Description
In the heart of Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge stands as a living ode to the history the famous French Cancan. The most well-known cabaret in the world lights up Paris and never stops turning heads with each new musical revue. This legendary avant-garde landmark has launched the careers of some of greatest artists in France and worldwide, including: Edith Piaf, Ella Fitzgerald, Liza Minnelli, Colette, Mistinguett, and La Goulue, muse of Toulouse-Lautrec.
This famous burlesque theater was brought to life in 1889, and the new fragrance is a celebration of liberation and passionate, dazzling women. Histoires de Parfums 1889 honors Moulin Rouge with a vibrant, sensual scent, full of vivacity and elegance, with just a hint of feathers and sequins. At the Moulin Rouge, the Belle Époque is eternal and timeless – the legend is told through the bottle and read through the scent.
Histoires de Parfums is a library of scent housing 15 volumes of fragrance in- cluding men’s, women’s and unisex collections. Written by Gerald Ghislain, each bottle tells the story of a character, ingredient or historical year. Created from the finest raw materials, these fragrances are created in the longstanding tradition of French perfumery. Gerald formulates perfumes by incorporating classic olfactive families and unexpected elements to create unique scents with rich top, middle and base notes. The newest tome in the Histoires de Parfums collection – 1889 – gives tribute to Moulin Rouge, the legendary Parisian cabaret.
The night blankets the city of Paris. A colorful beam of light bursts from the Moulin Rouge. Inside, the cabaret comes to life. People begin to whisper, sitting in anticipation. Champagne glasses clink and the curtain rises. The music builds, and in a cloud of feathers and sequins, the dancers make their entrance. Let the spectacle of senses begin!
Spicy Cinnamon warmly mixes with Sugar and melts into Absinthe, while Rose of Damascus releases her sensuality, playfully seducing each spectator with her allure. The audience and dancers each play different roles but the music ties them together for a night of revelry and excitement. The enchantment never stops – time stands still in the Moulin Rouge.
The show ends and the curtain falls, but the party continues. Backstage, mirrors reflect silhouettes laughing. The smell of Iris Powder and Lipstick float out to the streets on a cloud of Musk and Patchouli. The memory and scent of this unforgettable night lingers through the morning.
1889 Moulin Rouge was launched in 2010.
fedyy – :
This stuff is vile and I absolutely despise it . Why in the world would I as a woman want to smell like a bar of 1915’s men getting drunk on whiskey & rancid candles? The dry down is quite interesting and pretty elegant, but that takes a loong time to show up…the opening and first hour is just whiskey and rancid old candles, very masculine and bitter scent.
PriemiUrife – :
A nice iris scent. Cool and powdery. It then develops more plummy sweetness. I like it better now. I’m trying to detect the rose and cinnamon which finally surface after a while. I do pick up the bitterness of the wormwood in the far back ground.
It needs loads more umph! for me to love it.
More longevity and sillage. A scent to wear on a wet cool spring day.
michells – :
احد العطور البودرية العطر يحوي ظهرت اليوم السوسن في رائحة الباتشولي الثباث و الفوحان جميل جدا يوجد رائحة معدنية لاحظتها في العطر افضل اخلط العطر مع العود و كسرة بخور افضله من استخذامه فقط الدار هيستوري دي بارفيوم ذات مكونات نقية
FriendMegan – :
Perfect vintage lipstick scent! Love it!!!
Binturong – :
It is really an amazing and unique scent that reminds me of historical monuments in Paris
11122010 – :
It’s a pleasant fragrance, kicks off with a rubber iris, that rubber note that suspenders seem to have, and is present in Westwood’s Boudoir.
I had a different expectation, and am probably spoilt after Frederic Malle’s Lipstick Rose, but irrespective of the fragrance, this doesn’t last. On my skin I can’t even detect it 15 minutes after spraying and becomes a skin scent very quickly. Not a good blind buy.
attaskeme – :
My first impression straight from the bottle was – um, yikes! It smells sort of stale and rubbery. Once on my skin my impression is – WOW, this is not only great but it really feels like “me”. It is so delicate, pretty and not at all generic. It has the softest powder with just a hint of rose, fruity sweetness and spice. I actually really enjoy the rubbery iris effect on skin as well. I’ll update this review after I’ve really gotten to know this fragrance and how it wears.
