Ambrorient

The name says it all - this is an ambery oriental fragrance, leaning towards the darker side of that genre. The labdanum, opoponax and musk give it a traditional, fairly heavy, but natural-smelling amber character that is sweetened by heliotrope and vanilla. The sillage is moderate, and the scent is fairly linear, lasting all day, at least 6-8 hours. This is an excellent example of the oriental-amber-musk genre, one of my absolute favorite types of perfume. It is indeed similar to Musc Ravageur, but a little heavier on the labdanum, which is OK by me. Two thumbs up!

A cheaper alternative for those who love but cannot afford to buy Musc Ravageur. Very nice!

Esteban :) like the warmest blanket, always. French labdanum and Heliotrope, Benzoin, Vanille... More intimate, sits close to the skin. It's chilly outside, makes me warm. Love.

While Ambrorient doesn't feel like a true amber to me even though it is based on a labdanum-vanilla accord, it is most definitely an oriental, and in some lights it reminds me of Shalimar. It opens with a relatively subdued aromatic accord, a lavender-rose-citrus impression which most of the time I adore, but which, if I'm not in quite the right mood for it, can read as vaguely masculine to me (even though I have no truck for the idea of gender-specific frags, so go figure) in the same way as L'Occitane's discontinued Labdanum can do. The rose in the opening gives a hint of Turkish delight, while the aromatics bring to mind high-quality, lavender-imbued beeswax polish on antique wooden furniture captured in a golden sunbeam. There is a touch of dustiness – the motes dancing in the sunbeam, perhaps – but I don't notice heliotrope, and Ambrorient is not what I think of as a powdery oriental. Really this perfume is all about aromatic resins, warm and fragrant on a hot rock in the desert sun. Benzoin adds to its vanillic, balsamic softness but sweetened opoponax takes the lead once the top notes have dissipated, and since the longevity is quite good this rich and appealing stage lasts for a long time. Then as the fragrance's life on skin draws to an end, something resembling sandalwood emerges, followed by a fleeting illusion of barley sugar. It is worth mentioning that the sillage is quite subdued, so one can indulge in this fragrance guilt-free. I am a hardcore wearer of orientals to keep me snug in cold and not-so cold weather, but I find I appreciate Ambrorient more in hot, dry weather because to me it's primarily a hot, dry fragrance, with any faint sweetness such as the barley sugar tempered with roasted, toasted pyrazines in keeping with the overall warmth of the composition.

Too powdery for me. Onset of citrus and vanilla are very Hanae Morae-type, but the undernotes of heliotrope and opoponax make it very powdery. It's almost like a varient of Shalimar without lemon paste. I can see this being very nice on someone else, but on me there's also the faintest suggestion of bug spray, so it's a powdery, perfumey blend that doesn't settle with my skin chemistry