Amber Empire

Reading some of the comments actually made me delay buying Amber Empire. I received it today (21/01/26), and honestly... it’s beautiful. Straight out of the bottle, no waiting, and my only regret is not buying it sooner. I’m a big fan of this DNA, and I already own Art of Arabia 3 (not a fan, if I’m being honest) and Faris Al Arab (which I absolutely love). I rank both Faris Al Arab and Amber Empire very highly. In fact, looking at my collection, they both sit comfortably in my top 10. There! I said it, because it’s true 🤷🏻♂️ Amber Empire is a slightly sweeter and a touch more mass-appealing take on the DNA. But honestly, both are so, so good. I’ll hold off on a full review until I’ve compared both against CC Blonde Amber, which I’m currently waiting on as a 2ml “try before you buy” sample from BeautyTheShop (not a promotion — just mentioning it’s a trusted source). I’ll update this once that comparison is done, but I’ll say this now: at £480 for 50ml, and considering the quality of both Amber Empire and Faris Al Arab, CC Blonde Amber will have to be absolutely mind-blowing to beat them. EDIT: 23/02/26 - Update, as promised Blonde Amber vs Amber Empire vs Faris Al Arab – Performance Comparison Blonde Amber Opens with a smooth rum note before developing into a beautifully blended mix of dates, soft tobacco, saffron, and a deep, creamy amber dry-down. Vanilla and tonka keep it rich without becoming heavy or sickly. There’s an airiness here that stops it from feeling cloying or overbearing, while still remaining opulent. Very refined and gentlemanly — best suited to 30+. But whilst I appreciate that airiness, I actually prefer the denser, almost thicker creaminess of the clones. That’s 100% the truth. Performance: Above average. Around 6–7 hours on skin, a little longer on clothing. Projection: Moderate for the first 1–2 hours, then settles closer to the skin. Sillage: Elegant and controlled — noticeable without being loud. Amber Empire A sweeter, more mass-appealing take on Blonde Amber. The rum is gone, replaced by a faint liquor nuance. With the added sweetness, it feels more versatile and approachable, appealing to a wider age range. Less serious and easier to wear day-to-day. Performance: Strong. Around 7–8 hours with good consistency. Projection: More assertive than Blonde Amber, especially in the first 2–3 hours. Sillage: Noticeable and crowd-pleasing — it leaves a clear scent trail, but lacks the airiness of Blonde Amber and can become slightly cloying in certain conditions or smaller spaces. Faris Al Arab Unlike the rum opening of Blonde Amber, Faris Al Arab opens with more of a cherry-liqueur note, which becomes more noticeable and smooth after a short period of oxidation — smooth, subtle, and slightly boozier with a cherry-liqueur twist. Sweeter than Blonde Amber but less sweet than Amber Empire, with a thicker, deeper, creamier DNA than both. It suits a 30+ wearer who enjoys richer, denser scents. Like Amber Empire, it lacks the airiness of Blonde Amber, making it the most likely of the three mentioned so far to feel heavy or overbearing if overapplied. But I like that denseness. Performance: The strongest of the three mentioned so far. Easily 8+ hours on skin and days on fabric — I could still smell it on my coat four days later without spraying directly onto it. Projection: Solid and steady for the first 2 hours, then very gradually softens. Sillage: The densest of the three — rich, enveloping, and long-lasting in the air. Alexandria – Legally Blonde The sleeping wolf that deserves the same hype as the aforementioned. Probably the closest to Blonde Amber, but with the rum note at the beginning less pronounced. It manages to retain more of that airiness, like Blonde Amber, but lacks some of the subtle spicy nuances and booziness. Performance: On par with Faris Al Arab. Easily 8+ hours on skin and days on fabric. Projection: Solid and steady for the first 2 hours, then very gradually softens. Sillage: Not quite as dense as Faris Al Arab, but there’s not much in it — and again, it’s long-lasting in the air. Final Thoughts Technically, Blonde Amber is the better fragrance. Its blending and ingredients are top quality. But at £480 for 50ml — and with Amber Empire, Faris Al Arab, and Legally Blonde existing at a fraction of the price — I simply can’t justify it. For clarity, I paid £18 for a genuine Clive Christian 2ml sample for comparison. All of these fragrances have their own character and strengths. I own them all and have bought backup bottles of all except Blonde Amber — purely because of the price. It will ultimately come down to personal preference, but my favourite is Faris Al Arab, followed by Legally Blonde and then Amber Empire. But I love them all! That said, Legally Blonde is definitely the better option if you want the closest dupe of Blonde Amber. It also works incredibly well for layering — especially with something that adds a touch of spice. I’ve been using a couple of sprays of Terra with Legally Blonde and it works very well to add a little spice. Another option is Liquid Brun. A couple of sprays of that alongside Legally Blonde and it just works. Now I’ve probably either confused you even more or gone into far too much detail and personal bias than necessary — and niche snobs will likely despise my reviews and label me clueless. That’s fine. I’m confident in what I like and in my own tastes, so 🤷🏻♂️ As always, sample first if you can. But if you love rich, opulent, creamy, ambery goodness, I find it hard to fathom anyone genuinely disliking any of these fragrances.

