Gustav Klimft, the Blood of Fish
As many of you surely know, ambergris is a raw material which originates from the sperm whale. In Michelyn Camen's interview with perfumer Maurice Roucel he describes it as follows, "The whale is unable to eat something bigger than shrimps; the sperm whale is eating squid (calamari) which has a beak, like a parrot. He eats 100 at a time, it hurts its stomach and he is vomiting. It is disgusting. Nothing in the world smells this disgusting. Its black and liquid, you have never seen anything so vile, but year after year after year, the sun, wind and ocean transforms it into a solid like bleached stone. The smell now is gorgeous".- Maurice Roucel. However, real ambergris today is a rare and expensive raw material and modern perfumers often use synthetic (as ambroxan) or botanical alternatives.
Gustav Klimft, Frise Beethoven Peches
For me, animalic ingrediences in a fragrance brings deepth, complexity, skankiness and life. Different animalic notes, such as musk, civet, castoreum and even honey brings different kinds of depth to a fragrance, but for sure they make the fragrance standing out, come alive in a way non-animalic notes that only the most skilled masters of Natural and Botanical perfumes can emulate. Ambergirs and amber are at the heart of some of my most loved fragrances; Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, Montale´s Blue Amber, Farmacia SS Annunziata´s Ambra Nera and my most precious discovery, Shahrzad Palace Perfume´s Royal Ambar.
Amber is in my opinion very different from other animalic notes (synthetic or genuin) in the fact that a real deal amber scent is sensual, caressing, shiny, erotic (and at the same time happy, laid back and with a carefree aura) other animalic notes don´t contain such as musk, civet and castoreum which may be too animalic, skanky, wild and erotic for you or not suit a particualr occasion when you want a fragrance closer to the skin. For those who claim amber scents are ubiquitous, too sweet, and not edgy enough…sniff again. There is an amber scent for everyone's chemistry and preferences; find YOUR amber and you will be in love with its unique qualities..forever.
Montale´s Blue Amber didn´t bowl me over at first spritz, but little by little it won me over with it´s gentle caress and is among my favorite amber perfumes. Blue Amber is the one that whispers softly on my skin, like a wonderful aroma carried from miles away by a warm desert wind. The opening is a little sharp and medicinal, but once it settles into your skin, it´s a seamless blend of amber, patchouli and vanilla. One of the most comforting ambers I know of— powdery, gentle yet luxurious and sensual. From top to bottom notes, it doesn't change much and has impressive lasting power, at least about 12 hours. This is an amber fragrance for the 'not ready for prime time' perfumista — easy to wear; it is creamy, smooth and as delectable as the most delicious hazelnut cream.
Serge Luten´s Ambre Sultan is a totally different take on amber. It reminds me of an Arabian housewife overheating a frying pan and almost burning the aromatic spices of cumin, black pepper, I detect the heat of her labor in the fragrance's dry, sweaty note. Ambre Sultan isn´t as timid and gentle as Blue Amber. Ambre Sultan doesn´t whisper on my skin, but dances instead. When I´m wearing this on warm summer nights (we have some of those even in Sweden); I swear that my hips swings a little and that my skin feels burnt by the sun and darkens.
Oh, how sensual is Ambre Sultan? Very, but a quiet sensuality, not overpowering; I could wear it at a parental meeting at my kids' school without calling attention to myself. Ambre Sultan is sweeter and more full bodied then Blue Amber. The drydown surprises with smooth woody and resinous notes, as if amber wa a wild plant growing on exotic wood– a relative to oudh. Ambre Sultan is the most surprising of the amber scents I am reviewing today. Every new layer reveals a new phase in the scent.
Which is my personal favorite? It is from the Italian brand of Farmacia SS. Annunziata, Ambra Nera, which means Black Amber and that pretty much describes it. The opening is surprisingly fresh, with notes of eucalyptus and citrus. It´s not like the light shining through the darkness, it´s the other way around, the darkness slowly piercing the light and more and more of the fragrance becomes dark, sultry, warm, animalic and mystic.
Gustav Klimft, Goldfish
Ambra Nera is the most complex of them all. There is always another layer to unfurl in this magnificent fragrance which is like the dance of the seven veils. Notes of coconut wander by, as well as salty notes from the deep sea, and sweet notes with an almost burnt character; I am spell bound, I must get closer and closer. This is an amber for a mermaid princess (and maybe, not an amber for everyone). This is the penultimate amber for the amber 'freak'; it is sweet, salty, sensual, erotic, and almost too much. Not for the timid, as dichotomous as a merman or a mermaid.
Royal Ambar from Shahrzad Palace Perfumes is my own little private treasure. It´s a part of a kit of old Egyptian perfume oils I bought for practically nothing on Swedish Ebay. I didn´t expect much from them, but considering they seem to be about 50 years old they have held up well. Royal Ambar evokes an exotic marriage between Ambre Sultan and Ambra Nera. This is the dryest of my favorite ambers and also the most masculine. There is no doubt that this oil contains beach found ambergris. It smells like it´s blended with some citrus in the opening, some spices in the heart and some woody, smooth notes in the drydown.
Gustav Klimft, Kiss for the Whole World
It´s genuine, timeless and filled with a kind of raw, animalic power that few modern amber fragrances can compete with or compare to. It has the natural complexity of genuine ambergris, and it´s lasting power is incredible. The opening of this this fragrances is a bit murky, (which isn´t that strange since it´s vintage), but the drydown is pure bliss.. all atonce its creamy, smooth, soft, warm, golden. It´s heart beats in sync with mine.
No matter which amber scent is your favorite, really well made amber fragrances always have one thing in common; beneath the surface of the perfume hides a heart of gold.
Annelie Högild, Guest Contributor
Editor's Note: Meet Annelie Högild who calls herself a Swedish perfume nerd. Some of you may know her as "Rebella" her nom de plume. Annelie has a perfume blog "Confessions of a perfume nerd". We are thrilled that she is guest writing for CaFleureBon and are offering special draw.http://perfumenerd.blogspot.com/. I chose the art of Gustav Klimft as it evokes Amber in all its many forms.
One winner will receive a dram of the mysterious Royal Ambar from Shahrzad Palace Perfumes.
One winner wil receive samples of Amber Sultan, Blue Amber and Ambra Nera courtesy of www.luckyscent.com
Please leave a comment about this article, your favorite Amber scent onsite to be eligible for this draw. We realize that Royal Ambar will be in high demand, so it is not neccassry to specify it. Draw end February 8, 2010. Stay in the scent loop and LIKE us on Facebook or subscribe via RSS. We have a policy that you must email us, we don't contact you!