All invited *** Sniff 'n' Speak Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 *** AMBER!

[Quarry]

For newcomers, here's the lowdown on this monthly online event:
Every member, any gender, novice or veteran sniffer, is invited to apply a fragrance related to the theme of the month (listed below) and share your thoughts on the first Saturday of the month. This isn't a mandatory assignment; it's just for fun. Because not everyone logs in on weekends, you're encouraged to continue to add comments within this themed thread on subsequent days. If you don't join us for this month's discussion, please look ahead at the tentative lineup and join in at a later date.

JANUARY ~ Oriental
(warmth, flowers, spices, woods & vanilla)
FEBRUARY ~ Animalic
(civet-, castoreum-, leather-, or musk-influenced scents)
MARCH ~ Chypre
(used to be defined by oakmoss presence, but ...?)
APRIL ~ Floral
(single solifore or full bouquet of flowers)
MAY~ Fruity
(single sweet fruits or a bowl of fruity-florals)
JUNE ~ Citrus
(hesperidic: bergamot, lemon, orange, grapefruit, tangerine, etc.)
JULY ~ Green
(fresh leaves & grasses)
AUGUST ~ Fresh or aquatic
(cool, dewy notes and seaside scents)
SEPTEMBER ~ Opposite-Gender Fragrance
OCTOBER ~ Ambery
(dark, light or blond amber as feature note)
NOVEMBER ~ Spicy
(warm notes associated with cooking)
DECEMBER ~ Gourmand
(fragrances with a foody note, but not usually fruity--save for May)

Looking for suggestions?
See previous SnS discussions:
Oriental — Jan. 2007, Jan. 2008, Jan. 2009, Jan. 2010, Jan. 2011, Jan. 2012
Animalic — Feb. 2007, Feb. 2008, Feb. 2009, Feb. 2010, Feb. 2011, Feb. 2012
Chypre — March 2007, March 2008, March 2009, March 2010, March 2011, March 2012
Floral — April 2007, April 2008, April 2009, April 2010, April 2011, April 2012
Fruity — May 2007, May 2008, May 2009, May 2010, May 2011, May 2012
Citrus — June 2007, June 2008, June 2009, June 2010, June 2011, June 2012
Green — July 2008, July 2009, July 2010, July 2011, July 2012
Fresh — Aug. 2008, Aug. 2009, Aug. 2010, Aug. 2011, Aug. 2012
Fougere — Sept. 2007
Opposite Gender — Sept. 2008, Sept. 2009, Sept. 2010, Sept. 2011, Sept. 2012
Ambery — Oct. 2007, Oct. 2008, Oct. 2009, Oct. 2010, Oct. 2011
Spicy — Nov. 2007, Nov. 2008, Nov. 2009, Nov. 2010, Nov. 2011
Gourmand — Dec. 2007, Dec. 2008, Dec. 2009, Dec. 2010, Dec. 2011
For the months of July and August 2007, regular BN was offline and supporters had access to an abbreviated site. We discussed aquatics and greens, but those posts are no longer accessible.

[Whitefluffy]

Good Morning, Quarry! Can I play? I have love/bored relationship with Amber, but would love to explore it some more. I have only one Amber in my current rotation - L'Artisan Mon Numero 10 but will dig deep into my samples. I would love the opportunity to learn more about ambers from the venerable members of Basenotes.

[Quarry]

Good Morning, Quarry! Can I play? I have love/bored relationship with Amber, but would love to explore it some more. I have only one Amber in my current rotation - L'artisan Mon Numero 10 but will dig deep into my samples. I would love the opportunity to learn more about ambers from the venerable members of Basenotes.

Play with me please. I'll meet you on the playground at recess and save you a spot in the lunch line.

I'm in an amber rut. As much as I love it, I haven't sought out any new experiences for a while.

[Guest 3]

Hi, Whitefluffy! The more the merrier.

Hmm...amber is usually a challenge for me. Thinking...

