Ciel Pour Homme Amouage for men

I revisited Ciel Pour Homme several times as I seemed to be one of the very few to not appreciate its magnificence and I only partially changed my opinion. While I got surely more fond of its sour floral opening and I started to genuinely appreciate its complexity I still believe that Ciel is one of the least distinctive compositions among the Amouage range.

Beautifully crafted, masterfully orchestrated in its transition from the sour/tart opening to the transparent (sort of fresh/warm) woody/incensey drydown but while I stopped preceiving it as affected and ostentately opulent I'm still sort of knocked down by the general synthetic vibe.

Said that Ciel Pour Homme can be surely listed among the most wearable compositions by Amouage (together with Dia, Honour and Reflection) but IMO it's nowhere close to the outstanding magnificence of Gold, Epic or Jubilation.

Rating: 6.5-7/10

I once called out Gucci Envy for its use of a “sour” floral accord. I don’t think I was wrong about Envy, but Ciel for Him has made me reconsider the possibility of a viable sour perfume. While this beauty starts with a particularly acrid orange blossom note on top of a velvety flow of incense and sandlewood, it moves in the most remarkable, smooth fashion to a spectacular pickle accord. Remarkable in fact for its smoothness. Floral incense to pickle without a seam in site? Who made this? (And please make more.)

But there is a logic to the progression. The sandlewood and frankincense can underpin just about anything as they are seemingly infinitely rich and complex. The orange blossom floats like drenched gossamer above them. This particularly-perspiring orange blossom then ties you into some piquant culinary/herb notes (cardamom, celery seed, bitter melon?) without any jarring changes. From there, it’s an easy quick-step to pickle. More like pickled fruit (mango, lime, papaya) than vegetable.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe this is just your typical white floral, pickled citrus, frankincense perfume—one of thousands.

I find Ciel for Him odd, beautiful and so smart. It has the richness of the best from Amouage, but also the who-woulda-thought? inventiveness of an Etat Libre d’Orange or Comme des Garçons perfume. But not their cheek. This inventive use of accord doesn’t have the feel of irony about it. Amouage just gave enough running space to a perfumer who discovered that sandlewood and pickle actually smell right together.

In Ciel we have a flower opening with a dominance of rose and lavender supported by a light bergamot aroma with a faint note of incense.

After about 10 minutes, the floral composition decays a little bit, leaving room for an almost creamy aroma of sandalwood and peach which stays for the rest of the fragrance's life. A great fragrance in my opinion.

What can I say about Ciel after Dullah's great review below? I echo his sentiments totally - this is one of Amouage's finest creations to date and is deceptively complex despite its initial impression of being mainstream or ordinary.

There are some scents that just synchronize so perfectly with a particular setting, place, or mood. For me, Ciel lives up to its name and its ad copy - it truly does evoke the freedom and joy of endless blue skies on a picture perfect spring day. Ciel not only reflects the easygoing spirit of such days, but further enhances it in a subtle but palpable manner.

If you've ever experienced the kind of synchronicity I mentioned above, where a scent gels so perfectly with one's mood or environment, you know how it can be one of the most powerful, almost transcendental experiences that scent can evoke. I know I'd go some length to check out any scent that has evoked such a response in others. Ciel evokes that response in me.

I should also add that the vetiver in the base of this is one of the finest vetiver notes I've ever encountered. Sublime!

Amouage Ciel Man is a most unique FLORAL/Aquatic/Frankincense scent. I am reviewing the reformulated new CIEL Man EDP, not the overly bitter original formula in the ornate 50ml cut glass presentation.

Ciel Man EDP starts off with a tart Lavender/Bulgarian Rose/Citrus combo.....very tart bergamot oil, the very astrigent Lavender, and the tart/sweet Rose are almost too tart/sour to begin, but this is only temporary, and all 3 notes contribute greatly to the body of the scent, so a first 2 minutes of sour is a small price to pay...

As it dries, the smooth aspects of Rose and Lavender surface, as well as the woody (almost petitgrain like) tanginess of the bergamot, along with more white floral notes (Orange Blossom, Jasmine), a unisex/fresh floral note (Lily of the Valley), and a sneaky Aquatic/ozonic/fruit accord that underpins the whole fragrance.....this I presume being a combination of Peach aldehyde and Lyral, among other things.....

while these floral/aquatic/fruit heartnotes are likely predominantly synthetic, somehow the effect comes off effortless and natural.....perhaps just enough natural isolates are used in the blend to flank and cover any synthetic edge that might dissapoint for such an expensive fragrance.

The next notes to show themselves are where I find the fragrance absolutely brilliant.....the top ends of a range of woody/sweet spices, and very light doses of some very masculine wood notes move in, to balance the floral/aquatic notes, and again, the effect is just so perfect and effortless.....evoking the texture of both a sandy beach beneath your feet, and very fresh, crisp, oceanic air.

Of the spices, the cinnamon in particular is fairly prominent, but it doesn't register as cinnamon on first impression, perhaps due to some reaction with the floral notes, or perhaps due to it's blending with the other spices (Cardamom, Nutmeg)...I'm not sure.....

Perhaps it is the undercurrent of Silver Frankincense keeping the tart/sour/medicinal aspect alive in the fragrance that makes for such a complimentary contradiction in themes to the Florals, fruity/aquatic nnotes, and spices.....I really can't call it...it's just too well blended to uncover the mastery of it's balance...

And even though the predominant theme to this fragrance is a fresh, FLORAL/aquatic/frankincense, the light melange of woody/earthy basenotes (vetiver, patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedarwood) as well as the light spices, keep this offering just enough on the masculine side to really make it pleasing and wearable by the mainstream public. And while that is true, the quality of both ingredients and compositional accumen is top notch enough so that even the most stringent of connoissuers will likely honor it's compositional brilliance.

My Favorite Amouage Creation to date.

One of my favourites for spring and summer. Very nice unique floral scent for men. Starts very fresh and uplifting, and dryes down a more dense and spicy fragrance. Some say this is a bit feminine. I do not think that at all. Sillage and longevity are excellent!

i adore ths one, it is so positiv smell, the kind of makes you walk smilling in the streets by a shiny sunny day of summer, but unfortunately it doesn match with my skin sniff

Ciel Pour Homme is spicy and fresh much like many designer fragrances today, BUT...I like this one. Ciel is opens with lavender in the shadows of bergamot, blast of light flowers and sparkling citrus with an aldehydic roundness drops off into frankincense. Next to emerge is a very creamy sandalwood, followed by the merest dab of vetiver. The incense, wood and vetiver meld into a very pleasant base, on top of which the floral and fruit notes play. For sure this one is unisex. If you don't like light florals and incense, I wouldn't even try it. If you usually like scents that walk the line between masculine and feminine, it's worth a test.