Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
12/05/2013
MRoth
24 Reviews
MRoth
Helpful Review
2
Disappointing Dissonance
This is not your typical amber comfort scent.
The frankincense note and fixatives used are identical to the ones featured in Habanita and, combined with a rough blast of ill-fitting top notes, Molinard's Ambre threatens to venture into headache-inducing territory. Thankfully the composition begins to smooth out around the half hour mark, though even then the overall impact is soapy and almost medicinal.
I have to admit some disappointment; while Molinard's Ambre is far from unpleasant, it's not at all what I anticipated considering its name and note structure. Molinard has chosen a particularly cool, almost austere blend of resins while simultaneously scaling down the vanilla aspect. This gives the smoky incense free rein to overwhelm the vanilla note entirely, leaving proportions so uneven that the amber accord itself is lost. A jumble of modifiers during the heart adds to the dissonance. It's only when the base notes are left completely on their own that the scent comes into its own... but it's too little, too late.
Judging Molinard's Ambre alongside other ambers I find it sorely lacking. Perhaps its faults would be more forgiveable if the fragrance was honest in its attempt to be something else, or if there were not so many more fulfilling ambers available?
The frankincense note and fixatives used are identical to the ones featured in Habanita and, combined with a rough blast of ill-fitting top notes, Molinard's Ambre threatens to venture into headache-inducing territory. Thankfully the composition begins to smooth out around the half hour mark, though even then the overall impact is soapy and almost medicinal.
I have to admit some disappointment; while Molinard's Ambre is far from unpleasant, it's not at all what I anticipated considering its name and note structure. Molinard has chosen a particularly cool, almost austere blend of resins while simultaneously scaling down the vanilla aspect. This gives the smoky incense free rein to overwhelm the vanilla note entirely, leaving proportions so uneven that the amber accord itself is lost. A jumble of modifiers during the heart adds to the dissonance. It's only when the base notes are left completely on their own that the scent comes into its own... but it's too little, too late.
Judging Molinard's Ambre alongside other ambers I find it sorely lacking. Perhaps its faults would be more forgiveable if the fragrance was honest in its attempt to be something else, or if there were not so many more fulfilling ambers available?
Darkbeat
