Reflection 45 Man by Amouage

Exquisite scent; one of my favourites. I love that saffron note; it conveys so much elegance. The only drawback is the price is very high, but it is an excellent perfume.

I agree with Beto; I prefer the 45. The opening retains the DNA of Reflection, floral and sensual. As it dries, it loses that brightness to move towards darker, resinous, balsamic and incense notes. It’s its sister but with a different character, more elegant and dark. If the original fails on my skin, this fails even more in terms of price. I find it far too expensive. If the original performed better it would be my choice; if the 45 cost less it would also be. Both have significant downsides. Suitable for almost all year round except hot days; masculine, elegant and good longevity with sparse projection. I enjoyed trying it, but I wouldn’t buy it.

Honestly, it doesn’t make you feel like Hercules nor the ‘ultimate man’. A perfume that leaves people indifferent. I know many consider it the ultimate scent that turns you into a demigod, but you have to justify spending €490 without feeling it was a mistake. It does last a very long time, easily 8 hours, but sits close to the skin from minute one. It doesn’t project (it is 45% essential oil, almost no alcohol, which determines the projection). The day you buy it, you might wear it all day and perhaps someone close perceives it, but you won’t have to ask people to smell it. The scent is generic: neither good nor bad; you can distinguish a couple of excellent quality notes, smells clean and little more. It has no personality, charisma nor does it distinguish itself from any €15 perfume from Mercadona (saving the difference in ingredients and price, the Mercadona one will project more). It smells elegant and clean; I don’t know what lifestyle those who want it as a star lead, but it doesn’t stand out in any setting. For me, it’s for those who can afford a 100ml bottle every four months to use daily as a clean scent. If you are looking to become the ultimate man, stand out or seduce, it is a blunder. You have thousands of better options with more personality that suit you, represent you and project more. Go ahead, change my opinion.

If Reflection brings out the best version of oneself, the 45% version goes further and makes you feel like Achilles, almost immortal and capable of achieving any goal. It is less unisex than Reflection, but it empowers the woman who dares to wear it just like infinite heels. The only drawback is the price, and its counterpart is that with two sprays you have enough for the whole day. Since it is not convenient to feel like a demigod every day, the nearly €500 is easily amortised over several years.

Exquisite. At first, it seems very similar to Profumum Roma’s Antico Caruso; I love both. I don’t have the original Reflection, but I knew they were on similar tracks. Elegant floral. Precise longevity. Happy to have it.

The fragrance of elegance par excellence, with such sophisticated and fine iris notes that give it that aura of a classy, wealthy man. It resembles its sister but feels higher quality and more masculine. Impossible not to be asked what you are wearing, and if you pair it with a suit, you will be the MASTER of the place. It is in my top 3 of the over 120 fragrances I own.

Picked it up a few days ago. Although it smells like an EDP, it feels more masculine and elegant, without comparison. It is expensive, of course, but worth every penny. Without a doubt, one of my all-time favourite fragrances. IMPRESSIVE!

Reflection Man is my go-to fragrance and the one I like most of all. I heard the extract didn’t resemble it much, but I barely tested it and recognised it instantly: it’s the same DNA, only that, as others say, it’s the exceptional version. It’s ultra-elegant, has a spectacular body and the trail, in my case, is super heavy for at least two hours. The quality lives up to the name Exceptional Extracts; I dare to say I like it a little more than my beloved Reflection Man, but as with this beautiful passion for perfumery, it’s totally subjective. My top favourite alongside its subtler brother.

👃🏻🔎 YES… BUT NOT. 🔍👃🏻 It is rounder, more polished and better finished, with that typical sweetness toned down (bravo). Even when dried down, it smells more incense-like and ambered. It’s like the elegant and mature version of the original. The original Reflection is for a 25-year-old boy, this is that same type at 35. Projects moderately from the start, easy to smell for the first three hours, then stays close to the skin (a palm’s width) and by the fifth hour it’s skin-scented, extending the duration to ten hours. On my skin, the longevity is VERY good, no surprise with that concentration. But that has a bad side: limited projection. I don’t need it to last that long; my days don’t exceed eight hours. I would ask for a couple more hours of projection. Do I like it? Yes, very much. Would I buy it? No, for those reasons and because the price (€400/100ml) is way above its little sister. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ☆ ☆

I am currently testing and comparing it with the previous Reflection Man EDP, and it is a very solid launch from Amouage. There are clear contrasts: in Reflection 45 they went for something more mature and masculine, whereas the EDP felt very floral and even unisex. This version is the ‘macho’ side of the EDP; a turn towards something more masculine, woody, spicy and resinous. The longevity is a beast: I put it on my wrist, went out, took a shower and it still smelled, clearly surpassing the EDP in longevity, although it’s no longer so floral. To my nose, I prefer the EDP, but this one is more mature, masculine and lasts twice as long as the previous one. Amouage Reflection Man 45 is undoubtedly a good launch from the house. 9/10.