Top Notes 
Green leaves
Calabrian bergamot
Galbanum
Heart Notes 
Coriander seed
Jasmine
Base Notes 
Vanilla
Amber
Musk
StinkSultan
49 Reviews
StinkSultan
Helpful Review
5
A Quickly-Fading Touch of Character
Unlike many freshies out there which stick to the basics like ticks, offering uninspiring blends of citruses, aquatic, and some aromatic notes, Ambra Calabria takes a slight deviation for which it earns my respect.
It opens with a crisp and grassy freshness, accompanied by a citrusy edge which fades away rather quickly. But the galbanum immediately takes its place, which adds its distinctive complexity of warm, green woodiness, with a balsamic quality and hints of pine. There's a mild bitter undertone as well. Very pleasant and different opening from some of its peers.
Soon we are met with an unmistakable yet quite common smooth, rich, sweet-floral jasmine. It comes hand-in-hand with bright but understated spicy freshness, with slight hints of citrus and orange zest. That's the coriander seed, a note which I don't meet too often, yet I wish I did. In combination with the jasmine and the remaining galbanum from the opening, I get a very clean and "soapy" vibe, with some creaminess which would only be accentuated by the base.
The base, however, is anything but distinct. It's the classic mishmash of vanilla, amber, and musk, which translates to basic and unimpressive. These become properly prominent about 20 minutes or so after spraying, with the musky warmth dominating. The amber brings some resinous sweetness, while the vanilla itself is not very pumped up; it pushes through more noticeably later in the dry down. But still, as it is the case with most other vanilla/amber/musk bases, they lack strength, striking me as mild and faint, which is not exactly what the base notes are supposed to be. Also, the whole composition could've benefitted from some slightly better blending, as I feel that the notes are fairly easy to pick up on their own.
In terms of longevity, I really hoped for better. Ambra Calabria barely makes it to the 5 hour mark on my skin, contrasting the significantly better performance others around here get, pointing out to my poor skin chemistry once more. Projection is just as unfortunate - I get about 1 foot of projection across the first hour, settling closer, barely projecting afterwards. The first ten minutes after spraying, however, deliver a strong 2 feet of projection and a prominent sillage. That's just about the case with every fragrance at its opening, though.
Automatically, all of these - fresh, green, inoffensive scent, and poor performance - imply very good versatility. There's really not a place, context, or season where I would find this fragrance as "inappropriate".
Still, I don't love Ambra Calabria. It's just a pleasant scent with a few distinct qualities that make it stand out from other fresh/green fumes. But do these distinct qualities justify the $200 price tag? I wouldn't say so. While the opening might catch your attention, striking you as a slightly different take on a freshie, the dry down just leaves me wanting a little more; a more worthwhile base. Nonetheless, I'd say Ambra Calabria is worth a try either way. You'll either like it or love it, but it's a hard scent to hate.
Overall Rating: 5.2/10
It opens with a crisp and grassy freshness, accompanied by a citrusy edge which fades away rather quickly. But the galbanum immediately takes its place, which adds its distinctive complexity of warm, green woodiness, with a balsamic quality and hints of pine. There's a mild bitter undertone as well. Very pleasant and different opening from some of its peers.
Soon we are met with an unmistakable yet quite common smooth, rich, sweet-floral jasmine. It comes hand-in-hand with bright but understated spicy freshness, with slight hints of citrus and orange zest. That's the coriander seed, a note which I don't meet too often, yet I wish I did. In combination with the jasmine and the remaining galbanum from the opening, I get a very clean and "soapy" vibe, with some creaminess which would only be accentuated by the base.
The base, however, is anything but distinct. It's the classic mishmash of vanilla, amber, and musk, which translates to basic and unimpressive. These become properly prominent about 20 minutes or so after spraying, with the musky warmth dominating. The amber brings some resinous sweetness, while the vanilla itself is not very pumped up; it pushes through more noticeably later in the dry down. But still, as it is the case with most other vanilla/amber/musk bases, they lack strength, striking me as mild and faint, which is not exactly what the base notes are supposed to be. Also, the whole composition could've benefitted from some slightly better blending, as I feel that the notes are fairly easy to pick up on their own.
In terms of longevity, I really hoped for better. Ambra Calabria barely makes it to the 5 hour mark on my skin, contrasting the significantly better performance others around here get, pointing out to my poor skin chemistry once more. Projection is just as unfortunate - I get about 1 foot of projection across the first hour, settling closer, barely projecting afterwards. The first ten minutes after spraying, however, deliver a strong 2 feet of projection and a prominent sillage. That's just about the case with every fragrance at its opening, though.
Automatically, all of these - fresh, green, inoffensive scent, and poor performance - imply very good versatility. There's really not a place, context, or season where I would find this fragrance as "inappropriate".
Still, I don't love Ambra Calabria. It's just a pleasant scent with a few distinct qualities that make it stand out from other fresh/green fumes. But do these distinct qualities justify the $200 price tag? I wouldn't say so. While the opening might catch your attention, striking you as a slightly different take on a freshie, the dry down just leaves me wanting a little more; a more worthwhile base. Nonetheless, I'd say Ambra Calabria is worth a try either way. You'll either like it or love it, but it's a hard scent to hate.
Overall Rating: 5.2/10
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