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ytrewq – :
Now that someone has mentioned vintage books, my mind can’t help but travel down that path. I have a few Lucy Maud Montgomery pre-40s editions that smell quite similar to L’Eau d’Ambre and that brings me joy. If I were to never purchase this after my bottle is full, I could remember it that way.
In saying that, I’m very likely to purchase this. I recieved this in a swap after I fell head over heels for it. On me it smelt absolutely incredible. Regal, elegant and amber syrup-like. There’s a sparkle to it that tickles the nose, which could be the pepper. Geranium offers a little bit of a green / floral tinge to it which is a nice touch. Overall this is possibly the most well-behaved scent on me and I cannot reccomend it highly enough.
expavakacle – :
Yes! Yes! The pages of a pre-1940s book – that’s exactly what I thought!
dominiko – :
This is scent of the pages of a pre-1940 hardcover book.
anvar74 – :
A lighter version of Amber by Reminiscence (1970) Sweet labdnanum turns to a patchouli drydown.
Feceperbrix – :
Back in the day, counter-culturalism had style. The movement’s cri de coeur that the personal was political gave fashion new political significance. Style became a function of free speech and Hippies and Yippies groomed and dressed both to identify themselves to fellow travelers and to scare the stiffs. But costume wasn’t the only prop. The culture war of the ’60s and ’70s took place on an olfactory level.
As much as hair and costume, scent drew the line between us and them. To the straights, head shop scents like musk, patchouli and amber oils meant poor hygiene and the imagined miasma of a Haight Ashbury commune. To counter-culturalists traditional perfumes and colognes would have been the stink of The Man. A problem with this sort of transactional style is that it’s easy to co-opt symbols and drain them of their meaning and intent. In 1967, bellbottoms and peasant blouses were far out. By 1972 the patterns for them could probably be found in the back of issues of Family Circle Magazine. In the early ’70s amber was the scent of rebellion. By 1978, the hippie-amber gave way to fancy French perfume. If niche was an alternative to the mainstream perfume, the scents embraced within the counter-culture were a logical place for the early indies to plant their flag and l’Artisan Parfumeur had already made its reputation on amber. The brand’s famous amber balls were its first product when the line launched in 1976. Perfumes didn’t enter the line-up until 1978 when l’Eau d’Ambre launched the perfume line, along with Mure et Musc, Santal, Vanilia, Tuberose.
The perfume is simple in that it derives from its principal materials–at no moment during its evolution would you ever imagine that you’re not smelling a potent amber-patch accord. Yet even as early as 1978, Jean-Claude Ellena’s ability to make resins sheer was apparent. A mercifully unsweetened dose of vanilla keeps the perfume from ever falling into goopy head shop syrup. The perfume has been attributed to both Ellena and Jean-François Laporte. Perhaps Ellena was perfumer and Laporte was artistic director, as was the case with some of the other l’Artisan perfumes. The two might have looked to the head shop for inspiration, but l’Eau d’Ambre was no sloppy copy. As an artist trained in compositional rigor and the dynamics of his materials Ellena managed to create something that, as hippies would appreciate, smells really fucking good, but stands up to the interrogation of olfactory art.
Ellena navigated the risks of his chosen materials smartly, avoiding both the lotus-eating laziness of head shop oils and the orientalist theatricality of the Shalimar set. He focussed on labdanum’s mineralic side, giving the perfume a whiff of paint or putty that reminds me of the scent of an artist’s studio. The top and heartnotes are boosted by geranium. In the setting of an overtly resinous accord geranium acts like a breeze that blows out the cobwebs that can gather around patchouli and labdanum. It counteracts the density of the central amber accord, a trick performed by bergamot in oriental perfumes from Emeraude to Youth Dew to Opium. l’Eau d’Ambre’s aromatic geranium creates a tension that distinguishes the perfume from its head-bobbing hippie predecessors. Rather than complicate the composition, geranium streamlines it, reminding the nose that despite the perfume’s simplicity it has deliberate point of view.
L’Eau d’Ambre’s success lies in its simplicity, perhaps one reason that it has weathered materials restrictions and any possible reformulation so gracefully. The materials are allowed to state their own case without adornment or needless complexity. L’Eau d’Ambre wasn’t the first indie perfume but it was a frontrunner and demonstrated how well the niche movement bridged the desire for new, clear, materials-based fragrances and the long history of oriental perfumes.
