Clean fresh and sparkling are the first adjectives that I would use to describe Ambre Topkapi as it is applied initially. As nice as that sounds, it’s really not all that special or interesting. It’s really hard to pinpoint the notes as there are so many in this composition, but I can detect the citrus notes in the opening and I might detect a little bit of pineapple, but I’m not sure if that’s just power of suggestion in reading the notes!
After that initial blast of freshness (and I’m only talking for a minute), the scent moves into a nice light warm spice. Again, it’s not all that special, just nice. Finally, the scent completes it’s drydown leaving a sweeter, but still light, vanilla powdery amber. Again, nice, but nothing special.
As you can see, my enthusiasm is bare, if at all. So to be fair to Ambre Topkapi maybe the Luckyscent description may give a bit of a more inspired tonality to the scent:
The top notes are the perfumer’s nod to the classic masculine scents: the beginning of Ambre Topkapi is brightened by bergamot, spiced up by ginger and have a cool, herbal undertone of basil, thyme and lavender. The heart notes, with their combination of luxurious leather and soft, sweet sandalwood, add depth, warmth and what we can only described as a very “expensive” feel to the blend. In the base, vanilla and amber ornament the scent beautifully, bringing to it a wonderfully exotic feel, making it evocative of faraway lands, luxurious palaces, and Eastern splendor.
I found the longevity on Ambre Topkapi rather weak as is the sillage. The coolest thing about this fragrance is the fact that you can get it with the beautiful classical bust for the bottle. However, at an additional $150 is it really worth it? For the cost associated with this fragrance, I expect a lot more. I want to feel inspired to write something from an excited voice, not a forced hand!
Ambre Topkapi Notes:
Bergamot, grapefruit, pineapple, melon, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg ginger, basil, thyme, lavender, oak moss, vetiver, sandalwood, rosewood, leather, Darjeeling tea, amber, musk, vanilla, jasmine and violet
- Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent: Woody Spicy
- Classification: Masculine
- Expense: $250 for 60ml EDP with bust, $375 with bust
The Scented Hound 
June 14, 2012 at 6:04 pm
I have yet to explore this line – but you’re right they seem style and design over substance. Classic, safe compositions (not my thing)!
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June 14, 2012 at 6:32 pm
It was so blah that I just didn’t feel like writing about it. How sad is that??!
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June 14, 2012 at 7:12 pm
I like those busts but I always felt that it was an insult for the perfumes to have just an additional topper, not even a special bottle, for the extra $150 – more than half the price of the juice.
So far I tried only one perfume from this line – La Belle Hélène. I liked it but didn’t love so I couldn’t justify the price. I am curious about the rest of the line but I’d prefer to sniff them first somewhere at a store. So thank you for not creating lemmings 🙂
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June 14, 2012 at 7:57 pm
This is my first sampling of MDCI and I have to admit that I sampled based on “I need to try one of those fragrances because of the cool bust bottle.” I am wondering if the fragrances are more style than substance, but I can’t make the decision off of one sample. And the busts are cool… very old world. But part of me thinks that if it was sitting among my other bottles it would be a bit pretentious!! LOL
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