Dambrosia (2008)
by Profumum

A deeper woody version of L'Artisan Figuer Extreme (but with tons more staying-power!!). Starts of with an entre of pear and crushed almonds on green ripe figs (i'd love to eat that as an entre - yum!!). Then it settles down to a fresh incense-like sandalwood, while the entre of figs turns way way darker, with a brown sugar sweetness. This is not that super-fresh stingy PHILOSYKOS kind of figue (which I really dislike) - it's a mature, sweet developed sandal-incense figue, way way more luxurious!! I REALLY love it! Aaaah :)

11th October, 2010.

Dambrosia's notes are : Pear , Almond , Fig and Sandalwood.
And it's one of those scents that happen to smell very much like what one would expect from the given notes. You can distinctly smell each of the notes unfolding. Perfectly blending into a lovely melange !
It opens with a smooth as silk Pear and Almond blend ... which becomes ever more distinctly "figgy" as the scent progresses.
It's also not as sweet as one might expect from the notes. With both the pear and almond being quite "natural", and not particularly "ripe" or "toasted" like. (Though the scent does pick up a certain "toastiness" later, towards the drydown, but here from the sandalwood and not the almond).
Any sweetness there is comes from the pear, which is mostly a top note, and soon disappears into the fig accord.
The almond is subtle and more the natural scent of the almond "fruit" picked straight off a tree as opposed to the more "nutty" or "marzipan & almond essence" note that one is more familiar with, or might expect. So the almond is here mostly in the background, lending the scent it's slight "creaminess", and "smoothing out all the edges". (It also oddly "rears it's head" again much later in the drydown ??).
But the leading note here is most definitely the Fig. It really is pretty much basically a Fig Scent ! ... And an excellently done one at that !
It's not a boozy or ripe fig accord. Being more the scent of the crushed leaves of the fig tree. (Though oddly enough still not particularly "green" as such, like one would find in Diptyque's "Philosykos", but a much "warmer" and "richer" scent overall, because of the almond and sandalwood). Though it is still a very "true to life" fig leaf note. And thankfully, it does not suffer the usual "trend" of smelling too "coconutty", as some fig scents tend to do. The coconut note is often used in a fig accord to lend it a certain creaminess. But, I find, too often it's heavy handed, being far too prominent and distracting from a true fig scent. The "creaminess" here is rather from the almond, which I think is actually more authentic. With the "richness" from the sweetish pear note. And of course from the warm delicious Sandalwood base that holds it all together beautifully.
The Sandalwood lends the whole scent a subtle woody texture. Becoming more and more prominent and "woodier" as the scent progresses. But this is a Sandalwood "woodiness", which is never a very strong wood note.
It also never completely looses it's lovely "figgy-ness". So you are left with a lightly fig "dusted" gorgeous sandalwood, many hours later.
It's a gorgeous fig scent, that I highly recommend to any fig lover especially. (Or sandalwood lover for that matter !?) ... Fig and Sandalwood being such an excellent "winning" combination !
It could fast become one of my favourite fig scents ?! ~ Just delicious !!!
The scent opens on a slightly more "feminine" tone, but soon enough becomes perfectly "unisex", the moment the fig "kicks in", a few moments later.
Another wonderful frag from Profumum, where the excellent quality of their ingredients is always apparent (if nothing else).

9th September, 2009.