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mehanik132 – :
So far this is the only patchouly that works great on me. A lot of patchoulies smell too harsh or too synthetic or to much of labdanum. It is potent and dry with good cacao (or dark chocolate). Too bad that I don’t love the brand Serge so much anymore.
31051970 – :
On my hunt for a nice warm, mellow, earthy winter fragrance, I tried Borneo again recently and it’s a contender. I think the formula has been changed since I first tried this one years ago but it’s not neccessarily a bad thing since it seems more mellow and softer this time around (it lacks any pronounced spices). I like patchouli but it has to be blended and softened like it is in Borneo for me to appreciate it. After a few minutes the patchouli opening gives way to a semi-sweet dry chocolate and labdanum soft leather that is a pleasant skin scent, warm and familiar. I’m sure that there are dozens of cheaper versions of this kind of scent (it immediately smells familiar, atleast this current reformulation in the drydown) but it does retain the hallmarks of Serge Lutens “good taste” and for that you might be better off spending the extra money. To each their own. I would love to sample some other perfumes with a similar take on a patchouli/balsamic/oriental accord before deciding on a full bottle. It’s a like, not quite a love for me.
martin91 – :
“patchouli soliflore” to quote a reviewer…maybe its that my nose isn’t developed enough..
Max_Jonson – :
Delicious! It starts with a dusty, dry earthen smell, with something leafy and herbal but equally dry. Then the herbs give way to a soft cocoa powder sweetened with vanilla. It’s not conventionally feminine, since there’s nothing fruity or floral. It’s utterly arid – nothing lush, sticky or juicy for miles. But it’s bewitching nonetheless.
Ромашкин – :
“Down-to-earth and subtle… walking through the serene Borneo forest.”
Borneo 1834 is a 2005 fragrance from the legendary French perfume house, conceived by Christopher Sheldrake. It first caught my attention for its main note: patchouli. A native plant of Indonesia (along with other Southeast Asian countries), the scent is very intimate to me because of my heritage. Patchouli and certain types of oud strongly remind me, especially the Javanese region, where my family used to own furniture originating from there when I was a child. The scent is unforgettable, and Borneo 1834, together with Ermenegildo Zegna’s Indonesian Oud, are two fragrances that have successfully invoked a memory out of me that have been long buried.
On my skin, it opens with accords of woody-earthy patchouli, chocolatey cocoa and even small hints of booze (maybe cognac). It’s very simplistic and straightforward; the cocoa also has a bit of a nutty aspect that renders the fragrance slightly gourmand (although I wouldn’t consider this a gourmand fragrance). The main note, patchouli, is very distinctive: it’s a plant that has a distinctive scent that is a cross between vetiver and oud. In Borneo 1834, the patchouli is simple: woody and earthy, and it makes the fragrance very wearable.
Perhaps the only downside is that it’s a linear fragrance. There is nothing complex about it but that’s how I like it. Patchouli can be a difficult note to work on and it functions often as a fixative rather than as the main highlight. Borneo, in a way, is a “patchouli soliflore” and I take it as it is.
I personally would like to own a bottle of it but not in the form of the iconic bell jar. I find it a little pricey and also troublesome, having to decant it into another bottle from the jar in order to apply it. If possible, I would like to own the very rare 50ml/1.7 fl oz rectangular bottle. It has since been discontinued for a long time and getting Borneo 1834 in that form is said to be particularly challenging. That hasn’t discouraged me one bit; I wish that, someday and somehow, I will come across it wherever it may be in this world.
This is my favourite Serge Lutens fragrance, alongside Cuir Mauresque (another SL fragrance that is very difficult to find in 50ml bottle form). Not many fragrances have succeeded in unlocking my old memories; Borneo is one that amazingly did.
UnsornKeplere – :
This fragrance it’s compared with Coromandel in some forums. Certainly, both share a pronounced patchouli notes. Although, IMO Coromandel it’s more sweet. In return, Borneo 1834 it’s rather dry and earthy.
IMO Borneo 1834 it’s seems more to A * Men by Thierry Mugler. Both share prominent cacao and patchouli notes. This fragrance it’s rather linear but very deep and rich. It’s very suitable for Autumn and Winter.
