AMBER ABSOLUTE

Eau de Parfum

BY TOM FORD

*2007

*A Shared Fragrance (Unisex)

My first inclination after smelling Amber Absolute for the first time was to dismiss it as an overbearing and starkly linear amber scent. Nevertheless, I prefer to give each fragrance a fair shake, so I chose to go along for the ride that Amber Absolute had in store for me.

Amber Absolute is described as, “A hallmark Private Blend fragrance. Amber Absolute is a honey-colored scent infused with the purest form of amber, joined by a tenacious refrain of African incense, labdanum, rich woods and a touch of vanilla bean.”

Once you smell Amber Absolute, it is clear that the amber is laden in quite the dash incense. Whether or not this sounds like your cup of tea, it is undeniable that Amber Absolute dons a smoky and shadowy persona, one that may even be fodder for further inquiry as the scent’s bulky and syrupy quality take on parched and sweltering peppers. This scent is extremely dry (and a smidge dusty perhaps) and it will leave even the most cracked terrains feeling somewhat outdone.

Like a few other of Tom Ford’s Private Blends, Amber Absolute has a very lengthy projection. For the most part, what you smell from the opening is what you get. Amber Absolute is…well…absolutely amber, and the fragrance remains in this vein for the extent of its campaign.

Granted, the dry amber does smooth out as the scent progresses—creating a rather rewarding finish to a discourteous opening—but the powerhouse amber stays strong and almost adopts a gourmand quality with splintery scraps of caramel cutting through a fairly unadulterated center.

Your thoughts on Amber Absolute will rest entirely on how you relate to the amber genre. Amber Absolute is on the verge of a one-note fragrance, which may be a disappointment to those shelling out the cash for a Tom Ford Private Blend. However, for an amber fragrance, Amber Absolute is of notable quality. To me, the faint and protracted development of the scent into a gentle and vanillic drydown makes Amber Absolute worth the try. However, I do not have plans to purchase a full size for a while at least, as my tiny roller ball will likely last for months.

*Price: 1.7 oz - $190.00