Private Collection Amber Ylang-Ylang (2008)
by Estée Lauder

I fell in love with this at once and I fell out of love equally soon.
It is a very pleasant fragrance: sweetish and comforting, like a blanket. Conventionally beautiful.
It used to be my comfort scent but I started craving equally comforting and more interesting stuff, like Myrrhe Ardente.
It is also absolutely non challenging and a bit flat and unidimensional.
I have resorted to use it as room spray and, sacrilegious as it may sound, I like it best that way. My flat now smells like a several million dollar mansion.

15th January, 2012.

This is an amber fragrance, not a ylang-ylang perfume. It is not floral but gourmand. The amber here is of the vanilla bourbon variety--boozy and delicious, with strong notes of caramel. Maybe there's even a little toasted coconut here. A good dose of saltiness keeps it from going into gooey candy territory. Whether you like it will depend on what you wamt in the way of amber; it's not for people who seek labdanum, the resinous plant material that is ironically animalic. This amber refers to vanilla in all it's glory--sweet and dark. I would rate it higher if the salty note carried on longer.

2nd June, 2011.

Velvety-smooth, sweet, salty, sensuous & elegant amber! l get a fleeting note of sharp bergamot in the opening, & a subtle, creamy floral note further in, but otherwise this is just a lovely & soft, very feminine amber all the way to the drydown of woody incense hours later. Like it's sister scent, Tuberose Gardenia, it's quality shines through, & it's quite possibly FBW after l finish my mini.

13rd February, 2011.

I love when fume love at first sniff happens! I had trouble with amber as a note initially, as neither Amber Extreme nor Ambre Sultan were anything close to right. I've learned, after persevering with this note, that my amber needs to be tempered with sweet. And in this case, the one that works best on me is the classic trio of amber, vanilla, and sandalwood.
My skin will pull amber to the forefront in anything, and this fume is no exception. Amber Ylang-Ylang actually begins less sweet, with the ylang perfectly softening and making it a little bit creamy, but never dominating it. I now understand the warm comfort that amber so famously provides, and I want to go crawl under the sheets but for the fantastic sillage. AYY eventually mellows into that beautiful trio.
In short, this perfume is like wrapping yourself in a lovely warm sweater on a brisk, sunny winter morning.

7th June, 2010.

I found this to be a beautiful warm perfume - just like it's name- amber and ylang ylang - both notes seemed prominent and in accord, on my skin. Warm, sweet, deep, unisex, sexy ,delicious,sophisticated and long lasting. Just love the color of that juice too.

1st June, 2010.

I had a lot of confidence in the store as I sampled this I was going to love it. It introduces itself very prettily. It promises it has depth. It seems that it has a good solid structure. Alas after an hour or so I was less charmed. Also bored. And finally as only a completely generic sweet haze was left, annoyed. Ultimately, it was a candified amber for me very dumbed down.

24th May, 2010.