Everyone compares this to Ambre sultan Eau de Parfum, and I’ll admit when I first smelled it on paper, I thought it was virtually indistinguishable from the SL classic, with only the drydown being subtly different (more transparent and vanillic, less woody). However, now that I’ve worn it properly on skin, I actually think the two scents are different enough that I can’t fairly compare them. They conjure up very different emotions and associations for me.
Where Ambre Sultan is a rather literal portrait of cistus labdanum (accurate and specific enough that it immediately brings me back to walking past a literal rockrose hedge that grew near my house), Ambra Aurea - despite having a similar scent profile - feels far more atmospheric.
It smells like dirt and musty old church and censers that haven't been cleaned in several hundred years. There’s a kind of sour, damp note that specifically conjures up the image of an ancient crypt. There’s dust and cobwebs and papers mouldering in neglected wooden cabinets. Actually there’s quite a lot of mould in this crypt.
Despite these haunting associations, Ambra Aurea is a relatively light, transparent fragrance, ultimately drying down to a quiet but stunning and very delicate frankincense. What little sweetness there is comes from the natural sweetness of that incense - no heavy vanillas here. As much as I think it’s unfair to compare this with Ambre Sultan, I will always favor a haunting atmospheric, so I think I can at least say this one will be getting more wear.
By the way, this smells EXACTLY like the incense they burn at my church. I've said that about a few fragrances, notably Series 3: Incense - Avignon, but I don't think any have quite captured the complexity, warmth and smokiness of that scent like this one does. IT'S SO GOOD.
P.S. there must be an incredibly high concentration of resins in this because it literally crystallises on the outside of the atomiser. The cap is hard to get off cause it's so sticky.
