Ambra Nera

First off, let me say that for a supposed EDC this is a performance wonder. It lasts and lasts and its projection is superb. If value for money is one of your boxes, tick it straight away! I get a perfectly balanced amber that rubs me all the right ways. Despite being more or less a base note, it will stay there front and square for you to enjoy right from the outset. In fact, most of the prominent notes in this to me are base notes. Amber, oak moss and labdanum all providing a beastly couch for the glory boys to sit on; patchouli, spice, cedar and some woody resins. But the thing with this scent that takes me somewhere else and transforms it for me is the sense of booziness I get. Something about this smell reminds me of a dirty night out on the rock n roll express. A blurry night of alcohol, sticky carpets, nefarious liaisons, blinding music and waking up shattered, but with a satisfied smile. If oriental style ambers and kick ass performance are elements you look for in a fragrance, you may want to give a nod and a wink to Ambra Nera!

I find amber tough to pull off; it's either too spicy or too heavy or too sweet or too dry. Difficult to wear and on top of all this there's always killer sillage to endure for hours... But then, there's also the other end of the spectrum I dislike even more - pale, sweetish, powdery, a sort of ready-made amber. Eventually I always chose the heavy one. Tough love. Still, I kept looking for the right one and here it is - Ambra Nera - a hidden gem, exactly in the middle of all ambers I ever wore/tested, with all amber aspects perfectly balanced and fougere part that prevents it from becoming too heavy. Fougere usually means/smells masculine and perhaps it is a bit on the masculine side but hey - masculine or not, this one is simply too delicious to miss.

A greener-leaning amber, beautifully dry. Everyone seems to overlook the interesting opening of galbanum and oakmoss like a traditional gentlemen’s aromatic. Though don’t be put off if that’s not your thing as they soon become secondary to the hypnotic amber — black styrax I suspect, along with benzoin, labdanum, intensive, peppery frankincense and possibly clove — that forms the spicy, warm “black amber” heart. And there’s a little sweetening patchouli quietly nestled in there to finish things off. For Ortigia Lorenzo Villoresi has delivered one of his best. I discovered it through the soap which I always stock up on when in Italy, but the perfume is a standalone love for me too.

Soulful black amber. The scent opens spicy, amber establishes itself instantly. Spices, resins and woods give the depth to the scent which makes it very pleasant to wear. It changes not very much: over time, the scent appears to become just more tender. Ambra Nera stays close to your skin. This “timidity” is probably due to natural ingredients. For the maker of the scent (Ortiga Sicilia) uses only natural ingredients which can be found in Sicily. But this decency does not diminish the quality of the scent- on the contrary, it makes it mysterious. In short, Ambra Nera gives a perfect amount of coziness for the colder days.

This is the only fragrance that has ever made my eyes roll back in my head. Addicted from the very first sniff! Sexy, warm and a little bit dirty but in all the right ways. Dries down slightly sweet, but not cloying. Projection isn’t huge, and I wish it had better longevity but if that means I just have to respray during the day then so be it! Can definitely be worn as unisex.

The last time I purchased/owned a scent as intoxicating and mysteriously captivating as this was when I had an original formulation bottle of M7 by YSL. Now I'm not saying that these fragrances smell alike, but what they do have in common is that same, boozy, rich and powerful attraction to them. By far (imho) the best amber scent I have smelt.

A artful blend about amber and spicy. Its detectable black pepper and spicy first clearly. After that as if to refreshing smells but not clearly. Latest keeping immaculate clear scent. I love latest part. Realy good perfume about between amber scents. It looks like style Tauer LDDM, IMO. Scent: 9,5/10 Long: 9 / 10 Sillage: 7,5/ 10

Deep, musky, woody with a hint of vanilla and spice. Goes on heavy and then slowly fades to a subtle and warm amber scent that last a LONG time (not sure if this is the case for everyone but one spray for me lasts the entire day). Great for winter and colder climates with a beautiful bottle too.

I love, love, love this fragrance. It's very warm and sexy. I agree that it is amber at it's best- not musty or perfumy, just a rich, warm, ever so slightly sweet, sophisticated smell of essential oils. I collect the Ortigia colognes and they are wonderful, rich, non-perfumy fragrances.

Lorenzo Villoresi docet ... masterful fragrance that contains all the great mystical magic of sensual amber notes. Enveloping casket of rare beauty, fusion: amber, woody, warm spicy, which evokes suggestive and refined oriental atmospheres. An opulent blend that you will hardly forget.

One of the latest additions to my collection, has already collected more compliments than any other I have for long. A superb blend. I reckon it works better as a men fragrance. Absolutely in love with it.

A splendid perfume by Lorenzo Villoresi for the brand Ortigia, she is sensual and warm, opulent but very " chic". If you like Alamut ,you will fall in love for Ambra nera. For me is the perfect Amber.