[Whitefluffy]

Thank you fine ladies for not letting me feel like the weird kid playing by herself in the sand box. It looks like it will be challenging for me as well - as much as I appreciate the richness and decadence of ambers I get bored quickly; hence only one amber centered fragrance in my collection.

I am looking forward to this coming Saturday!

- - - Updated - - -

Almost every fragrance I like has a little amber in the base. But fragrances that are very heavily amber dominant, no matter how gorgeously well done, tend to make me feel overwhelmed and stifled. I have tried so many of them! I need a subdued amber, one with reins. I am not a bad ass.

That is the reason why I like Mon Numero 10 so much. It has just the right amount of amber: not too much to be stifling, and not too little that it still amber centered fragrance. It has a lot going on - spices, leather. Some say it smells like cola - I can see that, but not necessarily agree. I can send you some if you would like to try it.

[Guest 3]

Almost every fragrance I like has a little amber in the base. But fragrances that are very heavily amber dominant, no matter how gorgeously well done, tend to make me feel overwhelmed and stifled. I have tried so many of them! I need a subdued amber, one with reins. I am not a bad ass.

[Guest 3]

That is the reason why I like Mon Numero 10 so much. It has just the right amount of amber: not too much to be stifling, and not too little that it still amber centered fragrance. It has a lot going on - spices, leather. Some say it smells like cola - I can see that, but not necessarily agree. I can send you some if you would like to try it.

Thank you, Whitefluffy! That is very kind of you. I will decline your sweet offer, however...only because I am trying to have fewer, not more, samples. I have become sated and saturated with fragrances, and now I am thoroughly macerated in vintage Chantilly and one or two other fragrances...for a while anyway. Speaking of Chantilly, that is a fragrance with amber in its fluffy powdery aspect, and maybe I will talk about it for Sniff 'n Speak. If I am up to the task. The ones I love best are the most difficult for me to put my finger on.

[shadesofbleu]

Amber is one of my very favorite notes! It will be hard to narrow it down ...

[tdem1961]

Oh yes, love those amber frags!

I'm in Auric Blends Amber today. It starts resiny/incensy and a touch spicy, mellows into a simple, not too sweet amber. It's an oil, so stays close to the skin, and longevity isn't the greatest, but for $6 for a 10ml roller it's a really lovely piece of work for the money and I don't mind reapplying once or twice in the day. Another gem from this bargain-priced line.

[lucasai]

I love my Prada Amber Pour Homme and Prada Amber Pour Homme Intense but they're not heavy on the amber but rather clean amber.

I had high hopes to like Annick Goutal Ambre Fetiche but it overwhelms me and makes me feel small. I still got few more amber samples waiting for me to try them like: Nobile 1942 Ambra Nobile, Farmacia SS Annunziata Ambra Nera and MPG Ambre Precieux. Maybe one of them would work fine on me.

Any other suggestions?

[donna255]

I love amber, but not the ultra sweet tooth aching fudge like version.

Ambre Sultan, the dirty herbal amber, or the rich thick as glue in texture of Annick Goutal Ambre Fetiche. The burnt vibe from vintage Shalimar.


Oh Ambre Sultan is what I wore.

[Twolf]

Saddened to find out I do not have a single unit of full-bloom amber in my arsenal this year. Wrote to Santa, did not peep a word about ambers either: it was about suede and witchy herbs, us wolves. Decided to look in the decants and found a weapon of mass seduction aka Anne Pliska. That'll be it.

[Evangeline]

I'm in Ambra Tibet from Ava Luxe again. I'm sure I wore this last year for the same reasons that I chose it today - it's still summer here and most ambers I know and love (and own) are more cold-weather appropriate. But this one is fresh and herbal and balsamic and ambery-good all at the same time! And it reminds me a bit of coco butter, so naturally, it's going to be wonderful in warm weather. Notes are Tibetan amber, cardamom, Madagascar vanilla, ambergris and civet.

Do y'all mind if I use the same pic, too?

[Guest 3]

I love that pic, Evangeline. I love amber's honey colors.