GOPNIK – :
my favorite amber fragrance. It brings serenity and calmness to you and stays closed. It is spicy and sexy yet cozy and fuzzy like a baby lamb. I can’t think of a better edp to wear for reading a book by the fireplace.
afferrats – :
I’m probably in the minority here but for amber i prefer L’eau de Ambre over the famed Ambre Sultan. AS is great but it felt a bit tamed and thin to me. I like its herbal aromatic nuances but it in the end it does not wow me.
L’eau de Ambre on the other hand is my reference amber. Very comfortable, morphs great with my skin, it is dry with just the right touch of sweet, and has a distinct interesting rubbery feel to it. L’Artisan’s Ambre has a salty character that also adds naturality for an overall excellent experience.
*****
stas121278 – :
L’Eau d’Ambre was probably the first non-department store counter fragrance that I ever tried and loved. It hasn’t changed since the first time I smelled it nearly twenty years ago at Barney’s New York. It’s a very strong and tenatious rich and spicy amber with a pinch of salt and a little bit of herbs. It’s not smoky or powdery to me at all, and it’s only mildly sweet. The spices are dry and woody, and I don’t get any incense or musk. It’s mouthwatering, deep, spicy and decadent, and fulfills my spicy powerhouse oriental cravings without going oppressively sweet, muggy, and dated like a lot of ’80s classics, but with a similar spice-forward ambery statement. It layers beautifully under soft powdery floral or vanilla scents to introduce a strong woody amber foundation, as it’s all about basenotes and won’t interfere with topnote-heavy fragrances.
grozlava – :
Amber scented baby powder with incense.
The amber is nice, but the powder is so dry and takes it into a childish place. This is not a sophisticated boudoir powder. And the incense is the kind of whiff you get from walking into an “oriental traders” type head shop decorated with Tibetan prayer flags and Celtic knot tie-dye banners, that also sells Nag Champa and hemp clothing.
I wish it weren’t so, but on me, this one isn’t very enjoyable. I really love amber and the notes list is up my alley, yet this fragrance is not one I want to sample again. If you want an interesting hippie-like fragrance that is sweeter and more nuanced than straight patchouli, this might be up your alley.
iraq_21 – :
Labdanum and a huge wallop of clove. Not bad but a bit short on soft sweetness for my idea of amber. I’ll have to retest this.
Wearing it again, the clove still very much there but the amber def warmer, noticeable patchouli too in the drydown. Very nice but not exceptional enough to buy a bottle.
nadin307 – :
Normally I am a bit afraid of Artisan perfumes – gently saying they are unusual. This one was a blind buy, and according to your, guys – Fragranticans – reviews, it was too much tempting not to try it… So – its PERFECT for me in everything – warm, comfortable, cozy, sweet, gentle, ladylike, expensive smelling, well blended, long staying power… I am an amber frags addict 🙂 I am just happy to have it, thanks guys again – all my collection is primarily made based on your reviwes here 🙂
GoreradaDor – :
I bought this from TK Maxx for £30, a 100ml bottle, blind buy. Everytime I wear it I’ve been racking my brains to figure out what it reminds me of. Bingo, Imperial Leather Soap plus a dollop.of incense. I’ve looked into the compostion of the soap fragrance and it is based on a well known old mens cologne type,Cuir Russe, Russian Leather. There was even an amber version of Cuir Russe. So not exactly innovative. However this is a grower. I find it sweet and sickly to start but the high notes and incense, churchy, old book smell punches though. For me it is a fairly masculine fragrance. As has been said everyone should have a amber fragrance and I’m pretty happy with this one.
lamer1101 – :
Off the official website, the correct notes are:
Benzoin, labdanum, patchouli and tonka.
This is lovely. A sweet, powdery drydown after a woody and quite obviously animalic start. I was surprised that something with L’eau in its title was surprisingly startling for a moment. It has a definite slight ambergris feel at the beginning. I am into all things amber and resin at the moment. It is autumn after all…
trevor85 – :
It’s a powdery kind of amber – very subtle, airy.
