Amber
by Santa Maria Novella

For some reason, Basenotes has both "Amber" and "Ambra" listed in the Directory as SMN fragrances. I think they are the same, with "Ambra" being the Italian word for "Amber."

Anyway, I think this fragrant is a bit misleadingly named. It's really got more birch tar than amber. It opens loud and harsh, as many SMN frags are wont to do; think herbal and bitter, and a little off-kilter, possibly "gothic" (though to be honest, I'm not sure what that means when it comes to fragrance). As it dries down, the amber comes into play, but it is light at that point, more a powdery, semi-sweet skin scent than the voluptuous amber I am used to smelling in other fragrances. My main complaint is that on me it doesn't last.