Description
The first time he sees her, it’s a party, and he senses something special in the air. He looks for the source of exuberance, and he is rewarded with only a fleeting glimpse of a woman in a minidress and sky-high stilettos, but she leaves in her wake an array of glorious contradictions: soft and cool, delicate and earthy. She is a star and he’s dazzled. He sees her again, at another party. It’s a benefit this time, an event marked by luxury and compassion. She passes his table with its iris centerpiece, and like the precious iris she evokes elegance and grace.
She illuminates the room, and he wants to follow the light. And he does, to a cavernous club, where the uptown girl has become a downtown diva. In leather jacket and ballerinas, in the sweet madness of the moment, she is an urban fairy, waving a bottle of champagne like a magic wand. She can dance on tables and sing on subway platforms and draw everyone into her bewitching aura. For one brief spell-binding moment, their eyes meet, and now he is completely enchanted. He finds her again, at an exhibition in a gallery.
Surrounded by art, artists, art connoisseurs, she points to a painting: an iris bouquet, a bowl of cherries, a bottle of champagne, illustrations encompassed in a leather frame, and in her presence a still life Bendelirious becomes real life. She gestures, she speaks, she is at work. But the passion of her voice and the faces of those around her tell him he is also at a party. When he moves closer, he realizes that a fragrance too can be art – and unforgettable. Like the smile she gives him now. And days later, with the memory of that smile and that scent still in his mind, he gets into a taxi and catches his breath. She was there. “Where to?” the driver asks. “To her,” he replies. The driver understands, and takes him to the destination of his last passenger. It’s a party, of course, but this time he sees children, a clown, a birthday cake, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and musical chairs.With the light of recognition in her eyes and a cherry lollipop in her hand, she invites him to join the celebration. Tonight, he will take her to a restaurant, and when the headwaiter asks “party of two?” he can reply in complete confidence, “yes.” Because now he knows that wherever she is, wherever she goes, it’s a party.
Composition:
Grapefruit Essence, Champagne Accord, Cherry Lollipop Accord
Violette Leaves Absolu, Orris Absolu, Orris Butter
Leather Accord, Vetyver Accord, Musk, Tonka Beans Absolu
Perfumer is Antoine Lie. Bendelirious was launched in 2008.
pompywon462Negeltzex – :
A strange perfume. At the first sniff I hate it. I find the top notes too strong, sweet and unusual compare to the perfume I use to wear.Then it morph ”suddenly” to an almost imperceptible skin scent. They should call this one Rien…
Foumprofdor – :
Opens with vetiver ,grapefruit, Champagne accord,then the sweetness of the cherry lollipop accord takes over with a mix of violette leaves absolute, powdery iris, the leather and tonka bean are noticeable and gives them more character. Absolutely sexy,suits both day time night time. Unisex.
kopper17 – :
Perfumed soda is all i think about when wearing Bendelirious. ELdO is a niche firm i was willing to invest in but ultimately decided to pass (for now). I bought four fragrances and besides the excellent Jasmin et Cigarette none of them made me hanker for more.
Bendelirious is great, the scent of sparkling fruity notes is interesting and lively, the quality of the ingredients seem to be top, i like the rubbery undertone which adds a level of dark intensity, but what i miss is the wow factor. But again (as with Tom of Finland) Bendelirious seems so elaborate that it better suits some kind of fragrant lab test studies. I prefer a fragrance that stirs my feelings, that creates me memories, that tells my story, not someone else’s, that combines art with the joy of it. On me Bendelirious has the art, not the joy.
***(**)
Zark – :
Usually, I would tend to love most perfumes consisting of powdery, berries and orris. However, Bendelirious is an exception I could not quite appreciate.
After the blast of bubbling and boozy note of champagne mixing with cherries fades, the violet and orris take the centre of the stage and lingering is the base notes of soft suede, powdery tonka beans, and musk: such a choreography should have been great, but it does not. I could not help but to compare it to the similarly themed (ebrious pleasure) predecessor, namely Yvresse, which is the landmark of “Champagne” perfume. From the beginning to the end, Yvresse or prohibited-by-lawsuit “Champagne” remains surprisingly and remarkably exhilarating and joyful, the bubble keeps popping; while Bendelirious gives up trying and becomes tediously bland after an intriguing prelude followed by a cloying sentiment that lasts for hours made of powdery/ orris/ fruity. I simply could not find any light-hearted and radiant jubilation in such composition.
