L'Eau d'Ambre (1978)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

I like this amber scent very much. It's soft and light compared to many others and lacking the resinous burn characteristic of the stronger amber scents, but in the top note stage there is a wonderful chocolatey cigar box vibe. The drydown is smooth and sweet.

14th October, 2010.

I obtained a sample of this to compare to mighty ambers Ambra Aurea by Profumum, Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens, Ambre Russe by Parfum d'Empire, and Fiore d'Ambra by Profumum Roma.

Compared to any of those, L'Eau d'Ambre is a pathetic attempt that I was shocked to remind myself of how much they want you to pay for this. In all attempted fairness, perhaps you are looking for a very subtle scent. Well you have it with this. But it really doesn't register significantly to the nose, so why pay this much for it?

The only use I can see is to layer a warm barely detectable base to other fragrances. I was looking for an Amber that can stand on its own, and the winner is Fiore d'Ambra by Profumum Roma.

6th March, 2010.

The mildest mannered (read: blandest,) amber I've ever sampled. I don't wear amber to be mild mannered. Dries down all nougat and vanilla, without the sexy edge I look for in this kind of fragrance. Amber for people who don't like amber.

23rd December, 2009.

L'Artisan L'Eau d'Ambre

Notes: geranium, patchouli, vanilla, amber (from luckyscent.com)

L'Eau d'Ambre is not a lighter concentration of L'Eau d'Ambre Extreme. L'Ed'A starts with sharp cherry and a dash of almondy "play do" rubberyness. Beneath is a light amber (vanilla, light labdanum and benzoin) that is slightly sweet but not cloying. The notes list geranium, but geranium is not prominent--rather, it supplies a dry, herbal edge to the fragrance which seems to have the effect of keeping it buoyant. Despite that, the sweet latex rubber note is extremely off-putting for me--it smells cheap and artificial. For lovers of traditional amber, I'd say this will probably not satisfy. For lovers of herbal ambers, Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan is far superior. Sillage for L'Eau d'Ambre is very light and longevity is short.

23rd August, 2009.

My bottle is the older one, and I get a highly animalic, dusty, straightforward amber. Great stuff, but not inspiring or blow-me-away material.

25th July, 2009. (Last Edited: 19th March, 2010.)

This might have smelled more groundbreaking before Bath and Body Shop and other low-grade smelleries started churning out amber-based scents. The smell I get is a very plain and unremarkable amber. Smells like I washed my hands with a strongly scented soap that won't fade.

23rd June, 2009.