I'm wearing a spritz of Chantilly, a powdery citrus floral amber, retro and frou frou. This has been my staple fragrance all year. I mostly wear it at home, as it is a major comfort scent for me. Today, I am house cleaning in it. I like using the dusting powder before bed.

[teardrop]

l love that pic too, Evangeline!

For work today l wore Royal Egyptian Amber & Honeysuckle by Lucy B. l recall draining my original sample for last year, & since then l have bought a bottle. This is a lovely, honeyed & warm floral amber, not tooth-achingly sweet or heavy, & perfect for work on a sunny autumn day. lt's also very reasonably priced!

[Whitefluffy]

I am wearing L'Artisan Mon Numero 10. As I mentioned earlier ambers are usually either to sweet for me or too boring. Even beloved by many Ambre Sultan and Ambre Russe failed to elicit anything more than a yawn. . When I bought Mon Numero 10, I didn't even realize it was a homage to amber. On our trip to Dallas we visited Barneys, and after sniffing pretty much everything they had, Mon Numero 10 was the one that stood out. I didn't even know it was exclusive to Barneys, until I looked it up online. Here are Mr. Duchaufour's rumblings on the subject:

[ineespenes]

Today I really was in the mood for some Madame X ( very ambery on me),but couldn't find it (! :O) Sooo...decided to wear something i haven't worn in ages, Gaultier^2. This is a very transparent amber scent on my skin with a lot of musc too. some days I like it very much,other days it tends to feel a bit annoying. Today is luckily not one of the annoying days.

[Kiliwia]

I chose Hermes Ambre Narguile for today's SnS, even though it doesn't list amber in the notes. This is what Jean-Claude Ellena had to say about Ambre Narguile. "Amber, the Western expression of Eastern fragrances, has a warm, enveloping, almost carnal smell. I wanted to imbue this idea of amber with the memory of the East I love where tobacco-blended with the smells of Narguiles, or water pipes and where swirls of smoke diffuse a sweet sense of intoxication." I think that describes it pretty well. The part I love the most is the cinnamon with the amber, very warm, delicate and slightly sweet.

[Quarry]

I've applied four dots of different amber fragrances and smell so cuddly.

Like Evangeline, I've turned to Ava Luxe for one amber reference. Sweet Amber Wood strikes a good balance -- not too sweet, just a little more business going on to make it interesting.

I dabbed some Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Ambre Precieux on the other wrist for comparison. It's too austere and masculine to be very likable on me, but might suit Lucasai.

An amber I wear often, and yet don't think of it as am amber scent, is Jo Malone Dark Amber & Ginger Lily. The lily is so bright and strong, it lifts amber out of the shadows. I usually feel an attraction for this scent only at bedtime. If Ambre Narguile can be likened to apple pie, I think DA&GL might be a toasted coconut facsimile.

A favorite, ICONOfly Attache Moi, is reportedly composed of a soup of balsams, resins and ambers. However, there is a strangely likable, synthetic vinyl-like note that makes the scent modern and non-boring.

* * *

Teardrop, I didn't know Lucy B. had an amber scent. I'll have to try that next time I get to Anthropologie. I respect this line of fragrances; they make affordable rollerballs (dontcha wish everybody did?), and the description sound real nice:

Lucy B’s Royal Egyptian Amber and Honeysuckle eau de parfum is a deep and exotic scent with top notes of honeysuckle and peach a heart of jasmine flowers with a touch of patchouli within a warm base of amber and cashmere. Royal Egyptian Amber is blended with confidence enhancing Australian flower essences.

[kalli]

I could talk about amber all day! I love Ambra Di Luna by Ramon Monegal..but the animalic note makes me sneezy..seems to be the case with most perfumes lately, my nose is just not diggin perfume lately..total bummer.

Jo Mo's Amber & Ginger Lily..I dig that one...a little bit.

Ambers I really like:

Must De Cartier
Prada L'eau Ambree

Ambre Sultan did nothing for me though.

