Discussion of all things Amber

[Hypnophilia]

Incidentally, I tried Jacob's Ladder and The Maltese Cross of Sanctus Germanus in the last days, and when dried completely, MC is a very sweet, feminine amber with only a faint touch of floral, incense and wood (no more orange as soon as it's dry, and it was very subtle to begin with). The wet stage was not perfect, with a hint of soapiness, but now it's pretty good, only too sweet for my personal taste. I'm wondering if amber will always develop this unwanted sweetness on me - in Jacob's Ladder, I had the Tonka and Benzoin to blame, but Maltese Cross should contain nothing that can go *that* sugary?

 

Are there any amber blends that are *not* sweet and not oriental/spicy, but also not smelling like men's cologne?

Edited November 17, 2008 by Hypnophilia

[Juushika]

Are there any amber blends that are *not* sweet and not oriental/spicy, but also not smelling like men's cologne?

Perhaps:

 

The Lion, The dry, glorious warmth of the Savannah. A golden, spiced amber, proud, regal and ferocious. The spices are light, and perhaps they'll more counteract potential sweetness than be outright spicy. It has a warm, dry-grasses feeling which makes it dry rather than sweet.

 

or

 

Leo 2007, Egyptian amber, walnut bark, chamomile, frankincense, and saffron. Similar to The Lion, it's a golden warm dry amber, and the bark, chamomile, and herbs may counteract potential sweetness with a touch of herbal dryness.

[Hypnophilia]

The Lion, The dry, glorious warmth of the Savannah. A golden, spiced amber, proud, regal and ferocious. The spices are light, and perhaps they'll more counteract potential sweetness than be outright spicy. It has a warm, dry-grasses feeling which makes it dry rather than sweet.

 

or

 

Leo 2007, Egyptian amber, walnut bark, chamomile, frankincense, and saffron. Similar to The Lion, it's a golden warm dry amber, and the bark, chamomile, and herbs may counteract potential sweetness with a touch of herbal dryness.

 

Thank you for your recommendations, sounds like these could indeed work - I'll be sure to try them!

Edited November 17, 2008 by Hypnophilia

[Schmoozy]

I just can't get enough amber these days as well. I never picked up a bottle or 10 of Jacob's Ladder when it was available in '06, so I am very, very happy to see it return this year.

 

I was however, frimped with a decant of JL'05, and it is so damn beautiful. I have been slathering it like crazy, but I need to stop or else it will be all gone.

 

Leo 2007 is one of my coveted amber scents. It is simply beautiful. As is L'Estate.

[blacklacestatic]

I ordered my Jacob's Ladder today! Along with some Snake Charmer. My two current fave amber blends are Anactoria and Brisingamen. One's drop dead dangerously sexy, the other is soft and sweet. An amber for every mood and occasion, that's what I'm after!

[stardust]

Has anyone compared Jacob's Ladder '05 to this year's yet? The '05 is definitely one of my very favorite scents--possibly my favorite--and I've been savoring it slowly. I'm sure I'll break down and get a bottle of '08; I was just curious.

[kjirstiben]

You know, I'm wearing Gelt today, and was shocked by how strongly amber it is... For all that it goes on smelling like fudge brownies, once the chocolate burns off (which it does in less than an hour), it's pure amber... amber like the solid single-note perfume that I got long, long ago and loved. Has anyone else tried it?

[blacklacestatic]

You know, I'm wearing Gelt today, and was shocked by how strongly amber it is... For all that it goes on smelling like fudge brownies, once the chocolate burns off (which it does in less than an hour), it's pure amber... amber like the solid single-note perfume that I got long, long ago and loved. Has anyone else tried it?

 

Yes! For me It takes a lil while longer to get there, but when it does, it's sweet amber heaven.

[alicia_stardust]

Has anyone compared Jacob's Ladder '05 to this year's yet? The '05 is definitely one of my very favorite scents--possibly my favorite--and I've been savoring it slowly. I'm sure I'll break down and get a bottle of '08; I was just curious.

 

There is an ever so slight difference but, IMO, I am nearly positive that 08 is going to age to be exactly the same as 05 is now. I'm hoarding a couple of 08 bottles for that reason. Each year I fear that Jacob's Ladder will never come back so I love having different generations in store.

[Dark Alice]

The amber is LOVELY in this 08 bottle....but it's so strong....and on the final drydown...turns to catpee/amber on my skin....does this bottle tone down with age...because I want this to work and I don't want to give it up! (I am asking those folks that have an 05' bottle about how it ages)

[alicia_stardust]

For me, as Jacob's Ladder ages, it gets a bit more sweet and golden. It starts to remind me of sticky little resin nuggets of amber. =)

[Schmoozy]

You know, I'm wearing Gelt today, and was shocked by how strongly amber it is... For all that it goes on smelling like fudge brownies, once the chocolate burns off (which it does in less than an hour), it's pure amber... amber like the solid single-note perfume that I got long, long ago and loved. Has anyone else tried it?