A nice example of a great idea falling apart due to execution.
KeP_2007 – :
Cherries and violets, yum, what a team. Tonka and orris root combine with leather to lend an almost but not quite woody aspect (and the leather is dried out a bit by the vetiver). The delicately violet infused cherries have been plumped up, dropped in a glass of champagne and served with a side of deliciously earthy paté and crackers. The overall effect is warm and fun.
Longevity isn’t amazing, it disappears on me after an hour so I’m decanting my splash bottle into a sprayer for easier top ups but all in all a beautiful and quite sexy scent.
NarBlemyBleld – :
Lovely scent that reminds me of Hermes Kelly Calache due to the shared leather note, but less sweet so is more unisex. Glad to have it as part of my collection.
Sultanis – :
An intricate formula where two roots (iris and violet) are used to create the sweetest of leathers.
V.a.s.u.l – :
Ok so your not going to get an outrageously strong cherry scent that lasts and lasts, but what you will get is a beautiful cherry/ champagne opening that settles into that lovely, moreish musk that Etat Libre D’ Orange do beautifully, mixed with leather and iris accords. Yes I too wish for greater longevity but as I always say in reviews, if I love a scent enough then I don’t mind respraying if needs be, this one for me, is worth top ups throughout the day, be it 2 hourly or not. Its the first time I’ve genuinly enjoyed a cherry note and I have a soft spot for this house 😉
jason44 – :
I got the champagne and not much else. Gave up on this one quickly.
Pophomshole – :
A nice mix of cherry, leather, wood, sparkling champagne. Sadly the intensity is rather disappointing, I’ve noticed this with all Etats I’ve tried so far. It just makes you want to spray on 10 x so you can actually smell anything. :/
Second try it’s more intense (my nose may have been blocked) however it’s just too sweet the cherry is extremely prominent here. Like a fizzy cherry coctail. Won’t be a buy for me.
I have 100+ niche samples for swap within Europe – get in touch! Updated spreadsheet of samples on my profile.
WhiteRaven – :
A very fun and unique opening. Cherry, champagne and iris sounds strange but it works well for an hour or 2. Then this quickly becomes a skin scent which is a major bummer for me. After 3 1/2 to 4 hours the scent is completely gone on my skin. Hopefully it works better for you.
verson1986 – :
Mi piaceva l’inizio, un po frizzantino, esuberante e con le cicliegine, ma dopo poco diventa noioso e burroso e non mi piace più.
Ивашка – :
Delicious ! Really does smell like champagne ! Very long lasting
ULBA-ULBA – :
Okay so my ELdO Marathon of 25+ different samples now finally comes to an end with this one! (I should have really kept the “La Fin du Monde” til the very end, shouldn’t I have done?
First reaction VERY pleasant for I LOOOOOVE anything cherry and this fun, party, boozy combo of sour cherries, bubbles, candy, leather and iris really makes for a fun, night-out-on-town party scent for youngsters.
In its concept it is not dissimilar to JOOP! that also has a cherry note, but it is far more pungent, medicinal, screechy and synthetic that I loved so so dearly when I was discovering the clubbing scene back in late 80ies/ early 90ies.
This is a far more modern update for a more sophisticated bunch who sadly has to endure soulless EDM music in even more soulless clubs of today. I really feel sorry for youngsters today who have to listen to this s***ty music. (But I guess our parents said the same about our music, we thought was tha bomb! And we still do!)
The leather/ iris combo brings in the idea of DIOR’s “Homme”, so you can say it is a bit of a mixture of JOOP! with HOMME, blended with some remains of Cherry Coke in the very same iconic bottle.
It exudes sweet and uncomplicated fun but it is not very strong or pungent. A very tame party that does not violate at all and stays well within the accepted decibels.
Pity is does not last long enough….lovely composition and concept though.
8/10 for fun factor. 7 for end result. Good but could be better.
