Amber

I am a perfume collector who owns over 500 perfumes and has tried over 1000 and this is my favourite ever scent, my signature scent, my one true love. I feel like it deserves a proper review, so let's start with the topnotes. The reviews below have not yet mentioned how Amber Extrait opens with a blast of herbal lavender with a side of citrussy bergamot and orange. The amber (and some benzoin) is there, faintly, in the background but the journey here begins as a green, herbal, citrus aromatic. It cools and dries the amber considerably, and even as the scent develops, the lavendar note keeps the vanilla and chocolate notes from getting too "gourmand". Several minutes in, the amber strengthens and the composition gets creamier. Vanilla and coumarin make themselves known - the coumarin adding an almond-hay note that blends beautifully with both the vanilla and lavender and again, dries down the composition considerably. I'm surprised nobody mentioned the coumarin, because it is not playing around, and for me is one of the dominant notes. There is cacao too, for certain, but it is the dark, bittersweet variety and it never takes control. Labdanum, benzoin, sandalwood and cedar round out the base. I don't really get any patchouli, rose or geranium. This is a dry, balsamic amber with an herbal opening and a touch of chocolate. There's nothing really floral about it. A lot of reviews below mention the chocolate note as dominant, but that's not my experience. The amber and resins are dominant here for me, as they should be, along with the herbal lavendar and hay-like coumarin which I think are the sources of comments below describing this as "dry", "dusty", or "powdery". The cacao note is definitely there, especially in the drydown, and it adds something delicious to the overall mixture. But it's not one I would pick out as a leading note. Maybe it's my skin chemistry. In any case, it's all exceedingly opulent and beautiful, with a touch of mystery. Like a library of rare old books. Or the drawing room of a stately home, slightly dusty but with high ceilings and gilded fireplaces. There is nothing else like this. It's wonderful. I will love it for all time. ps. my bottle is from the first release of this scent in 2014. I noticed it was discontinued for a bit, and then brought back and is now discontinued again. I'm not sure if it was ever reformulated.

Having tried the vast majority of Roja Dove fragrances I can honestly say that them being triumphantly brilliant, I still have this odd stigma that they're going to be disappointing. I thought to myself 'what's he gonna do with amber?' Many of his fragrances whether chypre's or Fougere's however he chooses to categorize them still contain a rich, warm body of labdanum/benzoin. I'd describe this as a musky, gourmand amber like the kind of wonderfully light accord you'd find in a designer fragrance but very natural and of much higher quality. IF you're expecting the typical, hot, sticky orange elixir or the dry, dusty old library then prepare to be shocked and amazed by this. I absolutely love this fragrance and if I could afford it, even at half the price... I would consider getting it for sure. The opening is fresh with orange and citrus notes then the powdery gourmand wave of chocolatey cacao, soft vanilla and spices then a very good base of amber. Just because it's called Amber do not make the mistake of thinking its linear or like something you have in your collection...it more than likely isn't.

I've tried and tested many of Roja's pour hommes and uni's and it seems like all the sweet smelling ones, such as Amber Extrait, Enigma, Reckless, Roja Roja, etc, have a very similar dried down airy sweetness about them. It's almost as if there's a base note or mixer that he uses when formulating these creations. This a beautiful composition of Amber, orange and cocoa. This will dry down powdery and soft still keeping Amber at its focal point. This can be worn by both men or women. Think, milk chocolate orange swirled with vanilla on a waffle cone. This is just a great peice of work. Longevity 9/10 gets close to the skin after about 8 hours... You can still smell it but not sure if others will Projection 9/10 great projection but not a room consumer have to be in reasonable proximity 365 all day every day...day or night or special occasion. If you're looking for something that's for all occasions this could be a good choice. Try it and see what you think.

I am lucky enough to live in London which means i have had the opportunity to try most, if not all, of Rojas line. I love an Amber based fragrance (Amber Aoud, TFs AA to name but a few). This one however eluded me until recently. On a recent trip to Harrods sixth floor I was chatting with a fellow fragrance fan who just so happened to have a spare couple of bottles.He was a decent chap and agreed to sell me one. Wow! Glorious. This was not what I was expecting. Opens with a citrus bite before moving on to a rich, sweet, chocolate rose. The base is a resinous, spicy, dry woody heaven. If i had to use one word to describe this it would be crisp. Longevity and sillage are excellent. Love at first sniff. So much so I managed to pursuade my new friend to part with another bottle.

This is one of more the hyped Roja Dove fragrances I've seen, and I was eager to get my nose on it due to its popularity online and now discontinued status. I'm most surprised by how it's not that amber-intensive. I get chocolate mainly, and even some rose on the side, but not amber, not even in the dry down after several hours of wearing. It becomes slightly powdery in the dry down, as well, which might be the biggest turn-off for me, apart from the odd name choice, given the mix. Very strong, performance-wise, as would be expected in a Roja Dove extrait concentration. Overall, a great, bold entry but I'd still debate the merit in buying it given the cost (likely $200-$300 for 50ml), which has skyrocketed somewhat in the absence of new production. 8 out of 10