Amber Ash Sheikh
Abdul Karim Al Faransi

The reformulation is way better then what I had originally received as a sample a few years ago when this perfume house first debuted which was basically a paste and was so incredibly strong that it was virtually unwearable and could barely be applied to the skin due to the viscosity simulating cold Karo syrup. This newer batch is far more palatable and user friendly... mine is from last year but still ridiculously awesome.

This blend is a labdanum bomb to the extreme and is what this perfume is focused around. The labdanum used here is from an absolute which is why the oil is so black and still heavy as labdanum absolute at room temperature has the consistency of crystallized honey. It needs to be warmed in a hot water bath to do anything with it and even then you only have a few seconds to work with it until it pretty much returns back to a solid. The agarwood in this is amazing, is very woody, cleaned of funk and not really noticeable until the dry down starts a few hours in. This attar is definitely challenging due to the earthy notes in the opening 2 hours but once those subside, this perfume is actually stellar smelling and quite wearable as long as you're cautious with the application as in a few micro dots onto your pulse points... probably best applied with a toothpick. What you end up with is a simplistic blend of quality ingredients which consist of labdanum, amber, and oud with a hint of saffron and musk, really amazing in character and is the epitome of masculinity. In the far dry down you will be rewarded with the creamiest oud and most balmy amber accord that lasts well past 24 hours.

I wore this last night in the comfort of my own home for one of the first times since I've owned this and was thoroughly entertained for hours only to awake this morning to oud and amber heaven. It's a strong blend but not blow the doors off strong, I've experienced stronger attars then this. After a couple of hours the sillage tames down nicely to a wearable perfume as long as you apply a teeny tiny amount or else it's overwhelming and will make you feel nauseous. This stuff is black as night and will satisfy any amber/oud head. From an artistic standpoint, this perfume deserves an award, it's truly that cool and just so far out there in terms of being unique. This sells out instantly as soon as it's back in stock so grab this while you can and be blown away, in fact, just get this to have in your perfume wardrobe regardless if you'll never wear it. There's absolutely nothing else out there like it and it's neat to wear. I'm wearing this again tonight because it's that awesome and very rarely do I wear the same perfume two days in a row. The agarwood in this is killer and that's why I'm craving to wear this again.

If you love Norma Kamali's Incense or would enjoy smelling something very close to it but maxed out on some serious steroids with a phenomenal oud note, get this. From having the pleasure of wearing both of these, Amber Ash-Sheikh is miles better, far more wearable and just more fun. In my honest opinion, this stuff right here is the holy grail of incense.