L'Eau d'Ambre

L'Eau d'Ambre is a staple of mine since many years. I couldn't stand amber in perfumes when I was younger because it seemed to me that it got kind of panty smell on my skin. Then, all of a sudden, 10 years ago I changed my mind and went on regular amber craves. I tested so many, both soli-ambers and blended ones, but they mostly smelled plasticky fake or too much into Ambroxan or sugared vanilla or so-damn-expensive! Then I met L'Eau d'Ambre I fell for it! I was introduced to L'Artisan by a dear friend of those times who wore Ambre Extreme and it was just d-i-v-i-ne on her. On me it smells good, too, not the same. She told me that she didn't care for L'Eau d'Ambre and there I went: love! Two contented young ladies LOL L'Eau d'Ambre is apparently a very simple one, not too spicy or complicated but there is much more going on inside this. At first I smell something spicy, a little bitter and vaguely old school after shave, a hint of animalic. In 5 minutes that fades away to only a trace and leaves room for the cleanest, softly powdered amber ever. It wears like second skin and lasts enough to make people comment, if they care to. People usualy say things like: "Mmm, you smell good! What soap did you use?" Yes, it smells like expensive soap to other people, maybe a herbal/ambery one, something that would be on fashion to wash with a century ago. For me it is all about amber, the cold type but not too cold, delicately spiced (I guess it is carnation) and only vaguely vanillic, cuddling but never candylike! Good on rainy autumn afternoons for confort with a cup of hot tea.

This perfume is like a huge soft cashmere blanket. The kind that you wrap yourself in on those cold winter nights, as you curl up on the settee with your favourite film on the TV, listening to the rain hammering on the window panes and the wind howling around your house. Gorgeous dreamy perfume which has surrounded me in that cashmere blanket of sweetest amber, obedient patchouli, a modicum of vanilla,a twirl of spices and geranium. The bottom line is the amber, this fragrance is all about the amber. Sweet, warm, cozy and all enveloping. I feel so happy and contented when I wear this gentle scent. Amber for me is always a winter perfume, perhaps that's why I love it so much because of the wonderful Christmas memories that it holds for me. I find this lovely fragrance softer and deeper than Prada Amber and not quite as sickly sweet. It's probably one of the best amber perfumes I have ever smelled. Seriously, if you love amber and patchouli fragrances, then it's definitely worth the money for a huge full bottle. Longevity and silage gloriously befitting of this perfume house. Long lasting and silage which envelops you at about 2 feet. Thank you ChinaskyHenry1 for introducing me to this little beauty.

I've come to simply love amber fragrances, but they somehow mostly seem the same for me, well ok, with some different notes added, but after all they all come down to - amber :) Like sherapop already mentioned - one should have one amber fragrance, I have Etro - Ambra and on my wishlist there is Ambra by Esteban, but I still feel weirdly allured by this beauty as well. It's extremely warm, at the opening a bit too sweet (loads of vanilla), but when patchoulli shows her face it becomes simply marvelous - dark, rich, a bit animalistic, a bit bitter, but all in all very cozy, sensual and warm, a perfect mix for cold winter nights. I think I won't add this to my collection due to the fact that I have already something similiar, but this with no doubts is a great amber fragrance, so give it a go :)

Now that someone has mentioned vintage books, my mind can't help but travel down that path. I have a few Lucy Maud Montgomery pre-40s editions that smell quite similar to L'Eau d'Ambre and that brings me joy. If I were to never purchase this after my bottle is full, I could remember it that way. In saying that, I'm very likely to purchase this. I recieved this in a swap after I fell head over heels for it. On me it smelt absolutely incredible. Regal, elegant and amber syrup-like. There's a sparkle to it that tickles the nose, which could be the pepper. Geranium offers a little bit of a green / floral tinge to it which is a nice touch. Overall this is possibly the most well-behaved scent on me and I cannot reccomend it highly enough.

Last night I came home from a relaxed day at a friend's house in a beautiful town, showered up, did a more luxurious skin care routine than normal and used Lush's Sleepy body lotion then sprayed a lot of this all over. This helped me feel the most relaxed I've ever been. It felt cozy, at home and at peace. I woke up feeling revitalised and could still smell this. It's been over 19 hours and I can still smell the sparkly resins and powdery patchouli quite well. I've only ever had positive experiences with this fragrance and it's one of those fragrances that I will feel unconditional love for. It's beautiful, relaxing and delicious - all at the same time. I love it so much.