Scent: 8
Longevity: 7
Projection: 7
Sillage: 6
Uniqueness: 7
Versatility: 6
Overall: 6,83
boots522 – :
non troppo originale eppure straordinario, questo SL rimane a mio avviso una delle creazioni invernali più belle di sempre. l’accordo è centrato sulla giustapposizione di patchouli e cacao, ma è abbastanza diverso dal patchouli di Les nereides o dall’incroyable di REM (dove il patchouli è ammorbidito e addolcito dal cioccolato) dal momento che qui il cacao è secco e mai gourmand. attorno alla generale sensazione balsamica e quasi canforacea si sentono spuntare, come spilli, pungenti tocchi di erba (labdano? galbano?) e di spezie (cardamomo in primis). il fondo rimane sulla pelle per ore, caldo e avvolgente. eccellente.
pozdeyyy – :
I have to agree with some reviews right up; I’ve been baffled for years as to why Angel would ever compare to this. I’ve worn Angel so many times trying to find the patch only to be rewarded by cold berries. Some kind of weird berry. I truly cannot stand Angel. But Borneo….
Now Borneo on the other hand is an amazing scent, yes, probably acquired. If you just left your local department store full of fizzy fruity scents, you will be shocked by this one–and unpleasantly jarred. But, given time, you may just come around to this fantastic scent. At first, I get a blast of yes, camphor-chocolate-patch which then settles into 5 minutes later the smell of DIRT, moist, deep, rich. I do not mean skanky dirt–but my kind of dark soil, the kind that grows things, from which large trees and vines come barreling out of the ground. As a gardener, I really love this aspect. But, dirt is not for everyone….
The DIRT merges with the cocoa and the camphor and just radiates patch! Twenty minutes in, I get whiffs of something sweet, something caramel, almost gourmand but again, tinged with soils, and then cardamom comes to the fore. The dustiness that others have mentioned gears up–so, there’s both dirt–and dustiness! This stage on me lasts for several lovely, lovely hours.
The dry down is a cocoa-amberish-woody somewhat sweet smell. When sprayed on clothes, it lasts for a few days. One final note, I also had the misfortune to spill a small “pool” of it onto my dresser. I did not have the heart to wipe it off–and–I was already doused in the stuff. So, I just let it soak in a bit (what could it hurt?)? Half quickly evaporated, leaving an oily, resinous, stickiness behind. I left it a while for the dust-bunnies. My bedroom weeks later still had little whispers of it. Mmmmmm…..
16lara1976 – :
Cool frankincense-like opening over a sweet base – reminds me of a very old stone church with the smell of damp permeating it. The almost menthol cool patchouli strongly contrasts with the warm, dry spices. I used to wear patchouli straight but here it’s much cooler, like damp earth in the deep shade, and it dominates the opening. The spices are strangely dry, almost dusty, like spices in a Middle Eastern bazaar. It gets progressively dustier as it dries down and the spicy notes fade away, leaving a faded, slightly medicinal patchouli. About 3 hours in the sprays on the back of my hands have pretty much disappeared, but the ones on the insides of my wrists have transformed into an almost caramel sweetness with just a touch of root beer/antiseptic. Exotic and mysterious.
LaferNeil – :
All about patcholi with drops of cocoa. Patchouli is with all his nuances, earthy and camphorous. Nice aroma, well blended and elegant.
As it is discontinued the price is very high on ebay, about $300 a bottle. Despite of being good i don’t think it worth tha sum of money. If you’re a female can try Coromandel, if you are male the new FM fragrance Monsieur.
4,5/5 stars
Dukk – :
Just got the original spray bottle! A little different than I remembered; the first hour is very rich (and dry at the same time) resinous woody, then little by little the gourmand facet shows up (imagine an aged decayed tree coated in unsweetened cocoa powder). A lot richer, deeper, and “wiser” than I expected, I can see why it didn’t make it and is now a Paris Exclusive (acquired taste)… Angel has nothing to do with this, please stop comparing fragrances based on ONE note.
unenryenets – :
Starts off as heavy,earthy patchouli with sweet chocolate undertones. As it dries down, the sweetness takes a step back, while the earthiness takes center stage. Besides the patchouli, I get an almost sweetgrass type of vibe from this. It’s very serene, even though it has some power. Very interesting scent.
nikitohka – :
This delightfully dark and strange smell would suit an intense super charismatic(and perhaps slightly crazed) cult figure…..think Jim Morrison, Jim Jones, The Joker (Batman’s nemesis) or Aleister Crowley.