A straight-down-the-line amber spice mix, with a sort of austere, almost musty, hinterland. I like it a lot, it's my favourite amber, but ml for £, it’s not all that cheap, and I'd expect better performance at this price. In the dry down, a slightly soapy, powdery element comes to the fore. In the very far dry down, I pick up a delicate hint of rose. It's all very well done. Thick amber with no sweetness to mass-market it up. If you have tips on others in this vein, please message me. (I hate sweet scents like Grand Soir...) I really don’t get any patchouli, which is a shame, as I’m a patchouli lover. I’d welcome more leather too, to funk it up a bit. I couldn't really find any leather. It doesn’t project much, but it does last. In fact, while I like this perfume, it is frustrating that even I struggle to smell it in the air. Of course, this could be olfactory fatigue. Like many perfumistas, my universe is populated by people who simply could not give a fuck about perfumes, and they never comment on them. I’m as giddy as a lottery winner’s kid on a trip of a lifetime to Disneyland over some 1982 creation by Puig, while everyone around me is basically in the tinned goods at Aldi. Maybe they can all smell it, but are more interested in 27p beans? I could ask my mother, I suppose. She often comments on my perfumes. But then I’d have to see my mother. And I’d rather go to Aldi. I genuinely like this perfume, but I come to it (as a man) from Bal à Versailles (you can get boxed 60s/70s versions for very little on eBay) and Youth Dew (the modern version is great and £24 in TK Maxx). These perhaps have skewed my judgement about projection in an amber scent. They are more raucous, full-throated progenitors of this genre. I recommend you try them if you love this, and want to go on a journey. They make this feel a little demure, and they’re a lot cheaper and they project more. For those of a more nervous disposition, you may well want demure. I have your basic sociopathic fraghead snobbery towards people who just want to smell "nice," so factor that in to my judgement(alism). I have all 3, and Ambra Nera doesn’t feel redundant. But I probably wouldn’t buy a second bottle. We'll see...

Goes on all spicy and mysterious, but mellows out VERY fast (within 45 minutes or so) into a gentle, classy, non-screeching, non-cloying, headache-free natural amber. I was hoping for something a little fiercer and more original; once you're into the amber phase it's a gentle ride, sweet and almost tingeing on powdery, far far gentler than the name would suggest. There are other weirder (and stronger) ambers around, but if you want an honest one with some integrity at a reasonable price, this could work for you. Projection is discreet in the extreme; longevity up to 4h but no longer. Would need frequent re-spritzing. Completely unisex for those who love amber.

Rich, warm, this perfume makes me feel womanly - absolutely love it! It has fast become a favourite perfume. Easy to wear just about any time, anywhere. It makes me feel more like myself and at home in my own skin - if that makes sense?! Just be careful not to over-spray as it has a big sillage and is very long lasting! I actually bought it within half an hour of testing it -something i NEVER do - but i fell for this one immediately -and my pleasure from it has only increased. Its the sort of perfume I imagine would have been worn (had it then existed) by all the most va va voom pin ups and vintage screen sirens! Definitely amber at its best!

The smell is very nice - pretty sweet amber and it kind of reminds of honeycomb for some reason. The performance however could be better. It does actually last for quite some time but it very quickly becomes a skin scent on me, which is a shame

love this, it lasts well and is a very unique true amber scent. spicy at first then becomes softer and powdery, not sweet though. it's addictive because it seems so complex, feels warm and nostalgic.

this is amber at its best, recommended to all the lovers of amber and cedar/precious woods. Well-balanced and inviting for both genders.

To me it smells like a propolis. Very balsamic, can be layered with other fragrances.

Rich, spicy, dry amber. The notes blend so very well. Non-sweet, yet there's no harshness there either (like in some other amber scents). I smell a hint of smokyness, although there's no incense/smoke among the notes. I tend to say that most unisex sents lean either more feminine or more masculine, this one is indeed unisex. Can be worn by anyone for any occasion, it's more of an autumn scent, yet it might be wearable in late spring as well due to its dryness. My only problem with this is performance, it is more of a skin scent that lasts for a few hours on my skin, unless I heavily overspray/re-apply. If you want an outstanding perfume that gets noticed, don't reach out for this one. Scent: 9/10 Uniqueness: 6/10 Versatility: 8/10 Sillage: 4/10 Longevity: 5/10

I was so excited to try this scent after reading the reviews. I travelled to Sicily last week (for a holiday, not just scent hunting) and on my 5th day there I visited Siracusa (Ortigia) and headed straight for the Ortigia shop down a very old street. I sprayed this on my wrist and I was so disappointed. I thought this could be the scent that will bring back memories of Sicily but the scent was sickly and overly pungent. I couldn't wait to wash it off (as best I could) After being so excited to try this, and with high expectations, maybe they were too high. I left Siracusa with Acqua di Parma Ambra instead, and that's now the smell that reminds me of my Sicilian adventure.