Edit: Well, I’m sad to report this lasts only about 4 hours on my skin with a moderate sillage for the first hour then after that it’s a skin scent. So yeah, not exactly a powerhouse (at least on my skin). I think you could get away with wearing this for any occasion though, to work in an office, out at night on a date, to curl up on the couch and watch TV. Anyway, I really, really love this fragrance. It’s just beautiful. Nuff said. Now I want to try some of the “similar” fragrances people reference like Lipstick On and Lipstick Rose too.
v1ryspro – :
It has a great concept. So the nose behind had to show Moulin Rouge atmosphere. And let`s imagine the perfume is the camera eye looking at Moulin Rouge Cabaret. The camera doesn`t stop on the scene, doesn`t show the audience or dancers. It goes directly to a dressing room behind the stage and lets us see the make-up of the cabaret girl, her dress, stockings, shoes, flowers – all these things absorb her sweat, her own perfume, her lipstick. We are now that girl. So impressionist approach of the author of the perfume.
Composition. Yes it is hard to hear all notes separately , though in this case we do not need that sort of olfactory game. Here we feel a lot of make-up and some flower in the background that makes it a bit freshser at the end. It is overwelming at the beginning but settles down so correctly that you feel like it is your natural odour.
fh – :
Someone said to ignore the notes pyramid – a very good advice.
I read it has cinnamon, plum and tangerine … Maybe. This perfume is the sum of all its ingredients, difficult to split into components. It is a composition like a silent picture in the roaring 20s, all black and white but so lively. It is about dance and music, but not one you can actually hear. You only watch in slow motion the girls preparing to go on stage, puffs of powder on their happy faces, lipstick and dimples, curls, sequins, feather boas, silk and leather, a mix of everyone’s perfumes and the dust of the backstage. It’s all in there, together with a sip of booze to give them courage to show their beautiful legs.
I’ve sprayed only one puff this morning, and 10 hours later it is still there.
It is a fine perfume, but one that makes a statement – you have to be bold enough to let your perfume speak for you.
Константин Капустин – :
The people who wrote that this has a whiskey like note are so right. I like it more the longer it stays on my skin. Some are saying it’s sweet but on me it’s so far from it. I wouldn’t call it sexy or seductive either. Not from my perspective. Sure maybe it’s what lipstick smells like. Certainly not an expensive one though. And that’s not bad. I just smell whiskey, rose and waxiness. The inside of someone’s makeup bag could smell like this. All at once it’s not what I expected when I first heard about it being a “makeup” smell, and it’s everything it’s supposed to be. Maybe it’s just not the smell of a lipstick produced in 2017 haha. I certainly don’t have anything else like it, and it left me wanting to try more from Histoires de Parfums.
iztverivantal – :
It was the year 1889 when the Moulin Rouge, the most fascinating and vicious place of the time, was sparked in Paris, a glittering temple of fun, in which the most unbridled vices, lust and enjoyment, were celebrated by the verses the absurdity of cursed poets, Toulouse-Lautrec pencils, and champagne and opium-smoking rivers.
It is the bold ambushes and sinful fantasies of Moulin Rouge that inspired the sybaric nose of Gérald Ghislain and the olfactory pyramid of 1889, in which they find, in a game of contrasts, the romantic visions of Montmartre and the spicy ones of Pigalle, the scents of boudoirs, the smell of male leather that is lost in the smells of a velvety powder. Romantic, a bit narcotic, spicy and very languid, sparkling like a champagne bubble, 1889 Moulin Rouge is a show of pink notes, aldehydes, iris, pepper, leather, musk, amber and vanilla.
