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.

Absolute love. Molinard delivers! It has the quality of the pre-reformulation Ambre Sultan for a lower price. It is very close to AS especially in the drydown. On clothing, lasts forever. It has everything an amber scent should have. The opening is quite different from AS. It's not as herbal/sharp. The eucalyptus is quite detectable and it has an uplifting quality. The juice is really balsamic. It is enveloping. It is sensual without being animalic. A bit sweet without being cloying. It's very comforting and works especially well in colder seasons. If you're longing for the long gone Ambre Sultan and you don't mind going a bit "retro" (the rose) I'd say you can safely blind buy it. Living in Paris, I've tried all the Molinards which fall into my type of scent (everything except sweet florals or dull inoffensive skin scents) and I think that it is their best fragrance. 11/10

Vintage Warm Amber I tested this fragrance 7 years ago, and I merely considered it a nice scent but nothing more. Now that I have a full bottle of it, I can say that this vintage, comforting amber is delicious. So resinous, creamy, spice and woody. Many facets with this one. Definitely not as simple as Grand Soir, and to me it is more complex than Ambre Sultan. I read below that people consider its performance average. I have to disagree, this one lasts and lasts on skin for 16 hours+ (3 sprays). Projection and sillage are strong (not enormous) but on cold days this warms me with its aura. It is an underrated masterpiece - - - - an amber that is dry!!!! How many dry ambers do we find in the industry???

Who are the trolls who voted "poor longevity" or "poor sillage"? Nicely blended warm vanillic herbal amber, perfect for autumn. As a european male heavy sprayer I guarantee you that my office and our entire service smell of Ambré Lumière when I wear it! Great scent from Molinard. This performs way better than the current and over reformulated/watered down and overrated Ambre sultan! FYI: own 4 FB (1 emptied, 1 in use, 2 back up). I'm not reviewing after a tiny dab'. Usually wear 40+ spray/day. ;-)

I wonder why so many people couple Ambré Lumière to Ambre Sultan. They are both ambers of course but I think the SL's one is all about patchouli and Sahara dryness, while Molinard is a much more floral and soapy-musks take on the amber accord. I'm wearing them both right now, the former on my left arm and the latter on the right, and they are definitely different to me.

It took me a long time to get my hands on a bottle. If you are an amber lover. I strongly suggest you buy it. So beautifully crafted. Perfect transition from top to middle to bottom notes. It's fresh, soft, resinous, classy...

Very rich, very deep and creamy amber. It wavers between love and like, and then delves into a dislike that that it doesn't really escape from. I think it's very overwhelming, there is something harsh inside it that I can't get past. There is something antique and powdery about it which throws me off, like it wants to be Shalimar but it doesn't have feet big enough to fill those shoes. It's got fantastic projection. Smells beautiful from a foot away, or so, on someone else. So that is actually a good thing, but I wear perfume to enjoy it on myself not for the pleasure of others. Overall, it's a forgettable 'amber' frag. 5.5/10

This is a great balmy and hot amber, smoky and strong. It is sirupy when first sprayed and darkly sweet in a way, although projection is moderate. I only tested it so can't really talk about longevity, but it is a very good ambery scent, check it out if you happen to love amber. Btw the bottle is gorgeous. I compared it with the other Molinard's Amber, which I bought and prefer. This Ambre Lumiere is pretty expensive when compared to the normal Amber, and it is also stronger, so I chose the normal Amber because I wanted something a bit lighter and less heady, but also cheaper :)

It is a great quality perfume and it's definitely similar in vibe to some Serge Lutens creations [probably Ambre Sultan though I tried this one many years ago and I can't be sure] - deep, slightly boozy and sweet amber. Great perfume for winter to seat by the fireplace in a warm sweater and drink Madeira wine. However, it feels so dense that it's not versatile at all because it's only suitable for a really cold weather. Good parameters, unisex.

Ambre Lumière is golden-hour amber in a bottle. It’s warm, softly sweet, with light spice. It’s a comforting and very wearable amber fragrance that leaves a beautiful, luminous trail without ever feeling heavy. It definitely matches its name.