[pomander]

Lilybelle, I too feel stifled (like being trapped in a closet full of old clothes in August!) when I wear amber-rich scents. Today for amber SNS, I'm wearing Rolf Schweiger's (for Hermes) Eau des Merveilles. For those who don't know it, EdM is a light, woody-amber fragrance. The notes are vetiver, oak, cedar, amber, lemon, orange, pink pepper, and elemi. To me, the woods and vetiver give the fragrance a cool and comfortable dryness, the amber infuses a warmth, and the citrus adds effervessence. The fragrance smells beachy in the way Dune does, that is, there are hints of sand, salt water, and beach grasses. There is a beautiful, orangey persistance that is just delicious. The amber is so light in this fragrance, with none of the dense, richness normally found in amber scents. Instead, in this fragraance, the amber feels like sunshine warming the sand.

[shadesofbleu]

I'm wearing By Kilian Amber Oud today. It's amber that is sweetened with vanilla and smoked up with benzoin. The oud is very subtle.

Notes include: amber, oud, benzoin, Atlas cedar, vanilla, and bay leaf.

[kalli]

Ooh, that one sounds good shades..must ck it out. I don't think I'd want too much of the bay in there though.

[teardrop]

Teardrop, I didn't know Lucy B. had an amber scent. I'll have to try that next time I get to Anthropologie. I respect this line of fragrances; they make affordable rollerballs (dontcha wish everybody did?), and the description sound real nice:

Oh do try it Quarry, it really is lovely & certainly affordable!

[pinkjewel]

Yesterday, I was in Alkemia's "Ghost Fire" which is listed as being made up of white ambers. To me it is a very pretty, light, slightly spicy, vanilla skin scent. Can someone explain to me how white amber compares to regular amber?

[Quarry]

Yesterday, I was in Alkemia's "Ghost Fire" which is listed as being made up of white ambers. To me it is a very pretty, light, slightly spicy, vanilla skin scent. Can someone explain to me how white amber compares to regular amber?

I know only what the "interwebs" teaches me. My curiosity about different ambers was sparked by the note list for one of my fave Guerlains: With Love --

pink pepper, quince,wild rose, mandarin flower, wild lily, freesia, blond amber and sandalwood.

I have not found an explanation for what characteristics would quality a scent at blond amber or, even more peculiarly, white amber.

Perhaps some of BN's amateur/professional perfumers know the answer.

Here's web info:

From a Basenotes post: perfume amber, which is often confused with mineral amber. Perfume amber isn't any kind of fossilized sap; it's a solid perfume, typically composed of labdanum, benzoin, and beeswax, with any number of other ingredients as the maker desires (patchouli, frankincense, and vanilla being probably the most common). The scent is heavy, resinous, and sweet, but not particularly like ambergris. It's also possible to extract an amber oil from the solid, or to construct an amber oil by using extracts of the resin ingredients.

From Wikipedia: Scent of amber and amber perfumery

In ancient China it was customary to burn amber during large festivities. If amber is heated under the right conditions, oil of amber is produced, and in past times this was combined carefully with nitric acid to create "artificial musk" – a resin with a peculiar musky odor.^[42] Although when burned, amber does give off a characteristic "pinewood" fragrance, modern products, such as perfume, do not normally use actual amber. This is due to the fact that fossilized amber produces very little scent. In perfumery, scents referred to as “amber” are often created and patented^[43][44] to emulate the opulent golden warmth of the fossil.^[45] The modern name for amber is thought to come from the Arabic word, ambar, meaning ambergris.^[12] Ambergris is the waxy aromatic substance created in the intestines of sperm whales and was used in making perfumes both in ancient times as well as modern. The scent of amber was originally derived from emulating the scent of ambergris and/or labdanum but due to the endangered status of the sperm whale the scent of amber is now largely derived from labdanum.^[46] The term “amber” is loosely used to describe a scent that is warm, musky, rich and honey-like, and also somewhat oriental and earthy. It can be synthetically created or derived from natural resins. When derived from natural resins it is most often created out of labdanum. Benzoin is usually part of the recipe. Vanilla and cloves are sometimes used to enhance the aroma.
"Amber" perfumes may be created using combinations of labdanum, benzoin resin, copal (itself a type of tree resin used in incense manufacture), vanilla,Dammara resin and/or synthetic materials.^[42]

