Serge Lutens • Ambre Sultan • Fragrances

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soitgoes on 8/13/2012 9:01:00 PM more reviews by soitgoes

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Ambre Sultan is a smoky amber on me. When I wear this, I am transported to the deep woods on a dewy, overcast fall morning. The morning air smells sweet as I trudge over wet foliage, trees are starting to get heavy with sap, and there is a detectable smell of smoky, charred wood from a campfire from the night before. This is like a memory for me.

Being female, the strong blast of fragrance right away is a little too much for me (feels quite masculine). But after a few hours, it mellows out beautifully. This amber is definitely worth trying at least once.

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*TOP REVIEWER* GlamDiva on 11/24/2011 4:18:00 PM more reviews by GlamDiva

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Other, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

Ambre Sultan is a gourmand amber full of spices. A unisex fragrance, but IMO Ambre Sultan leans more toward the masculine. LM Ambre Passion is very similar but more powdery and feminine.

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Concord on 9/11/2011 1:20:00 PM more reviews by Concord

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

When this wa released, together with Rose de Nuit in, I think, 1993 there weren't many upscale ambers around, but I was still familiar to the concept of amber through oils and incenses from oriental shops and loved those smells. I first read about it in french Vogue describing it as a perfume for kings. I was immediately obsessed with the idea of it. The extreme orientalism and the timeless, luxurious-looking bottle. This was before the Internet was in every mans home so it took me years to even try the wax sample. I finally procured my bottle some years ago, via full bottles of Chergui and Muscs Koublaï Khan, and love it dearly. Now, with the release of Lutens death-song De Profundis, I'm overwhelmed by these memories. How unusual and exotic and romantic the whole concept was back then. And me, a young poor man dreaming of affording/getting hold of a bottle. It's a flying carpet straight out of the Arabian Nights and I hope to always have it in my possession.

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Giggio on 9/2/2011 4:19:00 AM more reviews by Giggio

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

One of my favorite fragances and a keeper for a long time.

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*TOP REVIEWER* SNIFFMEALLOVER on 8/1/2011 2:14:00 AM more reviews by SNIFFMEALLOVER

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

Dry and bitter with a hint of sweetness. Nice.

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*TOP REVIEWER* WentworthRoth on 3/13/2011 6:23:00 AM more reviews by WentworthRoth

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

Notes: coriander, sandalwood, bay leaf, patchouli, angelica, resins and myrrh.

This fragrance opens with a spice accord comprised of coriander, bay leaf and a dash of patchouli. It is warm and dry with a sweetish undertone due to the myrrh. As the fragrance progresses, the bay leaf becomes the dominant note, but thankfully myrrh softens the herbal-green qualities of the leaf. The notes develop quite inconsistently on my skin: at times they are metallic and flat only to become rich and aromatic again. The amber I see throughout the fragrance's development is in my opinion actually an accord, a composite of the other notes, for towards the end it dissolves into its single components again. This is not my favourite amber fragrance. Lasts for more than 4 hours on my skin.

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Amilita on 9/22/2010 11:31:00 AM more reviews by Amilita

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

My other ambers bow down to the Sultan! I am a huge amber fan and Ambre Sultan is the pinnacle of perfection. I love the odd herbal bitterness of the opening and the drydown manages to be sweet, rich and deep without being at all cloying. It lasts all day, and then comes blossoming forth beautifully again when I work out (or get busy!) in the evening. I hope to never be without it.

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Bassclef on 8/16/2010 10:13:00 PM more reviews by Bassclef

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

A stunning rich amber. Resinous, sappy, warm, spiced but not "spicy." I'm not getting any herbs per se, or dried fruit like other reviewers--the main impression is of honeyed sap, melting with the heat of incense. A very low-key sweetened vanilla base, but by no means "sweet." A must-try. I can't wait for cooler weather to anoint myself with this and let it warm me from the autumn chill.

