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nevalex10 – :
I really like to discover ”obscur” perfumes. I mean by obscur, mainstream/designer perfumes that never were on the spotlight or have a huge success and are now mostly discountinued. Some of them are really interested ones like Talisman. A very complex perfume with an impressive list of notes. Talisman is a fruity chypre with an unusual gourmand side in the chypre family. Well done and beautiful. The opening is a bit strong but it will slowly soften to a very refine skin drydown. The more I wear it, the more I like it.I understand why Talisman is on Luca Turin’s top ten island list but I don’t understand why it was discountinued… Anyway, I enjoy the ”uniqueness” of discountinued perfumes. Because they usually harder to find, they will never be too smelled. It is like wearing a very expensive perfume that only a happy few can afford.
гриша71 – :
I just ordered (a blind buy) this Balenciaga. I can’t wait to smell it because it’s on Luca Turin top ten desert island list and it’s a fruity chypre (one of my favorite perfume family).
NicVit – :
This one arrived with the post today – only a 5 ml tester – as I was so curious..To me it`s a lot like Rumba Passion, except the patchouli is replaced with rum here and some lush fruit is added on. Exotic! Captain Jack Sparrow`s girlfriend would wear this smoky-boozy delight sailing on the Caribbean, at the same time serious throwback to the 90`s when fruity-balsamic-vanilla was a must. This perf is truly lovely, very potent, a single drop lasts a long time on me. Only one negative – the drydown is stale..now that could be the fact that it`s a 20-year old perfume or else my almost 40 year -old skin reacts the way it does..Lovely apart from that though.
nuf232 – :
Lucky me had a big bottle of this beauty, but, I’m not sure I will buy it again,,, but, it’s a very nice perfume =))
sanys2 – :
80-s- and a bit of early 90-s was an era of a dominatrix-women with their unapologetic fruity chypres, high heels and big hair. Talisman is one of them, smoky-sweet-smouldering, alcoholic and dazzling, it offers just about everything and a little bit more.
I keep thinking of young Melanie Griffith in Working Girl (1988) in her role of Tess McGill. The Real Deal of a perfume.
www.Sofia.ru – :
Gleaming and dazzling like a topaz, Talisman is pretty much the definition of a tropical perfume for me. Upbeat and cheery, but it still maintains that exotic, dusky warmth. It is a very balanced and great perfume in my opinion. Chemistry seems to be a big player here – it really blooms on my skin, whereas it fell apart on my friends. The opening is quite classic and fizzy; aldehydes are supported by the fruity notes. It doesn’t smell like the hideous fruity florals that are occupying the store shelves today. They are more of the velvety, fleshy kind. It morphs into a soft, smooth floral bouquet – everything is perfectly balanced. The opening and middle stage don’t last quite long on me, luckily enough, since the base notes are Talisman’s selling points. The base is pretty much a very dense, but somehow airy combination of notes, which make it stand out from other gourmands/orientals. It pretty much translates to a slight animalic, powdery, skin like warmth on me. Very beautiful and unique. Sillage and longevity are enormous, but it hovers around me nicely. Recommended if you can find it.
ElizarShtef – :
Smells like 1994. I remember seeing the ad for it when flicking through some magazine and it stuck in my four-year-old mind, which is why I decided to get a vintage mini of it a few days ago. The dried fruits dominate, aldehydes, peach, ylang-ylang, rum and what I guess is beeswax, leather, some caramel. Reminds me of Chopard Casmir.
kotdk – :
I don’t know where to begin with this one. There are so many things I love about it!
The box it comes in is rather elegant. It’s matte and textured with dark purple and gold print. It will probably become dirty from me touching it and looking at it.
And then there’s the BOTTLE. True to its name it really looks like a magical object that will bring good fortune to its keeper. That frosted glass! That purple swirl cap! Swoon! The juice in mine is brown now but I don’t mind. It just adds to its appeal for me. Very elegant flacon in my opinion.
And finally how does it smell? That’s the best part. In the olden days of Japan, royalty were carted around in these enclosed wood carriages with silk pillows inside. Imagine yourself inside sipping the finest rum money can buy…spilling it all over yourself…someone has offered a bouquet of exotic flowers to console you…the carriage is made from the most exquisite carved sandalwood. Hands down the best sandalwood I have ever smelled. Absolutely stunning. Edp version.
Edit- ok so Santa Maria Novella’s Sandalwood is the best but this is still a stunning sandalwood in a different way.
3eBc – :
A wonderfull fragrance – very wellbalanced.
Just the perfect sweetness – hard to distinct separate notes – but dried fruit and honey is what I get – and some wonderful flovery/green note that might be osmanthus.
I am a fan of Balenciagas perfumes and this is not an exception.
This one is easy to wear both day and nigth even if I would think of this as more of a daytime fragrance and my signature Cristobal as the nighttime counterpart.
