Ambre Eau de Parfum

I'm continually amazed by the Molinard purple bottle collection scents. They occupy a space between designer and niche, with great quality and value. Ambre is my 6th - I have Figue, Patchouli, Vetiver, Cuir and Chypre Charnel - I love all of them with the exception of the Chypre, but only because of the white flower note which I should have avoided - the rest of the composition is lovely without that note (IMHO). I think the 'compared to' list is good - if you love ambre, or even just 'like' ambre but sometimes they can overwhelm you, I would recommend trying this one. Its very amber but like the other Molinard scents I listed, they are all seem to be at a very accessible 'volume' - they are not beast mode, yet don't disappear after few hours either. This type of performance is perfect for me because while I do love a lot of niche scents, most of them are simple too strong for me: my skin tends to amplify and absorb fragrance - for example one spray of a Parfums de Marly like Haltane will go nuclear and last through 2 showers. I don't need that from a perfume. This one lasts all day on me, and the drydown is a stunning, dry vanilla that is just spectacular - I wonder if its similar to the Molinard Vanilla scent?.

I was curious to test Molinard and got lucky with some very good testers on sale... but from what I'm experiencing their perfumes are really worth their prices. This amber is a lovely scent indeed. I agree with those that say that the ingredients aren't well put here: what I perceive is a lovely balsamic lavender opening, that quickly fades into a beautiful accord of amber, patchouli and clove. I don't get much incense (luckily) while musk is indeed the backbone. How does it hold the comparison with other ambers? Well, that is entirely personal. I still prefer Lutens' Ambre Sultan, but I like Molinard's Ambre better than l'Artisan Parfumeur and Ambre 114: this is a bit lighter and "younger" (if possible). Than again it IS a solid amber scent: strong, balsamic, heavy and warm. It's not for hot weather, probably not really suited for younger gals, and definitely better worn at night. But it's a really nice amber, if that's what you are looking for.

As others have mentioned, for a relatively inexpensive house they do put out some quality gems. Of the few scents that I've tried, I've been impressed. Ambre has managed to make an impression on me. I do detect some citrus on the initial spray, but I also get a little bit of benzoin in there as well. It gets smoky and sweet as soon as the citrus note disappears. I have a chunk of amber that I used to wear directly on my skin before this, and this smells EXACTLY the same. Warm, slightly sweet, and herbaceous. What is it is NOT is a gourmand, which some people are claiming. There is no cakey, food-like essence here. Similar to Shalimar, the vanilla in this isn't of the food extract variety, but more like the vanilla pod itself. And as I (and others) have mentioned, this is a rather inexpensive scent, and it's definitely worth picking up if you're looking for something sexy and sophisticated without breaking the bank.

Great value sweet warm amber scent. The opening is a bit herbal, tad green, even momentary fresh. Then it strikes with some humid soil, vegetal vibes - but not on the level of Molinard Patchouli, albeit reminiscent of it a little. Then its time for the warm, smokey heart notes from the resins. And then it ends with one of the best creamy balsamic sweet sandalwood dry downs i have smelled this year. Very high quality blending in the base notes, resulting in a long lasting, present, alluring scent that will last for hours on skin (which is a rarity for my dry, atopic skin type). And for the money? Absolutely worth a bottle, or even two. One thing to note if you are looking it up on fragrantica, is that the notes here are 90% made up - check the Molinard website for the real olfactory list.

This is a gorgeous, opulent, yet thoroughly wearable perfume from the venerable house of Molinard. The opening is zingy and camphorous due to the lavender and citrus top notes, but that quickly transitions into the warm, embracing, sultriness of benzoin along with an incense accord. On me the dry down is powdery, musky, and deep. I love to layer this with Molinard Musc for one heck of a showstopping combination. Molinard deserves more love than it receives. They have a long history, high quality French perfumes with a unique scent profile. They're also affordable. It seems like so many have fallen for gimmicky niche brands that are astronomically overpriced and overhyped. For me, hidden gems like Molinard are a secret treasure I'm happy to hoard away from the trend train.