Skip to main content

Black Amber Eau de Parfum by Agonist

Image
By
Incense, Prune, Red Algae, Labdanum, Vetiver, Tobacco, Incense, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Amber, Vanilla, Sandalwood.

Black Amber is akin to something Serge Lutens would collaborate with Amouage. It is weird but compelling, yet I'm still undecided due to the price point of this house. At $195.00 for a 50ml. bottle, most of us working stiffs have no choice but to be astute in our choices.

The smoke in Black Aber's opening  is camphorous and the incense provides a mentholated quality at the core of the fragrance. It is evident upon initial application and on me, it is the spirit the remainder of the composition is built upon.

I recently acquired the Agonist line in sample form and decided to begin with Black Amber. I suppose I'm a fan of quite a few orientals, but Black Amber doesn't fit into this genre neatly.

The top accord of Black Amber sets the stage with soft smoke, camphor and subtle earth tones. It's full bodied and wears like a substantial scent. Black Amber may be a misnomer since the gist is mentholated incense morphing into woods, mild patchouli and vanilla.

The extended drydown provides me with a mellow labdanum, but I can't say I'm disappointed in any way that the amber note isn't showcased. My wearings of Black Amber give me the expectation that the rest of the line should be as rich and well executed as this.

My one reservation is the price point, but I have that same concern with any house charging these prices. I can't say I like Black Amber enough to dig into my pocket, but that aside, on its own merit it is a good fragrance.

To sum it up, I can surmise that Black Amber would perform well for all those who gravitate towards smoke and incense dominant fragrances. It does have a twist however, due to the implementation of menthol.

Sillage is acceptable with longevity being approximately 6 hours on my skin. The amber quality does finally emerge, but long into the life of the scent. Thumbs up from Aromi for Agonist's Black Amber. The recommendation to sample first is strong.
Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 1, 2012 at 12:52 PM

    This sounds wonderful!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UndinaNovember 2, 2012 at 1:06 AM

    I will definitely give it a try if I come across it (well, it would be nice to test the whole line) but I'm not sure if I want to like it or not: it is an expensive perfume and do I really need another amber which isn't amber...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oriental Lounge by The Different Company

By
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...
4 comments
Read more

Black Suede by Avon

By
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...
1 comment
Read more

Paco Rabanne Pour Homme

By
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...
2 comments
Read more