Eau de Mandarine Ambrée

So, after being utterly unsuccessful in aquiring a bottle of 24 Faubourg Eau Delicate, I decided to try the new kid on the Hermes block - Eau de Mandarine Ambrée. Normally, the amber is not my thing; it just does not seem to work with my chemistry. This one, however, is different - it plays very nice! The initial spritz was like a burst of fresh mandarin, fresh, invigorating and totally go-go-go (a good thing for procrastinators, like me). Then came the sweet stuff, or, should I say the sweat stuff... That was depressing. I thought, "uh-oh, another one of those great on everyone else, but utter stinker on me" perfumes... But, not a minute later, the fruity amber settled in, in a good way - cozy, with that personal warmth hint, and not at all overbearing, or straight out unbearable. What a relief! I will be wearing this one after all! And, I think, I like it even better than Eau Delicate (which was perhaps too heavy on LOTV on me). The only issue I have with Hermes scents is that they just don't project or last, at least on me. The Eau de Mandarine Ambrée's sillage is zero; after less than an hour, I have to shove my nose deep into my wrist to detect it. Longevity is just under 3 hours. Where and when to wear this? Everywhere and "everywhen"! It is a subtle fragrance, and every-day scent, safe for the office and the first date, any time, any age. And you know what else? I think, the stuffy socialites who have all the money but no class, should put this in their Social First Aid kit ;)

Eau de Mandarine Ambree by Hermes was one of my first citrus heavy perfumes, alongside Guerlain’s Mandarin Basilic. It is a perfume that I have purchased during a late spring trip in Seville, Spain, good years ago and every spring I wear it, it takes me back to Seville and the multitude of citruses, (not just mandarins) I have seen everywhere around that city. So it’s one of those nostalgic perfumes in my collection... Even though since then I’ve discovered so many perfumes and niche brands, I love Eau de Mandarin Ambree as much as the day I bought it. It’s such a simple, light, warm, sweet citrusy, tropical fruity scent and has that photorealistic quality that other citrusy forward fragrances in my collection don’t, because usually those focuses on a mix of citruses or have a strong citrusy character just in the opening and then become something else. This is a natural mandarin smelling perfume, very true to how mandarins smell in real life, exactly like when you peel a mandarin orange with a hint of passion fruit added, grounded by amber. That’s it, nothing more and nothing less!! And sometimes beauty comes from simple things! Yes, the performance of Eau de Mandarine Ambree sucks and I don’t think I would repurchase it for current prices, but as long as my bottle lasts I will be enjoying it during late spring and summertime and relive those memories associated with the time I had bought my bottle of Eau de Mandarine Ambree...

For once, Hermès' note listing tells the full story, or at least most of it. Knowing Jean-Claude Ellena, there's probably incense or some obscure spice bubbling in the background in addition to the succulent fruit and silky amber, but the main impression here is mandarin - not sticky or overly sweet, but realistically juicy all the same, with a layer of passionfruit to make the whole thing smell as drinkable as it is wearable. Eau de Mandarine Ambrée is arguably the least esoteric of the Hermès cologne line, an exercise in the beauty of simplicity and the uncomplicated joy of sweet citrus done really, really well. The lasting power is perfect - not as fleeting as Eau d'Orange Verte (gone in 60 glorious seconds), but not one of those modern Weekend at Bernie's citruses that hang around long after the soul has left the body. And unlike most colognes, I can see this working in any weather. Mandarin has shades of autumn in its smell and taste profile, being a kissing cousin to the Christmassy clementine, and the amber base offers a surprising amount of body for this type of scent. Familiar but unique, hard to dislike, and affordable on discount sites (as of this writing). If you love orange, you need Mandarine Ambrée in your life.