No. Just no. Very strange how something that has so many ingredients I like can be such a scrubber. Thank God it's only a sample I tried. I love wood, incense, amber, tolu balm, rose... You name it... But this is a scent from long ago: totally overwhelming. Like when you smell a bottle of scent from the twenties a 100 years later. I know it was meant to be a scent from the twenties, but this is for lovers of the heaviest of heavy scents. I like my scents heavy but this is just too much. The eucalyptus in this is very disturbing as well. I have Ambre Sultan by Lutens, Ambre Gris by Balmain... Maybe this perfume just doesn't agree with me, it's best to make up your own mind.

Has some similarities with my beloved Ambre Sultan in the deep drydown. Quality is there, performance is there, but it leans heavy on the retro side of things. I'm in my early 40s and think it's suitable for men older than me.

When first applied Ambre Lumière makes a big statement; you are hit by a strong smell of the most concentrated quintessence of herbs plus amber plus patchouli elixir and it all overwhelms your senses. It's like inhaling instead of intaking a thick syrup and you don't want to have it on, not that way, not that strong (think of Tiger Balm smell). It almost burns your nostrils and it's too much but it's good; sip some liquor, cognac, the best I mean, and it's the same: so strong but so good. Twenty minutes into it and the scent tones down to a slightly powdery and acrid smell, as you feel it becomes yours and smells of pleasantly sweaty skin (maybe lemon and coriander keep it that way). If smelled from wafts, it is a well-rounded ambery and resiny fragrance, while if sniffing pulse-points directly it easily smells like gunpowder. There is an overall fiery feeling coming from the eucalyptus and later from the tolu balsam, so even by the drydown the scent is set a-light by these two elements, as if the smell were coming from a burning incense stick whose fire is silently lurking and emanating balmy wafts. I like incense sticks so I also like this. I always use my sample with joy and will be sad when it finishes. I really recommend this fragrance for lovers of balmy and strong scents. By the way longevity is enormous and on clothes it stays for ever.

It's deep and rich and yeah, a lot like Ambre Sultan. But WildDove is exactly right, in my opinion. Ambre Lumiere has a touch of something "vintage" within it's layers. A kind of talcum'd, powdered-up body smell that the L'Artisan Eau d'Ambres have. (For the record, this facet of the fragrance makes it just this much too... suffocating and fluffy, just to my tastes.) Also if you're reading off a menu at a perfume restaurant and Ambre Sultan has three spicy bay leaves beside it, Ambre Lumiere has one spicy bay leaf and one geranium. Which I don't see in the notes... so maybe it's the eucalyptus? Something is giving it a waft of spicy-fresh flower breath, just the slightest counterpoise against the warm herby amber. Lots of layers. Perfume architecture. Warm, spicy, poofy.

From the get-go a strong blast of resiny florals masked within something heading medicinal, almost like the smell you might get from old-fashioned hard blocks of carbolic soap (the kind if you drop it, it breaks your foot in the shower). I smell a little peppery spice, and almost a hint of something like butterscotch in the scent as it transforms. Very pleasant, if a little strong to be considered 'comforting'. My girlfriend thought it just bombed out the room with thick florals when i was wearing it (4 sprays), for the best part of 3-4 hours. I like it - but I couldn't ignore the soapy smell out of it, at all stages of its breakdown, and that was just making it feel a little too nostalgic for my tastes.

It reminds me crying on the lap on my Aunt as a child, I could smell this kind of perfume from her skin and clothes. This perfume is for the women like my aunt - always put together, undeniably chic and classic. Her hair is a perfect raven-like colour, sharp bob cut, her (real - of course) nails are always perfect in a almond shaped with a silver shiny nail polish, she is warm witty and funny. It's for luminous women. It's for the women who are so solar it's hard not to want to gravitate around them.

A beautiful amber, as I am biased and love most ambers, but I must say there is a subtle vintage quality about this one. Perhaps the herbal tone of the Eucalyptus, or the rose and lyang and vetiver...I don't think this will be my Amber holy grail, but it is a nice one as most ambers are (to me) Goes quiet pretty quickly :(

Like a quieter, more ambery version of vintage Opium. Or a slightly sweeter version of Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan with a little more spice and the faintest touch of leather. It's not particularly sweet, yet there's a hint of rich vanilla frosting.

This isn't a warm comfy vanilla amber This is incense filled, outdoors, misty autumn morning amber. Is it smoky and balsamic, serious and put together.

Have anyone tried a new lounched version? I'd like to know if there is some differences? Some nuanses? Thank you. 🥰

Smells just like Ambre Sultan by Serge