship internationally. But as you say, I’m sure it is to be had somewhere in Dubai, it would be baffling for such a luxury item not to be present in the lap of luxury. 😉
I guess “By invitation” is referred to distributors and retailers…
Thank you for clarifying that!
Wow what a lovely review!!! I am happy you liked it! And yes I do cherish this perfume a lot, I wear it for special occasions and it is so long lasting!
Thank you again for sharing some of your precious Amytis with me. It is really a gorgeous perfume.
Wow. Wow. Speechless.
The notes sound nice (except the honey, which can be problematic with me) – but I’m simply not worth of Amytis : I’m a quick spritz/dab and go and feel good with it the whole day type, constantly running from A to B (usually a tad late…) – I just couldn’t/wouldn’t cherish it the way she deserves. I like almond in parfums though…
Me neither. I enjoy spraying on perfume, and taking it with me. Amytis is not quite easily portable, I guess.
But it smells divine… sigh.
It certainly sounds exquisite. 🙂 I just wish I wasn’t aware of its existence as now I’m wondering where can I go to smell it and enjoy the application (that one truly sounds luxurious).
I hope you find it, it’s just the thing for a vanilla lover like you.
I have already looked at this one this morning, cost not as bad as I thought it might be, admitedly still stupidly expensive, do we really need the gold applicator??? I am a sucker for rare and beautiful perfumes like this one but alas even I can not justify such an expensive blind buy as samples can not be had of this one on FIF. 😦
Yeah, this is a real commitment financially. Should I inherit or win the lottery, it’s mine. 😉
I must admit I do like the idea of anointing myself using that gold applicator! Ostentatious and gimmicky in the best way. It may not be my kind of thing but at least the quality of the oil lives up to that gorgeous presentation.
Yes, presentation and perfume do match. I would be really bummed out if it was all show and no content.
In the end (read: in daily life), I probably am happier to just spritz and go, I don’t have the time for the ritual involved here, but that just goes to show how undeserving I am. 😉
Amytis is one of my favorites. I tested it first at Campomarzio and always wear it when I want to feel like a queen.
So far, a small sample from Alla Violetta has been enough for me (for anyone curious, that won’t break the bank), but I’m seriously considering the full bottle.
Thank you for mentioning that Alla Violetta does samples of this one!
It is a beautiful perfume, and it does make one feel quite regal indeed. 🙂
The first thing I noticed when starting to read this review was that astounding bottle. Beautiful. Birgit, you almost make me want to be a signature perfume wearer again – almost ;). But thanks for the reminder to slow down and really take a moment to appreciate this beautiful hobby that we’re a part of. I think I’m going to wear my Ormonde Woman again today.
Some perfumes are really tempting us to contemplate a monogamous lifestyle, aren’t they?
Maybe one day… 🙂
Oh no – you said vanilla! I have to search for this one now. How I love vanilla.
The best tip is http://www.allaviolettaboutique.com, they have unbeatble prices and free shipping. 🙂
Hi, I am so impressed with this review that I went to this web site and tried to order. They ask for a lot of information, some of which is not easily understandable. I wrote to them on their e-mail link, so maybe that will get resolved. The name of the perfume you tried, did it have the word “Fin” at the end of the name. According to Alla Violetta that is the fragrance for men. They had another one with the same name, minus “Fin” for women.
There are two perfumes: Nabucco Parfum Fin (for men) and Amytis Parfum Fin (for women) both by Nabucco. That is a bit confusing, since the men’s is called like the brand. I’m reviewing Amytis, the women’s scent.
But both have Fin at the end, it just means it is an extrait in oil form.
The site is trustworthy, I’ve ordered with them several times and have been very happy.
I’m flattered that my review compelled you to try Amytis. It is gorgeous indeed.
I think you more than qualify!
However, I can understand wanting to give love to other fragrances 🙂
Thanks for the wonderful review!
Thank you. Maybe I’m taking a perfume frenzy vacation and just wear one for a while. Just to see how it goes…
(Must figure out a way to keep blogging though…)
I really liked the review, even though this perfume is not for me.
I don’t think I like the idea of oil-based perfume – golden applicator or not. I want to have my perfumes for years, enjoying all the variety. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to preserve Amytis long enough if I were to try using the applicator. But if I were to decant it in smaller bottles/vials – then having that nice bottle with the golden applicator – with a certain part of the perfume cost that went into it – wouldn’t make much sense. So yes, it’s a perfect perfume for somebody with just several perfumes in the wardrobe.
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The website is fantastic
How kind of you to say so, thanks!
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