P.S.: If you layered JOOP! Homme with DIOR Homme, you’ll get something similar but way more pungent and raunchier (just saying).
sulimanny – :
The cherry accord adds a giddy smile to an otherwise somber heart of waxy orris resting on a base of smooth, buttery leather. Bendelirious stands out in a marketplace crowded by fragrances that either take themselves a bit too seriously or are too busy pandering to their target market to say anything interesting.
Recommended to those looking for an unpretentious iris or an intelligent fruity fragrance.
4.0/5.0
summonx – :
Bendelicious confection of cherries and iris. I’m not the first to find this fragrance very iris-y, which is fine for me. Leather adds thickness to the fragrance, but I don’t really smell it. I get more of a funny, fizzy champagne (or, better, a sweet Moscato).
All in all, this is a nice fragrance, but nothing to kill or die for.
СУГРАТСКИЙ25 – :
Bendelirious by Etat Libre d`Orange is not the most challenging composition, but it is definitely not vapid or generic. It opens with a sweet and fruity white wine—maybe a gewürztraminer or Asti Spumante—and hair product. The wine and aqua net quickly settle down to reveal soft, buttery leather and waxy oris root in the form of lipstick. The realistic leather has a touch of warm salty skin mixed in and I can see why the “leather jacket” accord is mentioned in the note list. On the other hand, the lipstick note is so prevalent that I’m reminded of a leather handbag full of makeup instead a jacket. Considering that I prefer to wear synthetic leather, the application of this fragrance can help the fantasy along. This might turn out to be my favorite lipstick and leather fragrance!
Yes, I really fell for the marketing. 4/5
Guns – :
I got to smell this without going to Bendel’s or buying online because when a store here in San Francisco began carrying the Etat line here recently the co. sent them testers of every single fragrance they make. I was excited. But too much sugar for me. Like a cherry Coke made with maraschino juice. Would be nice if there was a diet version.
эротика – :
I raise a sardonic eyebrow to the etat libre elaborate and hyperbolic little fabled description (as above) of this perfume illiciting images of a delicate, glamourous little socialite tottering about on heels entrancing everybody she meets (rolls eyes). Here is what I get: a leather jacket soaked in whiffs of cherry tobacco from the previous evening. I smell barely any iris or orris. The little princess sitting nearby nursing a massive hangover of rum and debauchery. lol
mysfugsDoug – :
It is a leathery iris on my skin, the iris smell I always wanted to find. A very modern interpretation of iris….I love it!!!! Cherry is softly present, but in a way, when you got cherry flavoured tobacco into the pocket of your new coat and spray iris on your skin.
clown – :
A very interesting creation from ELDO, not my favorite, but very likable even for those who do not enjoy leather so much. I must warn though – it is very heavy on the leather side.
It opened with sparkling cherry and champagne combo on top of a subtle leather accord with hints of powdery iris/tonka bean far/far in the background.
The scent is rather sugary and sweet, but I do think that a male might pull this off kinda easily as the leathery background is rather manly. Plus at the dry down it smells as a leather jacket with crushed cherries.
As I mentioned before – this is not my favorite of ELDO, but is a unique creation for weird smelling cherry lovers. More than just a “floral fruity”.
bjiad1995 – :
Starts fresh with some citrus-notes, then slowly gets sweeter and the “galmour” notes – iris, champagne, leather – enter the fragrance. The cherry-note is prominent to my nose almost all way long, just slowly fades till the end. Nice one, a non-typical “candy”, with a touch of being elegant and glamourous.
pratsalathy – :
This was an interesting perfume. In the second hour, the smell of it seemed to change several times on me from musky, to warm, to spicy, to an incense smell – I have to say, this was quite a lovely feeling; like it was testing me out, to see how it should settle!
After the 3rd hour, it was warm and spicy and then later developed into something a bit harsher; more incense and quite strong; which was odd in the later part of wearing it.
I think it’s similar to Anglomania by Vivienne Westwood – same amount of punch but also quite feminine.
Stayed on the skin for most of the day.
Hiefspneuff – :
Having now tried a few of the Etat Libre d’Orange perfumes, I have found that several of them contain the same leather accord, of which I am not that fond. In the case of BENDELIRIOUS, the opening has a bright and shiny almost LIPSTICK ROSE-like make-up quality, but that cedes quickly to a leather drydown which seems a bit dry and somber–even depressed.
