I accidentally discovered Élisire through Instagram when the founder, Franck Salzwedel, had a live session with Fabrice Croisé, the founder of Scents of Wood (I wrote a post about their perfume here). I ended up loving both brands because they are exceptional. When I looked up Élisire’s website, Ambre Nomade is the one that is very intriguing for me because of the notes:
top Apricot Nature Print, Ginger, Sage
heart Ylang Ylang, Cedarwood, Cistus Absolute
base Patchouli, Olibanum Resinoid, Vanilla, Musks
https://www.elisire.com/products/ambre-nomade
My cup of tea. This fragrance is calling me. All the notes that I cherish are there.
Ambre Nomade’s opening is deep yet refreshing.
Ambre Nomade starts with mellow, fruity notes of apricot flesh, soft, juicy, and colorful. The ginger slowly becomes more apparent, bringing warm spicy nuances that melange beautifully with the fruity apricot. Like the color of the sky when the sun is soon to set, together, they are golden.
Sage’s aromatic facet complements the ginger’s warmness, elevating both elements’ green-herbaceous aspect. I found this is where Ambre Nomade becomes unique and exciting. The aromatic, herbaceous, dry facet of sage and ginger contrasts the soft and juicy apricot’s flesh, giving powdered textures that glow and illuminate the apricot’s deep golden color. I cannot move on from this stage as it gives me a tremendous enveloping sensation. It feels like watching the sunset from the mountain (I imagine Bromo mountain in East Java, Indonesia) while getting cozy under a soft blanket.
I am glad that the scents of the warm spices flow through the next stage and blends beautifully with the florals. Ylang-ylang’s balsamic and soft-spicy notes fill the heart of Ambre Nomade. It resonates well with the woods and resins in the oriental background, opulent and voluptuous. Cedarwood’s smoky facet gets more and more apparent as the fragrance goes deeper into the middle notes, slowly transitioning into a woody and balsamic territory.
The amber in Ambre Nomade is resinous, projecting woody and balsamic characters. The cistus and olibanum ambery facet is heavenly; they are a tad peppery, somewhat smoky, balanced with sweet and balsamic undertones. I love the dusty and smoky texture of these resins because it gives richness to the oriental composition like in Ambre Nomade and makes it more compelling. On my skin, cistus’ resinous aspect appears in the top notes. It pushes the fruity and floral character, quietly creating a profound and rich opening.
I am happy with Ambre Nomade’s evolution because the scent does flow from the top until the bottom.
Still, it always carries its true essence: oriental, woody, spicy. From fruity, fresh, top notes, it becomes woody, balsamic-ambery, and musky after around 6 hours on my skin. The fruitiness on the top fades slowly and then is replaced by the ambers and vanilla’s sweet-balsamic facet. The spiciness is still intact, although more in the peppery (terpenic) facet, especially with the presence of olibanum and cistus. Both materials’ balsamic and woody elements emphasize patchouli’s sweet and earthy character. Although present, the patchouli is not dominating as it is balanced by the dry and dusty cedarwood. The patchouli, however, gives a solid ground in Ambre Nomade’s woody character, deep and intense.
Ambre Nomade is developed with collaboration between Pierre Negrin, the nose, and Franck’s creative direction. The bottle I have in the picture is the 30 ml one. You should go to their website or Instagram to see the 50 ml bottle. It’s gorgeous! I’m saving it for my next Élisire because I just need that beautiful bottle on my shelf. I already have an idea of which one I should acquire next.
Ambre Nomade reminds me of home.
This morning, I wondered which fragrance I should wear on this valentine’s day, and I chose Ambre Nomade because I miss home. I didn’t realize that I miss Indonesia this much until I’m writing this post.
Ambre Nomade is one of my most memorable amber fragrances because it reminds me of the smell of my home country: the spices and woods. It reminds me of my trip to the Central and East Java with my family. I remember visiting the batik market in Solo. Ambre Nomade’s warm spices and woods bring me back to that moment, the hot and humid weather, the ambiance, and the smell of the fabric. It also reminds me of the traditional beverage we called Jamu; it has spices and herbs. It reminds me of the wooden houses in the village that we visited.
I am dedicating my valentine’s day post to Indonesia, a country where I was born and grew up.
A country with so many flaws that sometimes makes me want to leave it immediately. But also, a country with unspeakable beauty, kind and smiley people, rich in nature, culturally diverse, and has so much potential to grow. A country that now I miss a lot. Although I am far away, I hope I could always give back to Indonesia.
Have you ever been to Indonesia? Perhaps, Bali? It’s funny because I met several people here who said they’ve never been to Indonesia, but they’ve visited Bali. FYI, Bali is not a country; it is an island in Indonesia. Bali is indeed remarkable, but there are so many beautiful places and beaches in Indonesia that we (I included) need to explore.
By the way, I took Ambre Nomade for a walk around Paris and I made a video that I’ve uploaded on my YouTube. Click here to watch!
Anyway, how about you? Which fragrance do you wear on valentine’s day or when you wanted to be loved?
Have a lovely day all!
Cheers,
Gia.