Ok, Between this one and Maison asrar Faris al Arab, I have both, honestly guys.. they are so similar just get the one that is cheaper or the bottle you prefer.. they're like 95% the same. I kept forgetting which paper I sprayed each one on and which wrist I sprayed it on because it's hard to tell them apart.. IF you've already smelled Blonde Amber and you want a decent dupe. Both of these reach 90% of blonde amber. If you've never smelled it you're taking a risk it's not a scent for everyone given how sweet and powdery (NOT baby powder don't worry) they can be. But to me the sweetness is rich and decadent and well rounded and fully unisex (even if it seems like a men's fragrance women can definitely wear it too but you might find it masculine if you're used to designer women's frags) The small difference is the OG seems to have more of that realistic dried fruit note (the other 2 don't have it listed so it makes sense though they do have some fruitiness too) which sticks around longer on paper and makes it a little brighter and a bit licorice-y. On skin though they all dry down similar. Blonde Amber being the better performer but not by a huge amount. Definitely not to justify the cost imo. If money is no object of course the OG is superior. Performance is good on both of the dupes, honestly i have no idea what people are saying performance is bad, but you may need an extra spray off these vs the OG, not a big deal to me.. esp for the price... they'll stick around on skin a good long time, overnight even. Here's the thing about performance.. these are smooth fragrances. They aren't beastmode compared to some others, because they have no strong super-ambers. (You know the spiky aromachemicals that seem to invade your nasal passages as an excuse to give fragrances longevity at the cost of smelling bad) To me that is higher quality than something that is sharp and enters a room before you do.. Projection is moderate. I wore it for the day and got whiffs of it on myself for hours, and when that happens you know that other people could smell it as well. I would guess that after about 6 hours it'll be closer to skin but still there. Edit: I should say that both my dupes are less than a week old, so performance I suspect Will get even stronger. "Oxidation" is definitely a thing I've got well over 100 bottles of ME perfumes and most of them change somewhat over the course of a few days to months. Usually just smoothing out and getting more potent.

Not comparing this to the original: EDIT: This is one of those common cases where it's advised not to smell a Middle Eastern dupe up close, especially not right away. It can feel a little sharp up close and as someone mentioned, there is a noticeable grape vibe going on at the top. However, as is also the case with these kinds of frags, it really does smell good in the air, even after directly spraying it. Try spraying your shirt, near your bellybutton, and it will waft up nicely. When smelled up close, it has a dusty sharp grape thing going on, and in the air it smells like beautiful liquor and dried fruits, with a woody aspect. Weird how that works, but this is a common occurrence with Middle Eastern frags. Someone below mentioned that he gets "grape" and "old man" vibes from many fragrances in the amber family. It's not an unfounded statement. There is an ingredient called methyl anthranilate used in many of these perfumes to varying degrees that causes this. It makes up a base called Schiff's Base (they're trying to create a slight narcotic floral edge). Osmanthus can have this berry/grape characteristic too if used in the right amount, found in Herod. I'm not saying this is a grape soda or anything, but it definitely has that grape vibe, and the woodiness can come across as a little dry and bitter once it starts drying down. I had my GF smell this one side-by-side with Eternal Oud ( I know they don't smell alike even if they're both in the amber family). She preferred Amber Empire and said it smelled sweet, like jelly. It does have a slight candied opening. I'm also picking up a tobacco accord. I prefer this over many of the dupe vanilla and amber fragrances, even if it's not really my vibe. And oddly, even though it's not really my vibe, I find myself sniffing that spot on my arm, ha! I bet a lot of people will love this one. The longer Amber Empire dries, the better it gets and smooths out to a kind of fruity plum/tobacco fragrance. This is an edit, and I can say after one wearing, I actually enjoy this, I think it's because this is one of the few amber/vanilla frags that doesn't smell feminine on me. It does become quite a soft skin scent shortly after application, but I can tell it will leave a little trail and have good longevity. I haven't tried other clones of Blonde Amber, so cannot compare it with that.

