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o-curkan – :
All I get is wilted celery. Not the kind that you are sauteing in a pan with herbs, but as in: you left it in the fridge for too long and it is turning brown. Did my bottle turn? The notes listed are so tempting, and the other reviews are so compelling, that perhaps I should try another bottle. Until then, I recommend Cialenga only if you can handle strong, damp cedar.
petrovichav7 – :
Vintage micro mini: very strong (like Aromatics Elixir). Smells like an old wooden cabinet full of old medications. I dislike it. Very medicinal, strong, smells almost like paint/something from homedepot. For references: I love Cabochard, First, Arpege etc.
Doomfury – :
Another worthwhile vintage Balenciaga fragrance that you don’t hear a lot about. Cialenga holds it’s own with the better known green chypres that became popular in the 60s and stayed through the 70s such as No 19, YSL Y, Ivoire de Balmain, Coriandre, Amazone, Calandre and even Guerlain’s Chamade. It has similarities to all of those and is a duplicate of none. Cialenga is more aldehydic in it’s opening than No. 19, and then overall somewhat softer, warmer and rounder with a lower dose of galbanum and the addition of blackcurrant to it’s heart (Interesting that neither aldehydes nor galbanum are given as notes here since without those there is no Cialenga but anyhow) and then a powdery, sandalwood and moss drydown. I’ve got to admit, green chypres are a genre I don’t wear as often as any others that I own but sometimes green is just the thing and in that case Cialgena is one of my favorites. (I’m not a fan of No. 19, so shoot me now.) A little of the parfum goes a long way – the edt needs to be used more generously. It’s not seen that often but if you like any of the fragrances mentioned at the beginning of this review and you’re into vintages, chances are that you’d like Cialenga. If stored properly (boxed and/or in the dark, cap closed tightly) my experience is the top notes in 2016 are no less than they were in 1975 – though if you’re not into aldehydes you may wish they were. =)
SineSombumb – :
The most sophisticated scent in my fragrance collection. Remember being a girl, and watching your Mom dress for a special night out. Remember thinking she was the most beautiful woman in the world? This was her perfume that night. Yes, a chypre but a warm mossy one.
52nn – :
I received a micro-mini of Cialenga from a generous Fragrantican. It is… in imperfect but not unwearable condition. As the bottom notes are the top notes, I will presume that it is vintage.
When I first when to apply it, very little came out, so I gave it ample room. An over-application really brought it out. Not feminine in a girly way. Mossy, bitter, earthy, leathery, a woody, not overly floral chypre, except for some dusty iris that rises up with a slight peppery clove, but not spicy. Classy, dark, interesting. From a different era. Vetiver is clearly dominant, with much oakmoss and some cedar.
I used to revel in vanilla and white flowers. Now I am on a chypre kick, and Cialenga holds her own among the greats. Forty years ago, did she feel fresh and young? Maybe. Or was she already a mature woman with plenty of secrets?
Quissommilm – :
Fantastic mossy, warm and spicey, but just a little bit too sweet and soapy for me. Maybe it’s the ylang-ylang that I only like in small doses. But nevertheless, Cialenga is a beautiful floral chypre. One of the better chypres of the list.
sorReoche – :
Once you try it and never forget! One of the most soft and strong fragrance ever. Must have from vintage list.
firerose – :
I’ve never thought that I would like so much a perfume like Cialenga. My grand-aunt own a 120ml EdT bottle that she bought way back the 90’s. The first time I opened the box, a woody smell reached me hard enough to turn off any possible interest (I’m a huge oriental lover). Tried it once more in a Buenos Aires trip. This time it went better!
After a while, I found a 1oz pure parfum bottle (with just a little perfume in it) and bought it for my collection! What is this!! What a scent! I’m completely in love with it. It’s mysterious, woody-earthy kind of perfume that you feel powerful when you use it.