 

Yes! For me It takes a lil while longer to get there, but when it does, it's sweet amber heaven.

 

Oh thank heavens! I haven't tried Gelt yet, but I keep hearing many friends discuss how much they hate it.

I am worried a bit about the cocoa note, but both of you have reminded me to stay positive and wait to test it myself.

[kjirstiben]

Oh thank heavens! I haven't tried Gelt yet, but I keep hearing many friends discuss how much they hate it.

I am worried a bit about the cocoa note, but both of you have reminded me to stay positive and wait to test it myself.

 

It looks to me like a large number of the people who tried and hated Gelt were more interested in it as a foody, chocolate scent--which it only is at its beginning. I like the amber part of it a LOT better than the chocolate (while I love brownie batter, I'd rather not smell like it for long), which made Gelt work really well for me! It's not a lightweight amber, though--it's amber coming on strong (and sweet, and golden, and delicious).

 

I hope it works for you, too!

[odalisque]

It's so weird how different amber blends work differently on the same people. BPAL amber has never ever worked on me without turning into baby powder, but I tried an imp of Brisingamen without reading the description and fell in love. It's gorgeous amber goodness.

[Dark Alice]

I am just about ready to give up! I love the smell of amber...but my skin has other things to say! It goes from sweet gorgeous amber to Catpee! I do have better luck with scents that only have amber as one of the many components. Does anyone have any suggestions? Please help because as of now...I am ready to give up!

[Juushika]

I am just about ready to give up! I love the smell of amber...but my skin has other things to say! It goes from sweet gorgeous amber to Catpee! I do have better luck with scents that only have amber as one of the many components. Does anyone have any suggestions? Please help because as of now...I am ready to give up!

What amber blends have you tried? How and where have you applied them? There are different sorts of ambers, which may each behave differently on your skin. Sometimes I find that if I over-apply some amber-heavy blends, they go powdery—those may require a more gentle hand. And you could always try them in a scent locket, on your hair, or on a hidden scrap of cloth, where the scent can warm and waft without reacting to your body chemistry.

 

If you're looking for more ambers to try, I would reach far and wide for remarkably different amber based blends to see if certain parts of the spectrum work better than others. For example...

 

Ambergris (a salty, light, amber-like): Masquerade, Patchouli, ambergris, carnation and orange blossom. The small selection of notes really showcases the ambergris. Perhaps Lyonesse, Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss, where it's one note among many in the softly-aquatic of ambergris.

 

Egyptian amber (in my BPAL experience, a lighter golden amber, slightly cedary): Leo 2007, Egyptian amber, walnut bark, chamomile, frankincense, and saffron.. The only GC to contain it is Hollywood Babylon, The essence of innocence shattered: glittering Egyptian amber and heliotrope, infused with the sweetness of strawberry and vanilla - dragged into debauch by lusty red musk and a dribble of black cherry.

 

Black amber (as implied: dark amber, rich and shadowed): I've actually not tried any from BPAL, so here's the full list. Lucretia looks great, Iris, black amber, sage, Kashmir wood, vanilla musk, mandarin and violet.

 

Grey amber: Another I've never tried; I'd look to Lyonesse, as it may be similar to ambergris, and here's the full list.

 

Golden amber (that softly glowing amber, BPAL's most common specific amber variety): Jacob's Ladder, golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka, a beautiful glowing golden epitomic amber. For GC, Haunted, Soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk.

 

Just amber (the general, unspecific variety; I think there's some overlap here with golden amber in particular): The Lion, A golden, spiced amber, proud, regal and ferocious. O, Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla. Bastet, Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus. This is also where you're most likely to find amber medleys: Brisingamen, five ambers, soft myrtle and apple blossom, myrtle, and carnation. And you'll find amber as a supporting figure, but of those there are simply tons.

 

And there's gilded amber, amber musk, brown amber, blonde amber, red amber, rose amber, white amber, Tunisian amber, Nepalese amber, Sudanese amber, each appearing once or a handful of times in the BPAL catalog. Golden amber and "just" amber are the most common, and they're probably that golden, slightly sweet, gorgeous resin that you like—and have tried. It is possible that golden amber will always go bad when it interacts with your skin chemistry. But, because there are so many blends, because there may be different formulations, because there are other notes to temper it, or just because there many be a random exception to you skin's no-amber rule—you really don't know what works until you try.

 

I would ... Try selection of different varieties, to see if something like dark amber or Egyptian amber behaves better on your skin than golden amber. I would try a handful of different golden/plain ambers (Jacob's Ladder, Haunted, and The Lion are each very different on my skin while still being personal favorites and strong ambers) to see if they all react the same. Try applying more or less to see if that changes the reaction on your skin. Keep your eye open for amber as a supporting character, and don't rule that out just because you have a problem with strong amber. And if all that fails, I'd try a scent locket or my hair, because amber is just too good to go without.

