Ambre Lumiere

This is for amber lovers... First & Second Impression: I used to love this, and enjoy being enveloped in a warm amber-y glow. But lately I don't know what happened but I get a strong baloney sandwich vibe from it. So much so that I needed to scrub it off yesterday. I'm hoping this is just a smelling phase for me and I will grow out of it. The bulk of the scent is a traditional amber with the other notes serving to enhance different facets of traditional amber. It's just the specific top note blend tweaks it to luncheon meat for me. Like my freshly shaven Grandpa, who just combed some Bryll Cream into his hair, sat down to eat a baloney sandwich. The performance is definitely there, and I get the comparison to Ambre Sultan Serge Lutens. Update 01/09/24: I came back to this after a few months again, and it's sweetened up with the amber notes melting everything together. I no longer get the lunch meat scent unless I look for it, and the tolu balsam is amazing. It could be partly that this just works better in winter, but It also keeps on getting better with age. On the fence. Update 10/30/24: Sprayed this on an arm this morning, as it's cooler weather now. This just keeps getting better and better with age. Starts out similar to a savoury amber like Ambre Sultan Serge Lutens, but if you wait for it, it's like watching a sunrise as the benzoin slowly comes out to play. Really, really good (but only in cooler weather for me). Has become a 10/10 for me.

Je l'avais trop vite comparé à Ambre Sultan avec lequel il y a des similitudes, mais sans m'envahir ni provoquer de migraine, il remplit l'espace, se fait remarquer (et apprécier). Ce n'est pas un ambre douillet, mais plutôt un parfum solennel, herbeux, médicinal presque. Il y a une trace de Sables de Goutal. Les grains de résine semblent provenir de la manche d'un mage ou d'un sorcier. On pourrait les avoir cousus dans l'ourlet de la robe de Maléfice. Une très belle découverte car j'ai pris le risque de le commander quasiment à l'aveugle. Je l'avais à peine senti l'été dernier. La Maison Molinard confirme son talent et sa belle vitalité. Quite risky because I blind bought it. And I was too quick to compare it with Ambre Sultan. Here, no headache at all but a very well blended surrounding herbal & vanillic amber. Very well done from Molinard! Projection is really good and my colleagues confirmed the quality of it, it really fits and fills my office and matches with autumn colors and atmosphere. Not for the Millenials... This is a grown up fragrance. Great longevity on scarves and in hoodies. Nice to rediscover it in the morning after, mixed with Habanita. Very comforting. Surely on my short list of favourites for a long time.

Compared to a lot of very soft and rounded, floral or musky ambers Ambre Lumiere has a herbal spiciness to it. I personally think that it is overall on the drier side of ambers, but because of the lack of overt and distinctly woody notes in the opening, its dryness is a result of the entire composition and doesn't come from the first impression as a result of a blast of spices or woods. Here the use of tolu balsam boosts coriander in a way that works similarly to the prominent coriander with a side of birch and it could also be what gives Ambre Lumiere what some describe as a soapy or powdery (vintage) quality. The more ambers I sample the more beautiful and special this becomes to me. As for similarities it's much closer to Material by Amouage than it is to Ambre Sultan which leans very sweet and has that bay leaf note that will not let me forget about it for a moment. Ambre Lumiere is a really well-rounded amber with great performance and good sillage. It's not super unique, which just makes it that much more versatile and I find that while others have come and gone, I've been holding on to this one.

I am a #1 fan of amber fragrances. I have owned many fabulous ambers. This one is gorgeous and has so much to offer. I have been a fan of Molinard for many, many years because of their quality. This fragrance is so well crafted. The eucalyptus is perfectly hidden so that you do not get a blast of eucalyptus, you get a blast of freshness. The coriander adds just a tiny bit of spiciness, not overly spicy at all. The almond..OH...the almond. This adds a smooth, creaminess to the composition. The ylang and rose stick to the core amber note but they do not supercede so as to make it ultra floral...it's more romantic if anything. Now the basenotes...the resinous, rich base. Each basenote is detected and adds to the slightly dry, not overly sweet perfume. The vetiver and benzoin are gorgeous. The musk keeps it musky. By far, definitely one of the best ambers I've crossed paths with. Beautifully crafted, very high quality ingredients. It has taken me years to get my hands on a bottle, and now I will never let her go..🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

I’ve been on an amber bender for the past 2 years, my holy grail being the warm, seductive Rania J’s Ambre Loup. I also own Serge Luten Ambre Sultan and MFK’s Grand Soir, and I would place Molinard Ambre Lumiere in this class of ambers, a notch below my favorite. The opening is a nasal punch in a good way, a 180 degree turn from the quietly persistent, classy Ambre Cashmere Intense from Nicolai that I wore yesterday. The herbal, medicinal quality—created by an underlying eucalyptus note—makes Ambre Lumiere different from the others that I own. Drydown is more palatable, easier to wear with benzoin and tolu entering and staying through the long finish. I get a hippie medicine vibe from this, but that’s not meant to be a negative. It reminds me of a natural herbal pharmacy from decades ago. There is something therapeutic and healing about this amber. I’ll wear it a few more times but I already know I love it. Hoping I can find Ambre Cashmere Intense on the grey market or acquire it through a trade.