Amber & Leather

Holy shinola...THIS....is leather!! I read all the reviews...watched all the videos... NOTHING prepared me for the ultimate power of this fragrance! It has been a long time since I've found another truly N-U-C-L-E-A-R fragrance that persisted until I took a shower. THIS...is one of those fragrances....and I am SO THANKFUL to have found such a smooth and powerful representative of "LEATHER" in one massively-affordable bottle! *1x spray on inner elbows and both wrists* BOOM! Immediately you're hit with a sweet "berry-leather" scent that creates a cloud around you. Now...the first breath you attempt to take is choked due to the cloud of saddle leather surrounding you...permeating every orifice...assaulting every sense. Heck...you may even imagine someone is smothering you with a tanned leather hide. But take a few steps out of the scent-cloud and you will not only find fresh air...but the remnants of the smoothest, sweetest leather cloud outside of a Mercedez-Benz backseat. "Amber & Leather" follows you...leaving a sweet berry-leathery trail behind you for the next 4-5 hours where the slight fruitiness of the fragrance dies off and the scent trail/bubble becomes pure leather. After about 5 hours the fragrance keeps a close scent-cloud of warm leather all around you with a slight fruitiness apparent if you put your nose to where you sprayed. This period is good for being in close proximity to others as they will get a scent of leather when within 2-3 feet of you...and get a sweet fruity leather scent if they hug you. It has been 7 hours since I sprayed "Amber & Leather" on and I feel like I haven't gotten anywhere near the actual dry-down point of this fragrance. It is still easily apparent on my elbows and wrists. The best thing about "Amber & Leather" is that its not an offensive Leather!! Its a realistic pure leather note! I also have "Phillip Plein - No Limit$" and the supposed "Leather" note in that fragrance smells like Vicks Vaporub. It's disgusting! Makes the fragrance unwearable. I've got it sitting and maturing in the closet hoping the stank goes away by November. The Leather note in "Amber & Leather" smells like ACTUAL LEATHER and not some chemical facsimile of leather from the negative zone. I will definitely be wearing this over the next week and searching for a vanilla that can keep up with it and last as long as it does. I have a few candidates but you never know until testing is complete. But for now...this is an AWESOME layering tool! 28JUL25 UPDATE: The only vanilla that seems to stand up to this super-powerful "Leather" note is "Escapade Gourmande". Even my wicked strong "Bianco Latte" and "Lattafa - Eclaire" are eclipsed by the Leather note in this fragrance. I even built a version of "Bianco Latte" with ISO-G mixed in 2:1 and it couldn't even stand up to this frags Leather note! I can only put on 2x sprays of "Amber&Leather" before it stomps all over anything else I layer it with. This frag is the "Red Tobacco" of all my Leather frags. And just like with RT...I'll need to find a weaker version of it that I can actually layer things with. The search for a milder leather/suede frag begins...

If you like Leather then most leather scents will probably rub you the right way. I love the scent of those super caustic chemicals used to bring us fine leathers. The scent we associate with Leather. Being a long time automotive world professional ,the scent of leather interiors on fine automobiles has had a place in my daily life. When we came of age in the 80's getting a leather jacket was a gift our parents bestowed on us. Walking into a western tack. Motorbike shop or Dimitri's Leather stores has always been a pleasant experience. Metal shows at the Montreal Forum when all you smelled was weed and leather jackets in the late 80's to late 90's... Long live leather....but I digress. This is Marlon Brando in The Wild One. Wearing the Harley cap and Schotts original perfecto jacket. It would become the emblem of "Tough from the Streets". Travolta and the T Birds in Grease along with their converse sneakers. I have tons of fine Rudsack Perfecto's and Buffalo grain leather jackets and suede. So being in a cloud of leather scent really appeals to me. Kinda like sitting in a King Ranch truck or Lincoln luxury Bridge of Weir leather. Ok this scent goes on as full leather front and center . The reviews that pan this for smelling like leather are true. Hence the word leather in the Name...duh!! The magic happens when the dry down reveals pleasant notes that play along with the leather note.When this scent dries down The moss and amber give it an oh so light sweetness and that mold like note when you into a damp basement. A slight floral dabbles in there but always just under or along side that leather note. I'm a few hours into the dry down and animalic notes like a honey spike/dry saliva come out. It's a really nice blend to be honest. Cheapie by price is not cheapie to scent in this case. 27$CAD and no regrets. I think the New name Oppulence Leather fits quite well. It's refined in scent. Very grown up masculine but the ladies can wear this as easily. It can go to the office or a meeting. It's not offensive but being leather it can be off putting to others . It can go for lunch or supper . A casual get together at the bar etc etc. This is just very nice and new school. For those who care Galatea is also a great Leather frag. Very similar but the notes are fruitier . I love them both. I will get Toscano Leather soon. Enveloping and comforting.

