Amber Flash

Wow the reviews are all over the place. It's sweet and cozy! It's spicy and sour! I adore it! I hate it! Talk about a marmite scent. Well, I had to buy this when it came out because - well look at my user name. Amberflash has been my internet handle since the 90s and I like Tauer, so I had to see what this was about. Now, I've tried a lot of ambers. I know amber. And I think I understand the breadth of reviews here because this is much more complex than the "flash" series moniker would imply. Amber Flash opens with a blast of patchouli - the dry, earthy, dark and slightly spicy end of patchouli and it's a scent that some people don't like and find "sour". It's why the reviews of the very lovely HdP Noir Patchouli are so mixed - some people experience patchouli as earthy, oriental and mysterious and for others it's sour, damp earth or attic dust or whatever. If you don't like patchouli, or you only like it when it's toned down considerably, then you won't like this. The first 30 minutes are patchouli forward. From the beginning, though, the amber, labdanum, and benzoin are there behind the patchouli and they are warm and sweet (the vanilla helps with the sweet bit). If you're someone like me, someone who doesn't cringe when you get a blast of patchouli, then you might experience the perfume this way. The sandalwood and cashmeran also develop quickly and give a spicy, woody edge to the resins. As the patchouli calms down, the amber is allowed to take centre stage and it becomes less spiky/spicy and more lovely and comforting amber and woods. The woods are very dry. The amber and vanilla are sweet. So both elements are there at once. And the spiciness will make your nose tingle in the first hour. I'd say this is unisex but you need a confident woman to pull it off. Sillage and longevity are good without being beast mode. I like it a lot. But it's not for amateurs.

Andy Tauer is my favorite perfume designer. I always love a good amber so I did a blind buy for his Amber Flash and also the Amber Flush body oil. I was immediately hooked. For those who seem disappointed that this is a "one note" song with no depth, or doesn't evolve over time, I don't know what to tell you. I am a perfume layerer. So for me, the Amber soap in the shower, the Amber Flush in my hair (I rub into my hands then run the oil through my short spiky hair), and the Amber Flash on my skin, I can either go out like that, or I layer other perfumes over it. I have layered other Tauer fragrances such as NO 02 L'AIR DU DÉSERT MAROCAIN (which is very dry, so this combo is great)... I have even put it under Obsession... to me, Ambers, Musks and Vanillas are great bases for layering. Anything with labdanum is going to be a hit with my nose! I am addicted to this Amber. The only other Amber that comes in as a close second (in my world anyways) is Kalimantan Chantecaille which has a bit of a peppery bite to it. This Tauerville Amber has great longevity, but I keep the oil in my purse to use throughout the day. I love how the Amber smells when I turn my head or a breeze comes by. I have no complaints.

A warm, boozy, cozy amber. I like it a lot despite my issues with some other popular amber scents I've tried: SL Ambre Sultan was too harsh, Atelier Ambre Nue was too sweet, HdP Ambre 114 was nice but didn't impress me, and Maitre Parfumeur Ambre Precieux was too feminine. The only other amber-dominant fragrance I've really, really enjoyed is TF Amber Absolute, though that's very different from this. Longevity is very good and projection is moderate. Less ephemeral projection than Vanilla Flash, which I also like quite a bit. Edit: Just compared this to Maison Francis Kurkdjian Absolue Pour le Soir, as someone suggested the two are similar. They are, kind of--in the drydown at least. The MFK is stronger, more complex, and more animalic, but this one is somewhat easier to wear and cheaper. If you're looking for something reminiscent of Absolue Pour le Soir--not a replacement for it, mind you--try Amber Flash.

The fourth release from the Tauerville is a delightful gourmand, a creamy, sweet amber/vanilla pairing. It doesn't evolve much for me, generally remaining this sweet mix--the amber/vanilla pair leads to a syrupy sweetness, though less sharp than say, in 24 Gold, or Bond No. 9 New Haarlem. It's a sweetness mixed with resin, almost, as in the amber/resin quality of Le Labo Benjoin 19 Moscow Projection and longevity are both strong, comparable to Vanilla Flash. The scent isn't quite as refined as Vanilla Flash, and certainly not as much as Rose Flash, but it's a great scent and a welcome entry in the terrific Tauerville line. 8 out of 10

Basically I thought it is going to be a light amber due to the flash name. The names gave me the impression it’s not going to be a long lasting. Th fact is opposite , deep dark with the brilliant blend of notes to give the right ambient of amber that makes it wearable for every taste. It had the Booz but not animalic like amber absolute. Heavy and rich as good quality. It was my 1st trial of the flash line and no regret. I think I need to have back up bottles ASAP.

