AMBREINE
.circa 2014.
| Amber Accord Natural Botanical Perfume |
(and the myth of amber)
Before the advent of synthetic fragrances, there was only nature. Plants, animals, moss, shells, oils, nectar, waxes, and booze. The organic state of complex, mysterious, and magical miracles of earth. And of these organic materials, perfumes of all kinds were crafted.
In the lineage of perfumes that generated wider, more glamorous use and contributed to the future of what we now know as perfume classifications (or families), there is the Oriental perfume family. I mentioned this briefly in my previous post for my Mellis perfume. Oriental fragrances are built around a strong, voluptuous "amber" base, and then layered upon with lavish spices, florals, and citruses. I put quotes around "amber" because it is imaginary. It is an accord built from more than one ingredient to conjure a deep, creamy, resinous, sweet, sultry, sometimes powdery aroma that we have come to find familiar in items like Nag Champa incense, popular perfumes like Shalimar and Obsession, and "amber resin" often sold in esoteric shops which is a semi-soft resinous square that is highly fragrant and composed of several ingredients like resins, woods, and plant essences ( I don't know if there are synthetic ingredients in it). It is meant to be used in an aroma-necklace or rubbed onto the skin for perfume. There are oil based perfumes simply labeled as amber that are also common in indie shops, head shops, and health food stores.
Unfortunately, many of the aforementioned amber products are questionable in terms of ingredients, and they are somewhat flat (in my opinion) compared to the spectrum possible with amber accord plant ingredients. It also is important to mention that with the evolution of plant essence extractions, we now have access to an incredible real amber resin - fossilized amber - and it is one of my favorite aromatics. You will have found it in Nicotiana Rose, The Forager, and several others. It is also in Ambreine, It smells of the finest leather with dry, tenacious undertones of incense. It is deep and divine and adds significant depth to perfume.
Ambreine also can refer to ambergris - which has a long and fascinating history and present in perfumery, however it is not used in my Ambreine perfume. You can read more about this material online and in books by Mandy Aftel. For this perfume I have chosen to work exclusively with plant materials.
When I created several different perfume mods in Charna's class in 2014, I fell madly in love (again) with the amber notes, and in particular two main traditional accord structures: Mellis and Ambreine - two different styles of building an amber accord, and I set out to create my own signature versions of each to bring to you. Mellis (aka honey water) quickly became my most-worn perfume, and now Ambreine is showing no less addiction from me.
AMBREINE opens almost like a warm vanilla bourbon. It's bold sensuality is presented right from the beginning, with round, almost nostalgic notes like that of Bach's Cello Suite No. 1. (prelude) which melts a hardened mood and seduces the senses. As it warms on your skin, it strengthens, releasing the hum of meditative incense notes, subtle maple syrup, and curvy hidden florals. Tree resins and sweet gums trickle down the dark trunks of this imaginary amber forest, while crushed bergamot peel and orange blossom lifts the perfume to your nose. Ambreine wears long, softly revealing nuances of leather, cocoa, sandalwood, musk, and precious, costly agarwood, while remaining true to the alchemy of a harmonic amber accord where the individual notes bond to create something greater than the sum of its parts. It is a magic potion of scent.
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Find amber accords in MELLIS, SHAKTI, AMBREINE, FOREST FLORA, CONSORT, No 21 SANTAL RESERVE, GINGER JASMINE, CHANDRA, as well as retired fragrances like Forager, Nicotiana Rose, Lakshmi's Touch, and others.