Liquid Amber

I bought this scent blind in the men’s section (it’s officially a men’s perfume, but it’s more feminine than masculine but it can work for a man, so I’d call it unisex). I mainly bought it because it was dirt cheap and my name is Amber, so I’ma sucker for anything that has my name on it 😆 Anyway I was pleasantly surprised on how pleasant and complex the scent is for that price. Longevity is also great. I would SWEAR I smell an intense dark cherry or plum scent upon first spritz, but neither is listed as an ingredient so I think it reminds me of a warm, ripe cherry scent due to the initial fruitiness in combination with cinnamon and praline. The initial scent reminds me a lot of a fruity perfume that was super popular amongst young girls when I was in my mid/late teens in the early 2000s.. maybe it was something by escada? I can’t recall and I haven’t smelled that particular scent in a very long time. Anyway the initial scent is very rich, dark and juicy. I do think there’s something ‘cheapish’ about the first whiff but after dry down the praline properly comes true and the scent balances into a more gentle, dark sweet praline scent. I do think it’s quite lovely, it has a dark and warm edge to it, but I prefer to layer it to give the scent just the extra level of elegance. It’s perfectly wearable as a standalone though. Delicious and sexy. I feel like it would work really well as a room spray or in a Reed diffuser. I personally really enjoy warm fruity scents like baked cinnamon. It makes your home feel very cosy, like you have just been baking something delicious. I can imagine this scent making your home smell like mulled wine and cherry infused pralines.

My Liquid Amber arrived today. Rather than any overt amber scent, the first spray conjures cola, leather, pink pepper, tobacco, and cinnamon to my nose. The nutmeg is certainly there, too, and there's a sweetness that doesn't recall a praline per se, more a woody tone rather like that in Serge Lutens' Feminite du Bois. The ginger is light as is the tonka, and the patchouli is barely there. There is, however, the slightest hint of almond in this combination. Overall, Liquid Amber is definitely a unisex fragrance, especially for ladies who gravitate toward something not floral and fruity. What's funny is, it does smell like a liquid; an infusion of all its notes. If you're looking for a sweeter, sexier, lighter day or night non-floral perfume for fall or winter, this is it. The bonus is that it smells much, much more expensive than its $10 price point.

I’ve been wearing this a lot lately and it’s extremely addictive. The more I wear it, the more I like it.. it just smells utterly delicious and it’s such a warm winter scent. I’ve found that it’s hard to layer, and I haven’t found anything it layers well with. Beware of layering it with other sweet fragrances because it can get VERY cloying and sickly sweet very easily. Just a warning: I think this may be discontinued. Since I like it so much I wanted to buy a second bottle, and haven’t been able to find one yet. If you see it in store, grab it now, before it becomes hard to find.

On initial spray, one fragrance came rushing to mind: Spicebomb Extreme You can grab this one at Burlington for about $10, and I have gotten more compliments from this one than most fragrances in my collection. It’s dense, sweet and so god damn inviting. Like subtly swimming in a dark sweet syrup. Just plain yummy. The praline stands out to me the most, I’d say. While being nice and sweet, it still retains an obvious masculinity. Gotta love it! Perfect for colder weather. Winter, Fall and Spring. Performance is where it needs to be, not a beast, but definitely not weak. 8/10

For such a cheap scent, this bottle is GORGEOUS! And the scent... it smells very expensive from afar, though not quite so much up close, because it sort of overwhelms the senses (at first, although the drydown is better). Similar to Layton? Yes, but also similar to Oajan. Actually, the closest comparison I can come up with is Spicebomb Extreme, but slightly less spicy. This is a high-end designer winter scent for a bottom shelf price. I'm going to need to give this more wearings to give it a thorough review, but first impressions are, well, very impressed!