Description
The first fragrance by Molinard, the famous and iconic Habanita, was presented as early as 1921. It is known that it was reformulated in 1988. In 2012, Molinard launches a new reinterpretation of the original in a new bottle and stronger concentration – Habanita Eau de Parfum. The fragrance is described as a mysterious and addictive, both classical and modern, for strong and free-spirited women.
The new edition retains the original features; its strength, sensuality, poetry, richness and oriental notes. The composition containing the same 600 ingredients as the original, only they are distributed in different proportions. At the top, accords of mastic, petit grain and geranium stand out. The main heart notes include ylang-ylang, heliotrope, vetiver, jasmine, mimosa, Centifolia rose, nutmeg from Java and Virginian cedar. The base notes are musk, amber, patchouli, Mysore sandalwood, oak moss and Madagascar vanilla.
The bottle is redesigned as a modern interpretation of the original creation by Rene Lalique. It retains the black color and elegance of the 20s, giving it contemporary rock and roll flair.
JoYi – :
Habanita EDP is perfume perfection. It’s not a reformulation–it’s a totally different fragrance. I have a tiny Molinard-produced sample vial of Habanita (with the deco letters HA BA NI TA in a vertical column) to compare with. They share more similarities than differences but are distinct.
Considering vintage fragrances, we are normally faced with two alternatives: a reformulation or a vintage composition. Neither of these are ideal. Reformulations are notorious for being “watered down” or redesigned for modern tastes, making them inherently less edgy or potent. Regarding vintage compositions to use on the skin, there can be some success, but on the whole, vintage compositions do not always age well. Even the most base-heavy orientals can suffer damaged top notes. Personally, I find that vintage perfumes are more likely to give me headaches or skin irritation.
Habanita EDP is a perfect sort of solution and I applaud Molinard for its direction. Habanita EDP is not a reformulation. It’s not attempting to pass as the original. It’s a contemporary composition created with modern technology and materials and is marketed as such. The EDP itself is delightfully potent and long lasting. It has a classic flavor while being freshly produced. No expectation leading to disappointment, no spoiled notes.
The fragrance itself is clean and sexy. A mix of darks and lights. I can put it on after a shower, or after a romp, and it’s equally well placed. While being a modern fragrance, “trendy” notes are absent–no synthetic woods, overbearing white musks, faux leather, or cotton candy here. And yet the fragrance is woody, musky, leathery and sweet… Recalls vintage men’s fragrances while being exquisitely powdery and floral. I enjoy wearing Maurer and Wirtz Tabac in the day and this is a perfect after-dark complement.
I confess: this was a blind buy and it’s not a “LOVE”. However, I use it more often than any other night fragrance. Regularly complimented. It is a quality fragrance with stellar performance and it’s so much bang for the buck.
P.S. The packaging is some of the best. Not only is the bottle a work of art, the sprayer is excellent. On my bottle, the sprayer can be depressed fully or with a tiny push. A full push gives a gracious spray. On so many bottles, a tiny push gives a *squirt* which then drips, but with Habanita EDP a tiny push gives a tiny *puff* of perfume.
acevovods – :
i can only compare it to what i’ve smelled before: the woody smokey spicy opening reminded me of Shalimar.. the floral sweet soapy drydown (after 12 hrs) reminded me of Red Door. beautiful, rich and complicated 10/10
Лорд – :
Habanita, she’s the Grand-Mere of heliotrope scent. All possible aspects of this ur-perfume aroma can be found in the mother of all heliotropes. The dry powdery sweetness of mastic and vanilla, resinous woody depths of amber and sandalwood, sweet syrupy golden mimosa and ylang, tangy aromatic petitgrain and soothing geranium add a grounding green,the delicious dark richness of nutmeg and vetiver, and (woody) patchouli is around somewhere, on his best behavior. Perhaps he’s being powdery for a change, which I like!
Everything on my favorites shelf ATM could be a child, or a grandchild, of Habanita!
