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.

Really high quality blend. Seriously the Banana Republic scents are top of the line especially for the price point. Made with quality ingredients that just smell great. The cherry in this is really beautiful and not medicinal or too candy like in the smell, just a beautiful fresh dark cherry scent, after a little bit it drifts into a beautiful amber scent profile, not too sweet but has a bit of sweetness to it in the amber profile. A very beautiful scent that I could see layering with a bunch of stuff to create some unique scent profiles. If you see this at Burlington, hop on it. You won't be disappointed if you enjoy the smell of cherry and amber as the name implies. Beautifully blended and the longevity is fine. Everything does not need to be overpowering and nuclear. It's still plenty good and has a nice mature unisex profile. I really like this one, but I loved most all of the Banana Republic fragrances, you just can't beat the quality for the price.

IMO one of the best in the line. I think it leans slightly feminine but still unisex enough that a man can certainly pull it off. I don't have the longevity issues with this fragrance as I do with many other BR fragrances from the line, I get around 5-7 hours and while that's somewhat average for fragrances, it's not for BR icon line which usually averages around 3-4 hours. In my experience the longest lasting of the ones I tried are Dark cherry, tobacco and tonka and linen vetiver. So what does this smell like, well if you tried french defense by mind games this can be seen as a first cousin, although that fragrance is creamier and longer lasting (and also ridiculously 20X the price). BR DC&A is a nice, semi nostalgic fragrance that offers something different. While BR540 gets a lot of love, I personally prefer this scent DNA which would suit many of the same occasions as BR540. For the price range and uniqueness this gets a love for me.

Like everyone else I got this at Burlington for $20. The price vs quality is honestly insane. The opening is a sweet and potent cherry, followed by a really nice smooth dry down to a floral amber/cedar. It smells different in all the best ways. Its not so niche that its weird, but its not so mainstream that it smells like everything else in your collection. Longevity is decent, not great but not bad either. The bottle is really nice too. Very sleek and the cap/atomizer are great quality. This fragrance impressed me so much I went back and got a backup bottle, plus a few others from Banana Republic collection. The Vanilla and Tonka Bean is not as good as this one imo, it leans more feminine and is a bit synthetic to my nose. Another really good one from BR is Midnight Hour, that stuff is really good, check it out if you get a chance.

I managed to finish this bottle just in time for spring. Beautiful fragrance will buy another next autumn for sure. I stand by my last review I love this a lot more than lost Cherry it’s tart with a beautiful smooth leather it really is heavenly on the skin I don’t spray this on clothes it can be a bit too much if you’re sensitive to smells. I did find my self wearing this strictly in the cold winter evenings at home as I found it very much so cozying fragrance. This is one you do have to reapply however I have found if i put cocoa butter on before it lasts good 3+ on the skin. All in all, I think this is a fantastic fragrance considering it’s less than £25 Safe blind buy: no I think this one is one that you love you hate (like marmite)

I am really happy with this, it's delightfully feminine in a romantic, mysterious way. Not candy sweet, more like an amber candle burning while drinking cognac, and you've put in one of those dark red cocktail cherries. I would have told you this lasted maybe 4-5 hours before I had to bury my nose in my shirt to smell it. But I sprayed this on at like 7pm, went to the gym, and went to bed and when my husband came to bed at like 2am he smelled it on me immediately and it was like a cat with catnip. He couldn't pinpoint the smell but said it was addicting. I like this way better than AG Cloud, which smells plasticy synthetic and monotone to me. Haven't smelled BR 540 to compare but based on my husband's reaction it must be similar haha

This is a delicious linear cherry liquor scent. It doesn't smell smooth and creamy like a typical gourmand; it's sharp, complex, and classy. It's smells more like a drink than a dessert you'd want to eat if that makes sense. I don't pick up a lot on the amber note but I am getting the cherry and cedar notes. To me, this is a Winter perfume, perfect to wear in the cold or snuggling up next to a fireplace. It's sweet, but not too sweet due to the tartness coming from the cherry. It almost smells like a slightly smoky cherry syrup. I find it to be a bright fragrance, it could give you a pick me up on a cold winter's day. It projects moderately, but once it becomes a skin scent I find that it lasts super long. It's really nice!

Buy. This. Fragrance. You can get it for $19.99 at Burlington/Ross, and it smells exactly like what it's named. Some of the best cherry juice I've ever smelled. Manly. Deep. Absolutely just fills the room with the best cherry scent ever, with a sweet almost spicy drydown but spice is not the right word. This is some good damn stuff. If you or those around you enjoy fruit smelling frags, stop wasting your time and get in the checkout line. By the way, the bottle is spectacular. Great, professional packaging, thick, good quality glass with a great red color, heavy metal cap, faux leather ring for a tight seal, good atomizer. Might buy multiple bottles of this for Christmas, I can see this being a great gift frag.

