Amber & Lavender (1995)
by Jo Malone

This comes off clean and soapy and a raw strong herbal lavender as opposed to many other scents that have lavender. Usually combined with vanilla, amber takes the reins to attempt to subdue the harsh natural smell of lavender and instead of completely smothering it, the lavender becomes harnessed to its full potential. Honestly at first I think this is best suited for a candle (though I do not see it offered as one on the Jpo Malone website as of this writing) but the scent is mellow enough to be worn. Lavender is a traditionally masculine scent and will always be in my eyes. Truly a great fragrance here albeit linear which is the intention. A fine gentleman's scent.

I agree with the advice to "start off lightly". This is a masculine scent but a woman may really like it combined with something more floral or fruity. I like it with Jo Malone's Pom Noir.

I know Jo Malone created it for her husband, but it doesn't smell too masculine, at least on my skin. It's like a good love relationship: warm and embracing like amber, but not suffocating or too heavvy, thanks to the lavander. And not boring, because you can combine it with other scents: I recommend Pomegranate Noir, to make it spicier, sweeter and sexier and White Jasmin and Mint, for a fresh summer scent, with a strong herbal note.

Notes according to Jo Malone: amber, French lavender, myrrh.
The expert nose of Ayala also detects sage, cloves and oak moss – and this seems exactly right to me.
The opening is a lovely dry lavender, deep and slightly smoky as the best lavender should be. There are some herbs and green notes. Spices? Yes, cloves. Incense? Yes, the myrrh. The clove and moss combination is what gives this its clean, soapy, barbershop vibe. It reminds me of YSL’s Rive Gauche – it has the same sort of virile, no-nonsense and deliberately retro soapy-spice character. Lavender + oak moss = traditional fougere and this is a striking one, though not as mossy as some. The amber gives it an oriental twist. It gets a bit powerful in the dry-down, so start off lightly and see what works for you.

The simplicity of this fragrance is what makes it so beautiful. It is crystaline and pristine, yet masculine (though my mom owns and loves this) and sophisticated... uncomplicated. It reminds me of a young father in khakis and a crisp white shirt scooping up his giggling daughter on Easter morning. The initial moments have the slightest antibacterial hand towel feel, but the amber quickly moves in to slightly soften and round out the somewhat austere lavender, leaving me with the impression of a sugared ginger candy in the dry down which admittedly fades rather quickly. Beautiful if not simple in the best way.

INDIE_GUY has pinned this one perfectly! May I also add this herbaceous combination is somewhat reminiscent of L'Artisan's Passage de Enfer...as the lavender here is more to the dry side rather than fresh; creating an incense character. Very masculine IMO.