Kind_Leon – :
The foil inside a packet of cigarettes. I always loved to smell that, the paper side, which had absorbed the fragrance of the tobacco, yet still, slightly painfully twanged your nose with a tang of metal…. I confess, I actually chewed cigarette papers as well. Though I don’t know why. Or maybe I do? A sample of Habanita lay in my sample cabinet for some time until I absently rummaged therein and laid hand to it to fragrance the air in the steamy bathroom (something I am given to doing when I need to REALLY relax enough to write a song – yes, really!). I was transported back to Sunderland Mayfair nightclub, on Rock Nights, specifically the ladies’ “powder room” which was nothing more than a dimly lit, glorified snog shop with the obligatory “claggy mats” (beer soaked carpet), where you would drag your sorry self for a grapple with your beau du jour. There is something very sexy about Habanita. Primal. It doesn’t scream, it moans, softly. It breathes heavily, words like heat, passion, it speaks of having your face held in two hands while being kissed softly but ardently, it speaks of writhing and agonizing restraint. It sounds like Michael Schenker, the Scorpions, the swishing of tiered hippie skirts with bells on the ties, of loosened white cotton and lace camisoles falling from the shoulders of barefoot dancing girls, lost in the music and the lights and the pounding heart of passion. The notes don’t matter. Put all these notes in different order and proportion and the scent will be awful, but in this configuration, it’s marvellous, inspiring, at once exciting and soporific. I imagine that if the wearer of this is trailing a smouldering cigarette it will smell even sexier, despite not actually liking the smell of cigarette smoke. I am going to wear this to bed tonight, and have the best dreams ever. It will scare you a bit, but if you like walking on firey hot coals, this is worth every penny.
Lukull2013 – :
It’s chilly and overcast today and I’m wearing HABANITA. This was a good choice – almost too good as I keep daydreaming about curling up luxuriously in front of a fireplace.
HABANITA is smoky, powdery and lovely. At first spray, I find it to be all about the smoke and it takes a little while (maybe half an hour on me) for dry-down to happen and allow the other notes to come forth. After a couple of hours, I start picking up slight wafts of a floral note, which my nose interprets as rose. After a couple more hours, the fragrance becomes a bit sweeter and I detect the vanilla and even a hint of leather. The smokiness remains throughout the progression, although it does become much less intense. The powdery quality is there for the duration as well.
I have the modern edp (sorry, I don’t have the batch info). Sillage is on the strong side and longevity is excellent. For me, HABANITA is an indulgence for cooler weather as I find it rather overwhelming in the heat. I can understand that it wouldn’t suit everyone and I wouldn’t wear it all the time, but it was just perfect today.
Poloo – :
Man, wherever did he go, you can wear whatever you want!
And you should!
Habanita is full body oriental with spicy leather soul. It is as delicate as it is robust. Many notes here are more common in male, hm, offerings.
It’s woody powderiness makes you want to roll in it. Strangely, like a clean baby’s bottom on the old chesterfield.
Clean, warm and comfy. Dark and sensual.
This classic has became way too confidential. People do love and compliment it frequently. It tickles and enchants the most exigent noses.
Beautiful.
stepan_b – :
A very specific scent, polarizing: hate or love. Luc Turin gave 5 stars to Habanita, descriving it as “vetiver vanilla”.
In small doses a classy perfume also suited for daytime, imo.
getvet – :
A great scent. Its still in my top 10. You immediately get hit with the nutmeg, vanilla, mastic and what I thought was leather. It is a touch powdery. There is a nice dose of ylang. This is potent dark juice.
It settles and becomes a slightly softer spicy and powdery scent. That is backed by the warmth of Amber and some more kick from the geranium and oakmoss. It definitely has that vintage feel.
It’s the scent to wear when dancing the tango. It’s up close and personal. Sex in a bottle.
Good longevity and sillage.
CoolHacker – :
Blind buy because I was looking for something along the lines of Cabochard by Gres.
Cabochard it isn’t and neither is it Shalimar.
I’m getting a soft warm perfume, slightly powdery the leather is warm (i’m getting 1950’s hand bag) and the smoke floats around in the background shrouding the whole thing like a mist.
It does tread a fine line between being old lady and being sexy (if that’s possible).
On relfection, it’s Liz Taylor wearing her slip in Cat on Hot Tin Roof.
alexSTbfm1 – :
My first reaction to Habanita was like I had stumbled in the middle of a tire fire where two homeless people are fiercely copulating. Nowadays my apocalyptic visions have mellowed and I find Habanita quite enjoyable to sniff from time to time.
