Armani Prive Cuir Amethyste Fragrance

I've just finished a sample of this, and I'm utterly torn on whether I want to buy this or not. It's a leather/violet blend in the Armani Prive (read: bloody expensive) fragrance line.

On first spray I get heavy sweet violet, that morphs in about 30 minutes or so into a subtler floral with a supple leather heart/basenote. The violet note smells a lot like the fragrance used in the old Dior lipsticks (in the hexagonal navy tubes) so it makes me feel very nostalgic.

The lasting power of this fragrance is incredible; I could still smell it on myself a good 14 hours after I sprayed it on. It worries me a bit that it could easily be overpowering for others; one of the reasons why my sample vial lasted me for several wears is that I was very careful to use a small amount after my first application.

I first tried this out in the spring and found it overpowering myself; I had to cut it with Ormonde Woman by Ormonde Jayne which freshened it up a bit. Wearing it in the winter was much more successful; it's a warm, luxurious and enveloping scent. It's like getting a cuddle from your favourite glamorous aunt. If the Prives were £50-£75, I think I'd go for it. At £150 (I think? It's either that or £120) it's just too expensive for a scent I would only wear if I was really in the mood for it, and only for part of the year. If I was spending £100 on a fragrance today I'd buy the lovely Magazine Street by Strange Invisible Perfumes (from Content) instead, which is an equally sensuous scent, but without the headache-inducing potential of the Cuir Amethyste.