The absolute amber for me. It is exactly how I picture and remember amber. At the same time it is the classiest and dirtiest sexy amber I can imagine. This perfume evokes the golden glow of resin on an italian violin. It is luminous and glows like Italian sun on ancient wood. It is slight dry like warmth resonating from the friction of bow on string. There is beauty because there is tension, sometimes hard sometime sinuous, between the notes. if you have ever witness a violinist make love to his instrument, this is what it smells like in the process. It is flush with amber and grunts of resin. It is tender in its sweetness but unrelenting and powerful.

If I were in my amber era I would have probably bought this! I've been meaning to go in and try this in store and finally did. Very resinous, deep, rich, Ambre Sultan without the herbal aspect and add some bohemian spice and incense. Definitely has a vibe to it that will resonate with incense lovers, though not listed in the notes. More on the sweet side, honeycomb as someone put it. A little musty also as someone else pointed out, might be the oakmoss. Nice to try, but happy to be able to leave it on the shelf! Also having tried so many ambers, it is overpriced. Try Armaf Oud for a more affordable but similar scent.

Got a lot of the body wash for pretty cheap to test if the smell was right for me and wow I’ve never had a shower as luxurious as that one I just had. That was a moment most pleasing to me.... I kinda need this. I ordered a sample but god it’s been months now so I’ve kinda given up on that order. I’ll wait till someone sells this online for a good price tho bc I have like 600 ambers. This one just hits the spot though. That galbanum was perceptible in the body wash it was a very green and spicy amber unsweetened and raw. But gentle. It’s the kind of amber u get when you know what you’re looking for.

Preso in olio con un kit per curiosità. Intenso ma senza dare fastidio. Lo trovo più maschile che femminile ed è un profumo che ritengo adulto. Consigliato solo se vi piacciono molto i profumi orientali. Non è da indossare in ufficio. La sua natura orientale lo rende più adatto alle stagioni calde, magari la sera. Non lo metterei in inverno. Però l'acquisto con alte temperature lo sconsiglio, perché a me col pacco sono arrivati bollenti.

I just love this and have worn nothing else from the moment I found it - 5 years ago. It is so different, rich, spicy warm, sweet and dry at the same time. All of my friends love it - but I'm happy to say that none of them will buy it because they say it's just "me!".. I also love Sicilian Lime and am tempted to buy it as a day perfume - but am happy to use the soap and bath gel for the moment.

This to my nose dries down to pure, satisfying incense. I bought it as a birthday gift for my brother who's a yoga instructor and he loved it. I also really like how in their store in Florence no one bothers you, you can sample and take your time as much as you want without anyone breathing down your neck. Think I might buy one for me, too.

This is a real gem....IMO one of the best amber fragrances in existence, beautifully fused with patchouli and cedar, rich warm and sweet, as testified by other reviews. Fuggerone is absolutely right, this fragrance beats a lot of big expensive names hands down! If you love amber and precious woods, this one's for you.

It's a great perfume, sexy ambery scent although it's not complex at all. Unfortunately, it last 10 minutes on my skin and 1 hour maximum on my clothes. I bought a 30 ml bottle last Saturday and now it's almost empty. So very, very disappointed because it's a perfect unisex amber scent.

This is a deeply delicious amber. Nothing gets in its way. I think it opens quite aggressively, but almost immediately it quiets and becomes warm and enveloping. It is easy to see that this could be for men or women. I bought it because of the positive reviews and I'm not disappointed.

I am no expert but it smells like a decent amber though nothing special. Run of the mill amber. It dries down pretty quickly too a bit powdery, which is not my taste, but that’s personal preference. It doesn’t last very long and that is good thing!

Just your bog standard sickly sweet stinky vanilla amber want to be......the sort of "amber" you get in those cheap, diluted Indian amber attar's on ebay for £3. If you like cheap vanilla amber then fine but if you like real amber's then just no!

I was looking for something special and this is it. I find this scent magnetic and hypnotic. It is elegant, sexy, classy and decadent. Excellent value for money. The bottle and the box it comes in is also beautiful.

Sophisticated, rich, classic amber. Spicy & very warm/comforting. Vintage balsamic essence at first but settles into a powdery amber. Not for the wee ones!

great amber indeed, this house seems promising will go deep into it, also great price in a niche world overpopulated by overrated and overpriced rubbish!

The best truest amber ever...I can almost taste honied gold glow of solid amber resin.

soft, powdery fresh amber. still mature 35+