Prada
Prada Amber
2004

Version from 2004
Prada (2004) / Prada Amber by Prada
Bottle Design Fabien Baron
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7.8 / 10 436 Ratings
A popular perfume by Prada for women, released in 2004. The scent is oriental-spicy. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by Puig.
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Main accords

Oriental
Spicy
Woody
Sweet
Powdery

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Bitter orangeBitter orange MimosaMimosa BergamotBergamot Mandarin orangeMandarin orange
Heart Notes Heart Notes
PatchouliPatchouli RoseRose
Base Notes Base Notes
LabdanumLabdanum ResinsResins SandalwoodSandalwood Tonka beanTonka bean VanillaVanilla

Perfumers

Videos
Ratings
Scent
7.8436 Ratings
Longevity
8.1328 Ratings
Sillage
7.6311 Ratings
Bottle
7.8317 Ratings
Value for money
7.986 Ratings
Submitted by Sani, last update on 11/01/2024.

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Reviews

14 in-depth fragrance descriptions
10
Sillage
10
Longevity
9
Scent
Greysolon

74 Reviews
Greysolon
Greysolon
Top Review 15  
The other Prada Amber for men
I've never cared for Prada’s masculine amber offering, Amber Pour Homme. I know, that view puts me in a distinct minority. Nonetheless, I dislike Pour Homme for the same reason I dislike so many other designer label fragrances: it seems as though elegance has been sacrificed for the sake of masculinity.

That brings us to the other side of the supposed gender divide and how I "discovered" Prada Amber.

Last week I was waiting for my wife as she shopped at a big box cosmetics outlet. I had stationed myself before the men’s fragrance display, which is my usual post in this particular store. I was bored. It’s a dingy, gray, soulless place and for as long as I can remember the same 2 dozen or so designer label fragrances have been the backbone of their men's collection. Even when a new item manages to crack the ranks it's relegated to a shelf at floor level forcing anyone over 5 feet tall to squat or crawl to see what gems might be lurking in the abyss. In recent months there has been extensive renovation and expansion to the rest of the store. Unfortunately the upgrades have bypassed the men's section and the same forlorn display continues to beckon piteously. Over time, I've reached the conclusion that this area was not designed to sell fragrances but is, in reality, a men's day care center. A place where guys intimidated by the sight of a cosmetics counter can safely hang out and not be approached by the scary sales associates. A place wives and girlfriends know where to look for their frightened charges when it's time to leave.

Anyway, after smelling Bvlgari Blv -again- and realizing it smelled the same last month, I noticed the women’s collection had nearly doubled in size as a result of the recent renovations. I was admiring all the new choices just across the aisle when I saw a tester of Prada Amber and decided to give it a spritz.

It was a revelation. I'm convinced that if somebody would park the tester on the men's side of the DMZ, Amber would be flying off the shelves.

Amber may be marketed as a feminine fragrance but it seems to fall comfortably within the bounds of being unisex. So gentlemen, if you’re looking for an elegant, distinctive amber don’t waste your time with Pour Homme. Nobody’s home. If you're considering an amber fragrance from Prada, this is the one.

Amber comes out of the bottle with deep, rich florals and dark, aromatic citrus. Not to worry, this is not a big floral or bright citrus opening; it's very balanced and blended. As Amber dries down the top notes part, making way for the tannic, dry tea aspect of bergamot which hints at the sandalwood to follow. At the same time, the citrus accord begins its sweet and sour oriental dance with the lower notes. Further into Amber's development the sandalwood emerges with an understated, dry, woodiness that blends perfectly with the arid qualities of the bergamot.

From application, all that development takes about an hour but the journey to the base is worth it. When the warm, resinous amber and vanillic accords finally well up out of the depths you're rewarded with a rich, luxurious fragrance.

I find Prada Amber unisex in the same vein as Diptyque offerings such as Volutes or 34 Boulevard St. Germain. It has the amber qualities of Volutes and the slightly powdery, cloud-like sillage of 34 BSG. However, Amber is a potent edp so I recommend going easy on the button. I was surprised just how much its projection and longevity outpaced a fragrance like Volutes. A single spritz keeps me cloaked in a pleasant cloud of scent for hours.
7 Comments
5
Bottle
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Ineverwas

45 Reviews
Ineverwas
Ineverwas
Helpful Review 8  
Modern oriental classic
I like this perfume very much and I feel it fits me better than many others.

The feeling I get from it is an inexplicable union between the urbane sophistication of a lively city and the wild call of a foggy, humid faraway forest. There is something enchanting about it, somehow poetical, like a melancholy feeling on a rainy autumn's day, looking through the window at the wet streets outside, watching the falling leaves dance as they swirl towards the ground. It makes you want to dream away, to lose yourself in a perfect emotion, a perfect state of mind.

The scent itself is quite versatile, in the sense that it manages to compliment a wide range of styles and personalities. It's a modern classic, cosmopolitan and sophisticated, sexy but intellectual, wise, intuitive, feminine and sensual, warm and deep but still free and untamed.

Prada is basically a woody oriental blend of rich amber and labdanum, sweet earthy patchouli and creamy vanilla. There's also a thick, rich sandalwood in the composition, somewhat similar to that in Samsara. All in all, very complex, dense and balmy.
0 Comments
10
Bottle
10
Sillage
10
Longevity
7
Scent
Sherapop

1239 Reviews
Sherapop
Sherapop
Helpful Review 6  
Rich Fruity Labdanum
Prada and I got off to a rocky start. When I first tested PRADA AMBER, I overapplied it and was frankly overwhelmed by the dense, dark, wine-like fruity opening. It's not quite the scent of wine, because it is much less sweet. But I'd say that it does come rather close to wine dregs. Suffice it to say that the opening is very intense.