[Guest 3]

Lilybelle, I too feel stifled (like being trapped in a closet full of old clothes in August!) when I wear amber-rich scents. Today for amber SNS, I'm wearing Rolf Schweiger's (for Hermes) Eau des Merveilles. For those who don't know it, EdM is a light, woody-amber fragrance.

I forgot about that one, Eau des Merveilles is very nice...also Prada L'eau Ambrée. There are some ambers that I can wear, but I suppose I prefer them on the sheerer side. I like Prada by Prada, the original one, with lots of amber & patchouli. It is dense and sweet but not as suffocating to me as say...Obsession or some amber perfume oils that I've tried. I'm in Chantilly again today, which has the powdery amber with benzoin and vanilla. Even with the wikipedia entry, I'm still confused as to which component of amber is the one that makes me feel a bit stifled.

[pinkjewel]

I know only what the "interwebs" teaches me. My curiosity about different ambers was sparked by the note list for one of my fave Guerlains: With Love --

pink pepper, quince,wild rose, mandarin flower, wild lily, freesia, blond amber and sandalwood.

I have not found an explanation for what characteristics would quality a scent at blond amber or, even more peculiarly, white amber.

Perhaps some of BN's amateur/professional perfumers know the answer.

Here's web info:

From a Basenotes post: perfume amber, which is often confused with mineral amber. Perfume amber isn't any kind of fossilized sap; it's a solid perfume, typically composed of labdanum, benzoin, and beeswax, with any number of other ingredients as the maker desires (patchouli, frankincense, and vanilla being probably the most common). The scent is heavy, resinous, and sweet, but not particularly like ambergris. It's also possible to extract an amber oil from the solid, or to construct an amber oil by using extracts of the resin ingredients.

From Wikipedia: Scent of amber and amber perfumery

In ancient China it was customary to burn amber during large festivities. If amber is heated under the right conditions, oil of amber is produced, and in past times this was combined carefully with nitric acid to create "artificial musk" – a resin with a peculiar musky odor.^[42] Although when burned, amber does give off a characteristic "pinewood" fragrance, modern products, such as perfume, do not normally use actual amber. This is due to the fact that fossilized amber produces very little scent. In perfumery, scents referred to as “amber” are often created and patented^[43][44] to emulate the opulent golden warmth of the fossil.^[45] The modern name for amber is thought to come from the Arabic word, ambar, meaning ambergris.^[12] Ambergris is the waxy aromatic substance created in the intestines of sperm whales and was used in making perfumes both in ancient times as well as modern. The scent of amber was originally derived from emulating the scent of ambergris and/or labdanum but due to the endangered status of the sperm whale the scent of amber is now largely derived from labdanum.^[46] The term “amber” is loosely used to describe a scent that is warm, musky, rich and honey-like, and also somewhat oriental and earthy. It can be synthetically created or derived from natural resins. When derived from natural resins it is most often created out of labdanum. Benzoin is usually part of the recipe. Vanilla and cloves are sometimes used to enhance the aroma.
"Amber" perfumes may be created using combinations of labdanum, benzoin resin, copal (itself a type of tree resin used in incense manufacture), vanilla,Dammara resin and/or synthetic materials.^[42]

Hmmmmm... that makes it clear as mud,doesn't it?? (LOL)

[Evangeline]

Well, lilybelle mentioned it but since nobody showed up in Obsession I thought I'd better do it. I've paired it with a bit of Kiehl's Original Musk oil to see what would happen and fortunately, I'm very pleased with the sultry result ...sort of skanky, but mostly velvety, smooth and luxurious with a soft, furry sun-warmed belly.

[Guest 3]

Evangeline, I can see the two of those working very well together.