Amber Mystique is a shiny new fragrance that arrived on the market at the beginning of the year. It was developed by Estee Lauder specifically with the Middle Eastern market in mind and it pays homage to traditional oud, albeit in its own special way (and in a very stylish bottle to boot).
I met Honorine Blanc, the master perfumer behind this fragrance, and Karyn Khoury, Senior VP of Fragrance Development at Estee lauder a couple of months ago, and they took me through the thought process behind it and explained how each of the notes involved contribute to the final scent. I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t expect to like it that much – I usually find oud a little bit overpowering, but Amber Mystique is not at all what you expect it to be, which is borderline exquisite! Don’t get me wrong, the first whiff is distinctly oud, but it’s intertwined with amber, taif rose (which is indigenous to Riyadh) and bulgarian rose, raspberry, blackcurrant, pink pepper and lots of other yummy notes making it overall, quite delicious.
It was launched in 100ml at first, but this month a 50ml bottle has hit the shelves. It’s ridiculously dinky, although I’m not sure that’s very obvious from the pic I took! Both sizes are available from Estee Lauder counters or online from Selfridges.