Youth Dew Amber Nude (Estee Lauder)

By Thomas

The next time a woman complains to me about gender disparity, I may mention this irony: if a woman raids a man’s closet and wears his clothes, she is bold and daring. If a man steps out in high heels and a feather boa, he is a kook and should be imprisoned. Talk about your double standards.

Theoretically, scents are genderless. I believe this, up to a point. You ask, where is this point? Youth Dew Amber Nude. I could be wrong, but boy – this opens as womanly as anything I have ever smelled.

There's a lot going on here, and the opening is a casualty of too much, too soon. It's amber, and flowers like ylang ylang and jasmine, incense, and then a fizzy effervescence that reminds me of Sprite (ginger, actually). It's like someone at a club threw their amaretto-sprite concoction at you (yuck, BTW).

Into the heart, the effervescence continues but the flowers have receded. Still a fizzy, sparkling amber, not especially easy to wear unless you're a dandy. Eventually (hours later), the fizziness fades as well, and you're left with a lipstick-y chocolate amber patchouli. Sounds dark, right? Not really, but it is pleasant. If you're on good terms with Caron Third Man, or perhaps Dior Homme, this isn’t too big a stretch.

For a man? Bottle the drydown and you have a winner. Spray in the morning, and by lunch you're manly again. We do have other (easier) options…Amber Absolute, Ambre Sultan, Voile d'Ambre, for starters. If you see this on sale and are on a major amber kick, it's probably worth buying a small bottle for a few ducats. But first, you've got those first hours to get though, and for a man not used to walking in heels, each moment seems an eternity.

Year: 2005
Perfumer: Christophe Laudamiel
Notes: Fresh tea, Grapefruit, Bare skin accord, Magnolia, Ginger, Black Rose, Red Carnation, Jasmine, Ylang-ylang, Patchouli, Amber, Vetiver, Dark chocolate