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khrenov22 – :
Lysol, try Lalique Amethyst! Notes doesn’t seem to match (weirdly) but it DOES BIG TIME smell like Benghal!
annaevseeva21 – :
I really, really liked this unique fragrance and wish Lancôme still made it. I don’t want to buy a ten-year-old bottle because I’d think it’s deteriorated even if unopened and the prices I’ve seen it at on ebay are too high anyway, considering. To me, it smelled like the cinnamon candy, “red hots,” but in a grown-up enough way to get by with it.
ddachi – :
I used to love this one but now all I can smell is palinka (schnapps/ alcohol made of rotten fruits). It might be because my last bottle of Benghal is 5 years old and I hardly ever use it or I just got tired of it… For me it’s not a summer scent; I always used it when I longed for summer. In summer I find Benghal way toooo much.
minyk – :
I love this perfume a lot, have couple of bottles, and still have some in a fridge, waiting for summer. It´s fresh, and great when it is very hot weather. It´s pitty it was just limited edition :(If someone wants to get rid of it for a normal price, please contact me.
krt – :
When I first tried this (given to me as a gift) I didn’t like the scent at all unless I used it straight out of the shower while still a little damp. I stashed it away. Fast forward a couple years. I’m undergoing chemotherapy and have noticed a few I didn’t care for before now smell quite nice, so I gave this one another try. The difference is unbelievable! The ginger just sparkles and I scent a cedarish scent that adds to my delight – similar to Yves Rochers Tunisian Cedar body wash/shampoo. Probably not for everyone, but it works for me. Too bad it’s so expensive at eBay; it seems some folks are taking advantage of it being discontinued and fleecing the few of us who actually liked it.
rosomahoidd – :
This wasn’t my cup of tea..Cedar isn’t listed a note, but this reminds me of the way a pet store smells.
karen1510 – :
I bought this when it was launched. Oh dear. Bad move. Catches the back of my throat. It’s amazing that Lancôme had the nerve really but you’ve got to love a trier. Discontinued and with good reason.
GoLOVeR – :
This is the weirdest fragrance i have ever purchased. Saw it on special tho at approx $20 so i thought id give it a try…i know my mom would like it, as she wears things along the lines of Opium and Estee Lauder.
I dont know how to rate it, not great, not horrible, extremely unique and different.
I like the top notes, the ginger, but the dry down isnt too great for me. I dont like the peach note, they havent gotten it quite right.
Maybe its because i have the best perfume with a peach note ever made imo – Burberry body intense, absolutely nothing beats that one, its pure and utter perfection. 🙂
(Btw another absolutely incredible scent with a peach blossom note is Legend by Mont Blanc, one of my top 10) …..just thought id mention it as its extremely well done -)
…i have also had one of the most successful ginger based perfumes ever created – BVL by Bvlgari…so hard to find it nowadays… 🙁
And i guess thats why i am able to make these comparisons. Benghal in no way sums up BVL or Body tho :p
If i dont learn to like it, i can always wear it right after my shower while im at home vacumming or doing laundry. Lol!
1234567890 – :
I’m still on the fence about Benghal, and it’s not looking good. Perhaps, like some of you, I got caught up in the imagery of an exotic scent transporting me to a beautiful, Indian palace garden. It’s an intriguing concept, no doubt, but IMO the problem lies with Lancome’s execution of it. This could have been awesome had they used a heavier formulation. A fragrance like this needs an oiler base to give it richness, depth, and greater longevity. The weak EDT formula they chose to go with, is not at all unlike a body spray. Seriously, it reminds me of “play cologne” that used to come with toy beauty sets for litte girls in the 60’s. Any stages of evolution regarding Benghal are irrelevant because it doesn’t hang around in any time or strength to be experienced, so what’s the point? A whiff of ginger on my wrist!? I could probably get some ginger out of my kitchen cabinet, sprinkle it on me and get the same effect. But this is SO NOT why I buy fragrance. I’ll use up my bottle, but won’t repurchase. And so alas, Benghal will soon be put on the LONG list of other SCENTED WATERS posing as fragrances!!
dmitrii-kokoteev1978 – :
The piquant rhubarb sensation sky76sky aptly describes is Benghal’s redeeming feature on my skin.
Finely milled ginger dust blasts from the very pretty bottle and settles high up in my olfactory and does not budge for a good hour or more. Elizabeth-Arden-True-Love brand of apricot jam slowly reveals itself behind the ginger dust.
Yuk!
Hang on a minute! Is this icky sticky goop turning? Was that a glimpse of crisp jasmine? Can I really smell a whiff of refreshing citrus?
Yes!
Welcome tart rhubarb.
I adore the concept behind this scent “…evokes the gardens of an Indian palace…” but in reality the jasmine note is too fleeting, therefore this wearer does not arrive at destination Benghal.
Despite its flaws on my skin it is likeable.
sergun-07 – :
This is a beautiful fresh (but not too green) scent. the ginger really brings this whole perfume together. No matter how much is applied, its just nice. No headache & non offencive, however it’s very unique.
db1234 – :
I love to buy fragrance when i travel and I picked this one up at Delhi airport.I find it very light and delicious but it gets warmer on me as the day goes on.Damp, pungent yet subtle…get lost in it!
mongolkil – :
The perfume is spicy ginger, unusual, unostentatious. I didn’t feel an apricot and a jasmin. It lasts 2-3 hours on a skin and 8 hours on cloths. I like to catch whiffs of this perfume as I move around, an unique fragrance! The bottle is beautiful and stylish, I like it even more than perfume!