Whitis – :
از میون تمام عطرای پودری که با محوریت زنبق ساخته شدن؛ عطرهای کمی پیدا میشن که منحصربفرد و فرا زمینی باشن و اغلب عطرای زنبق محور، در فضاهایی پودری، کِرِمی و به اصطلاح، آرایشی جریان دارن. در میون همین کارای زمینی و شاید همسان، هستن عطرایی که بسیار دلربا، گرم و نرم و دلپسند هستن و مولین غوژ، یکی از همین نمایش های زمینی و پودری از زنبقه که بسیار دلفریب، تصویری و خیال انگیز عمل میکنه.
ایده ی این عطر از سالن!!!! مشهور و قدیمی مولین غوژ در پاریس گرفته شده و عطر مولین غوژ هم، به دنبال ارائه ی تصاویری از این محل هست.
زنبق با حسی رژ مانند، پودری و تا حدودی درخشان، نخستین بازیگر این عطره. نمایشی که زنبق در این اوپنینگ اجرا میکنه؛ اگرچه آشنا و قابل پیش بینیه، اما بسیار زیبا و ستودنی به اجرا در میاد. آکورد میوه ای نرم و ملایم با بویی ملس، در کنار لمسی از ظرافت و دلربایی رز، هاله ای میشن در اطراف زنبق و بر بستری گیاهی-دودی، تم دارچینی گرمِ آمیخته با مشک، فضای لطیف فلورال پودری و میوه ای نرم و ملس رو در بر می گیرن.
حالتی ترد و کمی روغنی و کمی تلخ، با پچولی گیاهی و غلیظ، به جبهه ی گیاهی-دودی و گرمای دارچین ملحق میشن تا فضای مولین غوژ، پر بشه از هیجان، شور و پیچیدگی.
فضایی گرم و نرم، دنج و لوکس از مشک، ادویه ها، پچولی و رگه هایی گیاهی-دودی و کمی روغنی که به زیبایی، اغواگری ها و جادوی زنبق پودری، آلوی ملس و رز لطیف رو در آغوش گرفته تا مولین غوژ به عطری نفیس و جادویی تبدیل بشه.
اگرچه این عطر در فضاهای زمینی و آشنا جریان داره؛ اما صدای هلهله ها و شکوه مسحور کننده ی اون، فلک را سقف بگشاید و با خلق فضایی مطبوع و دلچسب، طرحی نو در اندازد.
مولین غوژ، از شادی ها و افسونگری هایی میگه که پایانی ندارن. عطر رژها و پودرهاست که در خیابونها و پرسه های شبانه شونه به شونه ی گرمای مشک و ادویه ها میره.
لمسی از مخمل و ابریشم، درخشان و نافذ، وسوسه گر اما بی آلایش، گرم و فاخر، جوان اما عمیق…
این عطر موندگاری 8 تا 9 ساعته و پخشی ملایم، اما قابل قبول داره. عطر، زنانه عنوان شده اما من از پوشیدنش ابایی ندارم!
کامنت: م.ع
(سایت لوکس بایر (با امکان تست سمپل
zemelia2 – :
Like walking in the cosmetics department. It is womanly, feminine, and very classy. You swoon of powder, lipstick and perfume. It’s the real deal. I love this so much. Even better is the longevity and sillage are both impeccable. This is truly well done. I feel so refined and elegant when wearing this. If you haven’t already, you must try this.
gesha77 – :
Ahhh…the smells of a little bit of makeup, powder and perfume from the days of yore…It smells of classic smells that emitted from my mom’s dresser drawer or the inside of her purse…She hid the ‘good stuff’ from grubby little hands like mine…heh heh…
*sigh*
I can picture beautiful faces, getting gussied up for either a stellar performance or a steamy, hot date…
♥
poofGashfeata – :
This fragrance is greater than the sum of its parts. I look at the listed notes and other than a bit of rose, I can’t identify anything else specific. So what does Moulin Rouge smell like? Imagine the library in a stately home. The scent of old books, old wooden floors, furniture wax and a big bouquet of flowers in the room.
Every time I smell it, I immediately think of old books, not in a bad way. Give yourself a good 10 minutes before sniffing your wrist. I find the opening notes are nothing like the eventual drydown. It changes again after an hour or two. I was testing from a decant that was sent to me. I am really enjoying wearing it but I don’t plan on purchasing a fb.
korsac – :
Among plenty of powdery perfumes I have ever tested, Hisroires de Parfums 1889 Moulin Rouge is the paramount.
