I suppose I sometimes think of amber as my scent, I feel a certain territorial quality for the note, I suspect it is because it is a note that from a young age has been a part of my life, a note that is always in the background. A note that I know blends well with my skin which is why it was so sad for me a few years ago to realize that chemistry of skin with amber had changed making my ambered fragrances take on overly sweet tarry note, but with time I have found some new loves in the amber category. So out of curiosity I decided to see all the amber fragrances I have and how I would categorize them and came to the conclusion that I am total amber nut:
Ambre Narguile by Hermessence- The ultimate amber pastry, completely defines the idea of amber being a pastry note.
Ambre Russe by Parfum d'Empire- A spicy narcotic decadent amber with a little bit of growling fur going through it.
Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens- An herbal narcotic amber, very cool and hot at the same time.
Baltic Amber candle by Voluspa- I beautiful smoky creamy amber with hints of pine and vanilla, one of the few candles I have repeatedly bought.
Blackberry Amber by Bath and Body Works- A juicy blackberrry amber patchouli combo, very intense.
Must de Cartier- What I like to call gingerbread amber with smoke and beautiful green notes.
Sensual Amber by Bath and Body Works- A chewy dried apricot amber that has a nice resinous vanilla drydown.
With Love by Hilary Duff- a coffeed piney creamy amber. Bizarrely good.
As you can see I am no perfume snob, I can appreciate high and low end.
image provided by artnet.com
image: Venice Amber Vine Trio by Julie Lazarus
The strange tiny month of February has ended. It was full of dramatic events and I for one am happy to be done with it. I found it very interesting to realize that my most reached for scent was Bath and Body Works Sensual Amber; the more I wear it the more I realize it has quite a floral creamy middle and that the opening of it reminds me of Burberry Brit Red.
Pretty spring makeup find that works for all seasons, so I have a hard time sometimes finding makeup, the combination of pale-skin and dark hair can sometimes be a conundrum. But I must say I am horribly impressed by Laura Mercier's First Blush Face Palette, the colors are really understated and yet instantly awaken the face, it instantly gives you a gorgeous glow and warmth.
I admit the for the last week I have been loving BBW's Sensual Amber body cream with its juicy chewy apricot opening and lovely use of smooth amber, the weather has warmed up so I have once again been reaching for lighter fragrances yesterday I wore Le Chasse aux Papillons and today I am reaching for my beloved osmanthus love Osmanthus Interdite. A strange tidbit fact although I consider osmanthus to be a summer scent it is fact an autumn blooming flower and in China they hold a festival centered around this autumnal flower. Of late I have found myself reaching back for 1990's female singer/song writers, its sad looking at the music scene right now and not seeing anyone really following in their steps well not entirely true I have found myself in love with beautifully dusky voiced young women coming out of Britain: Adele, Corinne Bailey Ray, Amy Winehouse (although the girl needs some serious help), and Duffy. Still I am sad with the American scene of music. So in continued celebration of 90's songstresses the ever beautifully voiced Sarah McLachlan:
