Youth-Dew Amber Nude

A warm, golden, ambery concoction, redolent of incense and spice. Opens with a burst of grapefruit and ginger, which is quickly overwhelmed by cinnamon and tea notes. The magnolia is very subtle, but pairs well with the lingering grapefruit, to give a fresh lemony lift to an otherwise heavy opening. I think it is best not to compare this to Youth Dew at all, but to consider YDAN independently of its predecessor; this is no mother daughter flanker relationship; these two are more like kissing cousins. Very potent, like Youth Dew, though. Fabulous projection, silage and longevity, so spray carefully. I know many folks don't get florals with Amber Nude, but I find the heart a wonderfully fragrant floral accord, all buttery and soft, with a very powerful carnation that reinforces the spicy cinnamon, giving a clove effect to further amp the already powerful incense. It is spicy and peppery and works beautifully with the rose note. I honestly don't know what they mean when they say this is a black rose. I grow roses, so I am skeptical on all fronts. By the time you hybridize enough to create a black rose, well, first it isn't really black, and second it doesn't smell. But, that is another topic. I do smell rose, though, quite clearly, and if I had to give it a color I would say a deep carmine red. Blood red. The jasmine is powerfully present and indolic, over-ripe and animalic, pairing with the ylang ylang to produce a very rich floral accord that struggles to be heard above the ginger, tea and cinnamon. For me, it is when the amber, patchouli and sandalwood begin to dominate that everything falls into place. One of the best ambers ever, although it is rarely mentioned when amber-centric perfumes are discussed. Very warm and rich amber, balsamic, vanillac, and resinous. The sandalwood is lovely, soft and woody, sweet and heavy. With the patchouli and vetiver, very green and exotic. This reminds me of absolutely nothing else. It is not Youth Dew light, it is not Youth Dew gone wrong, it is its own creature: sexy, but certainly not girly or "fun"; this is a serious fragrance to be approached with caution and handled with care. I have two backups and I still learn something new every time I wear it. Today I am wearing one spray at work and it seems almost gourmand to me today, all cinnamon and clove and black tea goodness. Later in the day it will be all about incense and wood. Lasts and lasts, and projects big. Will fill a room unless lightly applied.

I don't know why, but Im truly addicted to this fragrance. Sometimes I will just open the cap and inhale the smell straight from the spray nozzle. I really like it, it smells like a whiskey to me (Im a lover of Chivas, neat only). So what do you get when you spray this juice? As for me, I get that whiskey smell as opening. Then ginger and cinnamon will join along as citrus aroma quietly appear together. On my skin the floral note will rise after long hours. Mostly I can smell soft amber and sandalwood note (which I like the most) as well as patchouli & vetiver (not too much though). Those notes will stay for 3-4 hours while floral notes like rose slowly kicking in. Certain fragrance act really weird on my skin, they don't behave like what they should. Sillage and longevity is good compared to some fragrance which I have. One of the cleaner staff and my colleagues in my office compliment me when I was wearing this. ------------------------ For those of you who like oriental fragrance, you should try this. Especially in winter. Not too heavy, but really nice, warm and comforting. Oriental? Yes, very much. But oriental vanilla? No, i don't think so. As someone who was formerly very fond of vanilla fragrances (especially Dior Addict which is still captured my heart until this moment), I didn't smell or notice any vanilla note in YDAN. To me, YDAN is more like soft amberish-spicy-floral which is really nice and captivating. Or should I say, sexy in its own way? (LOL, really! Im not joking!) I can say I don't mind stocking up this for few bottles since it's difficult to find now.

A little goes a long, long, long, way, and it's for the adventurous. Apart from Clinique Aromatics Elixir, this is the scent that gets the most notice, as in: "Oh, my God, what are you wearing?" I think Tom Ford has the rare ability of capturing the essence of the sex in a bottle, and if you can't spend a fortune on his 'private blends,' and I can't, this is the next best thing. It's fall-winter, dark, moody, musky, smoky, sandalwood-referenced, wildflowers past peak, with a hint of cedar dry, heading into burning leaves, clove, ginger, cardamon, nutmeg, like a Thanksgiving dinner indulgence with a secret assignation that follows. An epicurean's delight, it's at turns herbaceous then, musky, and it has to be an ostracized outsider among the other cheap drugstore acquisitions. If you spray it on paper, you get a whiff of peppermint and rubbing alcohol and you're in the medical clinic and so you move on. Which is understandable, but a mistake. On the skin, with time to develop, and I imagine it is different on everyone who wears it, beyond the cedar, clove, ginger, pepper, you also get sweet female animalic musk, tea with lemon, and rich amber. It lasts forever; sillage for days. Enjoy it...sparingly, and with someone very special.

When I first learned of this updated Youth Dew version I felt conflicted. Updated = reformulated, and I prefer vintage original fragrance. Some fellow fragrantians recommended Amber Nude, curiosity took over and I bought a bottle. Thank you, thank you, thank you! It arrived today. Now imagine chain saw noise and bits of packaging flying through the air and finally that lovely elegant bottle was in my hands. Very modern, down to the minimalist light brown ribbon, eoching the color of the perfume inside. A few sprays later I'm delighted. This Tom Ford version of Youth is beautiful! It's sweeter and lighter than the orignal. There is plenty of spice made soft and smooth by a fruity sweet note. It's not honey, it rather resembles thick pear preserves with cinnamon and cloves. Delicious! Longevity and sillage aren't as impressive as the vintage stuff. Reapplication is the trick, which means my 1 oz bottle will empty quickly. This updated Youth Dew should appeal to those who find the original too heavy and dark. I love original and will continue to use it. Amber Nude Youth Dew is my new love, and along with Cinnabar will stay in my permanent collection.

Why on earth was this perfume discontined?? I still fail to understand, while I cherish my last drops just for a sniff to remember it from time to time and lament over its uncomprehesible death (and probably will look for it on Ebay). This is everything YD should be in the modern age, but a modern age of bold, well crafted perfumery, not afraid of strong personality, and completely deprived of bubblegum stuff. Or maybe this is why they killed it: not in sync with pink fruty white musk bubblegum. Well, no, definetely not one of those. Since YDAN died by discontinuation I actually did not find any other expression of a real spicy-woody oriental in the classic manner with just a modern touch. Maybe just Estee Lauder's hard to find middle east-bound Ambre Mystique, with the remark that YDAN is in my view of a much better depth, elegant spiciness that meets incense and well crafted balance than Ambre Mystique, which appears rough around the edges in comparison. If anybody could just reproduce perfumes - and happy to pay the due royalties on it - this is my "please make me a bottle of the same" request.