To me, it is the paragon and touchstone for evaluating other iris-based scents; a flawless and complete manifestation of cosmetic-powdery type of scent.
It is the scent of a nude young woman’s skin from classic era, sleeping in white silk bed. The true depiction of sensation, beauty, passion and luxury; all at the same time.
Asnik – :
I really thought this would be my thing, what with being a lover of makeup-redolent scents.
Dry, waxy-iris greasepaint on the opening, morphing to medicinal stonefruit compôte, somewhat akin to Rinstead pastilles for those of you who remember them. Then an immortelle-tinged floral emerges, to mix with the fruit.
No, not my thing as it turns out — makes me feel queasy, actually.
Xjmtxras – :
It is more sexy than Lipstick Rose and Misia in my opinion. I sprayed yesterday on my clothes and I love it! It is very interesting, deep, creamy and long lasting. Glorious!
pip31070 – :
Moulin Rouge is a sweet, spicy lipstick/face powder with just a hint of whiskey. It’s sensual and warm and could almost be unisex. It certainly evokes images of a burlesque dancer in her dressing room. It’s neat, but not something I would wear. I would be nice to have as a novelty, but I don’t have room for novelty scents in my wardrobe!
FALLEN NaGaTo – :
From a first time test, after a shower and in the evening.
Iris no doubt and nothing else, no sweetness and so soft, but it changes quickly into a iris powder followed by the smell of wine and makeup. It is not the soft gentle powder from Lipstick Rose or L ombre Rose. It is the powder from old makeup, really old. Once I visited the Moulin Rouge and this fragance captures quite well the decadent feeling that you feel when you are there. The small tables, the darkness, the faint red and the smell of old cafe’s. I don’t like old makeup but here it is so beautiful made that on my skin it smells lovely. From time to time I got waffs of a super gorgeus flower bouquet an what came to my mind was,another “wow fragance”. All night I could smell it and on my arms from 1 spritz. It is still on my skin as a musk old makeup. Maybe it was a bit too strong and not quite a bed scent, ohh perhaps and maybe for a special night.
araz – :
I have visited the Moulin Rouge in Paris before, although I was not fortunate enough to enter or attend a show (I was too young at the time). Whilst I find that this scent does not conjure up images of the Moulin Rouge exactly, I could definitely imagine a burlesque dancer or the atmosphere in a theatre to smell like this.
Moulin Rouge has an effervescent opening, followed by an old-fashioned lipstick smell, one that’s a bit dry and crumbly and powdery and similar to a lipstick that your great grandmother would keep in her purse. An unusual aromatic note then peeks out above everything else (hello, wormwood), followed by something sweet that has a waxy quality to it, which I think is the iris. There are hints of something “fizzy” every now and again (this could be the combination of some of the notes on my skin), and as the scent turns into a powdery floral dry-down, some roses appear, as well.
I love how this scent gives the impression of another era, but does not smell dated. I find it suggestive and seductive. There is a depth, and a “lived-in”, intimate feel to it, and I really imagine this to be what a burlesque dancer’s skin would smell like. Moderate sillage; lasting power is for about 8-9 hours.
Moulin Rouge has exquisite blending, composition and receives top marks from me, as this scent contains one of my most loathed notes – patchouli – and so far I haven’t even noticed it! However, I will see what happens over the passing of time as I get to know the scent. I will add some further notes if there is any change.