To me this is a fist full of over ripe cherries soaking in an cedar bowl. The berry scent develops into a smokey woodsy symphony. It reminds me of walking through a cedar forest after the rain. I like this more for that feeling than for the cherry feeling lol. As it slips away easily. However it's always slightly in the background. This scent is up my alley 100 percent. I love unisex perfumes that aren't easy to decipher. This is going to be my fall scent. I can see the crisp fall afternoons while I step out in an oversized coat and a large scarf. It almost reminds me of the candle "crisp autumn air" from bath and body works and I think that's why I love it. (I think that was the candle name)

One of my favourite fragrances and I feel more people need to know about this one. For £28 you get a rich and inviting fragrance that starts off with a sharp and very sweet cherry note. Wish this noted lasted longer as it does fade very quickly and develops into a warm and & sweet amber dry down. This is a sweet fragrance but does not come across sickly at all either. Bottle is weighty and packaging a nice addition. Suitable for both male and female. 100% repurchase worthy once the bottle is empty and in top 3 Banana Republic scents. Wouldn't compare this to smelling like anything else really. Just its own unique syrupy goodness. Perfect for winter, day or night. 9.5/10

This is fabulous! I've been wanting this forever but it's either sold out online or the price is crazy high. I am in Canada. Found it at Winners for $20! I rarely go there as I never have luck finding anything good. I had a gift card to use, so decided to go see what fragrances are there. So psyched to have picked this up! I love this more than Guess Seductive Red. It's warm, and has the perfect amount of sweetness without choking you out with over the top gourmand. The cherry smells like ripened realistic cherries. Layer this with BBW Coffee and Whiskey - bomb layering combo. Lasts all day and gives it a bit more depth. Delicious!

I’ve bought vintage green, pure white, tobacco and tonka bean, and then this - in that order over the course if maybe 2 years. This is the only one from BR that I still enjoy. Not sure what it is about it but this is one that I’d want to keep around as long as they make it. I understand the BR540 comparisons but do not buy this if you’re looking for a BR540 clone. This has a hard red candy like quality that reminds me of its dark red glass bottle but it’s not overly sweet IMO. Honestly, no, it doesn’t project worth a **** but if someone gets close enough to detect it...man. This smells better than a lot of stuff 5x its cost

If you like French Defense by Mind Games, then Dark Cherry and Amber will kind of scratch that itch enough until you can save up to get FD. DC&A is totally worth getting. The cherry is dark, the sweetness of a nutty brown sugar praline. What gives it that similarity to FD is that smooth powdery makeup lipsticky note although it is slightly toned down in DC&A. FD quality is by far superior and I absolutly love it. I do think it is unisex leaning a tad fem, but DC&A I feel is straight unisex. If you are looking to get introduced to a Cherry fragrance DC&A would be a good start.

Very pretty dark cherry, like an older less gourmand sister to guess seductive red. I don't particularly get a strong amber note but I believe it's simply working with the cherry to balance the sweetness I get in seductive red. No medicinal quality to it in the slightest and almost has a cool moonlight-like accord that makes it mysterious and beautiful. Definitely feels quite feminine to me and I think it could be worn by an older woman or a younger woman trying to feel older. Not terribly complicated but somehow sophisticated in that lack of complexity, if maybe overdone.

I let this one macerate for a few months before I tested it. Whoa! It made such a difference. The first spray smelled so synthetic and cheap. After a few months in the box, I could NOT believe it! So amazing! It smells WAY more expensive than I paid. I don’t know about comparing it to BR, but, it does seem to fit into the same planet as Elle Saab Le Perfum (same nose). The longevity is unreal and my first Burlington find! Fun blind buy if you love fruity smells but not gourmands. For males, this could smell best for a musky summer night scent

This literally smells like MAGIC. I bought this on a blind buy as the Banana Republic perfumes are EXCELLENT value and are perfect dupes. I haven’t smelled Creed Carmina but I should imagine it’s exactly the same. This is the best perfume I’ve smelt in a long time. I think this is going to be my new signature. It has a very faint undertone of BR but the cherry notes make it less nauseous and more girly and intoxicating. I think this going to be a head turner. It almost reminds me of the first time I smelled the old Escada Magnetism formula.