Reviews of Ambra Nera
by Farmacia SS. Annunziata

Farmacia SS. Annunziata dal 1561 Ambra Nera

Notes: cypress, eucalyptus, amber, benzoin, vetiver, vanilla, patchouly (from luckyscent.com)

Ambra Nera starts with a combination of burnt sugar, smoke and vanilla. At first it seems as though AN will be a sweet, edible amber with lots of fluff and such. As it turns out, the caramel note is rather short lived, and what is revealed underneath is a delicate yet raunchy animalic, incensy amber. Indeed, I smell urinous notes, leather and the metallic tinge of smoky incense over a base of creamy, powdery vanilla, ample benzoin and a healthy, yet not overdone, dosage of labdanum. If there is patchouli in this fragrance, it is very well blended and barely recognizable as such. I was expecting AN to be close to some offering from Profumum, as the two houses seem to have parallel fragrance lines. In actuality, Ambra Nera smells more like Parfumerie Generale L'Ombre Fauve, especially in the middle and late stages. I happen to prefer L'Ombre Fauve by quite a bit, however, Ambra Nera is an interesting amber, especially for those who might like something funky. Its tendency is a bit toward the sweet side, which may make it seem a bit feminine, despite the raging animalics at the start of the development. Longevity is good--time to the deep drydown is approximately five hours. Sillage is moderate, especially toward the end.

Outstanding amber scent! This is a beast that lasts forever with a camphorous blast at the onset that settles very little for the duration. One of the best scents of its kind (it has actually replaced Ambre Sultan as my favorite of this style). Heavy, rich, unreal sillage and longevity. Thumbs way up!

Upon opening you are hit smack in the face with warm honey amber / vanilla used in Ambra Nera but this certainly dries out quickly. This warm sweet phase passes quickly with the blending of the green resinous dry aspects of cypress, eucalyptus, benzoin, patchouli and vetiver. Amber blended with these green woods and vetiver smells kind of like stacks of new paper in a bindery - a dry woodiness with a slight warmth. Overall this fragrance is what you would expect from a fragrance of amber mixed with these green and dry wood notes. A gentle sweet but resinous new wood scent built around amber. A very spare formula that is simple and works well.