Eau de Mandarine Ambrée is sweet and citrusy with faint greenness, it’s very smooth and never harsh on my nose. Mandarin and passion fruit combo seems to me bit like sweeter grapefruit, if I didn’t know it was those two I would have thought of it as grapefruit with more sweetness and something else that I could not get my nose around. As time goes the faint greenness that I got at the beginning fades away and citrus mellows so that the amber can be spotted better. This is straightforward spring/summer citrus scent, but sweetness seems to extend scents range to slightly colder days I would think it otherwise could do. Mandarine Ambrée stays in my skin most of the day, but then again most scents do. Sillage is ok, I get wafts of this throughout the day. It’s not one of those “notice me” sillages, but people close to you will notice it. Overall it’s well done sweet citrus scent that is bright and uplifting though nothing new or original.

What a pleasant fragrance! I was worried it was gonna smell too bitter or strongly of amber, but I was pleasantly surprised when I sprayed it on my skin. It smells exactly like a mandarine, with slight hints of amber of passionfruit, and somehow there's a faint note of vanilla too. It's super refreshing and perfect for those hot summer days! The longevity is left to desire, however. It lasted about 3-4 hours on my skin, with a very intimate projection. However, when I went outside (it was very humid), I suddenly could smell it on me, yet I only applied it to my wrists. The value is pretty alright, and the scent is unisex. 6.5/10. The scent is amazing imo, but the value for the performance is not good enough. For that price, I would want something that lasts longer or projects better.

Simplicity and radiance, perfectly executed. The mandarin opening is one the most cristalline and photorealistic representation of the juiciest, happiest mandarin which olfactory art has ever achieved. The temporal transition is masterful, with the fruity core simply and seamlessly bridging the sunny citrus to the light cozy amber. Likely, the extraction of the citrus oil was molecularly executed or some other artisanal witchcraft that only JCEllena can pull off. Smelling this makes my Sunday morning, but it truly can make me smile even by only opening the cap, or eyeing the radiant bottle, which in itself is such a lovely object to give some bright colour to any room. One of the few truly exceptional scents that fully speak to me. If you find a better mandarin please get in touch <3

For me, Happiness in a bottle. (perhaps Clinique Happy for adults!) Succulent, sweet, bright, tart, orange, but drying down to something like an 'amber' as per it's name. Mandarin can sometimes be a bit overly candied, but here it's a juicy brightness that sparkles with an almost effervescent quality in combination with passion fruit. Wheras other colognes in the Hermes line and Mandarin scents in general can go floral or solar or just vanish, M.A. goes it's own route. And though its overall experience is neither endless nor expansive it is also not as poor as some report. Moments of joy are naturally ephemeral— with Mandarine Ambree the moments are so uplifting and artfully constructed I can't help but revisit them over and over.

Really warm and sunny amber with orange and passion fruit. Couldn't get any more tropical! Smells high quality due to the organic and natural feel of the orange and passion fruit, pulpy and bursting with juice, almost tangible on your tongue and uvula flowing down your throat. The amber is really strong and powerful here and radiates so much solar warmth in the most vibrant orange golden hue! Sillage is remarkable during the opening, then slowly dies down within the hour. Longevity is on the weaker end of moderate on my skin. It is value for money based on the ephemeral but realistic orange + passion fruit accord alone. With the amber, it became an original and unique masterpiece worth at least trying once!

Like most offerings from this line, Eau de Mandarine Ambrée is very simple, and very, very good. I can see why it is compared to Orange Sanguine: the mandarin note in this one is wonderful, exceptionally juicy and lifelike, just like the orange note in Atelier Cologne's orange scent. And it goes so perfectly with the powdery, slightly candied sweetness of the amber-passionfruit combination in the background. Really delicious, and quite versatile too - light enough for summer but sweet enough for fall as well, and perfectly unisex. Longevity isn't bad either, for this genre: it retreats close to the skin after an hour or two, but there it sticks around for most of the day. Full marks!