My first encounter with PRADA AMBER was through a decant sent to me by a fellow fragrant traveler in New York City. Since she is a woman who in my estimation has excellent taste, I suspected that my problem with this perfume had something to do with me. With time, I realized that I needed to give PRADA AMBER another chance, and I am very glad that I did. I now regard this as a fine fruity amber perfume with a great deal of depth and complexity and a gorgeous labdanum drydown. There is much, much more labdanum here than vanilla, so much so that it actually smells to me closer to a straight-up labdanum than an amber perfume. Unlike many amber perfumes, the vanilla is not even detectable to my nose as an isolable note. The labdanum is central to this composition, and the patchouli is fairly strong as well, but again this is not a part of the post-ANGEL sweet patchouli pack at all. PRADA AMBER is unique.

I ended up liking this creation enough to eventually pick up a 50ml bottle, and I continue to pine for one of the stunning atomizer models. It's only a matter of time before I find one at what seems like an unbeatable price, at which point I'm sure that I'll snap it up. The Prada aesthetic is top notch when it comes to packaging. Fortunately the perfumes smell very good, too!

PRADA AMBER was selected along with eleven other perfumes by Chandler "Contingency Plan Man" Burr to be included in the Art of Scent exhibit currently being held at the Museum of Art and Design. On the other hand, PRADA AMBER was not so favorably received by the authors of The Holey [sic] Book, who appear to hate the house of Prada and every perfume they ever produced. I applaud Burr for having the guts to float as masterpieces of olfactory art a number of perfumes derisively dismissed by Turin & Sanchez as failures. Prada obviously does not jive with the Royal[ties] Couple's taste, above all their hatred of clean scents (Dolce & Gabbana LIGHT BLUE was awarded one star) and all things amber. Since everything from this house is either ambery or has a decidedly clean demeanor, it did not fare well. Burr has done much to resurrect the image of this perfume house, and I do not believe that it has been only a result of the fact that Puig is one of his major funders. Though I'm also quite certain that it didn't hurt.

What Burr's radical disagreement with the other two self-appointed "experts" shows, it seems to me, is that in fact, when it comes to olfaction, beauty does indeed lie in the nose of the sniffer! According to me, Prada has produced some excellent creations, and PRADA AMBER for her is certainly one of them, although it is not an easy perfume to wrap one's nose around, as it defies most of the usual categories. The quality of the materials is top notch, and there certainly could be much worse things than increasing the global sales of this perfume through proclaiming it to be a masterpiece of olfactory art. It's a good perfume, no doubt, but labeling it a work of neo-romanticism may be stretching things a bit.

Did the perfumers, Carlos Benaïm, Max Gavarry, and Clément Gavarry, and the house conceive of this perfume as anything more than a perfume when they launched it back in 2004? Of course not. Why we should appropriate the language of visual art for ephemeral scents is far from obvious to me. But that's a another story. The bottom line here, again, is that this is a fine and original oriental perfume.
2 Comments
SystemeD

58 Reviews
SystemeD
SystemeD
Very helpful Review 5  
Dear Prada,
My poor dear, I am so sorry. I know people speak ill of you. They just don't understand you, Prada. But as your good and loyal friend, I must tell you that it's your loud and unbalanced opening that puts people off. You come on so strong at first, and sometimes it's just too much. Your crazy, unexpected shout of greeting can be jarring to those who don't know you like I do.

When you screech like that at me, I know it is because you're glad to see me, and I also know from long experience that you'll calm down quickly.

You know, Prada, after you stop acting crazy, I can see a bit of resemblance to your more refined cousin, Coco Mademoiselle. But do you know what else I think? Your heart is sweeter than hers.

And after we have been together for a while, your elegant, rounded patchouli-drenched vanilla sandalwood base is a thing of beauty that I can not help but love.

Oh, Prada, don't pout. You will never win Miss Popularity, but that is not a bad thing. It means you are not common. Your true friends recognize your quality, and of course, you'll always be a cherished friend of mine.
2 Comments
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
7
Scent
Missk

1357 Reviews
Missk
Missk
Helpful Review 6  
Intense amber oriental
Prada is an extremely unusual fragrance. I certainly did not expect something like this from a popular and mainstream brand.

Prada is intense, spicy, rich, crisp and woodsy.

The fragrance opens with sharp woods and subtle hints of citrus. It immediately reminds me of the scent of freshly polished rosewood furniture.

The heart of this scent is somewhat crisp and fresh, yet the amber and spices balance this fragrance out nicely and add a delightful warmth. It also tends to have a grassy-like/damp forest finish which although odd is strangely appealing.

I'll agree that the amber and patchouli are particularly dominant in this fragrance, however the green notes and the honey soften the scent.

I wouldn't recommend this fragrance to overly feminine women, to me this isn't your typical flowery or sweet fragrance. A woman who wears Prada is edgy, confident and strong.

I find some similarities between this fragrance and Euphoria by Calvin Klein, however Prada lacks the sweetness of Euphoria and is much stronger in both sillage and lasting power.

I recommend that you try Prada if you're searching for a fragrance that is original, refined, classy, spicy/woodsy yet modern.
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