Amber

At first this Amber does smell like a soapy amber, but I happen to like that quality. So I did not scrub. There is so much musk in this perfume, it ought to be called Musc instead of Amber. It's a dark musk in the vein of Musc Ravageur without any spice. Jalaine Amber is pure musk and amber. No flowers, spice, nor any other distractions. I absolutely love it. I find it very raw and sensual.

Because this amber is a perfume oil, it starts out deceptively quiet, with just a light floral soapy scent. However, within the next 15 minutes it blossoms into a huge cloud of soapy amber laced with roses. At this point the sillage seems much stronger than the scent on the skin. After the initial blast it settles into more of a vanilla musk with hints of freshly baked sugar cookies rather than the usual amber, although there is a bit of amber somewhere in there. This is a strong, concentrated perfume with big sillage and good lasting power. However, it doesn’t really make it as an amber. The soapy note persists throughout, distracting from what would otherwise be a beautiful scent. I like this enough to use up the sample, but there are plenty of other ambers (and vanilla musks) that I like better.

I love jalaine (vanilla and silk) and amber is a note I like very much and I have tried many ambers. I wanted to like it to have the excuse to have another one of the beautiful bottles, but I will save my money for silk instead. This one starts out soapy and powdery, and although it becomes richer over time, it still smells like a weird soap. My experience was different than the previous reviewer- there was no vanilla for me, just god awful soap I wouldn't ever want to use. I did a wrist to wrist test with profumums fiore d'ambra and jalaine paled in comparison. Fiore d'Ambra skips that whole powdered soap smell entirely, revealing a rich and spicy amber that lasts. I also own Amber Vanilla by Regina Harris (also an oil) and it is another rich deep amber. Try before you buy- oils vary a lot from person to person-more than spray fragrances in my experience.

As it happens, I have both this and Michelle Bergman's black amber right now, and I can't get away from comparing them. Jalaine's version is very dry, almost as if though there is patchouli or grass included. At the end of a long, deep inhale I get a rank chemical experience, giving the impression this is not well mixed. Black amber is more pure. My other complaint with Jalaine: It dissipates quickly; within 2 hours. I'll try a heavier hand next wearing, but this doesn't not last long.

Soapy amber. Sorry, this is just not my cup of tea.