Crystal d'Ambre
Keiko Mecheri (2009)

Here is another one of those scents I felt dead certain I had reviewed years ago. Oh well, here goes -

The idea of an amber-centric fragrance is a rather crowded field. It's just a simple, winning idea dating back as far as the discovery of incense resins. Ambers just smell pleasant. Mecheri's version is no exception. This ambery iteration is quite benzoin-powdery, and infused with a sort of clean laundry musk to it which lends a bit of a synthetic nature to the composition. But because of this it is (blessedly) not foody to me; I don't feel as though this is an edible amber, no warm cookies out of the oven, no dripping caramel. The labdanum is subdued but adds a bit of darkness to the body, and not a sinister kind of darkness, but more of a private comfort kind. Crystal d'Ambre isn't a great fragrance but it most certainly is as comfortable as it is smooth. It doesn't last (at least on me) as long as most of its kind but I enjoy it for what it is. This is a little abstract but it smells to me like it should look a pale, greyish lilac color.