Ambra Aurea Profumum Roma

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: www.profumum.com

Smooth criminal.

This is like a sensual and languorous trip that winds and loops, doubles back and proceeds once more through creamy vanilla, smoky incense, sweet myrrh, dusky warm labdanum, freshly shaven wood and a hint of camphor. Despite being a gourmand lover of sweet things, I prefer my ambers not too sweet and thankfully the sugar level is controlled in this smooth, rich and dense fragrance. I have to mention its ridiculously persistent longevity (ditto sillage) which seems to be a common trait amongst Profumum Roma scents. Mind the oily residue when sprayed though it does give one the fantasy factor of applying liquid amber on. 

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Of course I have to compare it with my Holy Grail of ambers...Ambre Sultan, Ambra Aurea is glossy and lustrous where Ambre Sultan is dry and spicy. Ambre Sultan takes me on a magic carpet ride to desert lands of Peter O'Toole's Lawrence of Arabia whereas Ambra Aurea is like the Sex and the City version of the Middle East i.e. a bit OTT but still loveable in the end. 

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Both are glorious amber perfumes in their own right and for those who can't decide whether they need a bottle of Ambra Aurea if they already own the Lutens I would say go for it. Many thanks (or not) to the fragrant friend/fiend who sent me vials of Fiori d'Ambra and Ambra Aurea, both labelled "smell me immediately". I obeyed your instructions and am now hooked.

Tubereuse Criminelle Serge Lutens

Source: www.supermama.lt

This makes me smile. 

It's Vicks vapour rub with tuberose and I love it. It smells much much better on skin than on paper so don't judge it on paper alone. 

The opening might be a tad challenging for those who are not forewarned but it's not as malodorous as some reviews have made it out to be, like I said it smells similar to Vicks, a mentholated topical cream(cloves, nutmeg and mint with some sweetness) that I associate with my childhood, my mom used to rub under my nostrils when I had a cold. Other people smell camphor(mothballs) instead but I find them to be similar, cool and penetrating. On a side note, methol and camphor are terpenoids and both menthol and camphor are combined in many complementary and alternative medicines to alleviate many conditions from coughs to aches and pains. 

Once your nose gets used to the medicinal notes, the tuberose becomes more obvious and all the notes get along very well together! Combined, they create at once something both startling yet seductive that in a room of nondescript "safe" scents, Tubereuse Criminelle would stand out unique and memorable. Tuberose scents have a positive effect on moods and help to relieve stress, anger, depression etc. I have long adored the flower for its multi-faceted personality, showcased in Tubereuse Criminelle are its calm and cool greenness as well as its lush animalic carnality and hats off to Serge Lutens once again for another dramatic, imaginative twist on what appear to be incompatible notes.

Brilliant and potent, its projection is about an arm's length on me and the longevity is excellent. If you are looking for a tuberose with uniqueness, I recommend this interesting minx. Nothing remotely criminal about this.