Invite Only Amber | 23 by Kayali

Invite Only Amber 23 is one of the fragrances that is featured in the Kayali sample set that I bought some time back. Based on the name alone, this was one that I thought would be my favorite of the bunch. Is that the case? How does Invite Only smell? Is it really worth a try?

What does Invite Only Amber Smell Like?

Notes include: black cherry, honey de Provence, tobacco leaf, amber resin, vanilla Madagascar

Click here to try: Invite Only Amber

My Full Review

Invite Only opens up with a mix of the black cherry note and a greenish sort of tobacco note. It doesn’t smell like other fragrances which tend to go with a cured tobacco aroma.

The cherry note has an initial run at the top, but quickly gets overtaken by other ingredients in the mix. The Honey de Provence and the amber resin here get stronger. Invite Only Amber stays sweet, but has a warm resinous aroma throughout.

The honey, amber, and vanilla create a thicker scent. There seems to be some spice here at least, almost creating a boozy effect. But really, I still get the honey, amber, and that tobacco note. 

This gets compared to Angels’ Share. Eh, not really. Sure, a similar style, but they are not the same scent by any stretch. The Kilian is much better. Actually, this reminds me a female version of Pure Havane, done in the style of Angels’ Share.

The final dry down is a sweetish amber with the remaining tobacco and vanilla. Some of that initial spice, but very faint. 

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The opening act of Invite Only does have a pop to it. A fairly strong sillage with a radius of maybe 5-6 feet from where you spray. That comes in closer and closer, probably 2-3 feet, for much of the wear.

The longevity here is in the 5.5-6 hour range on my skin. Those last few hours are pretty light, but it does hang around, mostly as a skin scent. Not great. Then again, none of this line’s perfumes seem to be beast mode. 

Seasonally, Invite Only Amber is an autumn and winter scent. It’s really sweet, has sort of a heaviness, and would be a bit much as the temperatures rise.

This is a cozy scent that could pull double duty day or night during the colder weather. I don’t find it particularly sexy, but some might. Not really a formal scent, though, it can be light enough to wear on a daily basis for a select number of people.

Overall Impressions of Invite Only Amber

Overall, do I like it? Somewhat. I actually thought that I’d love this one going in and how it gets compared to Angels’ Share and Oajan, two of my favorites. Ultimately, it really falls short for me.

Maybe it’s better as a layering perfume option. Less so on its own.

It’s not a bad perfume, but there’s something about it that I find somewhat off-putting while wearing it for long stretches. It has depth, warmth, and the notes are better than some of the others from this brand. But, the mix itself…isn’t completely working for me.  

The tobacco note might be the one that’s doing it. That with a strong amber, gets a bit too thick and somewhat annoying over time. I probably would’ve like a bigger cherry note and some booziness instead.

Apparently some people get a lot longer lasting cherry than I did. On the whole, this scent just doesn’t have the right balance to my nose. It’s fine, just not great like I thought it could be. 

I’d say give it a try first, to see where you fall on this, as it can bit somewhat pricey for a blind buy.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.