A lot of people say that it’s possible to link Chanel n°19 with Cialenga. Well, sorry but in my opinion Cialenga is far much better than n° 19! It envelop you with only two drops for the hole day.
I’m not that good in finding out all the notes but what I get is a wonderful oak moss, soaked in a clove kind of potion. After a while I get vetiver and cedar. It takes me to a 70’s Paris, walking through stone streets and feeling the ice cold wind in my face. Inside the luxury boutiques, the yellow lights warm everything around. A real mist of luxury and power! Unique!!!!
Tiamo – :
I just purchased a vintage mini of this classic. The juice may have been exposed to air for too long, or I am anosmic to it, because this one is all treble of green, formaldehyde, dish soap, and cheap dusting powder, with none of the below-mentioned middle and bass notes of clove, coriander, and etc. I didn’t find it soft, but acrid. Again, could be the sample turned, given I could not discern the spice, balminess, or earthy-woodiness that others do. It’s readily available in a variety of samples and sizes on eBay for those (below) who expressed they were on the hunt for it.
Filipines – :
I still remember vividly the day I discovered this masterpiece among my best friend’s bottles . This happened exactly 27 years ago and I was just 23 .
When a frangrance makes you smile , opens your eyes wide with amazement and you feel your jaw fall because of great surprise you are definitely in front of ” your masterpiece fragrance ” . I was young and loved so much this gorgeous chypre with green notes added to splendid oakmoss , vetiver , cloves and a hint of rose so beautifully blended , a light sweetness by ylang-ylang …
I never tried to buy a vintage bottle of it because I am afraid of getting one which has gone bad because of time , although it is not impossible to find it online nowadays .
It is a fragrance which has marked my tastes : I always appreciate well blended smells with oakmoss , cloves and vetiver and tend to put aside very sweet perfumes . I remember I also liked Michelle from this house but not as much as Cialenga as I found Michelle too sweet ! This makes me giggle today as Michelle elegant sweetness is nothing to be compared with the candies in bottles you can smell these days . It was another era then and a girl aged 23 could never think about smelling old lady wearing a real perfume such as Cialenga and probably could never conceive to dress herself up into some fruity candy .
Bdfy555 – :
cialenga is a perfume that I associate with a beautiful enriching time in my life post civil war in the country of my birth, Liberia. When my kids & I escaped the war I lost everything.One day I walked into the mall I walked into a store just for nostalgia reasons & asked the Cialenga. It was brought to me & I remember only when the assistant was trying to pick me up as I had fainted. This scent,evoked such a profound memory tha I long for it and continue to search since it’s no longer sold in the store in virginia. should anyone run into to please let me know & I shall pay whatever it cost.
thanks
Baindu
baxtayrov – :
I wore this today and the dry, briskness of it made me think of Diorella, but I haven’t compared them side by side. I love the scent but it lasted about 15 minutes on me. I have a mini, an edt and a parfum mini, all vintage. The first I can’t smell at all in the bottle. The second I sprayed myself with liberally and then reapplied. I could smell it a little by the time I got to work. I took the parfum with me and applied that. It was absolutely glorious, for maybe an hour.
I read how long lasting it is for others and it makes me sad.
Привет – :
I had never heard of this but managed to find and successfully bid for a pure perfume dating from the 1970s. It is absolutely heavenly! It’s hard to describe but seems to have all my favourite ingredients in a perfect balance. The oakmoss is to die for. What a difference it makes! I can’t believe this scent is no longer made. I definitely prefer this one to other green-woody scents. It is certainly superior to Chanel No. 19 and although on me it has some similarities with Givenchy III, (minus the peachy flavour), it is, on the whole, better than Givenchy. Would love to find an Eau de Parfum or Eau de Toilette as I’m sure the fragrance would also work very well in a diluted, misty form.