Below are copy of my comments i previously made for Faris Al Arab comparing it to Amber Empire, if anyone is interested in knowing the differences; Update 1 (29.10.25): I'm wearing it today and will wait and see the longevity. It's been 2 hours since i 4 times sprayed Faris Al Arab and projection was good until now. I can still smell it but the projection is getting weaker naturally which makes it office-safe. The very first detail that got my attention is, this fragrance is slightly less sweeter than Amber Empire in the opening. Like calmer and smoother. Next update will be about longevity and last update will be comparison of the two, most probably on weekend. So far, i love this fragrance, 9.5/10. Update 2 (03.11.2025): I tested both fragrances (Amber Empire&Faris Al Arab) two days ago, two sprays on each arm. Here are my thoughts after wearing them side by side: Opening: Amber Empire comes off sweeter and louder right from the start, though both share a very similar scent profile. Dry Down: To my nose, they’re about 99% identical and it’s genuinely hard to tell them apart. Still, Amber Empire remains just slightly louder. Longevity: Amber Empire outlasted Faris Al Arab by about 30–45 minutes. Faris Al Arab gave me around 8–9 hours of wear on skin. Projection: Both project strongly for the first couple of hours. Sillage: Amber Empire leaves a slightly more noticeable scent trail until projection dies down. Bottles: Both bottles look fantastic, true oriental niche aesthetics. Gender: Because of its sweeter opening, Amber Empire leans more unisex to me, while Faris Al Arab feels a bit more masculine and refined. Value: Excellent value for money, especially considering you’re getting 100ml of this quality. Verdict: From an honest, unbiased standpoint, it’s really tough to pick a clear winner. If you’re a younger guy, you might prefer Amber Empire for its louder, more playful projection. If you’re 30–35 or older, Faris Al Arab might be the better fit, smoother, calmer, and a bit more elegant.

Definitely has a very strong resemblance to CC BA. I just got my bottle of Amber Empire yesterday. It probably needs time to mature/oxidize /macerate and hopefully smooth out. The opening is much less dense (simple), off balance, and overly sweet compared to the real deal. I'm not a huge fan of the opening on this one. It seems like it's mostly linear in comparison to BA. Some of that overly sweet and strong opening definitely fades after 30-40 minutes and it smooths out into a pleasant scent much closer to BA that I really enjoy for the next 3-4 hours and spends the last 2 hours as a lovely skin scent I saw a video where Neebs had a preproduction version in eau de parfum concentration that he preferred to Faris Al Arab, yet he talked FW into releasing this in a much stronger Extrait with amplified certain notes, which I think was a huge mistake, as the final version he did not like as much as Faris and I can't help but wonder what that unreleased version would have been like. I will reserve my final judgement until I can have some more time with it. Longevity and protection are decent for the price, and I'm hoping it really balances out over the next few weeks. As of right now, it's okay, but I am mildly disappointed. Update 12/10 It's been 7 days and I haven't noticed much of a change. I put my full bottle in the refrigerator, I have heard it speeds up the maturation process. I have been using a bit I decanted out. The opening is still way too sweet and very unbalanced. I really REALLY hope this one changes and starts to shine. It smells fine in the air, but up close it's overly sweet and abrasive. I wear frags for myself, not people around me. I will update again in the coming weeks.