Musc et Madame Ambrette Rose Review (Linda Sivrican) + Byzantine Rose Draw

October 16, 2021October 16, 2021

Musc et Madame Ambrette Rose perfume bottle, photo by Cynthia Hunter©

I was thrilled to see Art and Olfaction Award winning artisan perfumer Linda Sivrican and her award winning perfume Parallax Olfactory Nimbus, featured in the “Behind the Bottle” interview by Sr. Contributor Hernando Patrick Courtright recently.

Linda Sivrican of Capsule Parfumerie photo by Hernando©

I have been smitten by this artisan brand and its eight lines for years now. I first became aware of her brands, all under the Capsule Parfumerie umbrella, in a fabulous fragrance shop called The Library in Abu Dhabi, UAE while sniffing with one of my best pals, Rachel Grot Watson and her husband Khaled, in 2018. The chic, modern presentation of her Fiele Fragrance line popped off the shelf with its minimalistic, clear, clean-lined bottles. But what was more striking was how each scent smelled so incredibly authentic and REAL – the soul of each ingredient was truly present in each scent. I was immediately hooked. Her summery, romantic, green floral Viola came home with me. So, I MUST to tell you about an absolute gem of hers by her brand Musc et Madame – Ambrette Rose.

Gustav Klimt the Kiss 1907 detail

Ambrette Rose is an opulent wave upon first spray – I recommend having a chair close by because it is swoon worthy. It vibrates with intense feeling and emotion, but is languorously smooth and silky, and downright indulgent. It transcends the now, reaching far back into time, grabbing intense emotions felt long ago that are still floating out somewhere in the universe, and bottles them. This is what ancient lovers must have anointed themselves with for one last rendezvous on warm furs by firelight, before going off to battle or some other quest, not knowing how long until, or if, they would meet again. The scent memory of this perfume would surely linger like an indelible tattoo upon the psyche and heart of parted lovers for vast amounts of time and distance. Musc et Madame Ambrette Rose is a veritable love potion that has a lavish, lush combination of 4 rose absolutes at its center that combine to glow with rich Byzantine bronze and gold splendor (she uses Egyptian, Bulgarian, Moroccan and Turkish roses – practically the whole Empire represented in roses!). I am a self-professed rose-lover so, ya know, I am an easy catch when a rose is this sultry, complex and dashing. Linda then marries the roses to ambrette.

Rose photo by Michelyn Camen©

Ambrette, also called musk mallow, is a botanical musk taken from the seeds of a type of hibiscus flower, so instead of the aggressiveness that can be found in animal musk, it is a delicate veil but with luxurious depth. This, with her other notes, makes for truly one of my favorite drydowns I have ever experienced – it’s reminiscent of the supplest leather…it’s amazing how the soft hum continues, and shimmers in the air around me for so long. It lingers on skin for hours and well into the next day. It’s not a loud or large sillage, it’s intimate – just myself and someone very near me can smell it. It’s perfect. To this rose/ambrette combination Linda adds civet, castoreum, ambergris, to amp up the animalic/dirty factor – the kind of dirty you want to be. Ambrette Rose’s animalic quality makes me think of of three other animalic musk beauties where ambrette is a player– Jovoy’s Rouge Assassin, Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan, and Frederic Malle’s Musc Ravageur. Muscs Koublai Khan is fabulously dark, heavy, some say filthy, and on the wild side. Musc Ravageur is a deliciously spicy, caramelly vanilla clad vixen I could take a bath in, and Rouge Assassin is so beguilingly subtle, it stings you and you don’t even know you’ve been stung, until you realized you are bewitched. Musc et Madame Ambrette Rose has elements of all three of these enchanting scents in her mix but is different too. With the roses painting everything velvet, and the addition of Oud, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver, patchouli, tonka bean absolute, pink pepper and bergamot completing this elixir of pleasure, the result is a hypnotic, bronzed, radiant effect that comes alive with body heat, and envelopes you in this gilded brocade lined with the softest fur, embroidered with ruby roses from silk thread.

detail of Gustav Klimt The Kiss©

The oud is achingly smooth, buttery and extremely well blended. Wearing this perfume, I feel like an exceedingly alluring, powerful, luxuriously outfitted empress; my silky, draped gown flowing behind me as I walk confidently toward my lover, or my adversary; I am capable of seducing/achieving anyone/anything I want in this striking beauty. In reality, I am actually in yoga pants working at my computer in my humble basement with a snoring cat on my desk, but none-the-less, I am going to SLAY it smelling like this.

All this pleasure, and Linda’s Capsule Parfumerie lines are cruelty-free, vegan, Phthalate and paraben free, and hand-made in Los Angeles, California. Now I don’t even feel guilty!

Notes: Bulgarian rose absolute, Moroccan rose absolute, Egyptian rose absolute, Turkish rose absolute, bergamot, pink pepper, tonka bean absolute, patchouli, vetiver, musk, vanilla, sandalwood, ambergris, castoreum, agarwood, civet and ambrette.

Disclosure: I’d like to thank Capsule Parfumerie for the bottle of Ambrette Rose; The opinions are my own.

Cynthia Hunter, Contributor

Thanks to the generosity of Capsule Parfumerie, we have a draw for a 50ml bottle of Musc et Madame Ambrette Rose (value: $165 USD) for one registered reader in the USA. You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed most about Cynthia’s review and a favorite perfume by Linda Sivrican Draw closes October 19, 2021

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