By the way, this is not the same as Lipstick Rose by Frederick Malle, which reminds me of something more “1950’s pin-up”, whereas this is “1920’s burlesque dancer”. The aforementioned is sweeter, creamier and based on violets; this one has more powder, is softer and based on iris. I do love both and consider them beautiful interpretations of the “lipstick” genre for their own unique reasons 🙂
SandN – :
Fragrance Review For Moulin Rouge
By Histoires De Parfums
Top Notes
Cinnamon Plum Tangerine
Middle Notes
Wormwood Tincture of Rose
Base Notes
Musk Patchouli Iris
C’est si bon! This is a fragrance a la française to scent your can can skirts and choker with. It’s a boudoir scent, seductive, unisex, a bawdy, lots of make up/rouge, lipstick and fishnet stockings type of scent. My transgendered friend from the Bronx, Dionne, wears this when he impersonates French chanteuses of the Belle Epoque. This is a very well made fragrance that evokes a powdered and well dressed woman who likes to dress provocatively and is on the stage in the limelight the center of attention. It’s a showgirl scent. The cinnamon tickles my nose and it’s spicy as it begins with that wormwood. There’s some fruit in it namely a tangerine very sharp but this is not a fruity perfume by any means. Before long there’s something dusty about it, like the inside of a make up bag. It’s also got a hint of rose but it’s more rose powder and iris which is also powdery. The patchouli can get pretty strong and the musk which makes this scent wearable for men as a guy’s cologne. It’s bold, in your face and sexy. It’s not my type of perfume at all but I wear a little of it on special occasions. I think they did a fantastic job of evoking the Belle Epoque and the Moulin Rouge Au Lapin and Montmartre red light district at the time of Toulouse Lautrec and the naughty courtesans like La Belle Otero. Wonderful fragrance.
pavlin_82 – :
This perfume is so beautiful, and it goes through so many changes. It is not a linear perfume by any means.
The first thing I smell is a cherry cough syrup; slightly sweet and slightly medicinal. Within 5 minutes it is joined by roses, dust, and an old makeup smell. It does make me think of older buildings from the late 1800’s that I’ve been in. It’s just such a lovely, warm, accumulation of smells. Towards the end, it starts to smell even sweeter, and becomes more like a cherry lozenge.
Sillage is only about a foot, and longevity is good; seven hours or more. The only thing that I would change would be the sillage. This is the type of perfume that I want to be enveloped in. I want a cloud of this around me.
This is a good first impression from this house.
Flatel – :
I love this. I’m relaxing after a long day at work and enjoying the sample sent to me by a very lovely Fragrantican.
I smell suede overwhelmingly and it’s not listed. I’m guessing it’s the iris and plum, that lends to the dark fruity leather. It’s cozy, but still there’s a hint of hardness around the edges.
DAndrij – :
Mmmm, I think this Moulin Rouge is really great. It has three very distinct but somehow coherent phases – it really does succeed in making its ambitious name sound just about right, and I don’t know which part I like best. First there’s a shock of what I immediately thought of as “pencil shavings, but lovely”, but that another reviewer has described much more accurately as “greasepaint and dust, the smell of backstage”. This lasts for only a little while, and then in the heart there’s that wonderfully waxy oldfashioned lipstick scent, very powdery with prominent places for the floral notes and especially the plum. But it all hangs together so well that no one particular note steals the show, and then after a while it starts to warm up and get more spicy, finally leaving the lovely cinnamon note to linger at center stage for quite a while.
Like others have said, it’s true there’s not much subtlety here. But that doesn’t matter at all, because there’s a lot of interesting things going on here, a lot of edgy depth, without it being any less wearable for all that. In fact, with its long lifespan and good but not exaggerated sillage I think this could be pretty versatile, wearable on most occasions and in every season as long as it isn’t suffocatingly hot. Obviously it’d do great on a night out, but it felt perfect at work today as well.
As for the comparisons with Lipstick Rose, I think they’re probably in the same family, evoking oldfashioned glamour through the scent of makeup as they both do, but they’re not very closely related. Lipstick Rose is at the same time a lot brighter and a lot muskier, more straithforward and less dusty. They’re both wonderful in their own right, and I for one wouldn’t mind having both of them in my collection.
Soopsymouts – :
The sweet rose iris fragrance, it feels like a cling sweet but it’s not! it just oscillates between cloying and not. The iris is there and a bit big after all but the sweetness is trying to hide it and as well it does oscillate as it swings back and forth.