The main players to my nose are the vetiver and vanilla that both have a smoky facet. The florals add both freshness and an animalic side to the scent. The combination of notes is quite unusual. The opening is like a black and white film while the heart notes burst out in full technicolor. Only the base seems to stand on familiar oriental territory. It is a complex perfume that seems to bring a sense of harmony despite the contrasting feel of the materials.
I might not wear this out often but damn if this doesn’t make me realize why I collect perfume. Unique little treasures like Habanita can be found criminally cheap and smelling a perfume like this is a journey. I got a feeling that my appreciation of this will grow as years pass by.
sergus19891989 – :
Tried this today at the Molinard maison in Grasse (what an elegant place!), I knew it was popular, so I was curious. It is an interesting perfume, different from everything I have smelled before. I like it, it is just not my cup of tea, but you can tell it is good quality.
I got mostly Amber, vanilla and vetiver, plus an animalic note. Intresting! Projection was good.
сффе77 – :
“A question: I had purchase the Eau de Parfum. Loved it, got many compliments, good sillage and long lasting. So I bought the parfum. It pales by comparison. I have never tried the EdT. Anyone else have this reaction to the Parfum vs EdP?”
I have the newest EDP, vintage EDT, and Parfum (date unknown) so I think I can help.
I’ve always been disappointed in dropping big $$ for parfums and I get no sillage. I was told by another member that the alcohol in perfumes/fragrances is what projects/creates the sillage. With a parfum, the alcohol is less- with more fragrance oil, so you are also losing the benefits of sillage.
As far as Habanita goes, the EDT is my fave, but the EDP is awesome and a wonderful replacement. The only diff is the EDT/Parfum is darker/more smoky/oily/skanky. The current EDP is a wee bit more sweet rose/powder. All have amazing longevity/potency. DAYS- even weeks on fabric. (My skin doesn’t seem to hold anything for more than 3 hours)
Weather and activity seem to also change the sillage of Habanita. If I put a scent on at home, but never leave the couch/house– I can’t smell myself. Activity/movement and body heat seem to project scents better.
Last night about 8pm, I put one drop of Hab Parfum on my wrist. It actually was pretty hot/humid for Michigan when I took a walk with my dog. Holy hell– the sillage off that ONE DROP was crazy. I was in a huge cloud of Habanita. So body heat, movement, weather– all seem to create the sillage with Parfums.
I wouldn’t buy more Habanita Parfum tho. I have a stockpile of both EDT and EDP, so I’m good. I prefer a spray anyways. In this case, the potency/longevity of the EDP/EDT are so good, it’s not worth more $$ for the parfum.
Dim0n4ikk – :
I like this very much but I find it simple. On me it’s pretty, powdery and almost innocent.
I think of it as a “harmless” scent. Nothing like I read on other reviews (maybe they were for the vintage formulation). I expected something strong and challenging but it’s really nice.
Also I think it’s mostly for day use in cool weather, or at night if you don’t want to offend anyone. But I personally prefer something bolder for night use, like Magie Noire or Black Orchid.
Performance is good, I still smell it on myself after 5 hours.
ianki2009 – :
This one starts of very powdery but in a pleasant way. It is reminiscent of a young lady attending afternoon tea in an understated tea gown. There is nothing old or decaying about the powder phase. Thankfully it avoids the old lady vibe. On the dry down you start to get a sweetness like sugared almond sweets but in a restrained ladylike manner. There is a tiny hint of violet and if you bring your wrist to your nose there is an underlying spice rather like a cake that has been left in a tin for a few days. A perfume that speaks quietly and never shouts. Restraint and decorum.
irusy22 – :
@ jacinto I’m a bit surprised by your comment because I had the parfum too and have very good memories of it, huge projection and longevity. Are you sure of your supplier? No fake from the web or bottle refilled with alcohol?
Wratebiapyrap – :
A question: I had purchase the Eau de Parfum. Loved it, got many compliments, good sillage and long lasting. So I bought the parfum. It pales by comparison. I have never tried the EdT. Anyone else have this reaction to the Parfum vs EdP?
megamesh – :
Powdery, sweet, spicy, musky…this fragrance is everything in a gorgeous classy bottle that looks amazing on my perfume shelf. This is a classic scent in the same vein as Shalimar, Ciara, BaV, etc but it can pass as modern thanks to the sweet powderiness. There isn’t a lot of skankiness or mustiness in this one, it’s very clean and fresh but with a seductive spicy edge from the nutmeg. Great sillage, I am constantly aware of this scent and it lingers in rooms when I’ve left.