This opens as cacao beans in the hold of a cargo ship…..damp, earthy, and just a slight bit bittersweet.
The mustiness of the labdanum and the bitter cacao mellows down after about an hour, and this becomes a linear ode to patchouli in its rawest, greenest form, rather than the typically syrupy/head shop accord found in too many fragrances to bother to name.
Ridiculously long lasting (12 hours and counting), with a midrange sillage, this definitely is not for me, but is probably the best front and center patchouli fragrance I’ve yet smelled, as it heads in the precise opposite direction of most everything expected of it.
Pouppyvup – :
The real exclusive perfume isn’t the one you can buy only in one store. It’s the one that you can’t even judge by its official sample.
There are Serge Lutens fragrances that work as wax samples. Borneo 1834 isn’t one of them. It showed me neither the patchouli nor the chocolate. I tried it a few times from different samples. All I got was boring sweetness.
The real perfume surprised me with its beauty and balance. The next day I was craving for it. It’s one of the few fragrances I can recall with my memory.
After trying it two times, I didn’t buy it though. I prefer the meaner and the more interesting scents. Borneo 1834 is noble and well behaving Lutens. Another issue was the projection/longevity on me. The owner told me it lasts forever on him.
Now you can say: “look, the wax still works in a way”. At the end, neither the sample nor the decant made me buy it. At the time of writing this review, I have 8 Serge Lutens exclusives bought based on their wax samples. Although at least 7* of them are more wonderful in real, still, I got what I expected, in a better way. With Borneo 1834, however, the wax samples missed the whole scent.
In case you’d like a dark, masculine, elegant, non-offending, patchouli-chocolate perfume, get a decant of this. Otherwise, you might miss a scent you’d love. Although it’s not for me, I believe that many find it a masterpiece.
*: I have to give more time to Chéne to decide.
Virutexsrud – :
Man, I just do not have good luck with Serge Lutens. For some reason, most of their fragrances end up smelling very powdery and “old” on me, even if the notes don’t list anything traditionally powdery.
Borneo 1834 starts out kind of neat on my skin, though: I call the smell “earthy licorice.” There’s a bit of a tang there, like anise oil. There’s also definite patchouli, but it’s not spiky or spicy like incense–it’s quite smooth, almost herbal. I get a hint of cacao and cardamom.
After an hour or so, however, Borneo 1834 becomes very linear and, yes, powdery on me. It’s not so much a baby powder smell as it is a “soft laudanum with some obvious cardamom” scent. It’s very pungent and kind of stinky. Very sad for me, because I kinda like the opening!
Projection and longevity are both pretty good with this fume: I get around 8 hours with moderate sillage.
kerz_serega – :
Very masculine. Reminds me of a musty haunted house trip on Halloween. Definitely “unusual”
klopik – :
Colin Mailard’s review of Borneo is perfect! Right now I’m wearing some of the few drops I have left of a 5 ml decant that I’ve nursed for about 5 or 6 years now because I can’t afford a full bottle. It’s linear scent, to be sure, as what it is when you apply it, will be basically how it stays. However, what I’ve noticed is that what you get changes according to the seasons. Today(cold winter) I’m getting more of the tabacco note that Colin mentioned and I was loving the combination of that and the freshly brewed steaming coffee I was poring a moment ago. I agree that Borneo is one of the highlights of the Serge Lutens/ Christopher Sheldrake oeuvre. Now I’m worried that this may either be discontinued, or worse; reformulated into something tame and nearly unrecognizable, before I can get my hands on more of it. This is one of those scents that I feel like I want to have in my collection at all times.
chuper80 – :
Combine:
– newly dug up soil from a tropical rainforest
– freshly bruised patchouli, stems and leaves
– a generous helping of grated cocoa straight from pods
Allow to infuse in cool, dry conditions. (Humidor is optional.)
And then breathe in deeply.
