Isabey L'ambre de Carthage

A big, juicy floral patchouli-amber. Opens very woody with lashings of refined patchouli above an amber base, and with rich osmanthus. The sandalwood then starts to chug away giving the florals a deep cushion. Osmanthus is not my flower, it easily overwhelms everything turning it to apricot shampoo, and yep on the blotter here it does exactly that, but on skin labdanum and sandalwood tame those lush flowers as they come through, mussing them up, dirtying them a little and it's lovely. Very perfumey, this is reminiscent of the big, late-80s, room-filling, woody-floral ambers. A bit of a beast. I suspect a significant dose of ambroxan also lurks in here as longevity is eternal and while it never dominates it can get a bit headachy, so don't go overboard spraying. I'll definitely be wearing this one again soon.

For me, the finest amber fragrance; oh oh oh, I smell fantastic all day long. Costume National is the linear smell-alike, but it can't even come close; after 2 hours I'm tired of that one, and I can't get enough of this L'Ambre De Cartage. Oh, how lovely I smell, oh, how good this smells. Thank you very much, Mr. Jean Jacques - Voor mij de fijnste ambergeur, oh oh oh de hele dag ruik ik fantastisch. De Costume National is de lineaire smell-a-like, maar kan er in de verste verte niet aan tippen, na 2 uur ben ik die beu en van deze L'Ambre De Cartage krijg ik geen genoeg. O wat ruik ik lekker O wat ruikt dit goed. Merci Beaucoup Monsieur Jean Jacques

L'ambre de carthage is a tinted cellophane amber, a balsam breeze, steeped osmanthus blossoms and frankincense infused tea. It is a delightful diversion from typically dense, sticky ambers, with a dry sweetness and a sliver of bitter cola myrrh. There's a woodiness that does not scratch the sinus, like a tender cedar enveloped in lightly smoked patchouli. It evokes a sumptuousness without coming off as forced luxury, which goodness knows we have a surplus of that gold-plated flash and glamour encasing bilge that leaves a sour taste. This is smooth and satisfying.

The high quality, high oil content parfum glistens on my skin. It smells calm, comforting and makes me feel secure. It sweetens slowly, gently caramelising as it develops and gracefully smoulders with alluring amber. It’s lovely. I must explore the rest of the range... Update: I was craving this scent a few months after first trying it and I really, really like it. I wore it to bed and it was so comforting. I think it’s time for a full bottle. It just goes to show that you can’t write something off too soon.

This has much more than your run of the mill straight amber... After the opening of labdanum and amber, the sweetness comes out. The osmanthus and jasmine are sweet and lighten the perfume, to me it's not only a winter perfume, since it is not a very heavy amber, which I prefer. I can also smell the tea note on my skin, it does not project. It is a fabulous perfume, an amber which I think could work in fall and spring. (if sprayed sparingly)