L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême – It’s extrême-LY FBW (yeah, yeah, I did) - February 16, 2015 New Fragrance Listing
Image - L'Eau d'Ambre Extrême by L'Artisan - from profumo.de.com
I have a weakness for L'Artisan fragrances, after all it was their Passage d’Enfer that brought me back to niche perfumes. But I’m not just being swayed by sentiment here. L'Artisan fragrances are all well-crafted and made with the highest quality ingredients by some of the greatest perfumers around and as I write this, I can’t think of a single one that I don’t like.
I’ve seen some bloggers refer to them as ‘gateway’ frags, implying they are safe and sure and lack daring and edge. Maybe, but if chic, elegant and refined are safe and sure, then I am all in. From my first whiff of Passage d’Enfer to the scent of L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême rising from my skin right now, to the anticipation of the next release (Hint: Rose Privée in April) L'Artisan has become one of the fragrance houses that epitomizes French perfume to me.
Rose Privée is in the future, well, it’s in mine, so let’s talk about the present and L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême and to do that we have to go back to the past.
L'Eau d'Ambre by L`Artisan Parfumeur was launched in 1978. Light, warm and sexy, this amber addict happily wears this EdT, so when I discovered L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême EdP I was intrigued. A deeper concentration of a beloved amber frag? Hmm. I wondered: would I love it more than the EdT or would it be too much of a good thing and I’d pass it over in favour of the EdT? One wearing revealed a third option - L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême didn’t force L'Eau d'Ambre out of rotation, it just added another amber frag to it.
L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême opens with spices – fiery pepper, cozy cinnamon and nutmeg and sweet , resinous cardamom. It’s the cardamom that lingers on me the longest calling forth the most sheer, seductive amber accord I know - resinous, balsamy, smoky and sweet. Warm skin animates L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême, turning it into a seductive siren. When I’m not smelling my wrist, I want to. At the base, creamy vanilla intertwines with the amber so perfectly it tugs at my heart. It gets a little powdery too but sandalwood gives it dry, woody dimension that keeps the powderiness in check so that it wears well on men and women.
The drydown is a refined and beautiful amber. L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême is fairly minimalist and straightforward. It’s not as complex or heavy or challenging as some of the other ambers I love. And in a way, that’s what I like most about it – how it’s quiet, amber intensity creates pure olfactory pleasure.
Why delay pleasure?
L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême is listed in our Decant store. Decants are $5.00 for 1 ml.