Another dip into the niche world, this time from the house of Abel. They seem to have started of in Amsterdam, but now seem to be based on New Zeland. The brand seem to be strongly based around certain ethics. Everything is said to be 100% natural, vegan, and cruelty-free, using biodegradable & renewable ingredients in an organic grain alcohol base. It was created by master perfumer Isaac Sinclair in collaboration with Abel founder Frances Shoemack back in 2016. Cobalt Amber is designed to bridge the gap between day and night, described by founder Frances Shoemack as a fragrance that travels from Copenhagen to New York. Up top it's starts with Pink Pepper, Cardamom & Juniper Berry. The opening is bright and slightly "gin-like" thanks to the juniper, providing a sharp, modern contrast to the heavy resins. At its core, Cacao, Tonka Bean & Peru Balsam. The heart is where the cobalt meets the amber. It’s velvety & gourmand without being sugary, thanks to the bitter edge of the cacao. Then you get those lovely base notes, Amber, Sandalwood & Patchouli. The dry down is warm and resinous. Abel uses Ambroxan (biotech-derived from clary sage) and Ambrettolide (upcycled musk) to give the scent its distinctive ambergris-like depth. This is I believe my first every all natural fragrance , there definitely going for a an Art Deco vibe here. It is comforting yet sophisticated. Performance is only about 4hrs, perhaps this has something to do with the natural ingredients? Even the projection is moderate at best It stays relatively close to the bodymaking it an excellent cuddle scent or a professional office choice. There is I believe an extrait option that is oil based, which I might have too try before deciding on full bottle options, so stay tuned. My Rating: 6.5/10 Scent: 2.5 Longevity: 2 Sillage: 1 Y/N: 1

This is an indie fragrance and also an exclusive fragrance based on my home territory. Only available at one store in Kelowna, British Columbia. It opens slightly vanillic with some dry herbaceous notes, the vanilla is almost boozy and that might be the alcohol in the fragrance mixing in. The vanilla feels natural, not artificial. Some dry aromatic notes and ambery richness. Overall, it's a very subtle composition that actually reminds me a lot of Ambree Sultan by Serge Lutens. This just might be recency biased since I just wore that a couple of days ago but I stand by that comparison EDP concentration Notes: Top: Grapefruit lemon and Bergemot: these are subtle and add brightness to me rather than specific citrus. It is quite sunny and hot here in the summer and I think that that citrus captures that. Vetiver, pettigrain, neroli, and ambrette seed This is the heart of the scent the Vetiver imparts dusty dry green rather than dark or earthy notes. The ambrette seed is actually a real winner in this one giving it a slightly boozy vanillic note that is slightly powdery and rich. Oakmoss fir and cedarwood base Not getting a lot of any of these notes specifically but they're there, I wonder if this is what's giving me some of the balsamic and vanillc notes as fresh fir can be slightly balsamic. I was able to score a sample of this and I'm really glad I did because I think I'm going to have to get a full bottle presentation of this now that I've actually worn it. Overall, this one really does capture a lot of the essence of what it's like to live in the Okanagan Valley, which is a combination of desert and Alpine due to the elevation (344 meters above sea level at Lake level and Valley Bottom - hence the 344). With some rather steep hills leading to Alpine evergreens almost immediately and then to surrounding mountains due to it being carved out from glaciers. So this really does A great job of capturing incent form what it's like to live here, at least in the summer.