Ambraliquida
L'Erbolario

An impressive, diaphanous powder scent that knows how to behave.A curious little thing from the Cali-phobic L'Erbolario. Although I don't usually subscribe to gendering in scents, this has an old-school powder feel to it that's unmistakably feminine. It's structured around dry white musk, a touch of styrax, and spiced vanilla–but all three notes sit low and work together to produce a surprisingly clean and unobtrusive skin scent. It's actually quite impressive–sort of a powdery musk version of Geza Schoen's minimalist aesthetics. I couldn't pull this off, but for those who might be interested in a transparent talc-type perfume that won't choke you out, this one might be worth a look. It's a great price, too. Comme des Garçons' Odeur 53 might be a distant relative.Pros: Takes ordinarily cloying notes and deploys them to great effect.Cons: Hard to think of this as unisex–it's basically a feminine affair."

Penetrating, initially cool, really spicy (sort of almost "ammoniacal/cinnamonical type")and aromatic blend of woodsy resins, honey, amber, musk and cinnamon (?). I detect a lot of (sort of) fir resins and musk in the blend while the vanilla is just adumbrated. The powdery vibe is produced due the interaction of powdery/dusty woods (cedarwood?), amber, prickly spices, honey and probably styrax. A surprise, far better of many more celebrated amber concoctions around but for an incredibly cheap price. The dry down is really talky (but with that typical pungent/animalic, dissonant, organic and bit acid spark exuding from the honeyed amber) and averagely dry (as soon as the resinous vibe starts to restrain towards the sharpness). This scent deserves a respectful consideration for its excellent value-for-money.