fragrance

Annick Goutal Ambre Fetiche EDP Perfume Review

I’ve been very happy with the Annick Goutal Les Or*entalistes Collection. The collection is fairly simple, in fact, the house recommends layering them. I haven’t done that. I’m a layering wuss (but I’m recovering). I have found each fragrance very easy to wear and versatile; I don’t feel the need to layer. Ambre Fetiche is a warm, resinous fragrance with Russian leather. It’s a no-fuss amber.

Ambre Fetiche opens up almost like window cleaner mixed with incense powder. It’s a chemical incense. This chemical burn settles and I’m left with a smoky haze of incense resins and woods. Lots and lots of amber incense. After a few hours of wear, I get lots of leather, tanned leather. It’s a beautiful addition to this powdery, resin mix. It’s also a pleasant surprise. The dry-down, I’m talking hours and hours later, is a soft and sweet vanilla and orris powder. It reminds me of a sweet, smoldering incense. OK, think of Papier d’Arménie.

Don’t take me wrong, Ambre Fetiche is a “big” amber. It’s strong but not as strong as Tom Ford or Serge Lutens, but it isn’t some wispy Annick Goutal fragrance either. Ambre Fetiche has some <umph>; yet, it manages to be very wearable unlike those other “big” ambers. I think many people would feel comfortable wearing Ambre Fetiche during the day or during the night with a few generous sprays.

Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik

I love Ambre Fetiche; I like these laid-back ambers. Ambre Fetiche is good, but not my favorite amber. When I think of Ambre Fetiche as an amber, I say, “It’s good but there’s much better out there.” When I think of Ambre Fetiche as a leather, I say, “I need a bottle.” It’s an easy to wear leather. Leather mixed with sweet incense. This is good. Amber mixed with sweet incense is, well, a little boring.

Notes listed include benjoin, labdanum, geranium, patchouli, incense resin, styrax, iris, vanilla, and Russian leather.

Give Ambre Fetiche a try if you like amber or if you like perfumes like Tom Ford Tuscan Leather, Tom Ford White Suede, Prada Pour Homme Ambre, Keiko Mecheri Crystal d’Ambre, and/or Diptyque Eau Duelle.

The 1.7 oz bottle retails for $135 and the 3.4 oz. bottle retails for $175. It’s available at LuckyScent.

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Product picture from Luckyscent. Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik is from www.doctormacro.com.

9 thoughts on “Annick Goutal Ambre Fetiche EDP Perfume Review

    1. I wish I could get my hands on a bottle. I’ve been looking for it. Seems to be sold out everywhere in the U.S.

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