L'Ambre des Merveilles Hermès

Amber and vanilla must make caramel because that was my first impression on wearing L'Ambre des Merveilles. I love Eau des Merveilles with its invigorating salty sweetness and find Elixir des Merveilles the perfect evening companion to the original, with it's balmy richness but L'Ambre des Merveilles seems to have ventured out of Nature and into the dessert section . 

With a delightful opening of tart citruses, burnt sugar and a creamy vanilla, it starts off smelling like a lovely orange custard with a crisp sheet of caramel on top. 

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After polishing off the custard, feeling satiated and ready for a siesta, the gourmand notes evolve into a thick warm hazy blanket of soft, sweet wood and a smooth, light amber.  With the vanilla, citrus and amber, it reminds me a little of Guerlain's Shalimar but  L'Ambre des Merveilles is much more tame, less seductive, less passionate. Whereas I would always keep a bottle of Shalimar, I could pass on repurchasing L'Ambre des Merveilles and prefer Eau des Merveilles or Elixir des Merveilles which I find to have more character.  

L'Ambre des Merveilles seems to be the most feminine of the three because of the caramel note but I can imagine this would smell delicious on either sex. All three of the Merveilles series that I've tried have an average sillage but I wish they lasted longer than the four hours I get out of them.