Aurate

Aurate is the amber fragrance of all amber fragrances. This is the one I’ve been chasing for years—the warm, resinous, velvety amber dream that finally feels like home. It instantly takes me back to my 90s youth in Portland, back when the city was raw, grungy, and unapologetically cool. Think incense-thick air in tiny smoke shops, black velvet goths lounging in witchy new age stores, and the ever-present hum of rebellion in the air. The amber here is rich and resinous, but smooth—never overwhelming. The labdanum is deep and sultry, while vanilla softens the edges without making it sweet. Then there’s the jasmine—unexpected, a little edgy, a little radiant—and that touch of leather? Perfection. Worn-in, cool, and exactly right. This isn’t a polite amber. It’s bold, atmospheric, a little dark, and completely magnetic. I’m utterly smitten.

I'm in love. I've been hunting for an amber that doesn't turn into baby powder, and this fragrance stays complex and lovely on my skin all day. It's a very intimate, sexy without being heavy scent that can be day or night, and wouldn't be overbearing for warm weather but definitely gives more cozy fall to winter. I can't wrap my head around how it manages to be sweet but light, exactly as gold should be!

Oddly, I find this has a peppery and resinous-sweet opening on the arm; probably the labdanum, though I'm not sure I could pick that note out of a lineup. I'm getting distinct black pepper. As it dries on my arm, the sandalwood, vanilla, and leather make themselves known. It seems like a very smoothly blended scent, with the dry sandalwood blending smoothly into the resinous and spicy (I assume) labdanum flowing into the warm leather and the vanilla underneath it all providing a round but dry warmth. This isn't a sugary scent. It's almost like a good rye whiskey; there are notes of wood and spice and vanilla and leather, but all coming from the process of creating rye whiskey, and they are sweet in the same way rye whiskey is sweet, and thankfully not sugared at all. It reminds me of a slightly more tame, ladylike version of Phlur's Hepcat, but if Hepcat is from a rowdy dive bar where the bouncer smokes pipe tobacco, Aurate is from a slick downtown jazz lounge where bouncer just convinces you to leave. You can still have your whiskey neat at either place, but it's a bit more expensive here. Over time, it doesn't develop into a powdery honey-amber; it stays true to the tone it developed originally, which is enjoyable and complex.

Ordered this as part of a sample pack and it did not disappoint. Top notes are spicy amber with a hint of jasmine and sweet vanilla. On the dry down, this is all amber! As an amber lover, this is an extremely good amber fragrance. It is resinous with a velvety note from the vanilla and a hint of leather that gives it a more worn in feel. I would consider this moderately long lasting - it lasted for about 5 hours before I noticed it fading considerably and it was completely faded within 8 hours or so. On my skin, I definitely would need to carry this with me to refresh if I needed it to go day-to-night. Ultimately, I have some other ambers in my collection at this point that are longer lasting, so I won't be purchasing a full size. If I was earlier in my perfume journey, I would absolutely buy a full bottle of this and I recommend it to anyone wanting a really good amber! This was my first sample from this house and I'm excited to get into more.

This is a dark, dirty, musky vanilla. It is giving the same vibe and smells similar to (not an exact dupe) Initio Absolute Aphrodisiac to my nose, sans the castoreum and the longevity. It's sweet, but not exactly gourmand. Definitely get leather and wood notes in the dry down. It's a unisex fragrance but may not be well-liked by men who are averse to sweeter scents.

I really liked this, but there is something in the opening that makes my throat tighten up so it's a no for me. If you love a simple but beautiful resin scent you should check this one out.

I'm clearly not having the same experience with this one that others have had. The opening is woody, with a honey note. However, it's the type of honey that smells like saliva that I don't care for. As it develops, those two notes blend to smell like honeyed oud. As there's no honey or oud here, I'm not sure what's happening. I'm trying to pick out any of the listed notes, but it's just not happening. While I've experienced some loves from this house (Beltane and Kefi), this one is going to be a pass.

I get clearly marked labdanum but it’s in it’s loud heavy dark sweet resin incarnation, my least favorite. That plus some high loud dusty sandalwood is what I get. It’s okay but it’s just too brash and loud for me. I like my labdanum a bit more resinous and less cloyingly sweet.