7 Best Amber Scented Perfumes for Women

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Amber is a very popular ingredient to add to fragrance compositions. It can be found in literally thousands of scents. However, it doesn’t always get to be the main focus of a perfume, and comes in mostly in a supporting role. In this post, I want to highlight some of the best ladies’ fragrance options, in which amber is a major player/the main attraction.

What are the Best Smelling Amber Fragrances for Women?

Herbal Spice and Warm Amber

Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, 50 Ml– If warm amber-y fragrance are your thing, then, Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens is an affordable choice versus some of the higher end specialty scents out there.

It has enough spice to make it stand out, mostly of the herbal variety, with a smooth resinous amber note. Great. I really enjoyed the smoky aspect of this fragrance and it had staying power in the 7-8 hour range, when I tested it out.  Ambre Sultan Review

Sweet Creamy Amber

Hermes L’Ambre Des Merveilles for Women Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.3 Ounce– A very underrated and not too well known entry from the Hermes lineup. L’Ambre Des Merveilles, takes the popular caramel and citrus blend found in many other best selling ladies’ fragrances, and just does it better. It starts off with that beautiful caramel note and what smells like orange, with floral undertones.

To my nose, I detected a really nice peach note, which takes over the orange and plays off of the salty caramel. This is wrapped up in a creamy vanilla and surrounded by the warmth of amber. L’Ambre isn’t super heavy, rather, it is softer and airy.

The aroma will hit the wearer throughout the day in bursts. This Hermes scent is quite versatile and can be worn at the office while being attractive enough for date nights. Full L’Ambre Des Merveilles Review

Michael Kors Daily Wear

Michael Kors Sexy Amber Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.4 Ounce– As the name suggests, the main note is amber which is combined with white floral and sandalwood. Sexy Amber is a warm perfume that is quite seductive and alluring, with a powdery finish.

Sandalwood is the main attraction, as it wears on, but enough jasmine peaks through to make things interesting. A fairly linear fragrance, overall, but one that smells really good within that simplicity. Less of a niche scent, fairly affordable, and beautiful wear.

Prada Amber and Patchouli

PRADA AMBER For Women By PRADA Eau De Parfum Spray 2.7 Oz– I’m not that big of a fan of the men’s version of Prada Amber, as I feel it’s not enough amber, and way too floral/clean. However, the women’s edition of this name is really great. Plenty of sweetness, patchouli (which gives this one more of a gourmand feeling), and a superb amber ingredient.

Smooth, spicy, clean, with some deliciously edible aspects. At times, it is smooth and sweet, with vanilla and honey. Next, it is warm and spicy, with floral and green aromas. Quite resinous and warm, not a scent for everybody, but can be amazing for amber lovers.

The Best Dior Option

Dune By Christian Dior For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounces
A lovely and elegant scent dating back to the early 1990s from Christian Dior. It is fresh, sensual, and great for the warmer months. Dune is dry and woody with sandalwood, rosewood, and amber being the main highlights. There are spiced notes and undertones of vanilla, which keep it sweet.

This is amber within a more cooperative setting, but man, is it nice. Dune is a very smooth and a pretty low key scent. This one could be a unisex fragrance in reality, with its woody tones, and serves as a great change of pace from the usual popular fare.

dune

Sweet and Spicy

Histoires de Parfums Ambre 114 Eau De Parfum Spray, 2 Fl Oz– Ambre 114 kicks off with some earthy spiciness courtesy of nutmeg and patchouli. Then, hints of vanilla and tonka bean float just underneath the surface.

Amber is utterly perfect, in the heart of this fragrance, stuck between the spicier elements and the sweet creaminess. Well-blended and a very nice performer.

Popular Blend with Amber

Thierry Mugler Alien Refillable Eau de Parfum Spray, 3 Ounce– Another mainstream fragrance option, with a very nice amber note, playing a major part. Alien is an interesting fragrance for women, as the name itself suggests, there is something exotic. foreign, or even other worldly about this scent.

Floral and woody notes blend together and top it off with a kick of spice. It’s sweet and loud and a perfume that really shines in the wintertime. Alien is led by jasmine as the floral, surrounded by warm amber, and with a woody base.

This fragrance lets itself be known, can overwhelm some, but others swear by its power and cannot do without this Mugler creation.

L’Homme Ideal EDT by Guerlain

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Looking through my haul of fragrance samples, I noticed that I had two scents with the L’Homme Ideal moniker. They had two separate colored sprayers and information cards but I really didn’t know if there was a difference.

It turns out that L’Homme Ideal (the subject of this review) has a flanker fragrance called L’Homme Ideal Cologne…yes, they just added the word cologne to it.

Anyways, I grabbed the original, and decided to wear it around for purposes of this review. I’m going to cover all of the usual stuff in this post, how it smells, performs, when it should be worn, etc. Please continue reading below for my full take.

What Does L’Homme Ideal Smell Like?

Notes include: almond, citrus, leather, tonka bean, bitter orange, orange blossom, vetiver, and cedar

Click here to try: Guerlain L’Homme Ideal EDT Spray for Men, 1.6 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

The opening of L’Homme Ideal is a fresh blast of almond and woody spice. Lurking in the background is a sweetness that is quite nice and flanked by the leather note. I love the nuttiness of the opening act and how it also gets paired with a blend of citrus notes.

The citrus is fresh and reminds me somewhat of the Cologne version of Ideal, but this one still stays in more of a nutty/leathery mode, in totality.

The overall sweetness never strays into the ‘girly perfume’ territory as it sits atop the leather, vetiver, and cedar notes. This gives L’Homme Ideal an excellent platform to start from.

One thing that I really enjoy about this gourmand fragrance, is the inclusion of the citrus notes. They are never overpowering or brought out as the main attraction in this cologne, but they do provide an energy, and a change of pace from the rest of the composition.

The citrus isn’t huge throughout, but this blend does hang around, giving Ideal the slightest clean boost throughout its time on my skin.

Of course, there is the smooth warmth of the tonka bean, which is one of my personal favorites. The almond is the main star in this fragrance and during the dry down period, it kind of reminds me of Man in Black by Blvgari, as it has a warm spiciness that is sort of like an alcoholic drink.

I get a smooth and creamy blend during the final stages, that is peppered with some rosemary herbal spice. Leather, tonka bean, and almond with a fresh base of cedar and cool vetiver. When L’Homme Ideal is performing well, it is a fantastic smelling cologne.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s pretty moderate. It’s not an absolute monster in this regard but it does the job pretty well. Longevity, is decent most of the time.

I’ve worn it a few times and I’ll get 4 good hours out of it and the 6-7 the next time. It’s not great, but it’s passable.

I’ve been wearing this here in June, after the official start of summer, but it’s not really built for the hot days outside. It’s fine at night when it cools off a bit, but L’Homme Ideal would excel during the colder months of the year, like a lot of fragrances seem to do.

I would try to wear this during autumn through early spring, preferably. Again, in the evening hours of the summer, it holds up pretty well on my skin. Though, I try to stay indoors, for optimal sillage and longevity.

It does have a good versatility, as it’s subtle enough to wear at work yet still quite sexy and attractive to wear on a date. The more that I went through the sample, the more it grew on me, and the more complements I received.

I think the first few hours is going to be when you’ll actually get complemented on Ideal. After that, it might have turned too light for many people to notice, outside of those who are close by.

Overall Impression of Guerlain L’Homme Ideal

Overall, I think L’Homme Ideal EDT is great. It is one of my favorites from the batch of around 40 or so samples that I recently got. The longevity could be better but aside from that, it smells fantastic, and is very well put together.

I do feel like, I already have a million options in the Fall/Winter space, like Man in Black or Armani Code Profumo. So, I’m not sure if I’ll pick up a full bottle at some point, but it is worth looking into.

Update: Coming back to this fragrance and working my way through the rest of the sample, I can say, that I truly enjoyed wearing this fragrance. The scent itself, is super attractive and great to wear. The performance could be better, and if it was an elite performer, it’d probably make my list of best colognes.

Boss Bottled Night by Hugo Boss

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I’ve done some Hugo Boss cologne reviews recently and even have few samples of this brand’s other scents on the way, so, I thought that it’d be a good idea before reviewing those to do one on Bottled Night.

I had already included this in my best Hugo Boss fragrances for guys but never got around to writing up a review of this scent.

I generally like most of the stuff that they put out (except Energise…) and have been wearing Hugo Red a lot this summer, so I’m a mood now to tackle Bottled Night. As usual, I’ll cover the scent’s smell, how it performs, when it can be worn, and whether or not it is worth a buy.

What does Boss Bottled Night Smell Like?

Notes include: African violet, birch leaves, musk, lavender, amarello wood

Click here to try: Boss Bottled Night by Hugo Boss for Men – 3.3 Ounce EDT Spray

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Boss Bottled Night is somewhat of a surprise, in that, when looking at the container and the name you’d think you would be getting something quite dark and mysterious.

However, what you find is a very clean scent powered by the lavender note and with a beautiful hint of floral provided by the African Violet. Add musk and you get an underlying warmth to go along with a masculine woodsy note.

Upon the opening, I really do pick up a lot of the violet. I must say, that violet isn’t one of my favorite floral notes, but it does work well within this composition.

The birch note is super dry, with a very slight smokiness to it, at times.

As we move forward, the lavender emerges more fully, and is joined by a light musk note. This is about as much development, as you’re going to get from Bottled Night. It’s a mix of lavender and violet, with dry woods, and some musky touches.

One of the things that I really appreciate about Bottled Night is how unique it feels. Like, it is pretty simple and straightforward in how it plays out, but it really doesn’t smell like anything else I can think of in the world of cologne. It is a soft scent yet has a very nice ability to project itself.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

As I said, the sillage is pretty good here. Again, not a heavy fragrance by any means, but people will be able to pick it up on you with in a decent radius. At least for the first few hours of wear.

Longevity wise, it is in the realm of average, which is weird since it does a good job of projecting. Six hours seems to be the demarcation point for Boss Bottled Night, after that it tends to fade.

It is a versatile fragrance, I really can’t pin it down for a season, as I could see it working for multiple weather situations. It’s a fragrance that could go from the office to a night out on the town without much problem.

Yes, it is called bottled night, but it isn’t really one that would stand out as being ‘too much’ for daytime use. Really, never has struck me as a particularly dark or nightlife exclusive cologne. It has a clean, well put together aroma, for guys with a more stylish or mature air about them.

Overall Impression of Boss Bottled Night

Overall, would I recommend it? Yes, it is definitely a very nice cologne and it unique smell only adds to its appeal. It isn’t very complex, clean/floral/musk, so you definitely know what you’re getting within a few minutes of wear.

I’m not that much into violet as a note, so this will never be my favorite. Though, I can appreciate it for what it is.

Boss Bottled Night does everything at least pretty well and is quite sexy for what it is. If you want something clean, simple, at a good price, then this should work out for you. If you don’t like violet or lavender that much, then avoid Bottled Night.

The performance is decent, in my experience, but not amazing. I think this will appeal to a certain percentage of guys, but doesn’t necessarily have that super wide universal x-factor.

Best Smelling Perfumes for Her Under $20

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Running this website, over the years, I have really come to know how expensive fragrances can get. Actually spending money for a quality perfume isn’t bad, but when you shell out cash, and get a dud…it’s not too fun. However, you don’t always have to break the bank to get a great smelling scent. In fact, there are solid options at a variety of price points. In this post, I am going to present some selections for women, that cost under $20. 

 

What are the Best Perfumes for Women for under $20?

Seeing as I’ve already done a list for the best cheap perfumes. I am going to avoid any overlap with that post and stick to newer picks. However, that post has some more choices, as well as some that go up to the $30 range. 

Always Popular Avon

Avon Far Away Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 1.7 Fluid Ounce– Far Away has been popular for decades now and as such has probably undergone at least some reformulations. This Revlon cheapie, is a perfume highlighted by jasmine and freesia, that is surrounded by peach and vanilla.

Later, you get smooth sandalwood and a nice amber wrapped around it all. Warm, a very pretty scent, and can often be had for $10 or less. 

Hot & Cold

Revlon Fire & Ice Perfume for Women, 1.7 Fl. Oz., womens fragrance– Fire & Ice as the name suggests, plays warm notes off of cool ones, to create a captivating and pleasant experience.

It chills things out with both orange blossom and the fruit itself and then a warm amber and an oriental incense to provide the heat.

Then, there is a great orchid note. All around upbeat and fairly cozy scent that is inexpensive while managing to be delightful.

Tropical Fruity Floral

Mambo by Liz Claiborne for Women, Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.4-Ounce– Mambo uses mango, citrus, and orange blossom to create a fresh and intriguing tropical perfume. It’s a bit crisp, sweet, and fresh with a touch of ginger.

Then, some more floral notes come through including hibiscus and ylang ylang. However, it still is more of a fruity fragrance, and the floral never fully takes over. For $15-20 range, this is a really nice scent, that can serve as a warm weather daily wear.  

One of Beyonce’s Best

Beyonce Beyonce Midnight Heat Women Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.4 Ounce– Midnight Heat is one of the most popular fragrances from Beyonce. It has a sweet and somewhat tart plum in the opening, with a juicy starfruit pairing with it.

Those two are the main attractions, but as it dries down more of the orchid, and earthy patchouli make themselves known. It has a tropical fruit edge, with mostly floral undertones. 

midnight heat

Sweet White Floral

Antonio Banderas Her Golden Secret EDT Spray for Women, 2.7 Ounce– Her Golden Secret starts off with a fresh and somewhat sweet mix of the fruit notes, along with orange blossom. You get citrus notes and peach, up top, with the orange blossom taking over more and more as it moves along.

Within the first hour of wear, this Antonio Banderas perfume, begins to shift into a white floral with vanilla and citrus undertones. It’s when the gardenia note, really starts popping up. Nice solid performance and is a versatile, great smelling fragrance.

 

Feminine Gardenia

Kim Kardashian for Women By Kardashian Edp Spray, 3.4 Ounce– This is a fragrance for floral loves, as it is highlighted by gardenia and tuberose. Kim Kardashian for Women, is a very pretty, upbeat, and feminine fragrance. It mostly the white floral notes with a creamy and slightly woody undertone.

At times, you will experience a creamy sandalwood or a bit of musk, but mostly you will get a great floral-based fragrance for really cheap. Beyond the gardenia and tuberose, there is orange blossom, and a good deal of jasmine.

This fragrance is actually beautiful and gives the wearer a long-lasting performance. Definitely a bang for your buck.  

Flowerbomb Alternative

One Direction Between Us Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 1.7 Ounce– Yes, this is a scent from the band One Direction, but it’s actually a great scent that is reminiscent of Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf. Between us features jasmine, nutmeg, and patchouli.

This is paired with sweet amber and vanilla, that envelopes the other notes, during the drydown. Not too heavy of a spice, but it works well with that jasmine.

Floral Musky and Woody

Avon Rare Pearls Eau De Parfum Spray 1.7 Fl. Oz.– Rare Pearls is a spicy and honeyed floral fragrance with a great plum opening, a lot of magnolia, and that thick sweet honey note. The top of the perfume has a pretty intense pepper note, but that calms down a lot, as it wears on.

This one is more of a mature perfume, with a classic composition, and musky undertones during the dry down. It smooth and woody, at the base, with that familiar plum aroma floating around during the wear. Very warm and interesting floral.

Attractive and Seductive

Guess Seductive by Guess 2.5 oz 75 ml EDT Spray– The Guess Seductive line is great for both the men’s and the women’s. The ladies’ version opens up with pear, citrus, and jasmine.

It’s not too sweet but quite pretty at the start, before the vanilla, jasmine, and orange blossom gain strength during the dry down. Finally, you get a musky woods, at the base sitting underneath a creamy vanilla aroma. 

Oud Wood vs Ombre Leather Comparison

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In this edition of the head to head fragrance comparisons, we have two entries from the Tom Ford line up, Oud Wood vs. Ombre Leather 18. Which of these two popular scents smells the best?

As always, I am going to break down these competitors into categories, determine which has the edge, and is the ultimate winner between them. I’ve linked my original review of each below, for further reading.

Tale of the Tape: Ombre Leather vs Oud Wood

Ombre Leather

Notes include: leather, moss, jasmine, amber, patchouli and cardamom

Click here to try: Ombré Leather Eau de Parfum Spray, 1.7-oz.

My review: Ombre Leather

Oud Wood

Notes include: rosewood, sandalwood, oud, vanilla, tonka bean, amber, cardamom, and vetiver

Click here to try: Tom Ford Private Blend Oud Wood Eau De Parfum Spray – 50ml/1.7oz

Read my original review: Oud Wood

Opening

Oud Wood opens up with that oud note and cardamom. It also has a peppery spice to it from the jump, that settles as it moves along. Beyond that, there is heavy wood notes from the rosewood and sandalwood.

Plus, a nice dry vetiver. It’s nice, spicy, and has a very woody base. So, you get a nice punch before this one moves fully into what its name suggests is on its way.

Ombre Leather opens with leather, jasmine, moss, and saffron. It’s a very dark and dry with supple leathery warmth and a certain earthy quality to it all. To me, it does capture that desert-like mood that they used in the advertising.

It reminds me a lot of Godolphin, at the start, but ultimately is different from that scent.

Ombre, of course has that standout leather note, but there’s actually depth to it and I like that the brand didn’t just add a fruity note to it. The jasmine and saffron create a really interesting dynamic here.

Which is better? I like Oud Wood and its interesting opening, but I really enjoy Ombre Leather more. The saffron and leather combo is superb, always catches my attention.

Edge: Ombre Leather

Projection

Ombre Leather starts off strong on my skin and then becomes a moderate scent after a few hours of wear. The sillage is pretty strong, overall.

Ombre projects itself well, while not being overbearingly heavy, there is that mossy freshness sitting underneath the main notes.

Oud Wood is really moderate at first and then becomes quite weak. The Intense version of this was stronger and heavier, but this original sits much closer to the skin and doesn’t bog you down.

Which, might be a good thing for you, but I wouldn’t expect it to have a massive projection unless you go crazy with the sprays.

Edge: Ombre Leather

Longevity

Neither of these scents are elite in terms of how long they will last. I get 6-8 hours of wear from Ombre Leather.

Meanwhile, Oud Wood is pretty pitiful at 4-5 hours.

So, neither of these are among the best performers that Tom Ford has to offer. Oud Wood has always been disappointing to me, each time that I’ve tried it out. Ombre, is serviceable, but definitely not among the elite.

Edge: Ombre Leather

Versatility

I don’t particular see an edge in this category. Both of these fragrances are suited best for autumn and winter. They can be worn casually or dressed up (but favor dressed up), can work well in an office environment, or for a night out.

Neither is really a club beast at all and Ombre Leather is probably a bit sexier and can be more unisex…but not a definitive edge.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

I’m not a huge fan of the oud note, but I do enjoy the smell of Oud Wood much more than others, which use that ingredient. They didn’t go overboard with it and create some nearly unwearable fragrance for most people.

It’s nice, it has a great woody base, but can be a bit sour on my skin sometimes. The performance is one of my biggest gripes about this scent, especially at Tom Ford prices.

On the other hand, I really enjoy Ombre Leather. The warm and dry composition, with its rich leather note is awesome, and one of my favorites from this designer.

Add to that, it has better performance than does Oud Wood, and it’s a pretty clear winner in my mind. Ombre is leathery, earthy, with nice floral touches of jasmine and is a pleasure to wear. (Get it here: Ombre Leather)

Winner: Ombre Leather