Truest mandarin I know. So juicy and complete with the skin that you peel. It retains this character for a while but a beautiful amber joins turning it unisex. On me it is a bit too masculine for my liking but it does not deter me from wearing this gem. Highly recommended. This, Eau de Pamplemousse Rose and Eau d'Orange Verte are my favourites from the line for summer but the others are also very good. I wish I have them all. To me Mandarine Ambre is the scent of setting sun by the sea bottled. The epitome of it. It does not have incredible power but in the hottest weather it has the perfect strength. Lasts about 5 hours in summer

My issue with this one is mostly that it doesn't last. All of the other Cologne d'Hermes last at least two or three hours on me. However, as it is a cologne that is likely designed solely as a pick-me-up, I'm not really going to see this as a fault. As it is, it's a gorgeous passionfruit fragrance with a delicate mandarine rind (on my skin) and a delicate amber accord which truly feels like an Hermes fragrance. I think I still love it quite a bit and will keep my 15mL happily. I sprayed several sprays today because the 15mL atomisers aren't as strong as those in the full bottles, so that may make a difference.

This is such a beautiful twist on a classic citrus cologne. As someone who feels most at home in cozy amber and spices, I've really struggled to find a summer fragrance that feels authentic to me, but this is it! The amber is never cloying in extreme heat, the mandarin is delicate and refreshing, never sharp, and the passionfruit sits in the background, supporting and complementing the mandarin (which is good because I don't like sweet fruity scents on me). Overall, the blend of notes feels unique and fresh, both classic and edgy, both masculine and feminine. I love this!

Another delightful citrus creation I really enjoy! It's simple and linear, but it doesn't bore me. Right from the start I smell the realistic fresh and juicy scent of freshly peeled mandarins combined with the sweetness of amber. As it dries down the amber tones down the freshness of the mandarin a bit, embodying it with a warm and sensual (even slightly powdery) veil. I see quite a few complaints about longevity and sillage, but on my skin they are really good!!! I can smell this on myself all day without trying! Top quality! ♥♥♥♥♥

I love this scent so much I'm sad every time I wear it because it's so short lived. Needs to be sprayed on clothes. The truest mandarin you can find - I grew up with a mandarin tree in my backyard and have eaten my fair share. It's delicious. Try it - if you like mandarin you WILL like this, no doubt in my mind. But for the price, I'd hope for more longevity. But maybe I should stop complaining, accept the fleeting nature of Hermes summer scents, and enjoy it while it lasts.

This reminds me of my auntie Valerie - whom I am very fond of, no idea what her perfume is but it smells like a room that she is in. I guess that fits with the "childhood memory" aspect others have mentioned, there is something very clean and familiar about this smell, with a little twist. The mandarin became more orange blossom on me after a while but without that cloying element that usually makes me hate orange blossom scents. Will definitely consider buying this.

Loveliness. Fresh juicy mandarin married to sensual amber. It's the most realistic mandarin I've found outside of the actual fruit, and I'm always a little awed by that. When worn on a hot day, the sweetness of the passionfruit shines. It's a skin scent and I wish it projected, but I do, even hours later, catch a gentle waft of the amber emanating from my skin. It's a beautiful, uplifting scent and I hope it's never discontinued.

This one is delicious! First a juicy pulpy mandarine and in 10 min I can smell passionfruit quite strongly blending with citrus, slight natural bitterness, orange rind, included. Base is quite solid, has a bit of a depth, yet amber doesn't take anything away from fresh natural sweetness. The performance like usual for this line- not great, but good for a cologne. Really sunny and mouthwatering scent :)

The best mandarin impression. And very good amber. And genderless. Never masculine on me however a male can easily wear this. It is classy. And it is unmistakeably Hermes quality. After application I felt herbal company to amber and mandarine. So rich and excellent. With time it mellows. Great for summer. Thanks to amber it brings me marine fantasies.

Truly something so simple yet so perfect. The manderine just melts into the passion fruit which then transcends into a light and airy amber base. If you haven't experienced it before it's worthy of a try. Yes, it's expensive for an eau de cologne and yes, it doesn't last too long but most great things don't. At least you know you can re-spray! Lol!!

This one, to me, smells like summer mornings in the Mediterranean and it reminds me of my childhood by the Adriatic Sea. Quite lovely, though longevity is poor. When I had it, I reapplied several times throughout the day. That said, it's the best mandarin scent I've ever smelled. Literally like peeling mandarins, nothing synthetic about it.