JuliaMorgan – :
I was fortunate to scoop up a vintage bottle of Cialenga. I am overjoyed by this purchase. This is a true Vintage classic! The longevity & silage is phenomenal. What I love most is the green notes & oak moss. It has a similar earthy green quality to No. 19 but their are differences that make it unique. This is sophisticated enough to pull off on a very stylish dinner date.
cotcozlou1 – :
Flowerhouse/powerhouse of a scent with amazing longevity and sillage. However, it’s better on others than me. If anyone would like to swap for it (edp), contact me.
Xomyach – :
I found a vintage bottle, EDP, and don’t understand why this has been discontinued. It’s a wonderful warm and spicy fragrance,dry rather than sweet. Love it. What a remarkable combination of notes. The opening is sharp with aldehydes and citrus, with a touch of acridness from the black current. The middle notes are floral but very dry in aspect, no heavy sweetness in these notes. It’s very “woody”, you get a lot of sandalwood and cedar here, even in the first 15 minutes. The drydown continues to evolve the earthy theme of patchouli, vetiver, oakmoss and cedar. This fragrance contains everything I love in a scent; it has personality and a lot of depth. A wonderful day or night scent for me, great sillage and longevity (8 hours). Apply with moderation, it’ a powerhouse scent. Definately worth a look for all you woody-chypre lovers out there. Still available online for now. I’m stocking up since I know it won’t be long before it’s totally gone.
xrumerseo.ru – :
Wow! This is a genuine heavyweight. Not Aromatics Elixir super-heavyweight, but like Lauren it’s a strong opening. A little goes a long way. I guess my sort of green is way more floral, perhaps sweeter, than Cialenga, Vent Vert and Lauren. I am overwhelmed by the strength of all three, but think everyone should try them, or you’ll never know if this style is you.
(Reviewing a vintage miniature).
Vodiumcic – :
Vintage balenciaga perfumes are the givers of the perfect clove scent herbie, but not tooo herbie.
The drydown is jasmine and clove.
But not the powdery but the creamy sort of jasmine.
NONEESORM – :
Because so many members have compared Cialenga to vintage Chanel No. 19, (with many preferring Cialenga) I had to sample it to satisfy my curiousity.
I go back to the mid 80’s with No. 19, and have spent many years daring the perfume counters in department stores to show me something I’ll like better (or even just as much). None have so far. Including, now, Cialenga.
I find the current No. 19 EDP very satisfying.
Cialenga by comparison (I sampled the vintage parfum) is similar, but if I have to describe it in my limited perfume vocabulary, I’d say it smells like a soapier, mustier, slightly spicier version of No. 19.
But that little magic thing that No. 19 has just isn’t there. So, for me at least, No. 19 has yet to be dethroned.
asc887speagoessenda – :
For people wondering what the category is of this perfume, it is a cross chypre – green – floral.
It is a softer more ‘aldehydes’ version of the vintage Chanel N19 EDP 1st release. Chanel has never been able to attain that level for the later releases of Chanel N19. I think I had tried them all in my despair to find a large bottle of the vintage.
But I gave that up, after buying so many chanel n19’s that I was soo glad to discover this interpretation of the concept, but this time by the house of Balenciaga.
semengorbunkov – :
Hi I discovered this wonderful perfume, emblematic in its sophisticated refinement, in the 1980s as a gift to my mother. After many years of inconclusive searches, being cialenga a perfume discontinued, I finally managed to find a dozen vintage packaging, perfectly intact. And it become one of perfumes that wearing more willingly and continuously huge success, despite being a feminine fragrance the wearing quietly without problems, love it and I don’t care. the only sad awareness is that sooner or later commercially it will ends, and reissues are never equal all original, as success for mythic fragrances from Givenchy, where givenchy III for example is very much different from the original masterpiece.
nik86 – :
Hi Rithacha,
No worries! I gave Chat a bottle of Cialenga a while ago and she did indeed love it very much!!
She loves almost all Balenciaga’s very much. And I agree, it is a typical ‘ Cannot go wrong with’ house!