Earthy. Raw. Unctuous. Chewy. Imperceptibly sweet.
Yes, Borneo 1834 is mostly linear, but it has a singular focus that, here at least, is compelling. Right to to the end, it never wavers from its initial promise: patchouli in all its multi-faceted splendour.
I love it.
OgisievaL – :
Such a mysterious scent, full of suprises, sexy and very elegant in the same time!
Sweedsindix – :
Wonderful – the very first sniff is exactly Coty Sweet Earth (the Sandalwood, Amberwood, Patchouli set. If you ever find one of those vintage sets, they’re very sought-after now). But back to Borneo… after the buttery, woody opening, a velvety, earthy, patchouli lands – it’s a patchouli scent from then on, smoothed, rounded and mixed with chocolate. Soft and obviously the finest quality, with no harshness to it. It makes you feel warm just to smell it. It makes you want to grow beans in it. It’s lovely. 🙂
SergeiK33 – :
There is an edge to the patchouli-cacao in the first 20 minutes, a kind of dusty cool I don’t have words for, that I don’t like. Even though I can’t capture it in useful words (I generally have no problem with “dusty” or “cool”). But once this passes, it’s lovely and almost gourmand. (And yet, I don’t generally like gourmand. This scent is confounding my entire vocabulary). Point is: let it settle in and it becomes delightful.
kebjohn – :
The notes for 1834 seem intense and in-your-face (or up your nose?) but this perfume is soothing to me. It is earthy patchouli and a hint of dark, dry, freshly ground cocoa beans over a bed of green moss (Oakmoss is in the ingredients, high up on the list, yet it is not listed as a note!?!?) Here and there weave notes of incense, and sweet white flowers, but mostly we are in the misty patchouli scented woods with old growth trees festooned with oakmoss. This perfume feels silent to me–it is that calming to the senses.
Personally I don’t find this long wearing, or having too much silage, making this a like and not a love Still I don’t know of anything else that smells like this, or makes me feel so tranquil.
Enladacar – :
So want this but cant find in uk.
can anyone point me in the right direction please?
Thanks
MazdaGT – :
Spicy,earthy and dry would be the best 3 words to sum it up. Very long lasting and mega silage. Appropiate for both sexes if you need and edgier feel is needed in your wardrobe. This and Chene are the 2 best I have tried from SL with both being masterpieces. The drydown is remarkable and reminds me of some of the quirky Smell Bent scents but more refined. Perfect for fall and winter. You owe it to yourself to sample it if you are a SL fan!
fjy344speagoessenda – :
Bornéo is beautiful and its blend gives us a different idea of notes such as earth, humid earth, roots, dry leaves, dry wood, tree skin, dry cocoa seeds.
It transports you to a piece of tropical forest just after the rain. I have had that experience for so many times.
I remember one afternoon when I ate a just picked cocoa fruit sitting under the trees. Its pulp – sweet, delicate and lovely flavoured – I sucked them enjoying its exquisiteness. It had been raining and I could smell the humid earth and the leaves. The air was warm, for the sun was back, and I felt really happy.
Bornéo is cozy, exotic and refined. A dream of raw nature.
Enjoy.
25501 – :
Straight out of the gate you get a wonderful blend of Patchouli and rich dark cocoa mixed in with some warm spices.
There is a woody backdrop to this scent giving the scent a old world feeling. I get a image of oak barrels filled with cocoa and spices been brought onto ships from tropical lands.
To sum up a delightful old world earthy blend of patchouli and rich cocoa.
monarx132 – :
One of the thickest SL juices, this is heavy on base notes. Top notes listed here are totally lost on me, including the usually very perceptible cardamom. Upon application I get what others call “chocolate-cacao” but not very convincing for me, accompanied by a Peru balsam(?) note which is somewhat unpleasant-fatty to my nose, some burned sugar and of course the musty top notes from the patchouli only here they are rounder than usual. The overall impression is a contrast between two opposing elements, fatty and boozy, not very far from A-men but smoother and more natural smelling without that harsh pine-like element from Mugler’s fragrance that I find repulsive.
