Ambra di Luna
Ramon Monegal (2009)

Rich anamalistic amber. Not your typical stereotyped amber but a more natural rich amber.

A nice powdery amber (reminds me of ambre precieux) with light woods. On the initial spray I get a slight animalistic note (maybe castoreum). Has a boozy note in there as well.Definitely a quality fragrance. 8/10

For me this one isn't really about amber at all. For most of its duration, it's mainly labdanum with a subtle undertone of castoreum & animalic jasmine, & there's a sweetish, musky sandalwood in the base. lt stays quite close to the skin, giving off gentle wafts, becoming very soft after five hours or so, but still going faintly eleven hours in.
ln feel this is a soft, warm & fuzzy comfort scent, like a softer version of Musc Ravageur. The notes are not exactly the same, but it has that same "nuzzling against your lover's skin" kind of sensuality. Very nice.

Finally a Monegal I enjoy – this is the first one after a series of more or less complete fails from this house (to me, of course). Ambra Luna is a really peculiar and well-crafted take on amber, quite luminous, golden, tasty, slightly boozy, and with some fascinating chypre nuances on the base – musk, aldehydes, castoreum (synthetic, but bold and well-blended). I also detect sandalwood, cumin, vanillin, and a general slight but pleasant floral breeze. Pungent, aromatic, warm, vibrant, "golden" as I said above, as that is the precise feeling I get. A great harmony of dense and heavy notes with sweeter ones, and velvety, almost airy notes. I would locate this between Ambre Precieux for the same great sense of warmth and opulence, and Ambre Russe, for the same kind of boozy-musky vein. Really elegant, pleasant and cozy. Sadly the longevity is quite short and light – but it seems normal in nowadays' niche, so...

7,5-8/10

A very classy fragrance. Much Amber and animalistic castoreum, and a slight whiskey note. Dries down to a powdery sharp amber.

This is a must try for the lovers of the note of amber in my opinion, in particular for all those loving to feel over a clean and finally polished light floral amber with just the fair level of organic vibe. Yes, this is a fragrance of balance. What in here strikes the nose explorer is indeed in my opinion the real balance between the note of amber (which here is by soon barely candied or effectively slightly boozy and barely sticky and smooth because of a clever touch of cistus labdanum), the animalic faint patterns (yes a well appointed castoreum adding just a minimal touch of dirtiness) and the following immaculate touch of powdery/woody jasmine with its vaguely baby powder soapy feel which finally becomes secretly and silently exotic. The combination of elements arouses an incredibly affordable and contemporary aroma that could easily appeal all the lovers of the classicism but that doesn't slide inside the risky territories of the vintage, heavy and stuffy classic amber. A discreet unisex stuff which could easily be loved by the fond of the note of amber anyway unable to bear all those roaring dirty/beasty ambers circulating nowadays around. About me i appreciate a lot this juice (even if find it finally a bit too stuck) but tend to love something else, i tend to be prevalently attracted by the darker, bolder and heavier types of roaring ambery beast.

The amber-driven top is indeed a top-notch note: beautiful rich and intense amber permeates this fragrance, with a note of wood added.  There is a richness that never cloys and a touch of elegant brightness that is never superficial. On me quite linear, but delicious with a decent longevity of about three hours.

Ambra de Luna;

Amber, Labdanum, Jasmine, Castoruem, Sandalwood.

In my view this is one of those of those fragrances that is more than the sum of it's parts. It is beautifully composed, beautifully balanced, beautifully cohesive. It doesn't lend itself to being picked apart.

I absolutely concur with Alfarom that the overall impression is of a slightly boozy, (but only very slighty), amber with castoreum right there from the outset. Castoreum is my favourite animalic material. It is warm and soft and reassuring, like resting your head on a warm animals belly, or maybe your lover's. It is the perfect partner for Amber.

Ambra de Luna is the scent of contentment.

Imagine maybe a little cabin somewhere, a glow from the fire, a glass of sweet wine or sherry, and someone that you love. Time is slow, you are comfortable and reassured. To me, that is Ambra de Luna.

It is a beautiful balance of quiet, calm and refined but yet it has a very individual confidence. Ambra de Luna is suitable for both women and men.

Very nice stuff from Mr.Monegal. Ambra di Luna opens with a slightly boozy amber note immediately joined by castoreum providing the right amount of "dirtyness". In this phase the fragrance has a fascinating classicism inherent to it. It speaks of old-fashioned female perfumes, powder, animalic notes...Where are you going? Come back here, Ambra Di Luna doesn't smell dated. The castoreum is not exactly subtle but serves as a necessarely balance for the typical sweetness of most ambers. As the fragrance "evolves", there's a woody-balmy quality remarking its presence and driving the composition towards moderately sweet and more modern territories. Elegant, solid and well balanced with compelling, dry undertones. If you like Monegal's restrained style, this is a great fragrance well worth checking out. Full bodied yet not as heavy-handed as other compositions in the same genre.

Very well done.