Bois d'Ambrette

Ambrette, angelica, and ambroxan in a sapphic ménage à trois . Unexpectedly pleasing. 4/5

My beloved. I will cherish this scent for a very long time.

I am so happy that I revisited this sample I bought long ago. I sprayed it blind and was immediately hit with angelica. I decided then and there that I needed to look up the notes and leave a review. I love exploring the green fragrance space. The closest fragrances that even come close to this are Angéliques Sous La Pluie, which had a similar opening, and Foin Fraîchement Coupé, which pairs green notes with a heavy dose of white musk. But that is where similarities end: Bois d'Ambrette highlights ambrette seeds, a note I have yet to see exposed in such a raw way as this. I like this fragrance a lot, it has a strong musk nuance from the ambrette, which is only deepened by added musks in the base. The Angelica opening is startling and green, but not too bitter (it's tantalizing in a dewy way). The Amyris walks a tightrope, adding a strong (almost pungent) pine aroma. This feels like a traditionally masculine fragrance that utilizes pine in a new, elegant way. If this perfume were a color, it'd be heather purple. Once again, Atelier Materi has shown me something new, and I am grateful for the experience. In my opinion, Bois d'Ambrette is not an easy ask, but I appreciate the artistry and how Atelier Materi has once again subverted my expectations.

Dusty, vegetal, sour and very powdery. It reminds me of Fleur de Peau EDP but with angelica (green haters bevare) and a citrusy note that doesn't disappear completely even when the fragrance progresses. I own a bottle of BDA so, when I finish it I will decide if I get a big one of Fleur du Peau as they are in the same family for me. Solid release, not a huge projector but lasts 7 hours. It is like you are wearing suede dust (that combo of ambrette with iris that I don't see listed but I get). Good for all year except very hot weather, totally unisex; it is not sweet mind you. Classy, understated, androgynous, interesting is what a lot of people have told me they think about this scent; I mean it's a weird scent being objective to the regular consumer, so here you have it. PS: my father told me the scent transported him to a place where cars are being repaired, there is metal and it doesn't smell human, there is also leather somewhere in that mental place. He liked it but categorized it as weird as I said before. I wanted classy librarian but I got gasoline associations...

I love the opening of the scent. On skin feels like a more wearable version of Bois Datchai (which is a scent I LOVE on blotter, but on skin there is a BO-ish smell I believe from the blackcurrant that I just can't get past). I get a faint reminder of that scent in this but in a fresh green sweet way that just feel pleasant and peppery -- almost like clean dirty skin? That's it. This is clean dirty skin. The faintest underlying BO smell but in a sort of pheromone give me more way, but in close proximity to a shower? Like a loofah full syrupy green piney bodywash and the sweaty body that's about to be washed together in a bottle. It's green, peppery, woody and sweet in a resinous way. Delightful, fresh and interesting. However, after just a mere blissful 15 minutes, I feel we've skipped a heart and gone straight to the drydown, which loses that special sort of niche feel. It actually reminds me of a specific cologne that is not coming to me right now, but smells sort of [insert any grassy but freshie cologne you know].