Amber Absolute by Tom Ford

From the moment you apply it until it settles, amber takes the lead. At first, it overwhelms you with that scent of old wood, super comforting; it reminds me of the doors of ancient churches. Then, as it dries, the game changes: the amber pairs beautifully with a touch of vanilla that adds immense depth. Projection and longevity are a solid 10.

This is one of the perfumes I crave the most to smell. Amber is my favorite note, and the perfumer is too; it promises so much, but unfortunately, it’s no longer available. Just a heads-up: the perfumer revealed the formula in their Instagram post on February 9, 2021. It has an incredible longevity with just 13-14 notes; I’m sure I’ll eventually try making it myself. It’s the best idea I’ve come up with to share here as a Christmas gift, happy holidays to everyone!

Incense, wood, and sweet. A wonderful fragrance if you like incense aromas, especially this one; with the sweetness of amber and vanilla, it’s spectacular. It smells unisex, though surely in other times they would have labeled it masculine. I love it, I enjoy it, and I share it with my husband, who also likes it.

As the name suggests, this is absolute amber, no half-measures, pure amber. The scent is linear, with not many changes, but it doesn’t need them; for people who love this type of aroma, we don’t need it to be complex or have a huge development. I’m simply satisfied and more than satisfied just enjoying the exquisite scent because it gives me what I’m looking for: amber, resins, and woods; I don’t need anything else. I wish I had found a perfume on incense like this one is on amber. Spectacular. The opening is a sweet, resinous, and warm amber, with the perfect touch of incense to smolder the fragrance and prevent the amber’s sweetness from becoming cloying, achieving a mystical, outstanding oriental aroma that instantly transports you to any magical corner of the Thousand and One Nights. Gradually, as it reaches its peak, it transforms into a creamy, woody amber, with just enough vanilla to not overpower and steal the spotlight from the amber, which remains the queen until the very end. A perfume with few notes executed masterfully; it’s one of those times you can say less is more. Longevity and projection are very, very good; it’s one of those perfumes that, when applied in the morning, stays intense until night without reapplication, with a heavy trail for over 4 hours and then moderate; you can’t ask for more. It’s an intense aroma, more suited to cold climates and for evening wear, but as I always say, when I like a perfume so much, I wear it whenever my body asks for it, hehe. The only drawback is the price, a bit out of place, but I admit it’s worth every penny, so I’ll keep my decant like gold.

My friend gifted me a mini bottle this morning for Christmas. Honestly, it features a very good, soft, and elegant incense, but the fragrance tries to mimic Annick Goutal’s Ambre Fetiche without quite succeeding, falling short in that regard. It’s also true it has far fewer notes than that one, so I’d recommend it for people who prefer a softer, perhaps more ethereal oriental scent. Competing with Annick Goutal’s masterpiece Ambre Fetiche is frankly difficult, even if the competitor is Tom Ford. It’s a very pleasant and good perfume overall, but if you don’t make the comparison, it loses a lot of points. In fact, I’m not going to switch my oriental anytime soon. But I’m very grateful to my friend for this opportunity today.