Estate Amber

When I first got this in the summer I thought it was way too rich. I kept it for fall/winter and it definitely does not disappoint. Great for the colder months. It is still very strong and very rich. It borders “too rich” and “too sweet” for me but never crosses the line. I do not get any of the sour herbal notes as others have posted. To me it is straight up rich, deep amber and vanilla with a hint of cream. I don’t really exactly detect the coriander or cardamom but I can “feel” them there supporting and broadening the heavier notes. There is a boozey quality, maybe whiskey-ish, but it’s faint. I wouldn’t say it’s unisex but I feel like it would lean masculine on a man and lean feminine on a woman (not sure it that makes sense). I actually prefer a Estate Vetiver to this as it is not as rich but the artistry in both are masterful.

A gourmand amber that is vanilla, booze, sugar with coriander and cardamom in the top; gets sweeter and more like whipping cream in the drydown.

I really wanted to love this blend because I love amber anything, but there is something about this amber, maybe mixed with the other notes that leaves this bitter/acridness in the background along with the kind of vague rotten fruit smell issue I also have with Estate Vanilla on its own. I prefer my ambers to be robust, rich, and sweetened with maybe raisin/date/some kind of deep carmelly fruity note. In this I find the amber to be lacking depth, and after a few hours of wear it became kind of sour and sticking to the back of my throat in a weird way. The first blast of it is lovely, though! I also found that the longevity was a bit weaker than I am used to with SS.

45th EDP:Great opening with the cardamom and coriander seed, but this did not last long enough. The dry-down did not smell very good to me; perhaps it was the mix of the top notes with the bottom, maybe the cream with the wood? I also smell a little dill; I noticed recently by looking at other perfumes and comparing notes, that sometimes cardamom can cause this "dill" note I think, but not always. Also, sometimes cream notes can cause an off smell if combined with the wrong notes. Anyway, not horrible, just something not right here with some note for me. 6/10

Gtabasso's review below is spot on...a beautiful, spicy amber that gets sweeter with more vanilla after several hours. Started sampling Solstice Scents about 2 months ago and have been really impressed...so many interesting and well done gourmands and vanillas. I'm kind of obsessed.