2
Helpful Review
Amber Unadorned
AMBER UNADORNED might be a better name for AMBRE EXTREME, but I will say that this AP composition does have slightly better longevity than the typical offerings of this house. The problem with presenting a base such as amber with few other notes as embellishments is that there is a very real risk of boredom. To me, AMBRE EXTREME seems a bit like amber on sedatives: polite and calm.
The amber in this composition smells smooth, slightly sweet, and generally pleasant, but it leaves me wanting something more. I learned from reading a page from Ellena's forthcoming book (using the "look inside" app. at amazon) that vanillin generally features in labdanum amber (not animalic ambergris...) constructions, which would seem to imply that it does not add anything to this creation, in particular, beyond what already counts as a part of the amber itself.
Having worn AMBRE EXTREME for a while this evening, long enough to grasp that it was indeed a minimalist creation without any of the distractions which tend to make oriental perfumes so interesting, I reached for my bottle of BAL A VERSAILLES, with which it was of course fully compatible, being essentially part of the base of that perfume.
I am sure that this fragrance has its following, but as far as amber perfumes are concerned, I myself am more of a Serge Lutens AMBRE SULTAN or Histoires de Parfums AMBRE 114 type. If asked to select a J-C Ellena amber, I would definitely opt for Hermès AMBRE NARGUILE, which seems to me considerably more appealing than this one.
The amber in this composition smells smooth, slightly sweet, and generally pleasant, but it leaves me wanting something more. I learned from reading a page from Ellena's forthcoming book (using the "look inside" app. at amazon) that vanillin generally features in labdanum amber (not animalic ambergris...) constructions, which would seem to imply that it does not add anything to this creation, in particular, beyond what already counts as a part of the amber itself.
Having worn AMBRE EXTREME for a while this evening, long enough to grasp that it was indeed a minimalist creation without any of the distractions which tend to make oriental perfumes so interesting, I reached for my bottle of BAL A VERSAILLES, with which it was of course fully compatible, being essentially part of the base of that perfume.
I am sure that this fragrance has its following, but as far as amber perfumes are concerned, I myself am more of a Serge Lutens AMBRE SULTAN or Histoires de Parfums AMBRE 114 type. If asked to select a J-C Ellena amber, I would definitely opt for Hermès AMBRE NARGUILE, which seems to me considerably more appealing than this one.