A beautiful confidence booster wrapped up in mystery.. I am a quiet person and an introvert but I feel like a powerful femme fatale when I wear Habanita.
rahmanov-b – :
I’m thinking this just might be a diamond in the rough. Noticed that this fragrance has been around since the early 1900’s but I never knew this existed. I just happened to be searching oriental fragrances and stumbled upon it looking on here. The reviews were so good that I decided to do a blind buy on fragrance.net. I wanted another bottle of Shalimar so I ordered this one too. Really can’t believe I did that because I am so picky about fragrances. I would describe this as Shalimar and Obsession had a baby. The scent is a little sweet, a little spicy, a little floral, a little leathery, a little smokey, a little musky, a little woodsy, a little powdery, a little soapy, and a little citrusy. It’s a complicated fragrance and kinda goes all over the place…but in a good way. If you like Shalimar, Obsession and Opium you will like this. Habanita is a beautiful and long lasting fragrance. The price point is very reasonable too. I’m glad I took the chance on purchasing a bottle. It’s a nice addition to my fragrance collection.
adnan333adnan – :
very beautiful
sophisticated and elegant
this is a bit Shalimar
a bit SJP’s Stash
a bit L’agent
very woody
and i think very smoky too
there’s no incense there
but for me this is definitely a smoky woody scent
totally a sexy winter scent
vertalet – :
I keep a small piece of paper with one spray of Habanita in my purse all the time since I bought it. For the first 2-3 hours, I couldn’t stand it because it was so strong that my nose was blocked and couldn’t smell anything else for a while. However, when I opened the purse next day, a very fresh and slightly sweet scent came out of it. It was a big surprise that the scent was still going strong, but changed to a slightly sweet and fresh scent, very pleasant.
Gonegomeorp – :
I’ve been giving this some time before my review. Like all quality Perfumes, it unravels itself slowly. This started out as a Like, then over the day’s to a Like very much. Now it’s a love. I wear it all day in work and it lasts a good 9hours, but I spray it again in the evening just to smell my arm as it goes through the phases. I’m hooked. It’s warm and sexy, but not the usual, it’s also intriguing. I’m passed caring about how modern a perfume is as I don’t really like any of them. I tend to look at the older scents now. This is deep and comforting. Please, please, please don’t let me wear it to the point I go off it. I want to keep this one.
DontTry – :
This version is very similar to Arpege as the nutmeg is dominant over all else..
I like it, but my husband says it smells like stale and musty day or 2 old baby powder.
So, I won’t be wearing it except right before taking a shower.
bunny_20_1990 – :
Got it in the mail just now. Giving me lots of powder right now. I wanna try the edt next.
This is nice. I honestly was expecting something a bit more intimidating. I love my orientals definitely.
It’s like I always expect orientals, and supposedly intense scents to smell like the blood of virgins; Nonetheless, I enjoy this.
Edit
I sound ambivalent. A very good powder fragrance!!
Liedgaree – :
Gorgeous beautiful powdery . I smell the vetiver but just a hint of it . It’s gorgeous .
Sergey_Sobolev – :
I blind bought Habanita for a bargain price based on curiosity, the bottle design, the story behind the perfume and reviews here. Now after few test runs I am enchanted; I can imagine how Habanita could blend with the smell of cigarettes, night clubs and all that jazz. I enjoy especially the drydown: warm and a bit smoky, close to skin if applied sparingly.
It is winter now where I live and the air is dry and temperatures below zero. I have a feeling the Habanita will be a different kind of beast altogether on warmer and more moist climate. But for now Habanita purrs warmth, sensuality and tamed decadence to my evenings.
