In Greek mythology, the Heliades were the daughters of Helios (God of the Sun) and Clymene. After the tragic death of their brother, Phaethon, the Heliades grieved for four months, but were still blamed for playing a role in their brother’s death. As a result, the gods turned them into poplar trees and their tears into amber. The tears, which fell into the river Eridanos in the form of amber pearls, were then found and used to adorn Roman brides. This amber, born out of sadness yet then used to create beauty in times of joy and celebration, is exactly what inspired the creation of Amber Oud.
Amber Oud is a soft, warm, and sensual composition built on the fusion between these two ancestral raw materials: amber and oud. The objective was to deconstruct and reconstruct amber by taking the animalistic qualities of a dark oud and adding richness through an overdose of vanilla from Madagascar and benzoin from Laos. Cedarwood from Atlas then brings structure to this creation by keeping the balsamic notes in balance. Finally, a touch of spice from Pimenta Racemosa (bay leaf) essence brings light to this oriental composition, similar to the light that one often finds in a Vermeer painting. Amber Oud's notes are amber, oud, bay leaf, cedarwood, and vanilla. Amber Oud was created by Calice Becker for By Kilian.
I must tell you that Amber Oud is not "me." It's a bit dark/heavy for my tastes. What does that matter? It is very popular and was worthy of the award. The runners-up were as follows.
Second place: Jul et Mad Terasse a St. Germain
Third place: La Cherche Midid Eau d'Hiver
Fourth place: Carner Barcelona Rima XI
Fifth place: Ramon Monegal Cuirelle
I have to admit I haven't sniffed any of the runners-up. I must get cracking.
Photo courtesy of Luckyscent
Hmm...I find it interesting that the winner is the only brand I've heard of. And I love those dark, sexy, mysterious fragrances (everything disappears on my dry, dry skin).
ReplyDeleteMamaVal,
ReplyDeleteYou might like Amber Oud! The only one of the runners-up whose fragrances I have purchased is Ramon Monegal. I LOVE what I have.
I actually just purchased a By Kilian fragrance- Love ...don't be shy - I forgot to smell the amber oud!
ReplyDeleteHis fragrances are distinct and worthy of all the praise-
My next choice would be In the city of sin - these two offset my light Jo Malone fragrances nicely.
As like mamavalveeta03 I have not heard of the runner-ups??
I love Amber Oud, Cuirelle, and Terasse... so clearly agree the choices were good (though By Kilian is so huge they surely must border on no longer being "indie"). Must check out the other two from the list.
ReplyDeleteInteresting FF criteria for indie, Jen. Kilian posted about it on FB after hearing all the questions.
ReplyDeleteHi Makeup Remastered,
ReplyDeleteProbably because they are much less well known. NM will be getting one of Ramon Monegal's new ones, exclusive to them, that I'm excited about.