When most people hear “creamy amber”, they think of a “heavy” perfume. Ambra del Nepal isn’t heavy. It’s a “skim” creamy amber with 99% less fat than other creamy ambers but it’s just as flavorful. It’s rare to find an amber (or even a vanilla) that one could wear in all four seasons but here it is.
Like I’ve already said, Ambra del Nepal is a creamy amber. The perfume opens with slight “cardamom aldehydes” that add a brightness or a “lift” to an otherwise creamy amber. In the heart it’s labdanum, vanilla and a soft musky, vegetal ambrette. And there’s a warm ground cinnamon that makes it especially cozy. It dries down to a creamy, sweet vanilla amber with smoldering incense powder. Ambra del Nepal is sweet but not too sweet*. The spices balance it.
*David comes home one evening after I doused myself in this. He says, “Oh, my g-d, what are you baking? It smells amazing in here.” So, I thought that this isn’t too sweet but it’s all subjective. He thought I was baking cardamom-pistachio cookies. Oh, well. That smells good too.
Notes listed include cardamom, amber, and vanilla. PERFUMER – Giovanni Di Massimo
Give Ambra del Nepal a try if you are looking for a creamy amber that isn’t thick or heavy. Or if you like perfumes like Atelier Ambre Nue, Diptyque Eau Duelle, Annick Goutal Ambre Fetiche and/or Caron Royal Bain de Caron. This fragrance is unisex and seasonless.
Ambra del Nepal has average projection and below average longevity. It lasts about 3 hours max on me during the summer and longer in the winter.
The 1.7 oz bottle retails for $99 at Beautyhabit. A small travel-size spray is also available.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A sheer creamy gourmand vanilla amber. It’s rather simple but it’s good. I highly recommend it to those wanting to try something other than citrus/fresh scents in the summer. It’s nice to find a seasonless amber or vanilla.
Want more reviews? Try…
Fragrantica – Member reviews
Basenotes – Member reviews
Your review is spot on. I’ve loved Ambra del Nepal for years. It’s definitely a favorite amber, but I kind of forget that I own it. I regret swapping so many decants from my bottle that it’s now pretty low, so I tend to hoard it. Thanks for the reminder! Must wear soon.
It’s easy to get wrapped up with new releases and shiny new bottles.
Wear it. It does well even in the summer heat 🙂
Hey there Victoria,
Lovely review. Thanks for the Link Love. Cardamom/Pistachio Cookies? Now I’m really hungry.
Portia xx
australianperfumejunkies recently posted..3 Positive Reminders For A Better Day
You’re welcome!
I know. I’m trying to cut back on the sugary stuff but they sound so good.
What was it Marilyn Monroe said in “How To Marry A Millionaire.”? Oh yes, “I think it’s just creamy.”
It sounds wonderful indeed and something I just have to explore with my new love of Amber.
LANIER SMITH recently posted..UNTITLED AND M.A.D. QUESTIONS FOR CHANDLER BURR ~ A Series of Interviews
You know, I’ve watched that movie many times and I haven’t gotten any tips on marrying a millionaire 😉 But, of course I’m watching it with a few cosmos…so maybe I missed out.
You need to. It’s a sweeter amber (no resins) but sheer. I like a sweet amber every now and then but can only wear those in the dead of winter. This one can be worn anytime. And it’s just creamy!
Cardamom-pistachio cookies sound delish! I think the fragrance is probably too light for my tastes (I’m someone who finds Ambre Russe to be anorexic) but, despite that, I’m quite tempted to look Ambra del Nepal up now and get a sample. Wonderful review.
As for Maria Montez, my word, she’s like a composite of 5 different actresses: Jane Russell with a smidgeon of Hedi Lamarr and the recently deceased, stunning Princess Fawzia (who, personally, I think was one of the most beautiful women who ever lived), and a few other Hollywood Greats thrown in as well. It’s going to bother me all night now as to who she really reminds me, because none of those prior names really fit perfectly.
If you like the big ambers, then it’s too light. Ambers used to be my weakness and probably how I got into perfume so heavily and when I first tried this one years ago, I thought it was well, “wussy”. I wanted a snarling amber. I sort of burnt myself out of those big ambers and now I’m coming back around to perfume like Ambra del Nepal.
I agree. She’s like the “Weird Science” of Old Hollywood (which isn’t a bad thing).
Oh, so if for some reason I ever get a professional photograph made, I want it to be like this one of Princess Fawzia. http://weheartit.com/entry/753735 – I’ll need a really good makeup artist, photographer with mad skills and a hairdresser (or wig). – Anyway, I just want that lighting and me holding one of my pets.
And her wardrobe! She was so stylish.
She was very stylish, but there was something in Pss Fawzia’s eyes that always got me the most. Even more than her beauty. I once wrote a very long 2-part series on her, her Egyptian family and her marriage to the Shah of Iran solely because of how her eyes haunted me from the very first moment that I saw a photo of her. I think I was 15 or so at the time, but I never forgot them. The series is up on my site, if you’re ever bored and inclined to overdose on history. lol.
BTW, if I ever got professional photos taken, I would absolutely have my hairy, furry child in them as well! I like the way you think. 🙂
Cool.
My “children” can’t sit still. Moxi just wants belly rubs. I think Frink could but it would take some time for him to stop wagging his curly tail.
Love ambers of all sorts. This is one that my hubbie remarks “you smell good” What more can you ask for in a perfume that I would wear in public? Very simple, but not everything has to be complex. Just a lovely scent.
I think that complex is often overrated 😉 I get a lot of joy from the simple ones.