L'Ambre de Carthage opens on a much fresher note than I'd expect from an amber forward fragrance. The opening quickly makes way for an unexpected fruity note! Before this, I did not know any fragrance that involved osmanthus. Knowing now what osmanthus can do in a fragrance, I can say I'm a fan! The osmanthus is the definitive star of this composition. It works exceptionally well together with the labdanum and the sandalwood.
At first, the rather sweet osmanthus brings a peachy and milky facet to this labdanum heavy fragrance. Then, in the dry down, the osmanthus, together with the sandalwood, makes the fragrance move in a creamier direction. Surprisingly, it's at this stage that I can best detect the tea. To my nose, the tea here is somewhat like the representation of tea in the Serge Lutens fragrance Five o'clock au gingembre. In fact, this whole composition reminds me of that fragrance in specific and the Serge Lutens DNA in general.
Other than that, I can't say I notice either the patchouli or the olibanum. The performance is outstanding, though. It lasts a long time on both skin and clothing.
I will cherish my sample of this perfume. On the little box that came with it, it says 'Isabey', which hasn't been producing this fragrance for some time. I hope Panouge has been gentle on this lovely perfume and has kept the formulation the way it was when Isabey handed it to them. If you're a fan of Serge Lutens fragrances like Ambre sultan Eau de Parfum and Five o'clock au gingembre, you might like this one.