Batur – :
I am totaly in love with Habanita!! For me this is all what perfume is about and don’t understand why I have not found this until now. My new favorit amongst all other perfumes I own. This was the best blind buy I’ve ever did and I could not wait til it arrives and boy, I was happy as A child when I smelled it, love at first snif and immedeatly orderd the bodylotion, so I can baith in it all day long!! The pricetag for this glorious perfume is also great in comperrison to A lot of other perfumes, €33 for the 30 ml bottle and about €62 for the 75 ml! This bottle will be empty very soon I’m afraid and then I order a full sized bottle, I wil never be whithout this masterpiece!!! All other reviewers wrote what this perfume is about, so I don’t have to anymore. Will soon be testing other perfumes from Molinard, this one made me very curious!! 10+++
atmir79 – :
She finally arrived! I waited a long week for her arrival and she arrived today! Now, she is rewarding me with her intoxicating stories of strong women and beautiful notes! She is gorgeous, self assured, and warm!
xxu450Diobtetty – :
Great perfume. Bit unisex with Nutmeg, Mastic and lot of Musk. In drydown I`ve gotten some fruity tones which are not listed.
sergeimikh – :
Thee most comforting fragrance I have ever worn. Definitely an unisex fragrance and we men should give it a try. This will bring your significant other close to you.
Leonas – :
I’ve just received my bottle today. I blind bought it as i was pretty intrigued by the comments. In the beginning mastic is the most prevalent note. After a while vanilla emerges with the company of incense.I can’t really say that i smell any tabacco in this one. It strikes to me as a voluptuous and mysterious fragrance for bewitching females. As for the longevity i guess that something is wrong with the distributor in my country cause none of the perfumes that i am purchasing lasts.
muratm – :
Reminds me of growing up in Havana, amongst the smell of tobacco in all of its forms and in the afternoons, people freshly bathed covered in “talco” (powder)… I’m not sure the name of the perfume is evocative of Havana but it does take one back there… There’s this little artisan perfume shop in old havana, were you can get your colognes custom made with the accords of your choosing… this perfume reminds me of the distinctive smell of sandalwood inside that shop. Wow…beautiful fragrance
silegooro – :
Habanita came to me as a blind swap. It wasn’t even on my radar. Most fortuitous as it is now one of my top winter fragrances. There is a lovely mix of winter spices, incense and vanilla, but it doesn’t smell gourmand to me. Habanita smells exotic and makes me imagine how we must have reacted centuries ago, when introduced to cloves and other previously unknown spices. All the mysterious exotic goods that came from foreign lands.
Then there is the link to the modern, emancipated woman, living a “fast” life between the wars, dressed in slacks with cigarette in hand and a cocktail in the other. Simply divine.
gustlov – :
Sorry I’m late to the party Habanita!
Wow , how did we not meet sooner? Just Wow, what a beauty is the matriarch Habanita.
I had seen people over the years leaving the party, I just presumed they not like you and then even worse, I assumed that I probably would not like you either, (face palm) ….So many beauties to dicover, I did not bother, but wait, suddenly a swap offer, so I took her and I love her. <3
Wow, how wrong can one be to presume what only the eyes did see, sweet lady, you can live with me, bff’s, You and me.
Stunning, dark, resinous, smokey,beautiful perfume.
Quite pungent on spritz, settling fast to a glorious, super sexy, smooth scent that I personally think is unisex, leans to the feminine side.
Old school yet fit and ready for this modern world, she will show alot of the younger perfumes just how it’s done.
She is staunch, dominant and self assured while being, sweet and amorous at the very same time.
She is a A+ and a big, yes, yes, yes for me.
Many thanks to my considerate swap partner for suggesting I take this one xxx
midmen – :
It’s a classic for a reason. Many reasons. This is a perfume for a whole, adult, wordlywise woman, a woman who’s lived and loved and drank and smoked and seen a war or two. It is redolent, for me, of 1940s glamour (even though no, I wasn’t alive back then), a scent for gorgeous dames in great frocks to show off their gams in. It totally conjures Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not: insolent, sexy, more masculine and daring than was usual, but smouldering still.
What does it smell like then? To me, really, really sweet honeyed cured tobacco and some spicing all the way through, fading to powderiness at the end – and bizarrely, even though none of these notes are easy on me, somehow all just completely right together. The opening is pretty in-yer-face (it literally made me sneeze – one of the spices, maybe?). The honey comes on realllllllly strong in the stretch say 5-8 hours in, and may go on the verge of urinous on some chemistry; it was skirting that with me. But, again – despite everything, all its peaks and troughs, it’s just consistently good, and might be great depending on your taste. For me it’s Chergui but womanlier and far more vintage.
Like those gals with the gams, it has legs for days – the longevity is absolutely awe inspiring.
