Ambré

“The murder weapon Madame et Monsieur was..... a bottle of Ambre!” Hercule Poirot thrust the sparkling heavy bottle of the oriental woody perfume at the horribly assembled group in the dining salon. At that precise moment the Orient Express lurched violently as it entered a tunnel and plunged the car and all within into a sudden inky darkness. A woman’s scream was devoured by the shriek of the train whistle. Shattering glass was immediately followed by the spread of most intoxicating scent any of them had ever smelled. “MY AMBRE!!” a man’s voice cried out. Then, just as suddenly as it was hurled into darkness the train exploded from the tunnel and the in the glaring light Prince Nicolai Poliakoff was discovered choking Hercule Poirot. “I would kill for my Baldessarini Ambre.” Indeed a delicious mystery unfolds from this impossibly gorgeous and murderously heavy bottle that encases one of the most entrancing, superiorly masculine fragrances I have come across. The bottle is a work of art that is surpassed by the color of the juice. It is not merely brown, nor is it tea color but rather some kind of wonderful amber. As if the best chocolatier in Paris came up with the perfect clear chocolate brown. But the show really begins when you put this glorious fragrance onto your skin. A wonderful warm whiskey soaked apple embraces you in pure intoxication. This in turn is encased in a rich vanilla and leather with just a hint of violet. As that fades into a long lingering and lush dry down up comes the labdanum, amber and oak. It all finally fades out on my skin at about 9 hours. MisterCrazyLegs said he could bathe in it, so could I, it is just that rich, wonderful, sensual and intoxicating. It is really threatening my signature scent Chanel Pour Monsieur with murder. Baldessarini might just win. Five Plus Platinum Stars ****

It's a shame this stuff doesn't last longer, because I enjoy it quite a bit. Boozy, slightly dry, not disgustingly sweet, rich and masculine. The top notes blend with the whiskey, creating a sort of fruity, Bourbon Whiskey accord. Keep in mind there is no actual whiskey note in the fragrance, but I find this aspect quite intriguing and alluring. The booziness colours the fragrance with a strong masculine tone, without overpowering the scent. In this sense everything is well balanced and expertly put together. The vanilla is neither cloying nor overly sweet, as some modern men's fragrances tend towards. Since this is a more "mature" fragrance I think they opted for a less overt sweetness, which is great. The vanilla/amber base is incredibly sexy, nice and warm, with a bit of leather in the heart which gives the whole thing a smooth, very faintly oily character. The whole thing is quite beautiful, actually. Wearing this makes me feel well-dressed, masculine, confident and sexy. Projection is moderate and restrained, as it should be. Men of distinction are not usually smelled from across the room. 5-6 hours MAX longevity, which is truly unfortunate as the fragrance as a whole is very well done. I've heard of issues of longevity with BOSS fragrances before. It's too bad that Baldessarini was not able to break away from that into a higher echelon of quality and production.

From the very first moment you experience this fragrance, from the very first millisecond, you know it deserves its five star rating. Right from the get-go it smells of such high quality you know that the creator of this magical elixir put their blood, sweat and tears in it and have created their defining masterpiece, their pride and joy. You don't have to "get to know" this fragrance, you don't "have to wear it a few times" to appreciate it or understand it; it owns you the very first time it hits you. It's not loud, it's not obscene; it's pure class with impeccable manners and sophistication. You better be wearing a suit and tie! Ambre is a very warm, soft, vanilla sweet fragrance that sits on a strong masculine base of Oak room leather and rum amber. The apple note adds freshness to the mixture and the overall package is beautifully gourmand, rich and incredibly well balanced. These notes weren't just thrown together, they've found each other and created an institution! The siliage is soft to moderate, but for me the longevity is at least 12 hours with 2 sprays on the neck and one on each wrist. I think the siliage is perfect for this type of poison; the closer you get the more under its spell you become. It has pure sex appeal and it has been one of my most complimented on fragrances. This is my first blind-buy/instant likes. Worth every penny; and then some.

To start, it’s important to say that Baldessarini Ambré is a scent of an oriental olfactory path. It is sweet and creamy. This matters to me because it is my preferred style! And by the way, the style of this fragrance matches the advertisement slogan: “separates the men from the boys”. On the skin, the scent opens strong and harsh, giving a kind of “burning” sensation in the nostrils, because of the whiskey and mandarin notes. In evolution, I didn’t feel the heart notes (violets and leather) as an important part of it. I also didn’t think that the leather note is too evident as it is in colognes whose leather notes are in the base. The awesome part of this scent is the base and what it lets on the skin as a gift: a creamy mix of vanilla + labdanum, well blended by the amber. YES, this scent is creamy, as the others made with a good vanilla ingredient. To make comparisons, I found lots of names: Ambré Sultan, Dirty English, Tom Ford, etc. I don’t have any of them, even though I have already felt Ambré Sultan. Inside my range of personal colognes, I could find nuances of Arpége. To finish, it has a long duration. I keep smelling my arms, breathing, and inspiring the air that grows with the breath and I must admit that it is wonderful.

This is a subtle version of Dirty English with about a ton & a half of tobacco flower (nicotiana) piled on top. I recently obtained a barely used bottle for a song. Sharp at application, I'm 90 minutes in and I'm enveloped in a soft cloud of nicotine from tobacco flower, leather & soft ambre. Slightly sour as most tough-leafed plants are, particularly tobacco. Definely NOT the smell of cigarettes so don't avoid it if you hate the smell of ciggies, whether lit or unlit.)The seamless blend of notes feels warm, comforting and stimulating, the way fine leather does when you run your fingers lightly across it. Sultry, yes, that's the word. The bottle is quite heavy (100ml) and it feels good to hold, very substantial, but there's nothing printed on it nor in its design to indicate whether it's meant for men or women. I bought it unboxed and had assumed it was unisex & was surprised to find it's meant for men. I don't let that deter me from enjoying it and other women shouldn't, either. Edit: I sensed this fragrance would blossom on skin warmer than mine was when I wrote the above and July and August proved me right. Warmer skin brought out less tobacco flower and more leather. Lasted far longer on warm skin as well. Highly recommended.