Fragrance: Hugo Boss Velvet Amber

Hugo Boss have been flogging perfumes for some time – most men will, at some point, have come into contact with a Boss scent and their newest, Boss Bottled Sport, is reviewed on this very blog. Yet, whilst they are all perfectly good, acceptable fragrances, they are all aimed at the mass market. Popularity can soon turn into ubiquity and for a product that is designed to make you stand out, this isn’t ideal. So Boss have  used their roots as a tailor for inspiration and produced a new collection of 50ml EDTs, available in the UK exclusively at Harrods.

Velvet Amber grabbed me instantly – I had been looking for a reliable amber scent for some time and was very taken by it. It is smooth, creamy (yet slightly bitter) and the tiniest bit powdery. After the initial dry down, you’re left with a very sophisticated vanilla base, which retains the initial amber, resin hit and never lets go. It is also remarkable how it can be beautifully sweet without developing into something sickly – having worn it for 8-10 hour stretches, it’s definitely not a scent you end up hating. To be honest, I’m having a hard time finding the correct words to describe it. My best advice is to smell it yourself.

That said, it’s not a fragrance for daily use – it is very much in the exclusive eveningwear category. Not least because it’s only available in 50ml bottles and at £110 a time you won’t want to go coating yourself with it every time you leave the house. Lasting power is exceptional however, so when you do wear it you won’t need to be constantly re-applying. Being quite sweet and rich, you would be forgiven for assuming it would asphyxiate those around you but this is certainly not the case; Velvet Amber is noticeable but never, ever overpowering.

To sum-up, I can’t get enough of Velvet Amber. It is one of my ‘special occasion’ fragrances of choice and has proved a reliable partner when visiting the opera, the ballet and any social function I can think of. Is it really exclusive? It seems to be – I can’t find many reviews online (and almost none on blogs) and have never met another man who uses it, which leads me to believe that you’re almost guaranteed to be the only wearer at any given event. This adds nothing to the wear-ability of the perfume itself, but is very nice all the same. It also comes in a beautiful flacon presentation box and velvet drawstring bag. If you go into Harrods, you find all five scents in the series arranged in the order they should be sampled. It’s well worth a visit (presuming it’s still there!).

Velvet Amber 50ml EDT is £110 and available exclusively at Harrods.