Ambre Samar

Ambre Samar opens strong, sweet and spicy like the promise of an amaretti biscotti imminently about to arrive at your lips. But this is not a baked good perfume. For a moment, the cardamom is a bit sharp and medicinal in the initial opening, I don’t hate it but I don’t particularly like it either. This thankfully lasts for all but 20 seconds and then the perfume starts to settle. And oh how it’s settles! The frankincense starts to come through beautifully in the middle and, as it pulls through into the heart, the lovely warm amber and davana appear as a perfectly blended accord that is a gorgeously warm, dark, fruity, spicy and animalic honeyed beauty with a delicate lick of smokiness and a hint of boozyness. The almond isn’t obviously present as a note here or in the dry down. As you’d expect with a Delphine Jelk for Guerlain, everything is blended beautifully with each note complementing the other, there are no solo artists here. The tonka bean and benzoin offer the warmth of a rich vanilla and a tickle of cinnamon and clove to allow the frankincense to continue to shine in all its spicy, balsamic glory. Although this is a rich and deep perfume, it is so smooth and isn’t a full on heavy or cloying perfume. There’s no coumarin overload. I can tease out hints of the cardamom in the dry down and I think it’s here that the importance of this note is valued, as it adds a radiant, almost fresh aromatic sparkle to the spicy amber scent profile. The patchouli in the base adds a very slight hint of leather to the accord as well. I’m not really a leather forward or patchouli heavy person, so for my nose it is just perfect. All of the above beautiful aroma remains and continues in the dry down. Just a lovely added bonus of sweet, smoky dryness when I bring my nose to my skin. For a complex scent profile I find this really easy to wear and extremely moorish. For me, this is a perfect perfume for cold weather. There is something gloriously grounding, calming and comforting in the glowing warmth of the scent profile. Yet wrapped in a soft, warm wooly scarf, and in total contradiction of the cold nipping at my nose, the sensual and enveloping scent bubble is offering faraway visuals of an exotic place of shimmering dry heat and Sahara sand, an intimate moment with a lover watching the setting sun dance against a red and darkening sky. My sample isn’t going to last long, I sooo want a bottle because this is olfactory heaven to my nose.

Vanilla, honey, amber, ambergris and an ashy background. This is what I get. This is Tobacco Honey's little brother. The very first spray gave me a big Angel's Share vibe, but it's extremely short lived. It then quickly evolves into a lesser version of Tobacco Honey with a noticeable ambergris added. The ambergris is surpisingly very strong during the mid phase, but it fades away too. The dry down is a creamier version of Tobacco Honey. It definitely doesn't smell as expensive and it doesn't have the same performance, Tobacco Honey feels fuller, more opulent, more potent, bolder, higher end. But this still smells really really great, it's just that I'm a massive fan of Tobacco Honey. This is very comforting, smooth, classy and high quality. Now, comes the price question. At discounters, this costs almost litteraly 3x less than Tobacco Honey, is it worth it ? I think for the discounted price it's a no brainer, it's really great. This is the version you could wear daily, when Tobacco Honey is more for special occasions. It's redundant to own both IMO, but definitely makes sense if you like the DNA. You can use this more freely without having the same hit on your wallet. If the price wasn't a question, Tobacco Honey is a way better fragrance, but this is super awesome. Adding this to the wishlist !

So, there more I wear this, the more I like it. I have previously enjoyed the Les Absolus d'Orient line and have sampled some post-reformation to Absolus Allegoria... I always found the Orient range a bit rough around the edges, potent and full of character. I received a few samples of this on launch and it did not feel right for summer. However, it repeatedly popped up in my thoughts... I just bought a bottle and I'm glad I did. The first few times I wore it, I wasn't sure... it has an unusual start.. almost jarring.. it feels like there are too many strong notes competing for attention... cardamon, incense and spice... However, after a few hours everything settles down and it's lovely. It suits the festive season.. full of spice and warmth... I love the cardamom and appreciate the dense scent profile. It's very long lasting but projection is moderate... which stops it from feeling too much. I love it! It is certainly an acquired taste but I'm really enjoying it, so I don't care what anyone else thinks. It's expensive but I got for less than half price (Black Friday) so I'm happy as it is a generous 125ml. Try before you buy xxx

The Sephora store this was bought from had a limited edition sign next to it 🥲 if anyone with a little more insight and access to official info could confirm/infirm that this is going to be soon discontinued it would be much appreciated! Meanwhile, I'm already planning on buying a second bottle... Oh my God, this is absolutely delicious, mouthwatering even! Best blind buy ever and easily my favorite of the Absolus Allegoria series, along with Rose Amira. This on my skin opens with cherry, honey, cinnamon, some kind of a cognac note, all these reminding me of Tobacco Honey, Angels Share, Tobacco Vanille and a few others, but to me this is probably the best of its kind, though I didn't give it a full wear yet and will probably update my review. It envelops me in a warm, ambery embrace and I can't stop sniffing myself! Love love love it! Update: yep, it's a love through and through. Absolutely lovely, top to end (dry down is mostly vanilic ambery tonka bean) and on my skin this had a very decent longevity of about 6-7 hours.

Ambre Samar doesn't reinvent the wheel by any stretch of the imagination, it's yet another spicy, honeyed vanilla with lots of resins, tonka and something that smells like dried fruit or dates, a bit of a coca cola like fizz and it probably won't surprise you. But I'll be damned if this isn't one of the most beautiful ambers I've ever smelled. You just know that this was done by a house that has a long history with this sort of thing, Guerlain has such a particular, elegant way of dealing with sweet notes and it's here in all of its almondy glory. It's morish, intoxicating, slightly gooey, enveloping and seductive but it's airy, restrained and it doesn't turn into a cloying mess even if you absolutely douse yourself in it or wear it in warm weather. It does everything right. Amber seems like a big trend right now, and if you plan on getting an amber scent, this is something you'd definitely want to try before making a decision.