Ambre 114

Some perfumes give me remarkably strong feelings. They're not memories, exactly, but the zeitgeist of a certain time in my life, like a collection of quickly jotted notes and trinkets I find at my mother's house. Ambre 114 is a friend's dad I crushed hard on in high school, along with the myriad feelings that come with that 13-year-old can of worms. I can't remember which dad it was (which might say more than I should admit about myself), but the feelings surrounding him, the butterflies and weird guilt, are so real that it feels like I'm 18 again. This scent gives me a kind of nervous energy, like I'm waiting to go hang out with my friend, if only to catch a glimpse of the salt-and-pepper wonder of a man who happened to live there, too. This is a strong perfume with exceptional sillage. With only two sprays, I keep getting wafts of warm amber and resin, jammy rose, and a sweet medicinal hint of benzoin for hours. It leans masculine for me, but not overly so – maybe worn by the kind of man who occasionally puts a flower behind his ear and wears pink shirts without thinking too hard about it – but this might be because of my associated memories. The rose and vanilla notes balance the masculinity nicely, and I can see myself wearing it in the fall and winter, maybe even a rainy day in the spring. It's a cozy, sultry scent, slightly mysterious and self-assured, with an undercurrent of mature sexuality. But that might just be my daddy issues talking. *shrugs in teenage hormones* The most interesting thing is that is smells markedly different on my husband – more spice and wood, less vanilla and rose. It doesn't bring the same kind of feeling to me when he wears it, so I'll just continue using it on myself, reliving those fondly confusing memories of being a naive teenager in love.

Growing up in suburban Chicago, I had a best friend whose mother wore only Guerlain Shalimar. She was a well-to-do woman, with red colored hair, always kept in an early 1960s style. She drove a gold Cadillac DeVille convertible which she used to drive to her daily amusements: the racetrack, the shopping center, lunching with her girlfriends. She kept a large bottle of Smirnoff's Vodka in the wood paneled den which was dispensed with a pump, and she refreshed herself with it every night around 5pm. She smoked Carlton cigarettes which she bought by the carton. Meals were basic: lamb chops with mint jelly, salad with thousand island dressing, chocolate ice cream. They had two servants: a man who lived the basement and watered the birdbath and took care of outside things; and another lady from Jamaica who was the maid. They were wealthy people because they had two Cadillacs, a two car garage with an electric door opener, a 25" color television, air conditioning, and an above ground swimming pool. But the husband and wife did not get along. He slept in his own room and kept a little bag of chocolates in the top drawer of his dresser. He was very strict with my friend and forbid her from closing the bedroom door when I played games or dolls with her. Years later it was revealed that he had a mistress on the south side of Chicago. And his wife had been married four times and when she was young was quite well known around Chicago area nightclubs for her record producing success with jazz musicians. All this is something that comes back to me when I spray Ambre 114. It truly smells like Shalimar reincarnated.

I've used this a lot lately It is being described as smooth, soft and cuddly, but it doesn't seem to read that way on my skin. Insolence described a strange herbal aspect that I get too. And it last quite a while, especially if I apply more than 1-2 sprays. An intense spicy herbal alcoholy (gin? Alcohol + thyme? I dunno..) aspect that can become overwhelming in the first hour if I apply liberally, to the point that I almost find it hard to breathe. It is loud and has a strong vintage feel in this fase, reminesent of a masculine shalimar. I hate that ambre 114 does this, because once that fog lift what's left of it is sooo soft. It goes from too much to too little, sigh. I keep applying one spray at a time because I do love it after that slightly difficult hour! I'm getting used to it and experimenting with the amounts. But suprised that not many experience these aspects as strongly as I do! UPDATE: seems this works a million times better for me in hot weather. Probably because I have very cool skin (and low body temperature)? I am not getting the same sharpness now, and much more warmth, the Amber in itself is also more prominent, wheras it is very herbal on me during winter. Liking it so much more this way, so worth a mention if someone experiences the same issue.

This review is based upon a sample from Lucky Scent. Ambre 114....I opened it up, and immediately fell in love with the smooth, warm, amber notes, and just a touch of labdanum, that diaper creme note that is evident in the undertone of Ambre 114. It has all the warm, happy, enveloping notes I love: amber, vanilla, benzoin, sandalwood, tonka bean, musk. Some herbal/flowery, light touches of geranium, thyme, rose. The flowers and herbs help sober up the very powdery predominate of Ambre 114. It does not strike me as gendered at all. It might, however, be preferable in cooler weather as the notes are very cozy and warm. And this bottle, which LS was offering at $89 at for 60 ML costs less than half of what it is smells most nearly like: Papillon Bengale Rouge ($190 for 50 ML) which also contains notes of: honey, vanilla, tonka bean, benzoin, labdanum, rose and sandalwood. I find Ambre 114 to be less strong, but just as effective. Bengale Rouge is almost too much. My partner was offended by it, and made me wash it off. But Ambre 114 is subtle, just strong enough to please. And truly a great bargain for such a fine perfume.

114....my love!!!!! This is probably my favorite amber on the market. It is sharp, thick, sweet and herbal! My gosh. It opens with a very herbal amber, as it dries down it becomes more spicy, and sweeter and dense. During the dry down you can almost feel the components unfolding on your skin. Funny thing is, if you engange in any activity that warms the skin, this scent begins to pick up steam. I got in an argument with my coworker about this. She had sworn that I sprayed more on after running up the stairs. I could go on and on but just read the other reviews. Here is how it performs on my skin: Longevity - 2 days ;o) Projection - feet away Sillage - leaves a lengthy trail and lingers forever Compliment Factor - beyond great Overall this is a beautiful rendition of Amber. It puts you in the mind of Precieux and Blue Amber. I would not own all three of these but two would be wonderful. Here is one fact. Histories has done an unbelievable job at making perfume. Noir Patchouli, 1969, 1740, Tubereuse 3 and 114 are all gorgeous. Hats off to one of the most underrated fragrance houses in the industry