As the fatty top notes begin to fade, a classical musk foundation starts peeking through and Borneo enters the patchouli-musk-labdanum phase touched with mint which is my favourite. From here it becomes quite linear. The dry down is very pleasant, slightly animalic and honeyed and I also get an impressionist representation of leather. The main body of the perfume is almost monolithic and opaque and yet in the drydown there are hints of a fragile and subtly exotic floralness that help it veer from the stereotypically masculine territory.
The projection is fairly discreet but enveloping at the same time (hopefully this makes sense to you). Tenacity on the other hand leaves something to be desired, especially if you take into account the base heavy composition. A liberal application hasn’t given me more than 5 hours of wear. With the exception of the beginning, Borneo is not very demanding from its wearer. Sure it differs from the airy and abstract “clean” creations we’ve become accustomed to but it doesn’t take a perfume aficionado to appreciate it for what it is: a very comfortable fragrance of classical sensibilities from quality ingredients that is a pleasure to wear and from what I’m told, down right sexy 😉
waw177 – :
Patchouli with the volume turned up. I love patchouli and this is a perfect example of a pimped up version of the old hippy oil that ran like a river through my childhood when one of my best friends at school was the product of a “far-out” couple and every time I went round to see my friend, her mum was drenched in patchouli – every inch the artistic, hippy and soulful being. This perfume is a wonderful take on the oil, not madly different but I would say much more refined. This is opulent and kind of evocative of old Russia, all fur and snow, heady with spice and (thankfully) not overly sweet. This is a grown up, modern patchouli and I think I am in love. I could bath in it to be honest.
vitovito – :
sticky patchouli mixed with dark, bitter chocolate. i’m not sure i like it, it kinda smells like my childhood friend’s mum, and not in a good way…
Алина – :
This review is based on a decant. Opening is a little sharp. Kinda reminds me of A*Men a bit with the patch-cacao combo except it’s less sweet and without the tar note in A*Men. It has above average projection during first hour after that it moves closer to skin with average projection. Longevity is good on my skin.
chege83 – :
A patchouli and cacao scent but complex. This is a less warm, more dry and a more organic scent than Angel, another patchouli and cacao scent.
The cardamom, white flower, galbanm resin, and patchouli in here combine to a scent that smells more like dried dates with floral scented stationary then later like dead leaves and snapping branches in a tropical woods.
It is interesting and worth trying. I am not sure whether I like it or not.
gennadii – :
It opens very strong and the bitter cacao and patchouli are clearly present. However, after an hour or two, this scent reminds me somewhat of a church or castle. Perhaps this is the galbanum, I don’t know. It smells of ancient places, very earthy and slightly musty perhaps.
It’s very interesting but now I feel I cannot wear this fragrance because of this association. It seems strange for me to wear as it doesn’t fit me as a person either. It is not a comfortable scent either, so beware. I tried my sample for the first time today, but I don’t think I will ever use it again. This just is not for me.
I can see people wearing this and loving it, as it is very characteristic. But I would suggest sampling this, as it most certainly is not suitable for everybody. Although, this is a fragrance that is harder to find and wanted by a lot of people, so you probably would not have a hard time swapping it.
Powlineeanime – :
I recently got my hands on a sample of this and was nervous that I wouldn’t like it due to encounters with cocoa smelling feminine on me. Not a chance here. The cocoa is dry and blends beautifully with a bucket load of patchouli, it’s all masculine with Borneo on my skin. Wearing it to work one day, the ladies working 10 metres away could tell when I was walking around, this from 2 sprays applied 3 hours earlier. Their opinions were favourable. This is my 5th Lutens and it is quickly becoming a favourite.
maislaxeneits – :
Serge Lutens Borneo 1834 is a classic rich Oriental from the master Christopher Sheldrake. A fat bold gorgeous in your face patchouli-cocoa perfume, it would remind me of an NFL lineman if it weren’t so sumptuously attractive (if you aren’t from the US, these are huge men with no neck and a sumoesque belly). There are spicy cardamom and animalic labdanum notes that I think are also pronounced and provide some dramatic tension, but it is a bit hard to tell because they are buried under so much patchouli and cocoa. The scent seems fairly linear to me for a long time, eventually becoming less cocoa and more earthy. Whatever the exact combination, the skill of Sheldrake in blending them is on full display. My feelings when I smell my wrist range from simple olfactory bliss to a sense of fatal attraction to a horrid old witch projecting the illusion of a beautiful maiden.
acundachurn – :
Very lovely: strong, dry and bitter patchouli with a menthol feel and bittersweet cocoa powder.
