Dark Cherry & Amber

I am having an amazing time getting to know this fragrance; bought blindly based on a YouTube review and descriptions from this site. It was hard to believe anything from Banana Republic could be taken seriously, yet here we are. I don't know anything about BR 540, because the purchase price of that product, exceeds even my most lofty dreams during this pandemic. No, BR 540 is a tax bracket I doubt I'll ever reach. It can sit on a cold shelf, along with Jo Malone and others, that feel making a product fiscally unattainable will undoubtedly limit how many people could be disappointed by it. Mugler and Hermes were working that angle for a while. And once you received the bottle, you made yourself like it! You had to! That bottle represented the electric bill, or the month's groceries. So, I'm a bit delighted if this is indeed a dupe of Kurkdijan's cult maker, and I can rebelliously "stick it to the man" every time I put it on. I'm also delighted at its - well, everything! It comes to you housed in this heavy, firm, black box. The formality of opening the lid, and seeing this dark elixir resting in its coffin, is like an apothicarian gesture of witchcraft, which stirs the soul. The bottle is made of deep, crimson glass, and capped with a flat black topper, which instinctively anchors to your palm, and somehow feels ancient, like a long lost secret entrusted to you alone. So, needless to say, I was pretty excited from the start. The first spray was absolutely enchanting! Bright sour cherry - almost a maraschino pop, transfixed and ethereal, nuzzling gently into blushing, soft, floral petals of cherry blossom. With in minutes, a sticky, sexy amber perniciously deepens the fruity top notes into a very grounded and warm center. As the base chords move in, the composition rounds into a sultry, slow seduction. You don't even realize the freesia and cedar carrying you along, and keeping the fragrance from capsizing into a place too dark, or too sweet. Balanced by notes of cedar and praline, this perfume is complete enchantment. Longevity and sillage are unbelievable! This perfume lasts over twelve hours, and leaves a trail, so pleasantly unimposing, that subliminally energizes all that are lucky to be near. Approachable pricing, makes any further purchases practical. If lust had a smell, this would be the potion to inspire it!

Opens with a delicious cherry note that quickly transitions to a dense floral. The cherry is here is jammy and sweet; not a medicinal cough syrup cherry which makes me so relieved! The mid becomes more floral with a prominent amber accord. The amber and praline add to the gourmand aspects of this fragrance, which make it unique as compared to most other cherry fragrances that I have tried, which tend to lean more powdery-floral. In the dry down, the amber is more pronounced with hints of a woody accord. Longevity is ok, about 7 hours on my skin, which is not bad. Projection is strong the first half-hour, but then it becomes toned down, but not weak. I think this would make a great fragrance for the colder weather but should be fine in warmer weather as well. However, evenings are the best time of day to wear this. As for gender, I would say it is unisex while leaning a bit more feminine. Men should be able to pull this off, but personally I think this fragrance is very sexy on a woman. Perfect for date night! I don't know who came up with the idea that this is supposed to be a BR540 dupe. This is far from it! If you are disappointed at that, then look elsewhere! BR540 is one of the most cloned/copied fragrances in the world, but this fragrance is not one of them!

Dark Cherry and Amber is my favorite in a group of fragrances that are by no means the same but are still in the same ballpark: Guess Seductive Red, AG Cloud, BR540... They definitely DON'T smell the same; you could totally own a bottle of each of them and not feel like you don't need one of them. Seductive Red is a much sweeter cherry, Cloud has a slightly more medicinal and whipped cream note, and BR540 is MUCH stronger (although, weirdly, I have trouble smelling the musks in it; love it on other people, though). I find BR540 too expensive, love Cloud on other people, but do enjoy wearing Seductive Red; I love Dark Cherry and Amber the most of all. It's absolutely rich and delicious, but isn't overwhelming like the other 3 are, to me, sometimes; I wish the fruity cherry opening would last longer, but I also adore the drydown...! Like a lot of other folks here, I wish it would last longer; I get about 2-3 hours from it. Great Burlington bargain, if you can find it. I'll be picking up a backup bottle if I run into one.

Wow! Just wow. Lovely in a bottle. The first spray was enchanting. It's a pretty chilly day where I am and the cherry pokes out immediately! First spray! Lush, sweet, extremely mouth watering! I felt like I tasted good rather than smell amazing! Lol Like damn... This is good. It's very airy to me, this is a cherry Dr. Pepper in a fragrance bottle. If there was ANY bottle of fragrance I would recommend for under $25 it would be this. Granted I purchased my bottle at Burlington. It was about $20. Reading the reviews I see people claiming the cherry note leaves within 10 minutes but it's still riding on my skin. The cherry and amber are in holy matrimony... Marital bliss. I also read some don't like the Praline note but to me it just makes this fragrance even more ethereal. Seriously, this is just good. I originally had Tobacco and Tonka bean by Banana Republic but this blows it out of the water for me. I can go as far as to say, whatever negative reviews you read, completely disregard, and get this

This isn't your typical sweet or syrupy cherry. It's darker, moodier, and more seductive. Date night material. My nose or skin may have deceived me, but I picked up a subtle spice in the opening that fades quickly. What I get most is a deep red cherry. Sweet but not sugary or synthetic. It's wrapped in a soft, dark haze that’s incredibly alluring. It gives off a mysterious aura that would work beautifully on a well-dressed guy. And for $20 at Burlington? Immaculate value. I blind bought Midnight Hour from Banana Republic and was left very underwhelmed. This time, I played it smart and sampled first. No regrets. I'd absolutely pick up a bottle for nights out or dressed-up occasions. If smell up close to your skin, it becomes ever so slightly gourmand. It’s the kind of scent that invites people in for a second sniff. Deep, seductive, and sophisticated. Honestly, I’m blown away. An incredible pickup. Now I just need somewhere to wear it... and someone to wear it for.