It is a nice fragrance after all but the calmer it goes the sweeter it becomes, i hope for a certain time it stops getting sweeter.
rus.rs – :
The top notes are truly lovely and reminiscent of Guerlain Meteorites powder or lipstick. Iris, but also violets and a touch of rose is what I smell. Hard to believe that violets are not present. The only downfall is that the base is similar to other niche scents – sweet, musky, a bit woody, I’m not sure how to describe it but I’ve.noticed it in various Keiko Mecheri, Micallef, Montale, Mancera etc scents.
sava35 – :
This perfume is a beautiful spin on that old cosmetic smelling rose lipstick which is the first thing you smell when you spray it on. About 15 minutes into this 1889 MR begins to develop with an earthiness that also includes voluptuous plum, cinnamon, iris, and tangerine making the smell of waxy lipstick of the past fantastic and nouveau. I love this, it’s so super sexy!
mrozenfeld – :
This is a gorgeous rich Iris scent. The perfumer has clearly decided to do a modern riff on “old lady” perfume (it’s ok, I am an old lady!) and to my mind has created a real Iris classic here. The plummy note is genius, giving a moist bodily effect, yet there is a tinge of brightness because of something spicey. To me it is unusual for an iris because it reads as ‘winter’, when for instance my beloved Iris Silver Mist reads as Spring. I have to say that this niche house never disappoints. There is always an identity and complexity that is so satisfying in the frags by him.
konstant28 – :
This perfume and its name gave me high expectations..
I don’t get the moulain rouge thing. Wanted it to be dark more on the spice and sexier…maybe some incense in there too..
Well – all I get is a wet basement mud smell mixed up with some sort of sherry liguor. Turns too quickly into an slightly fruiter skinscent.
I would call it nice….period.
sweergile – :
…well, given its name I’ve expected a powerhouse, and a grandiose one, a powerful red windmill bringing whiffs of seduction, alluring extravaganza, aristocratic elegance of its audience, the bohemian spirit, fun-loving air, Art and Beauty, suggesting all of the colourful experience of the place, slightly infamous, outrageous even. I mean it is „supposed to“ create that „feel, emotion“ as its niche category declares. To cut the long story short, I’ve expected ingredients for a successful throughout of the concept. Frankly, for its price I could get the „real feel“ of Moulin Rouge in Paris, plane tickets included. Anyway, I’ve received a vial of this perfume with my purchase and on applying it I was patiently waiting for Jane Avril to appear on the scene right out from Henry de Toulouse-Lautrec posters along with some of the Parisien theatrical nightlife and Zidler wisely smiling in the background then some green fairies floating around but all that supposed can-can apparently made me dizzy, because the perfume is cloying, at least on my skin, way too sweet. Sugar? I don’t even take it with my coffee. But what I find as a missing point, actually, is the projection: it is supposed to be powerful, rich, complex and entertaining in being edgy and extremly bold, well, it’s named Moulin Rouge 1889 after all. A scent that would waft over the audience till the last row even from behind the curtains having the richness and seductive power to do so. In my opinion the perfume lacks the bravery to become memorable and it doesn’t leave you with the feeling „I want more“. However, it leaves you indifferent. I could for example picture “Tabu” by Dana as the voluptuous, burlesque-style, lace and ribbons cabaret perfume capturing whiffs of La Belle Époque, sophisticated and seductive but glamorous and provocative, hedonistic and screaming Powerhouse!!! Summa summarum, regardless whether someone likes it or not, I’d definetely say it isn’t a Moulin Rouge 1889 olfactory experience but now I’m tempted to find the one that really is….
littleiron – :
Love this fragrance. I can’t think of a more upbeat composition of iris (accompanied softly by fruit, rose and cinnamon and prominent in the first hour). It conjures up a visual of the color red and not just because of the package. To me, this is Iris Silver Mist’s beautiful granddaughter. She’s inherited the same looks and wealth but her style is very youthful and feminine.
tumoxakeys – :
I (just) like this perfume so much, but I wouldn’t buy this because on me it enhances its fruity aspect, especially plum and also cinnamon, and it resembles Daim Blonde or Skin on Skin without the suede note. So, if you don’t like suede in the perfumes I mentioned, you should have to give it a try; to me, it’s like it lacks in something (and absolutely no powdery aspect).