Reminds me of Angel Taste of Fragrance, which is not surprising concerning the fact it’s also a cocoa-patchouli combination. Angel Taste of Fragrance is a bit less earthy and a tad sweeter, with a slightly fruity facet (whereas Borneo is smokier and more grownup).
Very beautiful, elegant and a bit edgy, I would definitely add it to my wardrobe if I did not have Taste of Fragrance.
Completely unisex.
theasphaboupe – :
This strikes me as a very sexy fragrance. Somehow I’m imagining being in the hold of an old sailing ship, surrounded by precious cargo that has quite an olfactory kick. Dusty patchouli, dry crumbling chocolate, spices. I want to smell this on my man. He may be surprised by another Christmas present this year. I’ll try not to steal it from him too often.
893704802 – :
Borneo how I love thee – truly, madly, deeply. It’s a warm, velvety, earthy patchouli and has a strong opening so if you’re not a patch fan this may scare you off. However the richness comes from the added cocoa note that isn’t sweet nor bitter but has a warm depth to it. The opening is my favorite part of this scent and the dry down is lovely too but it becomes a skin scent a little too quickly for my liking. Smelling it out of the bottle practically intoxicates me. You must try this scent if you’re a fan of the warm, earthy patchoulis.
anar649 – :
Rich,earthy and spicy fragrance. Sweet like toffee with burnt wood aroma.
Pleasant and unique.
Patchouli-toffee-coco-woody notes-spice, main notes I smell here.
I find it to be a comfortable perfume to wear for any occasion; even thou it has that evening vibe,there’s something quite delicious about it. Dinner wear.
Perfect choice for Autumn weather.
Warm and cozy scent.
This is a blind sample try for me since I am still exploring earthy fragrances; was previously avoiding them, however I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to try something different.
Variety is the spice of life as they say 🙂
Hem – :
For some reason I thought for the longest time that Serge Lutens Bornéo was a leather perfume. No idea why, really. Since I’m not a fan of Cuir Mauresque, I naturally steered clear.
Turns out that Bornéo is a lot closer to Fresh Cannabis Santal–which bears similarities to both Angel and Angel for Men–than to Cuir Mauresque. Yes, patchouli is on ample display, along with a delicious unsweetened chocolate note.
The first time I tried this perfume (a wax sample), my initial response was: burnt sugar and bread dough. Today the composition reminds me much more of Cannabis Santal. I do not really find this very sweet at all, and the patchouli is big and bold, just as in the Fresh perfume. I’m going to have to compare them side-by-side to be sure. Be back in a jiffy…
Okay, I’m back. To my nose, the cocoa note in Bornéo is more dominant than the patchouli, while in Cannabis Santal, the patchouli note dominates. However, they are clearly cousins. If I were to mark these out on a continuum to Angel Men, Bornéo would be the farthest from the Thierry Mugler creation (which I do not like so much, as it feels too synthetic to me), and the Fresh would be about half way in between. I also feel that this Serge Lutens creation is less masculine than either the Thierry Mugler or the Fresh, both of which have a more aromatic feeling.
All in all, Bornéo is going to please anyone who is already in the Angel camp, but lots of others as well, because this creation is far less sweet and gooey, and smells fairly natural. The nonnegotiable requirement for wearing this perfume is a love of patchouli and cocoa, and probably anyone who loves both of those notes will love this perfume too. Obviously patchouli-phobes will want to stay very far away.
jastreb2010 – :
Instead of feeling sweetness and humidity, I feel dryness. Like smelling Peruvian cocoa dust. Maybe there is some iris on it, to give the powder vibe. Very pleasant, raw and refined at the same time. Better on cold weather. Perfect for Christmas! Good feelings.
den756 – :
This fragrance has a lovely dark chocolate note, but it also smells of dirt, incense, and is very dry and bitter to my nose. It softens down after about 2 hours on my skin but I’m not willing to wait 2 hours for something to smell ok. I love many Lutens but this is not one of them. I’ll leave this one for the men, who could wear this well, I think.
hapaev – :
EARTHY BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE
Initial spray it actually smelled like dark chocolate found in dirt.
