Perfume Review: Yves Rocher Voile d'Ambre

Tom asked last Friday if I could review a twenty dollar scent for a change. I am always up for a challenge, especially the kind that isn’t really challenging at all. In our age of online discount stores and eBay, bargains for all sorts of fantastic scents are only a click away (Yatagan for $25.00, anyone?). Apart from discounted but usually pricey, high-end fragrances, I own and love truly budget perfumes, like Coty Wild Woods and Dana English Leather Musk. Yves Rocher’s Voile d’Ambre, at $23.00 for 1.7oz (never mind that it says on the site that the regular price is $46.00; you hardly ever see Yves Rocher charging regular prices, there are always sales going on), is another cheap-ish favorite in my collection. Those who are familiar with the company know that for every ten or so bottles of what I call “olfactory filler”, there is a really nice, even, dare I say it, original scent at Yves Rocher. For me, the examples of good quality, interesting Rocher scents would be the dark and brooding Isphahan, the somewhat Poisonesque Nuit d’Orchidee, the ethereal, ladylike Magnolia, the super-cuddly Cocoon and the recent release, Voile d’Ambre, this poor perfumista’s Flowerbomb Extreme. The “poor” comment is not a reflection on the quality of the blend. To me it is right on the level of Flowerbomb Extreme, that is to say it is not a masterpiece of originality at all, but is very pretty and lovable. The two are not by any means identical, however Voile d’Ambre has the same kind of glamorous candied-ness that I like in Flowerbomb Extreme. Don’t let the word “amber” in the name mislead you into believing that it is an amber-heavy fragrance. The note, although present, is not especially prominent. It serves more as a warm background for the rest of the notes (green mandarin, cardamom, myrrh, incense, opoponax, vanilla, sandalwood and patchouli). Incense and myrrh are also rather subdued if not entirely non-existent. The beginning smells of sugared citrus fruits and sweet spice, the heart is vaguely floral, honeyed, resinous and vanillic, the drydown is a very satisfying blend of soft wood, warm patchouli and more vanilla. Voile d’Ambre is a very attractive scent that feels dressed-up enough to be taken out to a party and yet, because of the vanilla, sweet amber and warm drydown, has a comforting feel. The fragrance is sweet but not cloying. It should suit very well those, who like me, have a soft spot for these kinds of vaguely gourmand compositions. Voile d’Ambre is available at Yves Rocher, $23.00 for 1.7oz, $9.50 for a 1/2oz and $3.00 for a miniature. The body lotion and shower gel are both really nice as well; they are highly perfumed and very true to the scent of Eau de Parfum.