sachapex – :
This perfume was not what I was expecting. From the description I was expecting something much more powdery and smelling like old make up. I love those kind of scents, but after my initial surprise I found I still love this perfume. I got the powdery iris note when I first sprayed the perfume, but it quickly changed to something spicy which I believe was the cinnamon and wormwood. It stayed like this for awhile before eventually settling down to a boozy, fruity scent.This was what stayed on my skin the longest (at least five hours). My skin seemed to almost make this perfume into a gourmand, some kind of spicy alcoholic fruit punch. I think this scent does evoke the Moulin Rouge, but not so much the idea of dressing rooms with dancing girls putting on their make up. This scent is more the smell of the curtains and the audience members with their drinks watching the show from afar. It’s delicious, old fashioned and a little bit sexy.
12denis – :
A lipstick and cosmetic powder scent. Powdery iris dominates the opening and then it deepens and joins the rose and settles into a waxy lipstick smell. Old fashioned cheap lipstick smell. And quite soft. I happen to like powdery and cosmetic scents if done well ala Lipstick Rose. This smells fine for what it is but I wish they captured more than just the make-up of the dancers. I missed the absinthe note and detected maybe a hint if leather. I was hoping for something louder and more complex. I think Etat Libre D’Orange’s Putain de Palaces actually captures a similar ambience and tells a story better than this does. But of the 3 HDP scents I’ve sampled recently, this is the only one I’d wear.
nme694intitytek – :
1889 is a lovely tender perfume, with dominant notes of powdery Iris, and subtle spicy musk. The musk is understated, and softly sweetened by a spicy cinnamon note, allowing the beautifully powdery Iris to happily dominate the scent. I don’t usually like musk in my perfumes, but this one isn’t too bad. I could happily wear the scent for a posh night out, when a sophisticated perfume is required to set off my dapper attire, witty banter and boyish, yet manly charm. Just kidding. I’m about as sophisticated as David Beckham, as dapper as a 1930’s American hobo, as witty as a county court judge, as boyish as Santa Claus, as manly as Justin Bieber, and about as charming as a vegetarian at an all you can eat meat buffet. But it is a nice perfume, and hopefully my rambling review has made a little bit of sense to somebody out there.
nikkaknik – :
First, I must admit this is a beautiful perfume in the style of old makeup smell so trendy (apparently) today, powdery, quite interesting, lond lasting.
But now that I’m pregnant, for me it’s unbeareable…there’s a slight cinnamony smell to it that just bothers me.
I have a full botthe to swap, just ca.10 spritzes used, please contact me if you’re interested.
loq306JeomiWogkig – :
Powdery, sweet and decadent – but not trashy, this is beautifully made. Initially I get a hit of powder and flowers, followed by a sweaty note (very clever!) and then – the only bit I don’t like – a note of wormwood which only lasts a few minutes. That goes, leaving an exquisite rose/powder/musk. Further on (4 hours) a soft fruit is gently noticeable.
This does remind me of Boudoir but it’s SO much better. I wouldn’t wear it to the office – this is a scent for night-time, fun and frolics, parties and seductions – without being vulgar. Well done for evoking the powdery, sweaty, one-note floral scents of dancing-girls in times gone by! If I was a bit younger and still painting the town, I’d buy this without hesitation. I’ll settle for admiring it and enjoying my sample and the stunning soft dry-down, which is worth every penny. Well alright, maybe another sample then…. It’s lovely.
zahvatoff – :
1889 Moulin Rouge was not what I expected at all. I tested it because of my love of iris fragrances and expected from the reviews below to find an extremely intense iris note. On the contrary, most of what I am smelling is a GORGEOUS and unexpectedly restrained plum-musk-patchouli combo with spicy clove like facets. The iris is there lending a soft powdery note but it is certainly overtaken by the plum-musk-patchouli.