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smake on 7/11/2010 8:41:00 PM more reviews by smake

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Blue    

musk sticks, sandalwood, frankincense, resiny.. oranges. sometimes smoky, sometimes sweet. love. (for ref: not as smoky as Fumerie Turque) Sillage was great at first on my skin, muskiness really shon, now the drydown is allot of resin and frankincense. SL rocks my world!

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chrystelica on 5/31/2010 1:28:00 PM more reviews by chrystelica

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

Very lovable, again. Smells similar to Chergui (very slightly in my mind) with an emphasis, on my skin, on the smokiness. A smoking amber on charcoal. Seductive, and certainly would be ravishing in cooler weather. Must try again later, also would make a perfect evening scent. It is a strong amber, if you enjoy the essence, you will love this perfume. It radiates off the skin with a smoky warmth, not as sweet as the actual essence but with greater sillage.

My husband did not like this, and though I don't wear things just for him, and I do find it enticing, I'm not sure if this translates to the male nose. However, he's not an amber fan. Personally, I love Eden Botanicals Amber Essence oil, so much I comb it into my hair =)

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*TOP REVIEWER* Shwets on 5/9/2010 6:48:00 AM more reviews by Shwets

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

A stronger intense version of Auric Blends Amber perfume oil. I prefer simpler fragrances so Auric Blends is my favourite amber.

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melloh on 3/31/2010 10:02:00 PM more reviews by melloh

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

What an amazing experience. I'll have to pay attention to the beginning when I try this again, but I love the middle and end! After the top notes, it smelled exactly like the Chinese temples I visited as a child... Incense... wood... then it mellowed into vanilla rounded out by amber. The drydown does have a slight resemblance to Play-do when I think about it :) I don't think it smells like sex, genitals, or asian food mart at all.

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Beejoux42 on 3/31/2010 6:53:00 AM more reviews by Beejoux42

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

The first time I tried this - a few years ago - I was so overwhelmed by the patchouli I ran away and scrubbed for hours! Trying it again this year - well it is Serge and I do love him - I found it to be much friendlier on my skin. Who had changed - me or the juice?
Anyway, as my husband liked it too I thought we could share a bottle.....Sadly though it now smells great on me for a while, it fades away very quickly.
I don't know whats going on but at least it smells wonderful on my husband and lasts all day on him. So disappointed on this one, but still love the line in general.

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*TOP REVIEWER* singwritenow on 3/10/2010 9:41:00 AM more reviews by singwritenow

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This is a very deep and complex fragrance as other reviewers have described, not for the faint of heart! You are either going to love it or hate it, seems to be no in-between on this one! I cannot wear sweet, flowery or fruity scents and on me the dry down is is very earthy and musky. If this scent doesn't work for you, try the fragrances from this line and find a scent that works for you. You will never go back to mall perfumes again! This is expensive but it only takes a TINY amount! Try this line and you'll be hooked.

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*TOP REVIEWER* drc98x on 1/25/2010 10:32:00 AM more reviews by drc98x

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This is one of my favorite amber frag. that I tried so far, even better than AG Amber Fetiche (which seems to go flat on me). This frag. has an almost herbal smell to it, not too sweet, but not too masculine either (I don't like frags. that are too masculine), it also has a vanillic-balsam note to it. So over all, I love this, & it's different enough from all the mainstream amber scents to purchase a FB! Good lasting power on me as well.

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dollhearts on 9/16/2009 6:01:00 PM more reviews by dollhearts

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

At the first whiff of this perfume, i thought omg it smells like the spices we put in our cooking. I kept smelling it though afterwards, thinking mmm but at the same time, why would i wear something like this when this is almost how i smell after cooking...
After a while, -even though it is very strong, i do like it. Im not sure whether i would buy it though, but i do appreciate what Mr. Lutens has done with making this.