It is possibly just too much woman for me (a woman! but not a 1940s siren type, sadly…) to wear regularly, but it is really something to admire. You must try it, even if it’s just the once. That Habanita, she’s a heck of a dame.
Fiesta – :
OMG!
This is the sexiest perfume I own.
Its definitely one for seduction and love-making.
It makes me feel naughty, sensuous and juicy and guys around seem to go Mmmmm…
Oh wow, I am begging for more, Love me one more time….
Dobryak – :
How strange Habanita is…
No advertisment, often very poorly diplayed in the shelves… if not covered in dust… And worldwildly worshiped by those “who know her”…
Incredible performance even with the 2017 formula and totally affordable.
This beauty comes from the roaring twenties and performs pretty well compared to her old friends who suffered from IFRA surgery, Brussels botox and greedy reformulations.
Molinard goes its path with respect for its patrimony, legacy AND buyers!
As others reviewers below say: why do I still bother with the rest when I have it?…
Noticed and remarkable.
A dark unisex gem from the past that helps me to face the future, confident, at peace.
An issue? I intoxicate my colleagues and just don’t care! I buy it directly from M’s site in the 500 ml big bottle when it’s available.
😉
Diamisaunda – :
a blind-buy.
i love it!
spicy, powdery, floral but not too sweet and it has that vintage mark. i love the images it evokes in my head.
i think my 30ml bottle will go fast. good thing i’m not too far from grasse.
Assuttysourne – :
I know Habanita since 15 years now and it still surprises me. Every time. And this althugh I have about 6 bottles of unopened EDP last version before reformulation when eveybody was stocking up from Molinard’s site when the new Habanita was announced, 2 opened bottles of various versions before that and 2 new ones. Knowing that a bottle lasts forever. If a nuclear war comes, I think I’m safe for a very long while in terms of Habanita reserves and probably still leave some for posterity. I wear it on and off in autumn and winter (I tried middle of hot summer and guess what – it”s equally fantastic although I much prefer it’s warmth in winter) and every time I put it on I ask myself why do I even bother with other perfumes. It has a warmth like no other fragrance has, including Shalimar in perfume concentration (although they are not sisters at all!), same for the depth of the leather-dry (not juicy) sweet-light smoky notes, and clearly more than all In strength. All this for a price that, even increased for the new version, defies all competition. Niche fragrances should take notes here about how to do “extraordinary” and not so expensive when they do “not that great” and very expensive. I find the new Habanita lost a bit the impressive dry vetyver that came straight through the cigarette smoky leather and vanilla but gained in immediate warmth. In the old version the full warmth of the fragrance came after some few 30 min or so, maybe a bit more, in the new one after about 15. But, so beautiful, old or new. From where my frustration that after getting caught in all kinds of other attractions, ouds, roses, Guerlains and other Amouages it is enough to spray a drop of Habanita home or in a random Sephora (where Habanita is usually hidden on the lowest darkest dustiest shelfs), to say again “why even bother with the rest of them!”
nikvolk – :
This was a blindbuy because I couldn ´t get a sample. But the description and reviews made me want to try it. And I´m so happy that I did it.
I must admit that this is a very interesting fragrance, I´m quite impressed. I can´t describe it but it is a bit sweet, a bit spicy, a bit powdery. It is really delicate, sexy and feminine. It is perfectly blended. I think I love it every minute more and more. The bottle is simple gorgeous but luckily the perfume is not worse. I´ve just fallen in love. There is a lot of comparing with Shalimar, but for me there is no similarity. This is really an original.
Viwepam – :
I’ve no idea why this has to be just for women. It’s so blatant, woody and spicy, only a real femme fatal would have ‘the bottle’ quite literally. I had a teeny-tiny, vintage bottle of the perfume years ago, long since emptied, the bottle can still be used as a room enhancer.
I bought my newer EDP from Molinard’s store in Nice. Lovely to be treated to the ‘histoire’ and be able to chat scent. That was Summer 2014, a little goes a long way and a bottle lasts forever. Good to know I can buy it online, let’s hope they’re still making it in 20 years when I’ll need a new one. The dark, opaque mostly matte bottle is beautiful, very in-keeping with the nature of its contents.