Oh how I wish the leather note in this were smoother and that the fragrance was balanced/blended better. TLDR: Prior to maceration/maturation.....It's sooooo close to something really REALLY good....but harsh. After maceration/maturation...it's perfection!! REVIEW: This fragrance starts out soooooo perfect for the first 2 hours after you spray it on...then when all the other notes fade away you're left with the harsh plasticine black-leather note that just stings your nose and burns your eyes. ("Isobutyl Quinoline"...they used too bloody much! ) This is low-grade leather aromachemicals being used in massive quantities...it's not blended well at all. That or they just use a low-quality aromachemical for the "Leather" note. The leather note in this almost seems to amplify exponentially as you wear it because all of the other notes fade away. This is a good beginner leather frag....but certainly not anything of high quality. 6 MONTH UPDATE: The key to this fragrance is using less. I sought out the "Amber & Leather" version...which is the original formulation, but I believe that the newer and weaker "Opulence Leather" would actually suit my needs better. This A&L stuff is hella strong and unbearable with more than 4 sprays. It actually gets STRONGER the longer you wear it...somehow. Also, it has taken this long to macerate/mature into a wearable fragrance. From August of 2025 to February of 2026...that's 6 months of sitting and not being used to get rid of the harsh plasticine synthetic overtone that the frag had in the opening. That's a long wait for balance...but now it's at least operating the way it is supposed to. Would definitely rebuy/repurchase...but I don't think I'll have to. This should last the remainder of my days for when I need a Leather under-layer for my fragrances.

Opulence Leather is my first leather scent, bought blindly as I like the scent of a brand-new full-grain leather product. This was cheap so I was curious to smell what a fragrance with leather listed as a main note is. Well, it definitely is not like the real scent, not even close, and I just got about 4 new pairs of full-grain leather shoes with me now, and a pair of new lambskin gloves. Almost all Italian leather, one French. The Opulence "leather" scent is something I have smelled before, it's in my memory but I can't place where I smelled it or what it is. Maybe an ointment, air spray, a woman I was with, aftershave, something in my youth ... I can't recall. It's musky with a spicy fruit hint, and I won't blame someone who'd ask if this was even a fragrance ? Anyway, it is definitely masculine, and I like it, it's unique from the usual fragrances, I can wear this. My bottle is almost 2 years from production date, so it definitely has maturated. I'll just oxidify it for a couple of weeks or so to clear up the atomizer if needed and let the blend get some air. * Update: I wore this with casual clothes to run an errand, and this "leather" fragrance has really grown on me, I really like it, I smell myself as unmistakably masculine, and got a compliment from a salesgirl stranger. Projection is probably moderate, I haven't asked anyone. After applying lotion, and another Vaseline lotion (not the jelly) on top of it, I sprayed twice each on both sides of my neck, I don't get anosmia, I can still smell myself 9 hours later when I move around. Longevity is 10+ hours for sure, on my skin, in my humid climate. Smelling the scent too long can be sickening though. Next time, I'll spray only once on each side of the neck.

I always say what people smell pertaining to fragrance is subjective as all noses are different. That said, MA fragrances cloning TF are pretty damn close in my experience. I ALWAYS go to Nordstroms to compare. Dupe on the back of one hand. Spray the OG on the back of the other. TF is always going to be smoother and better blended on initial spray. But after drydown Amber and Leather and other MA dupes, are at least 90% the same. Longevity is actually also about the same in my experience, a strong 8 hrs. On me, Amber and Leather is also a stronger projector. TF smells a little drier and Amber and Leather smells a bit juicier and sweeter. The oak moss twist in Amber and Leather makes it more masculine and rugged IMHO but the amped up amber smooths it out and makes it more publicly palatable. My field research suggested women actually liked the Amber and Leather better than Ombre Leather. As one YouTube reviewer said OL is 007...Amber and Leather is more Indiana Jones. Because it lacks the some of the smooth sophisticated blending of OL, it makes Amber and Leather more rugged n less unisex, yet juicier n more likeable to women. Remember people, clones are RARELY are going to be a 1:1 of the OG...but what do expect for 20$? But for 20$ it's a tremendous value proposition. If you chose not to spend TF prices...buy it. The one I have also required little if any maturation/maceration. It was pretty good upon first spray and only got smoother thereafter.