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*TOP REVIEWER* 9154mf on 8/31/2009 10:10:00 PM more reviews by 9154mf

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

Notes: coriander, amber, oregano, bay leaf, myrtle, angelica root, sandalwood, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla
Upon application, this smells very strongly of patchouli and oregano, not an enticing combination for me. I'm not really a fan of all these cooking spices in this scent, I love spices but these give the scent a bitter edge - I think this is what some reviewers are referring to as a sex scent, it has a very trashy feel to it, but it's reminding me of horse dung. The amber comes out slowly, but its a dirty amber and, IMO, borders on masculine. A man could easily wear this - in fact, I think I'd probably LIKE it on a man! I don't know if many men would find this sexy on a woman though, its quite overpowering. I can smell only the faintest hints on sandalwood and vanilla. OK it's a woody oriental so I shouldn't expect much less, but basically I don't like it that much, don't know if I'll even finish my sample. It doesn't take long for the base drydown, and vanilla and sandalwood are the main players along with some of the earlier spices. This is much better, ut still I wouldn't buy a FB and this now reminds exactly of...Chergui!

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mezymoon on 6/7/2009 2:38:00 PM more reviews by mezymoon

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

A few years back, I used to purchase an Amber Musk from a certain seller on e-bay. It was the most unique (unlike any other "amber musk") scent I had ever encountered and it was my "HG". Everywhere I went, I got compliments on it and people asking where they could get it. Unfortunately the seller disappeared from ebay and ever since then I have been on a quest to find the perfect fragrance....that ONE that would capture the essence of who I am. Well, I have finally found it. It is Ambre Sultan. In fact, it smells a lot like the Amber Musk I used to love so much. On me, Ambre Sultan starts of very musky, but dries down to a beautiful soft and somewhat sweet amber with a bit of incense and slightly (not overtly) animalic undertones. I'm not sure where people are getting the "pure sex" smell from...maybe the musky animalic notes that I detect before they dry down. In any case, this scent on me dries down to pure feminine perfection. The only thing bad I can say about it is the price. Of all the fragrances I would want for my HG, it had to be one of the more expensive and hard-to -find. Considering I used to wear something similar from ebay for a tiny fraction of the cost of Ambre Sultan, you can imagine my dismay. Even so, chances are I will end up paying for a FB of this beautiful fragrance....I just can't imagine NOT possessing it.

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ksiusha on 5/28/2009 11:28:00 AM more reviews by ksiusha

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

This smell reminds me of the sensation one gets when the skin is pressed against the sand on the beach washed over with the Caspian sea. It's not worm, it is really really hot, but if you endure you'll get to feel the grains of sand peeling your skin, mixing with sweat and remaining on you as a new layer of skin, as an enigmatic ornament.

It is true summer perfume for me, since its spicy heart blends so well with the hot weather. It makes you one with the heat. And true to its nature, like summer day, it releases its blistering heat but then settles into a soft and sightly sweet summer evening.

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*TOP REVIEWER* eurodivas on 5/10/2009 1:34:00 PM more reviews by eurodivas

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Dark, Warm   Hair: Brown, Relaxed, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

It took me such a long time to write a review for this fragrance as I was not sure how to rate it. To start, I find this to be an amazing fragrance and I do love it however I see it more as a masculine fragrance. I do not feel comfortable wearing it in the office or in any serious environment where I have to put my best feet forward. This is a fragrance that I enjoy at home (I wear at night to sleep or evenings with good friends). Actually, my husband gets much more use out of this than I do. My delima was - do I rate a fragrance with a 4 that I feel uncomfortable wearing to work or outside as it is so masculine. For that price point I should be able to get more use out of it - but then again this is a personal feeling. Normally one would say; if you thought it was so masculine why do you have it? The answer is, I love it very much. So I have decided on a 3. In terms of the buy again button, I clicked yes as I will definitely buy this again as I go crazy when my husband wears it. Also, I can enjoy in private when ever I want.


But I am writing a review for Ambre Sultan today as on Friday evening I accidently found a scent which is so similar to this fragrance. I just happened to stop by Yves Roche and sampled some scents. I immediately fell in love with their Voile d’ambre. The perfume version is so similar to Ambre Sultan that I purchased it on Saturday morning. It is a bit softer and definitely I can wear this with all comfort and confidence - Ambre Sultan for the girl who does not like to smell like a man. Also the price point is very nice - indeed.

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