• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

Montale Blue Amber fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 27 October 2006 10 Comments

Blue Amber

Before I became a bony, arrogant, and selfish teenage snob, I was a shy, chubby bookworm with a crew cut, thick glasses, and a sense of modesty that bordered on the nutty — I wouldn’t even let bare ankles show between pants and shoes.

My prepubescent self was inhibited and stubborn, but also kinder than the "Teen-to-Come" — I would actually do things to please others. My father loved fishing and wanted me to love it too, so I humored him and always said "yes" when he asked me to go on fishing trips. I didn’t like handling the smelly crabmeat bait or seeing and hearing fish struggle after being caught, or getting seasick as monstrous swells would almost capsize the boat, but I enjoyed the fragrant sea breezes, the warm sun, the boat rides, navigating around old buoys and isolated lighthouses, seeing the herons, hawks and ducks that flew near us.

Today, I live far from those fishing grounds and the only boats I ride are ferries, but when I smell Montale’s Blue Amber fragrance I am reminded of those childhood fishing trips by an olfactory jolt — a jolt that conjures a time, a place, even a "self" that disappeared long ago.

Blue Amber includes notes of bergamot, Bourbon geranium, patchouli, coriander, vetiver, vanilla and amber. I can discern each of those notes during the life of the scent, but when those notes begin to bounce off each other, dissipate, flare up, and meld, I smell things decidedly un-perfume-like — a brief hint of fuel and exhaust fumes, the chemical smell of mosquito repellant. I also detect a sharp 'dry cloth' scent, redolent of the stiff, heavy waxed-cotton jackets and caps my father and I wore on our boat; they smelled, not unpleasantly, of sun-baked salt — salt from the sea, salt from sweat. At the very end of Blue Amber’s development I smell a soft, summery sea breeze, lightly (and sweetly) scented with dried reeds.

Most people I’ve let sample Blue Amber do not like it after the initial strong amber blast begins to fade — and if you don’t have a fondness for the scents of outboard motors, bug repellant and the sea, you may not appreciate it either. Blue Amber is sold on the Montale website as a scent for women and I strongly disagree with that categorization; this is a unisex fragrance. The lasting power of the Eau de Parfum is excellent.

Nostalgia is free but I’m happy to add a "scent-track" to pleasant memories. For buying information, see the listing for Montale under Perfume Houses.

Possibly of interest

Montale Red Vetiver ~ fragrance review
Montale Full Incense ~ fragrance review
Montale Red Aoud & Agallocha Tedallal Homme ~ fragrance reviews

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: amber, montale

Advertisement


10 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. Anonymous says:
    27 October 2006 at 4:55 pm

    How lovely a thing memory is.

    I thank you for sharing that moment w/ me- I could almost taste it.

    Log in to Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    27 October 2006 at 5:51 pm

    I am not sure what I'd feel about the scent, what with the sea and everything, I love, love your review! Thank you.

    Log in to Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    27 October 2006 at 6:20 pm

    Give it a try…I'd categorize this as an “amber mid-level strength”…you can wear it in summer even. K

    Log in to Reply
  4. Anonymous says:
    27 October 2006 at 6:21 pm

    You're welcome…we never know WHAT will trigger a vivid memory, do we? K

    Log in to Reply
  5. Anonymous says:
    28 October 2006 at 2:54 am

    This seems like a scent more fascinating to smell, than to comfortably be worn–at least, for myself. Obviously “comfort” has a unique meaning to you–and everyone, for that matter…and you seem to find it in this scent.

    What an interesting posting!

    Log in to Reply
  6. Anonymous says:
    28 October 2006 at 2:23 pm

    Your trip down memory lane reminded me of my own numerous childhood fishing trips with my father and brother in the Pacific Northwest. The smell of gasoline, the pungent fishy odors — aah. I'm fairly certain I don't want to wear these scents. Nonetheless, I need to sniff Blue Amber.

    Log in to Reply
  7. Anonymous says:
    28 October 2006 at 2:47 pm

    NLB: I don't want to scare people away from Blue Amber! Do give it a try if you come across it.

    Log in to Reply
  8. Anonymous says:
    28 October 2006 at 2:50 pm

    Iris: if you're visiting the NW, and are in Vancouver, you can sniff Blue Amber at The Perfume Shoppe. Surely someone carries the line in LA? (I draw the line at FISH…if that were even fleetingly apparent I would have to say 'no!') K

    Log in to Reply
  9. Anonymous says:
    31 October 2006 at 5:44 am

    I've had a look at the description of Montale in your Perfume Houses page. The weblink for that company does not seem to be the right one. I think the right link is the one as follows : http://www.parfumsmontale.com/

    Log in to Reply
  10. Anonymous says:
    31 October 2006 at 7:23 am

    Thank you so much for noticing! It is fixed now.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement


Luckyscent

Search

Browse by…

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

From NST at Twitter

  • "Jo Loves adopts refillable technology for Fragrance Paintbrush" (cosmeticsbusiness) https://t.co/sn2tZ1cguT,
  • @robini71 And my favorite honeysuckle is also limited edition -- Goutal Le Chevrefeuille. They do bring it back eve… https://t.co/MFGwHJK0Ji,
  • "Juliette Has a Gun Gets Minority Backing" (wwd via aol) https://t.co/7EdL3TyXKO,
  • @MrsCollins1787 Good, hope you love it!,

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

TBA April ~ freebiemeet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy

Shop for Perfume Online
Perfume Shopping in New York
Perfume Shopping in London
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books
Fragrance Awards

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2021 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.