I find it interesting that this conjures such vivid imagery of the Moulin Rouge for people, and I think more than anything it is a trick of marketing. For me, when I smell this, I remember a trip to India and a small bottle of perfume oil I bought there labeled simply “Love” which smelled almost identical to this soft plum-musk-patchouli combo. To my nose, this is the softer, quieter sister of Indult’s Isvaraya (exchange Isvaraya’s smoke note for powder and dial down the volume by 2/3’s and voila!) and for that reason ONLY, I won’t be adding it to my wardrobe.
For anyone worried about the iris note, give it a try, this iris lover didn’t find that much of it present.
VerTrurbrom – :
I am really loving the waxy iris in this along with some of the previous reviews. I’ve also been trying to determine what this reminds me. I think perhaps there is some similarity to Prada Infusion d’Iris Absolue. The sillage is pretty mild and I don’t get a lot of longevity. I really like the scent, but don’t think I’d rebut as I don’t find I can smell it for long.
steven55555 – :
Having traded Alayna for her 15ml (review just below, haha) I feel the need to present what this does when on a different skin chemistry.
So 1st off: just IGNORE THE NOTES pyramid. Really. Ignore it. The only note here I do get that’s listed is iris. Rather than notes, imagine the old makeup bag smell you’d have with MAC lipstick, fine, semi-vintage iris setting powder, and the tiniest hints of eyebrow pencil or eye crayon scent all thrown together; it’s all there. Fascinating, really. Even my boyfriend immediately detected it as ‘waxy’ on my skin (there’s the lipstick, the thickest note).
In this, it’s nostalgic. So far it’s fairly linear, and the sillage is soft. This is more a scent for me than anyone around me. Unique, never smelled anything quite like it in perfumery, at least. I thought I got the carrot note when Alayna mentioned it, from memory, but wearing it now I get none of it, just the iris as I know it in a silken powdered form.
ETA: In higher concentrations of spraying, there is a hottish cinnamon note over the lipstick as well as a scraping of plum skin, half dried and not sweetened. Interesting, more depth now. There’s also a pinch of something I’d call softish vetiver, perhaps it’s wormwood?
[11.23.14]
volt12009 – :
Now, I know this is going to get down voted into oblivion (as all my neg reviews do) because so many people seem to like this fragrance, but here goes.
I think I should have paid a little more attention to some of the negative reviews, or maybe looked elsewhere for a better description of this, because what I received was definitely NOT what I was expecting. And truly I do not only like “candy sweet” perfumes, you can see that many perfumes on my have list have some bite to them.. so I wasn’t looking for cotton candy, and that’s not what I was expecting, either.
Here IS what I was expecting: the scent of a boudoir in the 1800s, very feminine, complete with a powdery vintage makeup feel, that waxy lipstick feel, soft, semi-sweet yet pretty while still being naughty and salacious. I expected florals– iris and rose, as well as hints of fruits– blueberries and tangerine– amidst an abundance of somewhat sweet cinnamon and musk.
Here is what I got: a big opening blast of dirty earthy carrots. Remained dirty, ugly, and carroty smelling until drying down into a super waxy lipstick that I could barely smell, but seemed to be slightly spicy. Detected no sweetness whatsoever and not really any skankiness, either. Just dirtiness and waxiness– like someone dropped a lipstick, rolled it in the mud, and then decided to dip it in a cup of carrot juice (wtf?) Sort of interesting as an “art form” but not evocative of a boudoir, and completely, totally and absolutely unwearable. The only thing that really aligned with what I was looking for was the waxy lipstick scent, but as someone said below, it’s not the smell of lipstick — it’s more the taste (meaning it doesn’t have that nice sweet scent to it, it’s more just like pure wax.) I’m so glad I didn’t buy a large bottle of this. I’ve already swapped away my small bottle. Edit: my swap partner has a review of this just above mine! (lol)
I really wonder if part of the problem is that I fell in love with Malle’s Lipstick Rose, and was hoping so hard for this to be a cheaper replacement for it. It is not. But maybe that screwed up my expectations, seeing as how LR is so amazing and this is so… not.
I know nobody ever heeds these warnings (I sure don’t) but here goes: NOT a safe blind buy. Test on skin first.
arsen4563 – :
This is fast becoming a new favourite. That opening of iris & waxy l