Amber Noir Eau de Parfum by Angela Flanders

This is the 2nd Angela Flanders I have sampled with Hungary Water being the first. Perusing her website, Angela seems extremely content to keep her output controllable. Her storefront ( I believe) is open only on Sundays and that has something to due with her locale in the United Kingdom. If I am mistaken about that, my apologies to Angela beforehand. She does have an online store that's sells samples as well as various bottle sizes and concentrations.

My initial impression of Amber Noir is a denseness similar to Laurie Erickson's creations. I happen to be a big fan of Laurie's work and Angela's rendition of amber is along those same lines. This scent truly is all about amber and unless you're a fan of that note, this may seem a tad linear.

Actually, it's more faceted than that, but amber is front and center from the initial application. I find it a bit resinous, dark, powerful and at the same time, restrained. It's sensual without being overtly sweet with a hint of smokiness. After 10 minutes, I get a very subtle tabac-vanilla undercurrent, but it's intermittent. The amber is of the deep, dry variety but never dusty. The scent remains this way on me for its entirety as just the volume lowers ever so slowly.

Fans of substantial amber should give this a test run. Amber Noir isn't sweet nor is it bitter. It has chosen the smoky resin road to reach its destination. Aromi has been on this road before.......and likes the ride. Thumbs up for Angela Flanders Amber Noir.

Comments

Oriental Lounge by The Different Company

Bergamot, Curry Leaf, Pepper, Red Rose, Tonka Bean, Labdanum, Satinwood. I suppose the first thing I noticed about Oriental Lounge is that as a man, this is a bit of a stretch to pull off. Since the core of Oriental Lounge is a powdery tonka and amber duo, it really does lean a bit too far feminine for me to wear. However, it would smell just as lovely on a woman and more appropriate as well. I bring this up simply because it's marketed as shared. I was wondering about the curry leaf. Actually, this "note" brought nothing to the table with the exception of possibly enhancing the pepper note just a bit. Even so, the pepper note itself was low key ( at least on me ) and both blended nicely with the citrus opening. From the onset of Oriental Lounge, it's unmistakable that this fragrance is.......well.....an oriental. From other opinions, I read some gripes about longevity, but it lasts on me quite awhile. This fragrance is uncomplicated and without much movemen...

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Paco Rabanne Pour Homme

I am reviewing the original Paco Rabanne Pour Homme ( circa 1973 ) thanks to a generous basenoter who sent it to me recently in a swap. He also sent me the current formulation in order for me to do a side by side comparison. The side by side resulted in what I had already imagined would be the case. Not that the newer formula is terrible by any means. The original version simply is better by being deeper and a bit more masculine. No......you shouldn't go to ebay searching for the vintage formula and paying stupid prices. It's simply a notch or two better than the current and noticeable by comparing the two in real time. Rabanne Pour Homme opens with a slight shimmer in conjunction with lavender, spices and a subtle woodiness. It's an old school introduction, however a good one. The lavender takes about 5 minutes to raise its volume and evolve into a soapy rendition. I dislike when a boatload of soapy lavender takes over a composition, but here it doesn't go over t...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog