CARNER
AMBAR DEL SUR

2018

Bergamot

Amber
Patchouli
Sandalwood
Water Jasmine

Myrrh
Vanilla
Tonka Bean
Labdanum

When I first tried Ambar Del Sur I felt a bit conflicted, so I waited a while and gave it another shot.

As the name suggests, it’s amber heavy. From the opening it’s quite powerful and warm. There’s a light animalic touch, which is what threw me off the first time. This time I was prepared, although I still think it’s what keeps this fragrance from being a fully comfortable wear for me. Something in this composition is giving me a similar almost sweaty body odor scent, that came to mind when I tried Etat Libre D’Orange’s Fat Electrician.

There’s a bit of freshness in the opening as well and overall I’d say this is not as sweet as most of the amber forward fragrances that I’ve tried.

In the drydown, this fragrance isn’t as powerful. There’s more vanilla and some of the freshness fades, but it’s a linear experience. It’s not as sweet, but also not as syrupy as some of it’s competitors. Instead, it’s a softer and lighter fragrance. To me, it seems to share a lot of DNA with Carner’s Palo Santo, which replaces the daring tone from Ambar Del Sur with a herbal, woody accord. This is very similar to Fat Electrician to my nose, but the creaminess and enhanced performance of Fat Electrician gives that fragrance a slight edge. Personally, this one is middle of the road for me; the daring aspect isn’t overpowering to the point that I wouldn’t wear this, but it’s not a favorite either.