Which was interesting to me – rather than ‘bad’.
The dry down is beautiful. More on the feminine side of the scale.
anna_mak1996 – :
This is surprisingly pleasant for me. It’s warmth keeps me coming back for more. It reminds me of camping in the autumn, campfire, oil burner, leather boots, spiced chai, night air, decaying leaves. Something quite comfortable about it.
tiko-t90 – :
I am a huge fan of Serge Lutens, and I love patchouli, but on opening Borneo scared the hell out of me! This was a big fat earthy patchouli plant, dirt and green leaves. Huge! But it was very interesting at the same time. Mr. Borneo got my attention, to say the least.
After the initial patchouli bomb Borneo cleared the air, he settled down and his scent helped me calm down as well. The earthy scent got sweeter with a grounding effect.
In Borneo the cocoa is the dominant note after the patchouli, and I can smell something warm and sweet, something to make this patchouli fuzzier. There’s more to this patchouli than only patch and cocoa, I think I smell a tiny bit of Sheldrakes famous muscs (the same ones from Muscs Koublai Kahn) here besides some vague florals, a soft amber and something minty and herbal, almost like liquorice. The best part for me besides the gorgeous deep patchouli are the muscs, or the ‘little animals’ underneath. They make this so sexy and close to my skin.
So compared to the opening Borneo turned out very subtle for me, even with an impressive sillage and longevity. I love this for it’s lingering on my skin, wearing close to me but also for it’s powerful earthiness.
It smells like a mystery and a solution all at once. Gorgeous!
TheCrimee – :
Well I’m just going to start off by saying love..love..love!!! I was never a big fan of patch and ordered this based on the cacao but my goodness this is beautiful juice!!! Polite? I think not, but as a woman who is a lover of more masculine scents I am fine with the unapologetic impoliteness of this scent. This is gorgeous, dry and smokey. Not tobacco smokey but the resin, cardamom & patch create this beautiful smokey haze. Like others have stated this is not a chocolate bar. If you want well done chocolate check out Guerlain’s Charnel Gourmand. This cacao is deep, dark & dry as a bone. If I smelled this on a man I would immediately invade his personal space and take a long wiff like a total crazy lady. So men, beware!!! Don’t be surprised if the ladies stand just a little bit closer. Is this FB worthy??? Hell YES!!! Ladies – If you like your frags a little deeper and a bit disturbed than by all means knock yourself out. I am in absolute love…
bardak759 – :
Excellent as other fragrances from Serge Lutens, but this one is very interesting.
Patchouli that gives a woody tone also means that wooded land and is joined with the mineral labdanum and then dry the keynote cocoa, all this comes with a cloud camphor, characteristic aroma of patchouli.
It brings the feeling of powder white chocolate, something, wonderful.
Rating: 9-9,5/10
jakobs – :
Smoked figs, tobacco, civet, patchouli, rum, balmy, oriental, spicy, chocolate. Unisex. And, I think, more masculine than feminine, but wows every time with its epic power and multi-faceted nature. It is a composition about adventure, history, blood, memory, voyages, sea wars, spice trade. Not sweet, and only vaguely floral. Mostly it’s all leather, smoke, wood — and a ripped bodice.
safo – :
First and foremost a warm scent, really sticks on the skin and I keep smelling it over and over again, it’s addictive like that. It’s a scent that takes away any sense of “just took a shower” you might have had before. All in a good way.
I think it’s an amazing perfume with a great longevity and decent sillage, just ordered the full bottle since my decant is almost out.
poKJhvyuBJNKmk – :
Borneo 1834 is just a very odd fragrance! I think choice of weather when I tested it had something to do with the success. The patchouli is dominant for me in the beginning, a very true to life, natural patchouli plant smell. Moist soil & all! A very damp, & “dank” smell that was beautifully emphasized by the wet, temperate, overcast day. The cocoa is very prominent also, and after time the sweetness starts to warm over the sharp medicinal opening of raw patchouli. All the while, the perfume stays very thick & dense perhaps with some added musk? An oiliness like the sheen on si