 

Good luck! I know I've written a novel, and I'm sorry, but hopefully it helps.

[Schmoozy]

Oh thank heavens! I haven't tried Gelt yet, but I keep hearing many friends discuss how much they hate it.

I am worried a bit about the cocoa note, but both of you have reminded me to stay positive and wait to test it myself.

 

It looks to me like a large number of the people who tried and hated Gelt were more interested in it as a foody, chocolate scent--which it only is at its beginning. I like the amber part of it a LOT better than the chocolate (while I love brownie batter, I'd rather not smell like it for long), which made Gelt work really well for me! It's not a lightweight amber, though--it's amber coming on strong (and sweet, and golden, and delicious).

 

I hope it works for you, too!

 

Thanks for weighing in. I also think you nailed it on the head (re: people wanting Gelt to be Foody.) While chocolate/cocoa works with my skin chemistry, I much prefer how it adds another dimension to scents (ie: Boomslang) rather than smelling like chocolate factory, which tends to make me sick after a few hours. I love that you described it as strong amber. Now that is what I am looking forward to.

 

What oils have you tried Dark Alice?

[Dark Alice]

To answer the previous question, I have tried lyoness, the lion, Mr. Ibis....which really does work for me, and I have tried bastet once....But I have never tried some of the others that you suggested. Thank you ever so much!!!! After re testing my Mr. Ibis I realized that I it has egyptian amber....and that it really does love me. (I forgot I had the bottle!) I also had two imps of lyonesse lying around, so I tried one.....it went over quite well...and it's not stinky! But it does have some throw! So I think I am going to give a bottle a try! Ambergis never works for me....but I now think I am going to re-explore the lab's website and try to find some more smellies with Egyptian amber! Thanks for all help!!!

Edited December 1, 2008 by Dark Alice

[ivyandpeony]

just reminding the amber-maniacs to go order Jacob's Ladder before it disappears in a few days! It's my favorite for pure sweet amber.

[loladae]

I do love amber because it's so comforting, and though I've found a few that are wonderful I'm still looking for more.

 

I've tried Inez which I love initially. I'm guessing it's the 'golden amber' I love, although I haven't tried that many different kinds and I'm trying to branch out. This one was like yummy cookies but it faded and went off on my skin. The Lion is my favorite, though I think I got an aged imp...it's just so simple and warming. I haven't tried it in a while so I should compare to Inez Haunted was in my first order and I didn't like it. It was powdery and old. O was too sweet and it went off on my skin. Cytherea wasn't interesting and I thought it was okay but it didn't leave much of an impression. Eisheth Zenunim too. I didn't like the amber (or scent really) in Hollywood Babylon Lyonesse is beautiful. It's definitely on my top three (along with The Lion and Inez) for amber scents. I can't remember any moer off the top of my head...

 

have any suggestions for more amber scents to try?

[Alchemist]

Last year a friend of mine brought me amber in solid form from Persia which was excellent... It was a soft, light, a bit powdery and sweet amber It really lingers in the memory, I haven't smelled anything like that before.

 

Now, I'm looking for an amber note like that among bpal oils..Any suggestions?

[jizatt]

my two favorite ambers right now that seem to capture that sweet (although not powdery on me) amber effect: the Girl and Brisingamen. The Girl manages to be cold, while Brisingamen is sticky warm

[ImperatrixMundi]

Oh, Amber, my love...

Ever since reading a comic book where my favourite character burns amber incense I wanted to know what it smells like. Turned out I love it! Apart from BPAL amber blends I also bought some solid amber from India, it is a crumbly resin blend which comes in a little wooden box with holes in the lid. When I burn it it smells mostly of benzoin, the Benzoe Sumatra kind, and has the same biting smoke. But when I touched it and sniffed my fingers it turned into a scent very sililiar to the amber in Hay Moon or Mr. Jaquel. Which is warm, soft, rich and golden and not the extremely powdery variety at all. Anyways, those are the two amber scents I so far like the most and that have an amber note similiar to the solid amber I have, which might still be very different from other solid amber mixtures.

 

Weirdly, while I was expecting lots of amber goodness from Brisingamen I was severely disappointed, my imp was all CARNATION, front and center, with a little powder sprinkled on top. But I guess that must really be a chemistry issue with the amber and carnation in this blend.

[sqwook]

bumping this thread to say: Helios !

 

Delicious ambery wonderfulness on me. Gaaahhhhhh.....

[Chrysantza]

Amber is a favorite of mine - Khajuraho has it, so does Brisingamen, the Lion, and Moscow. Back in the day, I would get amber distilled in jojoba oil from Body Time and wear that on its own.

 

I love the carnation note in Brisingamen, but it does go more ambery on me - however, my skin amps any and all resins.