
I'm going to try to be concise as my reviews tend to ramble and this is a complex perfume which I could easily meander and waffle about indefinitley including a detailed preamble about Bisch, and perfume fans completely unfounded aversion to akigalawood. Okay all that to one side.... Purpose 50 is FANTASTIC!!! I don't recall the original and that's not due to the fact it wasn't good, Amaouge's output has been pretty steady even under Salmon who I think has taken them in a slightly more commercial direction, but fair do's they still make great smelling perfumes. The material on showcase here for me is olibanum, I'm assuming some very fine Omani stuff (better fucking had be for the prices they're asking for) it has both bite, lemony sweet and almost camphorous, even a touch minty, smells very bright and just great, so focal, so well used yet is part of pallate and style of perfume with other materials which serve to complement and cradle this precious, heart material. However this is not a standard frankincense based perfume a la Avignon or Mark Birley or even Amouages Epic Man or Woman...this is a modern powdery, amber, patchouli, fruity, strangely classical but with that sparkly Bisch magic (which even I concede can be annoying) this is very varied and has lots to enjoy. I was blown away at first by it's power and variety but then less so after the 3rd or 4th wear. Not sure why? Perhaps the familiarity made it a little less special and brought things into perspective... but hey, I still think Purpose is amazing. Too expensive for me unfortunately but if you have the money I think it's as decent as anything being released at the moment, and it is ATOMICALLY powerful, without being too much, but still go easy on the sprays because less is more.
Amouage Purpose 50 is a total work of art. It is a meditation in three acts on resilience, light, and inner peace. It is demanding, complex, and of an almost painful beauty. It does not flatter you; it transports you and transforms you. It is not a purchase; it is the acquisition of an olfactory relic, an investment in what perfumery can offer at its highest, most spiritual, and most memorable. Simply monumental.