Every so often, a fragrance lands that stops me in my tracks. One whiff, and I know instantly it’s going to be in regular rotation. Emporio Armani Stronger With You Amber, which arrived on my doorstep just last week, is exactly that. It’s a scent I’ve reached for every day since.
Key Notes
Top Notes: Fresh Lavender, Mandarin Essence
Heart Notes: Amber Accord
Base Notes: Vanilla Bourbon
My Thoughts
The composition is simple but incredibly effective. It opens with a fresh hit of lavender and mandarin essence, before settling into the warmth of amber at its heart. Vanilla bourbon rounds it out in the base, adding a gourmand smoothness that never tips into sickly sweet territory. The overall effect is ambery, spicy, and luminous, with a citrus brightness cutting through the richness. It’s addictive in the way only truly well balanced fragrances are.
Although billed as unisex, it leans a little more traditionally masculine on my skin. That said, it’s an easy wear for anyone drawn to warm, sensual scents with presence.
The bottle is handsome too. The familiar Emporio Armani You silhouette is dressed here in translucent amber glass, its golden interlocking rings designed to echo the stone itself. It feels suitably weighty and luxurious, the kind of bottle you’d happily leave out on a dressing table.
Projection
Performance is impressive. The Emporio Armani Stronger With You Amber projection is assertive in the opening, it will absolutely announce your arrival in a room. But it soon settles into something smooth and enveloping that lingers. Compliments are inevitable. It’s one of those fragrances people notice, then lean in to ask about.
Longevity
Longevity is excellent, clinging to clothes even after a wash cycle, which is no bad thing in my book.
When I would wear it
Seasonally, it could work year round. In spring and summer, I’d save it for evening wear, when that amber warmth feels most at home. Come autumn and winter, though, I’d happily spray it morning and night. It’s instantly comforting, stylish, and appealing.