Action
Clemitallialm – :
Thanks to Persephone’s amazing generosity, I had the opportunity to sample this amazing Balenciaga creation. In fashion and in fragrance, it seems that this house can do no wrong.
Cialenga reminds me of a member who used to be on fragrantica – you might remember her as Chat Lunatique. I’m confident she loved or would have loved Cialenga! Sharp wit, martini-dry humor, impeccable taste in classic-structured quality perfume.
Think YSL Y, the Balmain series, Scherrer, Niki de Saint Phalle, Coriandre, the great green chypres of their time. Cialenga has a similarly disciplined structure, precise as a fine clock. A strong green opening, rose-iris-lily heart, and a base that does not skimp on the woodsy moss. If you like a French chypre, Cialenga will make your heart skip a beat.
Cialenga did give me a double-take with the fruity currant note, which smelled a little out of place at first, but endeared itself to me almost immediately. It’s quirky, and I like it.
xxspiderxx – :
travelling back in time …similar to Moyra happened to me. I was a little girl too in the 80′. A friend of mine had a sooooo sophisticated mother who wore much and expensive make up and seemed not to walk but float over the floor,and she smelled something unique. I associated that smell with a real woman I wanted to be, and asked my mother to buy that perfume for me. It was Cialenga. I was sure it could transform me into a beauty too!! And I was given one. My first real french parfum. A single drop used to last a week. So strong! What a sillage! I actually don’t know, now, if I liked it or if I was bewitched. But now I miss that sensation. I remember the patchouli and moss, I think it was dusty, but very unique. Para a colega que perguntou com o que se parece…talvez o Opium+patchouli Maybe…
Deroxzrcwo – :
I had a bottle of this way back when, well, way back in the early 70’s. It really wasn’t my kind of perfume at the time, but I wore it before I discovered Chloe and Parure, which I really did adore.
Come to think of it, the only reason I wore Cialenga was that a gorgeous English girl a few years older than myself wore it exquisitely, rocking the dark, sensual notes.
I was very young, I wanted to be her.
Instead, I exuded the other side of Cialenga, the ancient, oily orange peel with spices side, distinctively unpleasant and un-sensual, more like something used to preserve mummies than a seductive potion.
Truth is that on my chemistry, Cialenga smelled much like I actually was at that time: neither gorgeous nor sexy, somewhat awkward and confused – just a very young girl pretending to be all grown up.
2vertebralsoftg – :
I’ve recently discovered (*blush*) that I actually own a vintage bottle of this, almost half full. It used to belong to my mother (a refined woman of exquisite taste) and I kept it along with all her other perfumes, but forgot about it completely – I probably wouldn’t have appreciated it even only a year ago, anyway. I don’t even think the juice has gone off, as I remember my mum wearing it and the smell is still the same to me.
So, what’s it like? From the very first moment on it’s very spicy, dry, dark and has plenty of character. When I say spicy, I mean really spicy, almost like a brew made of clove, coriander and possibly nutmeg, several spoonfuls of dust and a few drops of black tincture boiling in a rusty old pot on the stove of some clandestine rustic kitchen for who knows what kind of secret purpose. There’s absolutely no sugar added. This spiciness never disappears, not even when the bouquet made of rose, jasmine, lily, and the later appearing iris starts to bloom. Once the flowers have faded away, the scent gets quite woody, but the dark cloud of spices still casts a huge shadow over the composition. That is no critical remark, mind you: this dark and cloudy feel, along with the dry spiciness, is the main characteristic feauture of this scent. I could swear I even smell dusty leather in the end, even though it isn’t listed.
I love it. Partly for sentimental reasons, partly because it’s so unsusual. It will obviously only appeal to lovers of vintage. That said, if it wasn’t a tad soapy, I’d say this (or at least the juice in this particular bottle) could easily pass for a recent unisex niche release.