It’s very feminine and warming, but I prefer stronger ones.
sasha_1008 – :
This is such a lovely soft scent. I often feel it is a great one to layer with slightly heavier fragrances to soften it down slightly. Very comforting scent.
siisnm – :
Sweet, gourmand, vanilic, powdery, with slight insense, it is very warm and sensual yet delicate. Lucky for me, because I am not a fan of viscous Amber. I cannot smell any patchouli either. The lasting power is much better than expected . Soft, rich but still diaphanous. I like it but it doesn’t feel me, too warm, pm an offer of you want a big bottle .
NeenEndeatott – :
I was surprised first time.The scent riminde me Buddhist ceremony and japanese classical sweets”Yatsuhashi”.I imagine the gentle meditation.
serzhn80 – :
Beautiful, light, powdery amber. Great for the office. Not overpowering. 🙂
roman519 – :
Be aware that there are two variants of L’Eau d’Ambre in the L’Artisan catlogue. L’Eau d’Ambre was created in 1978 by Jean-Francois Laporte. L’Eau d’Ambre Extreme was created in 2001 by Jean Claude Ellena.
Two totally different fragrances.
Copy from the L’Artisan website:
“L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême is a more complex and intense rendition of the original, L’Eau d’Ambre. Master perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena has created a bold oriental with amber as the main theme. Cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon and mace are unmistakably oriental and reminiscent of an exotic Eastern spice market. The powdery vanilla and floral notes enhance the amber accord, creating a mysterious and dreamy oriental. It is the most oriental and voluptuous of elixirs.”
vmestefrein – :
I’ve recently put together a good collection of L’Artisan fragrances, with Timbuktu, Vetiver Sacre, and Patchuli Patch being my favorites. I wanted a less expensive versatile Amber fragrance, so I could save my Sahara Noir and Amber Absolute, but this Amber is nothing like those. This is not an Amber made with labdanum.
The opening is nice, warm woody. I was sure I detected a synthetic oud, the scent reminded me of Oud Noir. I even got some nice green notes reminding me of the papyrus in Timbuktu.
So the opening is nothing unique, it’s a vague woody Amber, then the floor cleaner smell that people mention, and more vanela. Nice comfort scent for cold weather, but not full bottle worthy.
Rating 7/10
God bless you. John 3:16
axs16 – :
Sweet, powdery opening with a touch of… cherry? anise? Settles down pretty quickly into a pale, relatively dry amber – the coolness seems to come from the patchouli. A cool, dusty, spicy smell; an ancient church. Very light – stays close to the skin – but has excellent longevity. As it develops becomes a bit spicier and retains it’s powdery personality. A simple, pretty amber. Stays close to you but, at the same time, surrounds and envelops you like the lightest cashmere shawl. Light and inoffensive; an excellent choice for work or other situations where you want a nice, polite fragrance.
maver – :
On initial application, it’s soft and powdery, then it turns slightly spicy, ambery and creamy before drying down to a beautiful creamy sensually sweet warm fragrance. Love it in cold weather! Will have to try it in warm weather too!
7.5-8/10
PupDrullY – :
Only one hour in, you can already tell that this scent is about amber the way that Olivia Giacobetti’s wonderful En Passant is about lilacs (the lilacs there are strewn amongst a few very unexpected and enhancing counterpoints). Yes, this is about amber; but it is amber in a setting by Buccellati.
pupok – :
I stumbled upon an official sample received a while ago, and pushed it aside. Usually, the ambers quickly turn to a grimy feel and smell on my skin so of course, this one was ignored. Boy was I wrong! I waited for a few minutes for the dreaded greasy dirty laundry smell to settle in, but amazingly, it never happened! Yay, and oh happy day! I fell in love with it and even had this fleeting thought that it reminded me, somehow, of Coromandel, if you can believe that! (don’t holler at me-I said “reminded” not exactly like) Coromandel will forever be one of my top tens so that is high praise, indeed. The ony thing I wished was that it had more longevity.
rhu264speagoessenda – :
I tested this from a o.6 mL tester directly from L’Artisan vendor. It instantly qualified for one of my favorite winter amber parfums. It’s not overpowering, though many have said that this has an intense androgynous feel to it. The vanilla note in it is secondary and creamy. Unfortunately, I did not catch either the geranium or patchouli. Maybe I had a stuffed nose. IN any case, I felt warm and cozy, yet aware of my elegance.
