Lavender and Gold Amber

Exceptional amber with a nice composition of florals surrounding it. The entire line of Gandini 1896 is fantastic quality - I have compared this line to both classic and niche Eau de Colognes of great reputation. They stand up unbelievably well! Sheer admiration goes to the house, that has been in existence since the year on the bottle. Yet, how profoundly unknown! I have the entire line of their 1896 EdC scents - and while their names sounds either linear (ie. Teak Wood - Awesome juice!) or usually a dual-note, two-dimensional composition (ie. like here, Lavender and Gold Amber), every bottle has a lot of supportive notes from the top to the heart and in the base. The notes listed above are from the back of the tester bottle and Gandini themselves. They are definitely in there. The bottles do accurately describe the main notes of the composition, but there is a lot more going on in each scent. Eau de Colognes can range in power dramatically. To be classified as such, a composition must contain 3-8% aromatic compounds, with the average around 5%. The entire line of Gandini 1896 is much richer, stronger projection and (the key) far better longevity than an average EdC! I would have to venture a guess and say that we are in the 7-8% range here! Typical Eau de Toilette is 10%...so not much lighter and I find the quality of the ingredients so natural and pure in the entire line. In this bottle, the lavender is truly wonderful, but shares the top notes with the distinct geranium and earthy coriander. It transcends into the wonderful heart of florals (Damask rose and lily-of-the-valley) offer nice accents while the amber is already warming the skin beautifully. I adore amber and have top-shelf amber in my collection - it is also my wife's favorite base note on her olive skin. This is fantastic - not cloying at all, but rich and smooth. The touch of vanilla is light, not heavy (as amber is center stage). What I like is how the perfumier integrated patchouli and cedar into the composition. It blends so well, without taking away from the amber in the dry down. This stays for a long time as a wonderful skin scent. You can layer other Gandini 1896 bottling on top of it or go to another EdC for top notes that blend well with amber. Two exceptional transitions from the line with this scent (at dry down - 4+ hours in!) are the incredible Pomegranate and Incense as well as the very fragrant and excellent Orange Blossom and Leaves. Others work too...and what is great is these ARE all truly unisex. My wife and I have had a wonderful time enjoying each bottle and also finding blends and layerings that work harmoniously. Fantastic scents, pure and natural - exceptional niche quality from the house of Gandini...Salud!!!

I got this perfume completely blind in a swap. I don't know what I saw in it, but I've come to terms with it, because at some point I was ready to donate it or swap it away. This smells really lovely, an extremely rich concoction of lavender with a hint of coriander and white flower overlaid a thick base of amber, incense, vanilla, musk and woody patchouli. This perfume basically wears like a base, as the top/heart notes wear off within an hour, but the base wears long with good sillage, and has a nice buzz of lavender throughout. This perfume has some heft to it, it is neither watery nor weak. So while I normally adore a good Floral Woody Musk, the lavender, musk, and amber veer way too close to wearing your laundry detergent or fabric softener as a perfume. It smells like a fabulous functional product. Now, I use it when I want to go to bed: I spray my pillow with a spritz or two, and I float to sleep on a cloud of herbal flowers, incense, amber, woods, and musk...it's a very nice way to 'wear' the perfume, as I can't stand it on my skin. Luckily this isn't too expensive to be used as linen spray, but a great linen spray it is.

Another winner from the Gandini 1896 cologne collection, LAVANDA ED AMBRA ORO combines the unlikely notes of amber and lavender into a very pleasing and natural-smelling blend. I'm not much of an amateur of lavender in perfume and often find it harsh and abrupt. Not a problem at all in this composition, in which amber, not lavender dominates, and although the lavender is very detectable, it is gentle and smooth. There are lots of other contributing components which together make this a very likeable fragrance, including geranium, rose, and patchouli, among others. Far from being a minimalist cologne best suited for mixing, this creation is a very appealing stand-alone eau de toilette. LAVANDA ED AMBRA ORO is an unexpected treat, and I recommend it to everyone who loves amber, as this is a completely new take--at least in my experience to date!

I am very picky when it comes to lavender. Sometimes it can be a bit harsh or too masculine feeling for me but in this it is very soft and clean. It is a female friendly lavender but remains very unisex. Gentle and easy going and the vanilla amber base gives it some warmth and a sort of musky feel. It isn't a "cold" clean, it is a fresh and warm clean. A very comforting scent. I am so glad I didn't write this off immediately because of my particular tastes when it comes to lavender...because I really like this a lot. It grows on you after several wearings. I think spring weather will do it even more justice so I am looking forward to wearing it again in warmer weather although I think it is a year round scent. Very nice!

Green and fresh. That's what I smell. Lavender present on the first spray. about 1o minutes in , it starts to change into something a little warmer but still lavender and fresh. Then, about 10 more minutes, the lavender is only in the background and the amber is present and beautiful. THIS IS A PERFECT SPRING SCENT!!!

If you are a seeking a gentle amber scent this is worth sampling. The lavender is quite mild too. Overall it's rather blended, but never a "blob" (I'd classify it as "natural smelling"). For me, it's certainly pleasant but I'm not sure if it's interesting enough to keep the bottle, since I have other amber scents that I do find interesting and enjoyable. I might give it another chance before deciding upon what to do with it. And I'd say it's definitely in unisex territory, sort of like the light version of PdN's New York.

I smelled this perfume from a tester in a department store and never seen it again. It's unexpensive but performing and well made. It's very aromatic, a little weird, energetic and cuddling. It's very suitable for both men and women, but especially for men it could be an almost elegant event scent. Tamed but intense, it has great staying power on skin and always smells very clean yet ambery.