Incidentally, I tried Jacob's Ladder and The Maltese Cross of Sanctus Germanus in the last days, and when dried completely, MC is a very sweet, feminine amber with only a faint touch of floral, incense and wood (no more orange as soon as it's dry, and it was very subtle to begin with). The wet stage was not perfect, with a hint of soapiness, but now it's pretty good, only too sweet for my personal taste. I'm wondering if amber will always develop this unwanted sweetness on me - in Jacob's Ladder, I had the Tonka and Benzoin to blame, but Maltese Cross should contain nothing that can go *that* sugary?
Are there any amber blends that are *not* sweet and not oriental/spicy, but also not smelling like men's cologne?