Nobile 1942 Ambra Nobile Eau de Parfum opens with sharp citrus that gets completely taken over by spiced amber that sweetens and becomes more toffee like within 10 minutes. It develops an earthiness with subtle green notes as the vetiver and patchouli came forward, while cedar gave it warmth and subtle woodiness. The drydown brought the amber back to the forefront with vanilla and a breath of cedar. The notes are:
- top notes: bergamot, neroli, amber
- heart notes: helichrysum (immortelle), labdanum, patchouli
- base notes: Tonka bean, cedarwood, Haitian vetiver
It opened with a splash of bergamot and neroli–citrusy and sharp–before being completely consumed by heavily spiced amber–dark, heady, spiced, and a little smoky. The amber’s spice softened slightly and allowed its more resinous quality to come out while getting more toffee-like with a little muskiness. There was a subtly earthy, like dry, dark cocoa, undertone that appeared after 10 minutes.
The vetiver reduced the warmth of the composition compared to other amber fragrances on the market, and it added further earthy, green elements against the patchouli, most noticeable after 45 minutes of wear. Ambra Nobile had become a well-blended composition of spiced amber with vetiver, cedar, and labdanum; the notes were fused together and were harder to detect individually, but they weren’t muffled, just blended.
As the fragrance developed further, the vetiver and cedar started to dominate, which made it appear as crisp woods with a subtle vanilla underneath. The interplay between amber, vetiver, cedar, and vanilla went on for three hours before the drydown became soft, amber-vanilla with a hint of cedar.
Application
For testing, I used half of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise.
Longevity
It lasted for 10 hours until it was a skin-scent that lingered for a few more hours as a soft drydown of scent. The sillage and projection were moderate with the sillage dropping faster than the projection within two hours of wear.
Personal Thoughts
After trying–and loving–Nobile 1942’s Patchouli Nobile, I decided to try some of their other scents in the range, because the price point is kinder than other niche houses (not affordable but not as exorbitant as niche can get!). I enjoyed it thoroughly, and if I had a bottle, would definitely put it into rotation, but I have other amber/labdanum scents that I like a little more or already have so the bar is higher and higher to add anything new.
Available Sizes
- 75ml for $135
- 0.7ml sample for $4