Last May I was in Chicago and had the opportunity to visit Q Brothers. I went in to purchase some shaving soaps and while there even ran into the older Q brother who was very nice and helpful. He was headed out to grab some lunch but still took a couple minutes to talk to me. I would definitely make Q Brothers a must visit if you are traveling through Chicago.
While there, I began to look at there colognes. I was pleased to find that they had a nice offering of niche colognes. It was much different then what you would find at your local Macy's or even the Nordstrom's fragrance counter. Just like you can touch and smell many of the wet shaving products you only see online otherwise, Q Brothers allowed me to put my nose on some niche scents I wouldn't have otherwise had the chance to smell, unless I was to do a blind buy or purchase a sample.
After talking with the young lady at the counter about the frags that I most enjoy, she pulled up a selection for me to try out. Now I had no intention of purchasing anything, as I usually like to buy a sample of a niche cologne and test it out for a while before I invest in a whole bottle. However, that changed when she introduced me to Amouage Ciel Pour Homme. This was a frag I had never heard of, which I found strange since Amouage is a house that gets a lot of attention in the fragrance community.
I am a warm blooded guy whose body type can easily run hot, therefore I have to be very careful as a fragrance can quickly become cloying on me very easily. For this reason I prefer, lighter, more aquatic or ozone type scents long into the fall. Only on the coldest days do I dare wear something like Creed Royal Oud, or Spicebomb. Just a couple sprays of a heavier scent like that can easily become too strong with my body chemistry. Because of that, I didn't have very high hopes when she presented me with the Amouage Ciel. Amouage is known for their heavy scents.
To my surprise, this was a scent that smelled totally different from anything I have smelled from Amouage. Yes it was spicy, but it was also airy and easy to wear. It is definitely a unisex type scent, but I tend to prefer unisex type scents myself, as I find it helps to balance out my somewhat rough exterior.
Upon the first smell, what I got was nutmeg, which is listed as a middle note. It is definitely a strong note, and I believe that as the fragrance develops the nutmeg is one of the scents that underlies what your nose senses, at least with my body chemistry. Somehow Amouage was able to capture a scent that was both clean and soapy and mix in some spicy notes. In fact when others comment on the fragrance, the most common word that is used to describe it is "clean." I have found it to get universal love when wearing it.
As it develops, it projects well and the sillage is only slightly less then what you would get with a regular Amouage scent. Because of that, 3 sprays is more then enough. However, it does develop into a skin scent much quicker then you would anticipate. As it develops into a skin scent, the base notes of patchouli and sandalwood mix with incense, yet again the beauty of this scent is that even in the dry down it remains a clean smelling scent, maybe it is the signature incense drydown of Amouage that makes it so complex, whatever it is, the mingling and changing of the notes, highlights why a fragrance like this, is worth the price over your typical designer fra. There is nothing generic or linear about it. It is a departure from the opulent, sometimes over the top smell of some Amouage scents, but I have found it to be a perfect summer scent. Just wanted to share my thoughts on this scent, because I hear so little about it. If you are a frag head like me and want something that is different from all the heavily hyped scents, this would be a winner.
I was in Chicago to visit friends and had with me decants of Green Irish Tweed and Aventus. I sprayed all 3 on strips of paper for my friend and his wife. My friend, complained that Ciel was too feminine for his taste, but when his wife smelled all three she picked it over the powerhouse scents that are GIT and Aventus! This really seems to be a scent that pleases the opposite gender in my experience with it.
P.S. I purchased several soaps, a razor and the Amouage from Q brothers. However, after I purchased the high ticket cologne, I found the young lady at the counter very willing to give me samples of both colognes and shaving soaps and balms. I must have walked out with close to a dozen samples
While there, I began to look at there colognes. I was pleased to find that they had a nice offering of niche colognes. It was much different then what you would find at your local Macy's or even the Nordstrom's fragrance counter. Just like you can touch and smell many of the wet shaving products you only see online otherwise, Q Brothers allowed me to put my nose on some niche scents I wouldn't have otherwise had the chance to smell, unless I was to do a blind buy or purchase a sample.
After talking with the young lady at the counter about the frags that I most enjoy, she pulled up a selection for me to try out. Now I had no intention of purchasing anything, as I usually like to buy a sample of a niche cologne and test it out for a while before I invest in a whole bottle. However, that changed when she introduced me to Amouage Ciel Pour Homme. This was a frag I had never heard of, which I found strange since Amouage is a house that gets a lot of attention in the fragrance community.
I am a warm blooded guy whose body type can easily run hot, therefore I have to be very careful as a fragrance can quickly become cloying on me very easily. For this reason I prefer, lighter, more aquatic or ozone type scents long into the fall. Only on the coldest days do I dare wear something like Creed Royal Oud, or Spicebomb. Just a couple sprays of a heavier scent like that can easily become too strong with my body chemistry. Because of that, I didn't have very high hopes when she presented me with the Amouage Ciel. Amouage is known for their heavy scents.
To my surprise, this was a scent that smelled totally different from anything I have smelled from Amouage. Yes it was spicy, but it was also airy and easy to wear. It is definitely a unisex type scent, but I tend to prefer unisex type scents myself, as I find it helps to balance out my somewhat rough exterior.
Upon the first smell, what I got was nutmeg, which is listed as a middle note. It is definitely a strong note, and I believe that as the fragrance develops the nutmeg is one of the scents that underlies what your nose senses, at least with my body chemistry. Somehow Amouage was able to capture a scent that was both clean and soapy and mix in some spicy notes. In fact when others comment on the fragrance, the most common word that is used to describe it is "clean." I have found it to get universal love when wearing it.
As it develops, it projects well and the sillage is only slightly less then what you would get with a regular Amouage scent. Because of that, 3 sprays is more then enough. However, it does develop into a skin scent much quicker then you would anticipate. As it develops into a skin scent, the base notes of patchouli and sandalwood mix with incense, yet again the beauty of this scent is that even in the dry down it remains a clean smelling scent, maybe it is the signature incense drydown of Amouage that makes it so complex, whatever it is, the mingling and changing of the notes, highlights why a fragrance like this, is worth the price over your typical designer fra. There is nothing generic or linear about it. It is a departure from the opulent, sometimes over the top smell of some Amouage scents, but I have found it to be a perfect summer scent. Just wanted to share my thoughts on this scent, because I hear so little about it. If you are a frag head like me and want something that is different from all the heavily hyped scents, this would be a winner.
I was in Chicago to visit friends and had with me decants of Green Irish Tweed and Aventus. I sprayed all 3 on strips of paper for my friend and his wife. My friend, complained that Ciel was too feminine for his taste, but when his wife smelled all three she picked it over the powerhouse scents that are GIT and Aventus! This really seems to be a scent that pleases the opposite gender in my experience with it.
P.S. I purchased several soaps, a razor and the Amouage from Q brothers. However, after I purchased the high ticket cologne, I found the young lady at the counter very willing to give me samples of both colognes and shaving soaps and balms. I must have walked out with close to a dozen samples
