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

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...

Chanel copying Guerlain. Why?

Last month, I had the pleasure of trying Comète by Chanel, the latest addition to their prestigious Les Exclusifs line. This fragrance follows the release of Le Lion in 2020, another standout in the same collection. Like Le Lion , Comète is a beautiful perfume that captures the essence of Chanel’s refined elegance. However, both fragrances bear a striking resemblance to classic creations by Guerlain, leading me to ponder the direction Chanel is taking. Chanel has a great fragrance history. Not as hallowed and old as Guerlain but for past three decades it has far outshone Guerlain. In my view, no other perfume house has come close to Chanel’s excellence in this century. This makes their recent approach of echoing Guerlain classics somewhat perplexing. Have they run out of fresh ideas? Is Roger Dove at the helm of their fragrance division, or have they perhaps...

La Chasse Aux Papillons Extreme by L'Artisan Parfumeur

I read many reviews before or after I do my own and I seem to be at complete odds with the house of L'Artisan. I have previously said on basenotes that for me, L'Artisan Parfumeur is the most over-rated house I have come across. La Chasse Aux Papillons Extreme does nothing to sway that opinion. Yet another linear, floral dominant scent that does nothing to stir me up or inspire me in any way. This house has "pleasant" nailed down to an art form......but damn...can't we go beyond that? The only attempt at polarization so far has been Dzongkha ....and I found it a jumbled mess. At these prices, move me, anger me, hate me.......but please don't bore me. Extreme in a nutshell is a toned down tuberose with assorted "blossom" thrown in the mix. Is it bad? No, it's an acceptable floral scent that's very timid and just lays on my skin smelling like....well....a toned down version of tuberose with blossom this or that added to it. I'm almost a...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog