Soir d'Orient
by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier

This is Ambre Précieux with well aged, animalic oud. The first impression is very leathery and animalic oud with sweet amber and vanillic base in the distance.
In my experence the oud is very much engaged to the top notes, and while that starts to settle down and perhaps even fade away, for the one it is very easy to detect that this fragrance indeed was composed from the Ambre Precieux.

While the oud lasts, this smells truly wonderful, it`s unique and quite much intoxicating too. Hot, leathery and animalic.

But when that "scam" is reveiling, when the AP is coming to play, then you could see my smile getting freezed, and finally; nothing but the tears are real.

I got a sample of this about a year ago, just revisited it, and fell in love. The oud is up front, rising from the skin like a bitter, smoky drug. Amber and leather quickly emerge, and then the notes melt together into a mysterious, narcotic vapor. There is an underlying but understated sweetness that may be vanilla, or just further development of the amber. Although it bears a passing resemblance to other ambery scents, this one stands out as deeper, more sophisicated, and in the end just lovelier. I began a mad search for it online, only to discover that it was a limited-edition fragrance that has been discontinued. How I wish I'd bought a bottle (or three) when I had the chance! I always seem to fall for the unattainable ones. How sad to discover my HG scent after it has vanished from the earth.

A sweet 'n heavy Oriental number that breaks absolutely no new ground, even within the MPG's own line of scents. I don't get any aoud here (at least, none of the heady Montale type), but there's lots of amber and vanilla plus some spices and maybe a dash of sandalwood. Been there, done that...

A surreal, almost magical scent. No other scent I can think of is more deserving of the word intoxicating. The oud smacks you in the nose the minute this touches your skin. Exotic, medicinal, and pungent, and, as some have said of it, both “high” and “low,” oud seems to add a wet earthy woodsy quality to a scent that both envelops and supports the other notes. Of all the oud scents I have tried - quite a few when you count the Montales - this is by far my favorite. It is masterfully blended. Within 15-20 minutes the oud has melded into the overall scent, adding an exotic air of mystique. The rest of the scent is equally dark, compelling, and mysterious. Amber, leather, and some herbal notes, maybe some vanilla as well...imagine Ambre Precieux crossed with Lonestar Memories – and of course add a dash of oud – and you'd be on the right track. Darker and more leathery than Ambre Precieux, smoother, classier, more refined, and not as earthy or dirty as Lonestar Memories, Soir d'Orient has a wonderful, intoxicating, head-spinning effect. And with notes like oud, amber, leather, and vanilla it of course lasts a very long time. I only wish it were more readily available...