Ambre Extrême (2001)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

This is a lovely amber, but a remarkably similar experience can be had for a fraction of the price by wearing Molinard Amber.

22nd January, 2012.

AMBER UNADORNED might be a better name for AMBRE EXTREME, but I will say that this AP composition does have slightly better longevity than the typical offerings of this house. The problem with presenting a base such as amber with few other notes as embellishments is that there is a very real risk of boredom. To me, AMBRE EXTREME seems a bit like amber on sedatives: polite and calm.

The amber in this composition smells smooth, slightly sweet, and generally pleasant, but it leaves me wanting something more. I learned from reading a page from Ellena's forthcoming book (using the "look inside" app. at amazon) that vanillin generally features in labdanum amber (not animalic ambergris...) constructions, which would seem to imply that it does not add anything to this creation, in particular, beyond what already counts as a part of the amber itself.

Having worn AMBRE EXTREME for a while this evening, long enough to grasp that it was indeed a minimalist creation without any of the distractions which tend to make oriental perfumes so interesting, I reached for my bottle of BAL A VERSAILLES, with which it was of course fully compatible, being essentially part of the base of that perfume.

I am sure that this fragrance has its following, but as far as amber perfumes are concerned, I myself am more of a Robert Piguet BAGHARI type. If asked to select a J-C Ellena amber, I would definitely opt for AMBRE NARGUILE, which seems to me considerably more appealing than this one.

28th October, 2011.

Tested this on skin only twice before buying a full bottle.
A beautiful amber, and that's really all there is to it: a great quality, smooth, creamy amber, sitting on a pillow of rich vanilla. There is some spice there too, but it is simply there to elevate the amber rather than provide a seperately recognisable note.
It is a relatively linear fragrance, but what some may say is a "sickly sweet" opening, soon mellows out and blends with the skin.
I get a kind of "sweat" smell from this too, not to put anyone off because it's something I like, I don't get it with many other amber fragrances, I think it's simply because this is an intense amber, when it wraps around the skin it becomes part of it, and as it doesn't smell fresh and bright but more mellow and rich, I think it smells the faintest bit animalic, but maybe that's just to my nose.
Anyway, all in all, a lovely, uncomplicated comfort fragrance.

28th September, 2011.

An amber based fragrance that actually sits well with me. Although labeled extreme, there's nothing extreme about it, in terms of the amber note. The amber in this is never too extreme like in say Amber Absolute. To my nose, it opens up smelling more like patchouli than anything else, it then quickly transforms into a mint/amber mix. The mint is mostly overpowering the amber, but the combination is quite nice. The amber gives a little more depth to the mint, makes it pop a little bit. Before ya know it, the amber is on top and it stays this way for quite a while. A somewhat creamy vanilla, and powdery cocoa (very faint), backed with a little spice, and of course, the amber, dominate the base notes, and remain this way for the next 6-8 hours. Overall, I get a good 10 hours out of Ambre Extreme, and good projection.

The only thing I dislike about this, is somewhere about 10-15 minutes in, it starts to get sour on my skin. It smells like a sour/soapy smell, but it does die down eventually. On the upside of things, this is a fairly different amber based fragrance, quality made, good longevity and sillage, and quite versatile. It's versatility comes from the fact that the amber note is never too dominant, it never gets pushed to the front completely. I think too much amber up top can make the fragrance quite an acquired taste. Personally, I'm not an amber fan, but this one is good.

15th April, 2011.

A simple scent with a balanced powdery vanilla impression-pleasant, nice and longlaating, but nothing special at all. A safe buy- it definately will trigger compliments, but all in all way too mainstream and therefore also a little boring.
You buy it for your wife, I buy mine something else.

16th August, 2010.

Ambre Extrême is a polite, soft-spoken amber, far less complex than Ambre Sultan, and without the depth and poise that distinguish Maître Parfumeur et Gantier's superb Ambre Précieux. The base notes include good deal of powdery vanilla, making the drydown far more conventional than the sultry Ambre Sultan. The sillage is moderate, so it will not empty the room, and the longevity is pretty decent, certainly better than its younger sibling’s. By no stretch of the imagination "extreme," but a distinct improvement over the wimpy L’Eau d’Ambre.

22nd December, 2009.