(Got an early sample)Tauerville never ceases to amaze me! Amber Flash is a dry woody Amber to me. Sweet slightly boozy,animalic and dense.This is my favorite from the line but all the others are no slouch either. Andy always knocks it out the park. This is perfect in my book and well worth buying.

Thumbs up for this better and more wearable version of Absolue pour le Soir, MFK. It's like Absolue, without the bad notes, more subtle but lovely ethereal sillage and good longevity. Nice honeyed whiskey.

I thought this will be something like Amber absolute but this is so strong , smells sour and pungent , not pleasent and somehow old fashion

smells like wet soil when it rains and together with the amber and boozy it is fantastic

My favorite Amber. Tauerville is one of the greatest loses in perfumery.

So, this is top-shelf amber right here. Same bracket as Ambre Sultan, Ambre Loup, Amber Absolute, etc. If this was the first amber you came across, you would be justified in getting 3 or 4 back-ups, and settling on this as your stock amber scent. Me? This was like my 7th or 8th from that top-shelf list, so I'm inclined to not lose my biscuits anywhere near as much, but I would understand if you lost yours. Smooth, resinous, basey and just heavenly. I'd be happy with owning this, however, I give it a 8.5 - 8.75, but I have about 5 or 6 ambers ahead of it. It might be in your pantheon, it sits *just* outside mine...

Amber Flash on me wears extremely natural. My only criticism is that it leans heavily as a wood dominant scent, specifically cedar. (And I don’t smell or pick up sandalwood). Here, amber plays a supporting role. Vanilla keeps it from getting too dry. Amber Flash may be one dimensional but it is still an interesting creation. Longevity is on the weak side, I get under 2 hours. Not a love but I a strong like.

Probably my favorite everyday amber fragrance! It reminds me so much of Grand Soir by MFK only less sweet and with an earthy quality due to the patchouli. Also reminds me of Straight to heaven by Killian but far LESS earthy than that one, which I loved but smelled like a damp cave on me. Overall this one is just right and I will be buying a bottle very soon! LOVE!

This felt quite dull to me, as compared to so many amber perfumes out there. It's a faint woody amber. I guess that was the problem--it was so incredibly faint.

For woman only. SWEET. SWEET ! SWEET !!! Like honey.

I would love to like this, but I don't. I got the sample recently and tried it today for the first time. I don't know if it's this perfume in particular, or just my personal preference, but I don't feel I like amber. I've smelled this before. Many years ago as a child, in church. The scent of older women in church in the winter. Heavy coats, skirts, lace slips, and knee highs. Square heeled cushioned pumps. So this was amber all along. The amber in my memories is more powdery, and mixed with skin scent or something equally natural smelling. It's not terrible. It smells, objectively I can say, nice. But not for me, or on me. This is not the kind of scent trail I want to leave. It evokes a different memory and impression. I'd like to think everyone I encounter will remember being squeezed in the pews between older folks on a crowded Sunday morning, or passing by an older Sister in the hallway. It's the way I recognize the scent. And I think it's best as a memory for me. I couldn't see myself wearing this out anywhere. Maybe I could revisit in the winter in a few years, but for now, this is not for me. Note wise, this is very linear. Resin, vanilla, labdanum, a touch of dry dry cashmere. I suppose it lives to it's name. A flash seems very sharp and exact. This has a slightly sharp edge upon first spray, almost sour. There is a warmth, but it is undercut in sweetness by that slight edge. I just don't like it.

Just got a sample today. I was expecting something way different from tauer. Rose and vanilla are still my favorite ones and glad to own them both. I'm glad I didn't blind buy this one as I'm going to pass on this offering. I like the Tom Ford Amber absolute and SL-Amber sultans and Rania J ambre Loup s of the world better. This is like earthy Amber with a rotten fruit accord to it, maybe the patchouli is doing it? I don't know but I was expecting the tauer incense dna or something I thought this was going to be one of the best ambers of the year, perhaps my expectations were set to high and I'll just have to revisit this, but for now my first impression is unfortunately - pass

All I'm getting here is a sweet tar, or creosote smell. I've been Ronsealed! There's some sandalwood lurking in the mix, but by the time this is detectable 45 minutes after spraying, Amber Flash has reached dry down and it's all over. I loved Vanilla Flash, but this is pretty awful on me.

I'm smelling almost entirely sandalwood. Having a hard time smelling any amber at all. Sad really. The sandalwood is nice, but I'm not really a fan of sandalwood and I got this for the amber, apparently my skin doesn't like it.

I didn't really enjoy this, it has a sourness and a medicinal quality that is not pleasant to me, very different to the amber in LADDM and ACDD. Longevity was very good and it projects moderately. It's a pass for me though.