I have already attended a perfume workshop at the Parfümbar twice and regularly order fragrance ingredients to mix my own perfumes. Once, Bibi sent me a sample of her Ambra.
When looking at the fragrance notes (on her homepage), the "hot asphalt" (listed as coal here on Parfumo, but it definitely smells like asphalt!) immediately stands out. I've really never seen anything like this, but do you really want to smell like hot asphalt?
The scent:
The opening is pleasantly floral with a slight freshness (perhaps from the grapefruit, even though I don't smell a distinct citrus note). The asphalt accord already plays a prominent role in the top notes, but it is not yet hot.
The fresh-floral aspect recedes a bit, and now I can really smell the asphalt, heated by the sun, with the air beginning to shimmer above it. A slightly fine floral note remains, forming the heart of the fragrance, accompanied by a light sweetness.
After about 1 hour, the asphalt scent disappears, leaving behind this beautifully balanced, powdery floral aroma, with a light sweetness and a hint of spice (probably the clove). I find this heart of the fragrance wonderfully harmonized and extremely successful.
As the scent develops, the flowers become weaker, leaving behind powderiness and light sweetness, likely from the musk, with a very subtle hint of cedarwood in the background. The fragrance becomes very close to my skin, until after about 7 hours not much remains.
Now, the asphalt accord is certainly intriguing and gives the fragrance something extraordinary, but it also bothers me a bit. Perhaps it is a bit too strong, or maybe it wasn't necessary at all; I'm not quite sure. But the scent that remains after the asphalt has faded away after about 1 hour is wonderful, delicate, powdery, floral, and elegant. I just wish for a slightly stronger sillage; it seems more like a fragrance for the wearer themselves, and of course, it will be well perceived in close proximity, but probably not much further.