The Geranium is thoroughly entwined in wine-y (amber?) woody darkness like a curious innocent waking into an enchanted forrest. This is a scent that evolves slowly but the amber and wood never leave just as they will never leave you. This fragrance is not for common wall-flowers – or confined spaces. Love this sensuous spirit only if you dare.
maksik77 – :
Habanita EDP is so masterful. This is dark, smoky, spicy, sweet, a bit leathery… everything I love most about perfume. Powdery too, that is for sure, but not in an annoying or overpowering way. Habanita is dusky and sensual. Very strong, very long-lasting. Nearly impossible to beat for what it costs, and tough to beat at any price. Sure to impress anyone who enjoys this genre!
Vutsdrarirets – :
Ok, Let me start again… haha… my review below was scatterbrained and emotional… which is totally my personality when I’m excited.
This is stunning. I want to stay married to Guerlain- my true love. My favorite children are Shalmiar and Vol de Nuit… but I’m gonna have a hot steamy affair with Habanita…. and who knows… maybe I’ll leave my “family” for Habanita in the future. 😉
Fans of Shalimar should love this. They aren’t the SAME but they def have the same delicious vintage flair, without being dated or old.
Habanita changed so much on me last night, into the morning, and then applied freshly today. This is so layered and interesting. It truly is beautiful.
Right off the bat, quicky… there is some aldehydes, animal funk, and then Habanita goes all over the place– IN A GOOD WAY. I don’t get “stages” per se… just changes like the flow of a beautiful river. It goes here, then there….
On clothing– it lasts FOREVER and changes slowly. However, I don’t find the sillage too overwhelming. After the opening, it hangs around the powder– def more like a talc/makeup powder– I don’t get baby diapers or baby powder at all. Beautiful vintage makeup/lipstick. And while it’s 60% powder in this stage, it’s SMOKY and leathery with present woods and vanilla.
There is also this SWEET (super sweet) liquor/tobacco on my skin, placed in the crook of my arm/elbow. AMBERY, syrupy tobacco. It was super sweet– so that may be the deal breaker for some. Not me tho. Bring it on!
That sweet tobacco then moves into smoky incense. While my clothes are powdery for 8 hours, this was the middle stage on skin.
The amber resin also comes across as dark fruit in a way… like raisins?
So, the way to wear this (for me) is some on skin and some on clothes. And then you are surrounded by the perfect cloud.
The next day clothing smell was the incense. (mind you, vanilla and woods are present this whole time, but never screaming) It almost hurts to wash this shirt because it still smells so beautiful. (Haha, my Sid Vicious mug shot tee shirt I sleep in… I’m still a punk rocker that loves vintage perfume)
I think I like this more than Shalimar… oh I’m so sorry Shalimar! I just can’t help it. The heart (nose) wants what it wants!
I have a big vintage EDT coming. That is what credit cards are for. I shouldn’t have… but again…. when it comes to love…. you do what you gotta do! Lose your head and try HABANITA! I got a new Tester (with a cap! YAY!) from ebay for $27 shipped, so this is a freakin STEAL.
UHHHH! I literally CAN NOT with this. It’s too beautiful… so perfect. Wow.
I also get a rubbery smell…. kinda like Black Sugar (Aquolina)… but it’s not bad at all.
And, I find the creamy waxy lipstick/face powder similar to Shalimar Parfum Intial… which makes me happy because I love SPI! <3
cdv782Unlogrere – :
Whoa. What is this? It’s a game changer, that’s what.
Love!! Just blind bought today, having never sniffed the original.
This has to be moved into my top five. It’s just…. so good!
Yes, it’s powdery… but a smoky, leathery, woody powder vanilla. It smells vintage/classic but not old or dusty. It’s got some sort of interesting aldehydes funk/animal thing going on at first… it’s deeper than just powder. I love it.
I don’t find it super potent… and so help me… I want a big EDT vintage now, or at least many backups of this EDP.
The powder rivals Guerlain in my opinion. Reminds me of a smoky woody leathery L’Instant Magic.
I get some spice too.
Hot Damn, I’m in love. Fans of Police Dark should try this.
Omg, worn on the crook of my arm, I get an uber sweet syrupy tobacco. I love love love this!!!!!
belsis – :
I had to try this perfume simply because of the lore… wondered how a saucy gal making bathtub gin might smell… figured really damn good. B