Perhaps the Bendel gal partied too late and woke up to find herself alone in a claustrophobic hotel room filled with the scent of a dirty leather jacket mingling with dingy olive green drapes never cleaned. Did she spend the night with some dreadful mec who may have transmitted to her an STD?
All she knows now is that she has a hang-over, and the mec has disappeared, having left only his scent behind. The chambermaid has slipped the hotel folio–yet to be paid–under the door. To her surprise, the Bendel gal finds that lo and behold this dark musty hotel room is found in Times Square, and her wallet is now bare!
alicecullen – :
I don’t get the leather note in this. I get lovely cherry infused champagne. Like a cherry version of a Bellini instead of peach? And topped with gratings of grapefruit rind with twigs of violet greens decorating the chilled glass. It’s delicate and smooth. Projection medium. Longevity about five hours so far. I was looking for a champagne based perfume and while yvresse takes the cake for that, this is still a scent worth trying and buying. But I realise with Etat Libre scents it’s very touch and go. You either really like them or really dislike them. This gets a thumbs up from me. Not a super imaginative scent but if you want to imagine you are having a glass of bubbly, this does the trick subtly.
hvarts – :
Bendelirious, aside from prompting me to imagine someone delirious called Ben, running around with a massive head of curls, is a very elegant scent, with a dominant leather note, which recalls the interior of a new luxury car. Not my favourite I have to say, as it’s the kind of smell that reminds me of being carsick as a kid, but it is a very true to life leather which initially covers anything else.
This note, for better or for worse, appears to overwhelm this lovely perfume, and it’s only when it subsides a bit, that the sweetness appears. The violet leaf, cherry and orris create an alluringly deep and unusual 1950s aura, which rewards those who wait.
Undoubtedly for leather lovers and dominatrixes…
By the way, the name comes of course from US department store Henri Bendel, which this perfume was developed exclusively for. My friend Ben will be relieved to know that!
Donduell – :
There must be something really addicting in this unusual frag where its nervous clock resembles very well the running time in a big city. The opening is not what I like best as the ‘trendy’ grapefruit is not among my favorite notes, but let’s take its time as shortly after the game changes especially when the alcoholic note of champagne and fruit- where cherry is a cheer leader – mix up with a beautiful and rather delicate leather note, showing a totally different ‘scent-scape’. Many notes appear in its wealthy bouquet (something ‘sugary’, a touch of old lipstick scent, vetiver and ….. look at at he pyramid above!) I love almost the majority of Et. libre d’Or. fragrances for many reasons but two among them are quite omnipresent: the good quality of the ingredients and an astonishing good persistence which are evident even here and gratifying the buyer also! Personally I like its sillage which I consider ‘quite’ discreet but present at the same time; on my skin the persistence is very good: more than 6 hours whereas on my clothes many more…..
p.s. All fragrances MUST be tried before buying them NO exceptions as your skin is the supreme court! Carefully avoid blind buy unless you think that sight comes first (‘I do own 10………. bottles’) while talking about fragrances which normally are perceived by your nose more than by your eyes
demonvideo – :
There’s an initial burst of citrus and gourmand notes which is lovely. After a few minutes the perfume becomes very gourmand, and I was ultimately left with a slightly sickly mix of very sweet jarring leather. There was something about Bendilirious which reminded me of a multitude of standard high street fragrances.
I’d happily buy this if I could capture the initial effect without the drydown, but the end notes don’t suit me. I’d recommend testing this one first.
stasion – :
I really love this perfume.
It opens smoky and leathery after appleid on skin. Then I smell some cherries and sweetness, some sparkling scent from the champagne. On my skin it turns into a sweet cherry scent with a leathery underground. Lovely
AstaAvada – :
wow. this starts off very promising and delicious…
lovely cherries and then there is something adding a glamorous sparkle in the background (iris&pink pepper maybe?) then it slowly transforms more and more leathery.
myself not being a fan of leather dominated fragrances really but if i had to chose from those leathers i ever sniffed, i would prefer this cherry soaked one 🙂
downside that it does not seem to provide much sillage and on me it becomes very quiet after an hour.
7feet – :
This is my first review. I bought a sample from a website. All I can say is that it makes my nose itch and I don’t like the leather note. It ruins an otherwise warm and fruity fragrance.