витагер – :
The ginger is very sharp on me, almost glittering bright. I discovered an orange blossom lotion which when layered together (with the perfume peeking over the top and used sparingly) presents me with a slightly naughty apricot and orange bliss that settles nicely. Light or nil on the lotion gives me an entirely different experience, a sexy burst that is not too earthy on me. There is a noticeable perception of heat for me, which begs for sunshine. Something reminds me in this of dry champagne as well.
Peraemopefe – :
I’m sorry, but I REALLY hate this one. My mom bought it in Sweden once; she was totally convinced of it’s superiority by then, though I already had my doubts. When she smelled it at home she agreed with me that it smells like a toilet refreshener, so now we’re stuck with this shitty fragrance. Maybe it’s a good perfume in dry weather, but surely not in a rainy country like the Netherlands.
Richard – :
Oh, I love this! Lillybee & Nuppu have it spot-on.
I am particularly picky about how ginger is represented in fragrances as it can make or break them for me. Here, the ginger is true & resplendent in a basket of “real” sharp, sour & refreshing fruits (I do not find the florals break through the fruits, which is no bad thing).
Imagine a tart apricot jam or a tender pink rhubarb compot piqued by ginger & you will get the idea. It is refreshing, spicy, yet delicate & transparent in nature. Mouth-watering yet refined & mature with a super sandalwood base.
This is not your average fruity floral – Benghal is not tooty-fruity, it is authentic & interesting, warm yet sour, feminine without being particularly “sweet & pink”.
A unique gem of a fragrance – I look forward to adding Benghal to my collection for summer.
kano200289 – :
Very pretty perfume. On me the sandalwood, jasmine and ginger seem to dominate. I agree with Nuppu, it’s almost a green fragrance. But with a nice spicy, woody background. Maybe green on mahogany?
But a spray on a friend of mine was like a cross between apricot jam and marmalade; very sweet/citrus with a hint of flowers in the background.
still pretty and light, just different.
Merfs342JeomiWogkig – :
Very spicy.To me it smelled like a bad version of Burberry London.I don’t like this one but all in all Lancome has good perfumes.
uzumaki1994 – :
After spraying it smells exactly like apricot jam on me :-). The dry-down is more floral-musky. I really love to wear this fragrance spring or autumn-time, although it is supposed to be a summer perfume. One of my favourites from Lancome (No1 ever is Poeme)
langford171 – :
I am always purchasing perfumes searching for that one beautiful, long-lasting scent, as I seldom find a perfume that lasts on my skin let alone one I find truly “beautiful”. Just when I was about to wave my little flag in defeat..there she was! Like a diamond shimmering in a pile of coals: Benghal! Perfect! Sweet apricots mixed with a little spice. It’s a unique and wonderful scent that actually lasts and lasts on my skin. I sprayed it on roughly 6 hours ago and I can still catch whiffs of it as I move around. This is a first for me.
The Lancome website says it is now discontinued. *Heart Broken* I was lucky enough to find a bottle of it, and I hope when I run out I will be able to seek out a bottle online.
Deroxytdic – :
I don’t like this, because of the ginger- I think. It can be similar to wet clothes on my skin. Not as good as I expected.
IcerWeertymar – :
less sweet than tropiques but very interesting and modern scent, a bit masculine for me,
tubaretka – :
Now I have to make new review after purchasing this. First I did test it on airport over a year ago, liked it, try to forget it, but Benghal just keep alluring me in my memory until I just must go and get it. And I’m so glad I did it.
At first you get some citrusfruits and cardamon, then arrive big, bold duo of zesty ginger and sweet apricot. So delicius, but ginger keep everything nicely spiced up and not too sweet. I don’t get jasmine or osmathus at all. Just bursting, hot’n spicy apricotjam, bright, colorful and so happy. And suits cool and rainy autumn well, too.
Benghal do have some exotic feel and even when it’s fruity, it’s nothing like most fruity fragrances. On many perfumes you can think “this one remind me of this and that one”, but Benghal is new and special delicates, at least for me. Love it!
Ah, and the bottle is gorgeous and stylish.
edr456Diobtetty – :
I just bought Benghal as an addition to its sibling fragrance Tropiques. I agree with Nuppu, I was expecting a deeper, heavier oriental, but because it’s an Eau de Toilette, I knew there’s going to be a twist. It’s light, airy, fruity, reminds me a of a mixture of elemi, allspice and sweet orange-y citrus notes (I smell no ginger at all). The most dominant on my skin is the apricot from the first few minutes right till the end. It is sheer and fresh first then it becomes greener and deeper almost like vetiver then mellows down to a powdery sweet smoky and sexy skin-flavoured base (somewhat like Dalissime by Dali without the vanilla) Delicious, though somehow the apricot drowned out everything and it didn’t last more than 5-6 hours on me, so it’s a 4.5 out of 5 stars from me. Benghal is also available from online stores not just at airports so give it a try!
Анночка – :
By the name you woud assume some spicy, oriental thing, but this one is fresh and green, ginger dominates. Very nice and I kick my self ’cause I didn’t bought it when it was on hand.