Xeroxnrkht – :
The first note that hit my nose when applying to my wrist was anise, or licorice, that quickly faded to a baby-powdery vanilla amber smell. I like this better than other amber-orientals that I’ve worn. Rich but not overpowering.
IzotVanjukov – :
This perfume is like a huge soft cashmere blanket. The kind that you wrap yourself in on those cold winter nights, as you curl up on the settee with your favourite film on the TV, listening to the rain hammering on the window panes and the wind howling around your house.
Gorgeous dreamy perfume which has surrounded me in that cashmere blanket of sweetest amber, obedient patchouli, a modicum of vanilla,a twirl of spices and geranium.
The bottom line is the amber, this fragrance is all about the amber. Sweet, warm, cozy and all enveloping. I feel so happy and contented when I wear this gentle scent.
Amber for me is always a winter perfume, perhaps that’s why I love it so much because of the wonderful Christmas memories that it holds for me.
I find this lovely fragrance softer and deeper than Prada Amber and not quite as sickly sweet. It’s probably one of the best amber perfumes I have ever smelled.
Seriously, if you love amber and patchouli fragrances, then it’s definitely worth the money for a huge full bottle.
Longevity and silage gloriously befitting of this perfume house. Long lasting and silage which envelops you at about 2 feet.
Thank you ChinaskyHenry1 for introducing me to this little beauty.
Guewnouxunk – :
Powdery, sleepy vanilla, amber and patchouli. It’s a warm and comforting scent.
VERY similar to “Ambre 114” by Histoires des Parfums, although not quite as heavy.
qupuyepr – :
Perfect.
Dusty old books, caramel. Sensual, but elegant. A perfume to carry you through various occasions and settings. Just beautiful.
L’Artisan are correct in describing this as a red velvet amber, as well as one that is atmospheric. Haunting. When I wear it, I feel feline and romantic and gorgeous, and it exudes an allure from the skin. Like most L’Artisan fragrances, that lend an aura to the person wearing it, a place, a character, a mood, an ambience might be the best way to approach this description. I got into a discussion with the SA at David Jones about this who was curious as to which one I was buying as she wasn’t familiar with the brand. I told her that the shelves of L’Artisan are my “happy place”, and I could spend hours there trying out the elixirs, being transported to another world. She agreed that perfume is important for its ability to emphasise your personality, mark you as distinct in your own way, and as she fondly added at the end, someone need only smell a particular scent to be reminded of you. That’s special. And this is where this niche brand excels.
Out of all their concoctions, I truly believe this to be the flagship scent which exemplifies the strengths of this brand, its eccentricity, it’s innovation, it’s charm and character.
Enjoy!
12юра – :
A really wonderful perfume! I smell amber and incense and keep sniffing my wrist all day. Later it becomes more powdery.
It lasts forever and I love it.
I get lots of compliments.
It’s a lot better than Etro Amber and Prada L’Eau Ambree, which smell awful on me.
oijnmk – :
L’Eau d’Ambre is a staple of mine since many years.
I couldn’t stand amber in perfumes when I was younger because it seemed to me that it got kind of panty smell on my skin.
Then, all of a sudden, 10 years ago I changed my mind and went on regular amber craves. I tested so many, both soli-ambers and blended ones, but they mostly smelled plasticky fake or too much into Ambroxan or sugared vanilla or so-damn-expensive!
Then I met L’Eau d’Ambre I fell for it!
I was introduced to L’Artisan by a dear friend of those times who wore Ambre Extreme and it was just d-i-v-i-ne on her. On me it smells good, too, not the same.
She told me that she didn’t care for L’Eau d’Ambre and there I went: love!
Two contented young ladies LOL
L’Eau d’Ambre is apparently a very simple one, not too spicy or complicated but there is much more going on inside this.
At first I smell something spicy, a little bitter and vaguely old school after shave, a hint of animalic. In 5 minutes that fades away to only a trace and leaves room for the cleanest, softly powdered amber ever. It wears like second skin and lasts enough to make people comment, if they care to.
People usualy say things like: “Mmm, you smell good! What soap did you use?”
Yes, it smells like expensive soap to other people, maybe a herbal/ambery one, something that would be on fashion to wash with a century ago.
For me it is all about amber, the cold type but not too cold, delicately spiced (I guess it is carnation) and only vaguely vanillic, cuddling but never candylike!
