Ambra Nera by Farmacia SS. Annunziata

Oh my God!!! Opulent, dark and medieval. This is a work of finest italian craftsmanship, a perfect balance between warm-mellifluous and camphoraceous-woodsy-cool elements blended in order to compose an indented creamy-raw olfactory concoction. This is the fragrance for the ceremonies at court. Aristocratic rooms by high  ceilings, pictures, candeliers, drawbridges, courtesans and jesters come to mind. Ambra Nera is a stunning smoky amber with a featuring note of eucalyptus immediately detectable. The coniferous and camphoraceous notes impress a sort of woodsy, aromatic, ancient feel, the smell of the forests of the Kingdom perceived from the king's residence full of smoking effluviums and burning aroma of candels in the air. Ambra Nera is nevertheless at once a modern, western, erotic, sweaty and animalic kind of fragrance that manages to be suitable for clubbing in modern cozy down town venues. This fragrance is very dense, the effect of burnt caramel is prominent with its smokey touch of bitterness. The warmth of balsams (vanilla, benzoin, amber) is balanced by the cool woodsy coniferous and icy feel (cypress and eucalyptus). The caramellous decadent dry down's wake is furthermore indented by a raw, earthy, bold vetiver-patchouli accord that is a reminiscence of ancient regal ambients. The sweetness is nevertheless never out of limits of tollerability. The amber is prominent and is just featured and segmented by touches of vanilla and benzoin. The outcome is an inconstant, changing, schizophrenic mild amber full of nuances of smoke, forest, ancient wood and earth. This is pure and traditional olfactory italian art.

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.