L'Ambre de Carthage by Isabey

Cistus, Bergamot, Osmanthus, Jasmin Tea, Patchouli, Amber, Sandalwood, Olibanum and Musk.

L'Ambre de Carthage is an Eau de Parfum and exhibits a thick, swirling effect when applied. I'm unfamiliar with the house of Isabey, but L'Ambre is nice enough to warrant future samplings of other creations.

The labdanum is so front and center that it can be smelled before applying it. Once on skin, the labdanum and citrus spread out and create an inviting accord. Within a minute or so, the tea note and floral tones squeeze into the fray and the resiny spice that comes with it is very interesting. I love this part of the fragrance and only wish it could stay just like that.

The floral component in L'Ambre is exceptional. There's hints of sweet from jasmin and there's also balsamic undercurrents. The tea note seems to work rather well with this accord and I'm not exactly a fan of tea notes. When I find one I like, I give it praise like I'm doing now. L'Ambre is classified as a masculine, but guess what? Anyone could smell good wearing this.

After 20 minutes or so, the resin becomes a bit more obvious. There's intermittent hints of smoke, but nothing like that "ever-present sustain" that frankincense implements in other creations that you may have smelled. It's seemingly kept in the background here and it's an effective way to use it.

The woody aspect of L'Ambre is a bit on the anemic side, but the amber takes care of what the sandalwood has left undone. It's not a big deal as far I'm concerned since this is an amber fragrance after all. The patchouli is deep underneath all this action and lends just enough of an earthy element to keep L'Ambre from leaning too far on the sweet side. Just like in life, there's things unseen and unheard that make it all work.

Sillage is excellent as is the longevity. Fans of amber need to sample this one. Big thumbs up from Aromi for Isabey's L'Ambre de Carthage.

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