Ambre Russe (2005)
by Parfum d'Empire

Ambre Russe by Parfum d'Empire - Initially, one is treated to a heady, spirituous accord, supplied by the bitter, salty vodka and the bracing, effervescent champagne, with an underlying faint sweetness from the amber. This bozziness meanders to the spicy middle. It is here in the stewing heart that an astringent and sour coriander, a sweat-laden cumin and a dusty cinnamon infuse a bath of sweet and powdery tea which subsumes the opening. A somewhat creamy and smoky brew flows to the waiting base. A wonderful leather is the underpinning of the impressive drydown, with the leather initially giving a saddle leather feel then morphing into a smoky suede, carrying the honeyed and sultry amber to interact with a restrained and dark incense, whose tenacity tones down the amber's sweetness. A relished journey, this well crafted and refined composition has very good longevity and projection. Its multifaceted amber star has a terrific cast of supporting players.

4th December, 2011.

As I sat down to write a review about my experience with Ambre Russe, two words kept coming to mind...confusing and blech! Sorry, I do not want to offend all the admirers of this fragrance but I absolutely hated this scent. On me, it was awful.

The opening is very very intense and heady with aldehydes, amber, booze (I didn't detect champagne or vodka...to my nose, it smelled more like bourbon) and more amber. Amber, amber everywhere is what my nose detected.

After a few minutes, the amber never passed but I was overcome by the most nauseating & cloying aroma of syrupy sweetness, like honey. Something hit me that was so cloyingly sweet, I actually felt sick to my stomach. Now, I would never describe amber or most resins as being "sweet;" so this is where my confusion set in. I thought, "Oh my...what is that note...what is that sweet aroma?" Together with the amber and spices, the thick, syrupy, honey-aroma hit hard and I actually felt like I was literally going to be ill.

Then finally, up rose a few notes of what smelled like stale, old tobacco & stale smoke. Church Incense? Russian Leather? Smokiness? Where??? When??? Are you kidding me???

Like Creed "Bois Du Portugal," Ambre Russe actually conjured up one of my most unpleasant childhood memories. When I was a young girl of 5-8 yrs of age, I recall regularly visiting my humble maternal grandpa with my wonderful mom. Of course, I wanted to greet my grandpa with a big hug but I always remember dreading it and recoiling upon doing so, ONLY because of grandpa' stench.

My grandfather was of course, an old man who enjoyed drinking cheap bourbon, whiskey, rye and home-made red wine. Given this, my grandfather always reeked of cheap booze, which I hated. Grandpa chain-smoked Lucky Strikes, pipes & cheap cigars, so he also always smelled like the bottom of an ashtray. Sadly, grandpa had neither the ability or desire to bathe on a regular basis, so he always had that unclean or "old clothes" smell with the faint smell of incontinence. Well, prior to our visits, grandad "touched up" by dousing himself with a cheap men's cologne, surely to make himself "smell better." The results were disasterous...the apartment was stifling and rarely aired out...I think you get the mental picture.

I recall telling my sweet mom that "I was afraid" of old grandpa. But I don't think it was grandpa I feared but visiting him and subjecting mysellf to those horrible, awful odors and grandpa's unforgiving stankiness.

Sadly, as sweet as he was, Grandpa stunk and so does Ambre Russe. Just awful...this fragrance actually makes me cringe.

1st November, 2011. (Last Edited: 2nd November, 2011.)

A couple of years ago, while spending my NewYear’s holiday in Rome I caught a glimpse through the glasses of Hotel de Russie’s hall. It was dark and rather cold outside, but inside the lights were burning, the air seemed warm and full of scents (vodka, champagne and fine foods, smoke and ladies perfumes…) and, most stunningly, a weird composition of Christmas trees made out of blond fur (!) towered in the middle… Wearing Ambre Russe made me immediately recall that magical image and the powerful sensations associated to it. It is dark and glowing, animalic and cheerful, wonderfully balanced in the never ending sweetness of the drydown. I’m not an amber person (I’d love to love it, but find it always too much intense on my skin) but Ambre Russe is a really masterfully done and evocative fragrance.

30th October, 2011.

Yes ... Vodka and Champagne are the effervescent top notes to hit me ..
then there is...
a dark tea that takes over ....
it's the honeyed amber/ incense /leather base that remains
on my skin that I find sooo Enchanting.
This fragrance ...has subtle nuances to delight you...

A top notch Fragrance ...
very Elegant and Sophisticated...
it doesn't scream..
"Smell me .. I'm Rich!"

A person wears it .. not for others to declare how amazingly classy you are ..
but you wear it for yourself..
because you know you are Elegant and Sophisticated .. and yes .. quite possibly RICH.

8th October, 2011.

On my skin the smoky leather is noticeable enough to be the fragrance ranked as an impressive and unmistakable leathery-incensey fragrance with a certain dosage of spicy amber in composition. As already underlined by other reviewers the first whiff is clearly booze and spicy amber. The amber itself is fat and also slightly fruity but the whole  ambery chord is well balanced and toned down in sweetness by a shadowy insertion of dark incense. Few minutes later the first spray i detect the leather rising up from the back and is precisely in the meedle phase that the leather is impressive before starting to morph in a sort of velvety final touch that complements mirably amber and smoky incense. The three main elements are in perfect balance and the agreement restrains the sweetness that is not an exercise of syrupy mellifluence. The middle phase is spicy, aromatic and dry, producing a sort of airy effect (cumin?) as well as some aldehydes would have been inserted in the blend. The dry-aromatic heart of spices with the support of boozy notes and a touch of rooty tea contributes to tone down the sweet-resinous temperament of amber impressing a natural dusty effect just at the beginning a bit laundry. The fragrance itself is opulent and extremely refined and discreet. Another great work of balance.

20th September, 2011. (Last Edited: 16th October, 2011.)

If you like your amber to be boozy in the opening and smoky/leathery in the drydonw with hints of incense, then you've probably found your holy grail. Warm, powerful, rich but extremely well balanced. Me? I stuck with the more classic Ambre Precieux or the herbal/medicinal Ambre Sultan.

Said that, this is still top quality stuff. Bravo to Marc-Antoine Corticchiato.

18th September, 2011.