Good on rainy autumn afternoons for confort with a cup of hot tea.
misiss – :
Not a fan. In the top, this has a stinky feet/moth ball smell. For a second, i thought it had cedar(obviously not listed). After 15 minutes and beyond, L’eau d’Ambre L Artisan simply smells like one “Big Ass Note”…and that note is amber. You better know what you’re getting into because this lingers for a while. This is not my style at all. I don’t mind the balmy/heavy stuff. I just hate when my fragrance is balmy, heavy and non-transcendent. This remind me of the oils the African’s sell at the local swap meet or flea market.
Ксюша36b9 – :
I received a sample of L’Eau d’Amber in a swap about a year ago. Sadly, I placed it on a shelf and forgot about it until today. Call it curiosity on a rainy afternoon but I decided to try it out.
Immediately I got a very powdery note, as spirit966 commented “Johnson’s baby powder “, but this wasn’t a bad thing for me as I just had a shower and wanted something fresh. It then began to smell very carmel, warm and exotic, with a touch of vanilla. Still powdery but now it’s matured into something more seductive than baby powder. It does linger close to the skin.
Wearing this I picture a sophisticated woman in her late twenties to mid thirties, business attire, quiet, modest, not a party girl. She is soft spoken and at times delicate but that doesn’t mean she is weak, forgettable, or even boring to be around. Rather she is strong, decisive, a tad mysterious … she just doesn’t broadcast it for all to know and this is what makes her that much more alluring.
Perfect for work to evenings, rainy afternoons, and special dates.
7/10
Vitek03166 – :
Reminds me of Johnson’s baby powder.
Silvergard – :
I’ve come to simply love amber fragrances, but they somehow mostly seem the same for me, well ok, with some different notes added, but after all they all come down to – amber 🙂
Like sherapop already mentioned – one should have one amber fragrance, I have Etro – Ambra and on my wishlist there is Ambra by Esteban, but I still feel weirdly allured by this beauty as well. It’s extremely warm, at the opening a bit too sweet (loads of vanilla), but when patchoulli shows her face it becomes simply marvelous – dark, rich, a bit animalistic, a bit bitter, but all in all very cozy, sensual and warm, a perfect mix for cold winter nights. I think I won’t add this to my collection due to the fact that I have already something similiar, but this with no doubts is a great amber fragrance, so give it a go 🙂
Bearryaides – :
L’Artisan Parfumeur L’EAU D’AMBRE is a heavily amber-focused oriental perfume with just a touch of something in the opening which smells to me like a mix between dirty patchouli and some kind of animalic note. I am assuming that the amber in this composition does not derive from the secretions of sperm whales, but, if so, that might explain what I detect here.
As L’EAU D’AMBRE dries down it becomes rather tame: a very light vanilla veil brushes over the amber. I think that this creation is more complex than some amber perfumes I’ve tried of late, but it’s also becoming clear that I’m not a big amateur of amber as a central note. To me, it’s something of a sledgehammer, which flattens nearly everything with which it is combined.
Those looking for a good amber perfume will want to compare this side by side with BAGHARI, among others, before selecting the best of the bunch because you really only need one Big Amber Perfume (BAP) since these powerful potions tend to last forever, even sparingly applied!
seojaerskd – :
Formal amber. Normal to my nose. Not that great. I will pass on this one.
6/10
zzz_117 – :
Artisan Parfumeur is one of the niche brands I most appreciate. They have a certain characteristic style to what they do, a common feel to all their fragrances.
L’Eau d’Ambre starts rather sweet, there is definitely a lot of vanilla here. As the fragrance settles down, vanilla blends with the patchouli and amber, creating a nice, cosy atmosphere. It remains sweet, but somehow earthy-powdery-sweet. A piece of amber put on a wet patchouly leaf sprinkled with vanilla. For me it is a scent of a voyage, I have some unprecised shades of memories in my head when I smell my wrist. I wish I remembered where I smelled something similar…
Sure, it might not be the most exciting fragrance out there, but you simply can not not appreciate the fine quality and longevity, which is extraordinary.
vada_05 – :
I did not find it very interesting. It`s warm and sweet, with a hint of lemony freshness (geranium?), but to wear it on regular bases – no, thanks.More geranium in this would be nice.As it is it is just a pretty simple ambery scent, not very original.