And if you look at all the different notes – it would seem like a total mess – that is not what this perfume is – on the contrary this one has a perfect balans.
NazderkinS – :
I couldn’t really put it much better than the reviewer below. I am so lucky I managed to find a full bottle of this stunning scent and yes I did pay extortionate price for it but I do not care. It is amazing and I love it. There are definitely simlarities between this and Rumba, the longevity and sillage are amazing. I find it particularly well suited for colder wintry weather as the boozy honeyed dried fruits come out and warm me up and can easily transport me somewhere tropical and sunny. Shame this is not in production any longer, wish Balenciaga would bring it back.
If you can get hold of the scented shower gel from this range, it is almost identical to the perfume.
rubot – :
The sun is shining, there’s not a cloud in the sky and I’m wearing Talisman. It smells like sipping a Piña Colada whilst sitting in a luscious tropical garden. Bliss! I can’t understand why others have recommended this perfume for fall or winter – this is *summer* all the way.
I can see the similarity to Rumba – I’m doing a side-by-side sniff test as I type. They’re both boozy-fruity but the plum and gardenia seem to dominate Rumba, making it heady and exotic, whereas Talisman is fresh and uplifting and I much prefer it.
avt238839 – :
Not sure whether I really liked this or not – definitely strong and lasting, well made, got lots of attention. I think best worn by confident mature women who are very well dressed and attend lots of dressy occasions. Not really me at this stage in my life and yet I really like the dry down – overall not sure what I make of it.
mdma – :
This is strong stuff.
Aldehyde, spice and smoke.
Oldcore as well.
This one maintains it’s silage all the way thru.
I don’t particularly like this perfume. It is overpowering.
It can be worn in clubs; reminds me of perfumes I smelled before, that mix with alcohol and cigarette smoke.
Special evening occasions only with plentiful of air around.
cochevnic – :
I am impressed! How did I miss this one, it has a great start and a wonderful dry down that had my nose firmly attached to my wrists all night. I love it when I go to bed, get up in the morning and the scent is still there, not as strong but like a wonderful memory of pleasure. This is just my first impression and I will wear it again today… what will the next 24 hours bring! Thank you for this recom
mendation!
марина. – :
Swear a note has emerged that reminds me of when I smoked. Wonder what combination of “ingredients” caused that? The woody notes perhaps. I’ll be sniffing my hand closely to see what else develops. How nice of the eBay seller to send me this mini as a gift. (Vintage miniature).
Sobowbofraimb – :
Purchased this years ago. There is something unique about it. Reminds me of a Jamacian black cake, which has soaked fruits in the batter and takes a process to make and is very dense.
wouttoste – :
This is as good as fruit can get, imho:
Dense, syrupy fruit. Like a mousse or marmelade, L’essence de fruit. Sweet and voluptous. With it’s chypre heart it gives the smell class, next to it’s teenage spirit. It is one of my most optimistic scents. Good mood, laughing, dancing, enjoying being on earth and living to the full. Gives me a smile the whole day long, when I wear it (which is not too often, as I really have to be in the mood to stand it’s sweetness and the fruit and gourmand character).
It is very close to Rumba, but twisted, even sweeter, more 90s, and totally gourmand. It is very well blended, so don’t expect to pick one of those 35 notes of the pyramid on this side.
This fruit is nowhere comparable to the watery one-fruit notes, that are often found in perfumes the recent years (e.g. all this newer Dior stuff). Those new fruity florals, or how they are called, I loathe. That stuff hasn’t got class, it always goes the safe way, but Talisman is totally different.
I guess, that it is for today standards not wearable for teenagers. They crave something different. It is for us middle 30s and above, who appreciate a funky, sweet, very classy fruit treat now and then.
egen973 – :
Just received today. It has been on for 15 minutes. At the beginning very honeyed potpourri. Don’t need to spray much. After 15 mintues or so it has turned to a very pleasant rum-honey-flower blend. It’s a very interesting blend that is changing every minute. I will post back soon. I like it a lot so far. I would not describe this as a loud scent but a but definately one that wants to be heard. I can’t wait to see what else this little changling does. I bought EDP, FYI. Very classy but not fussy or over sophisticated. I would wear based on mood anyway as I never worry about fitting the attire to my perfumes. There is never a wrong or inappropiate time for a delicious fragrance!
anatoliibog – :
saw two bottles of this a few days ago in a local pharmacy.Big regret not buying them at the time. When decided to go back and buy them today , both were gone! 🙁
ads182 – :
one of the moste beautiful delicious classy and timeless modern fragrances ever… i m really impressed! Talisman is beautiful blendet, such a complex and rich blend of heavenly aromas. it sits on the skin like a layer of honey, spices, aromatic flowers and woods with a gourmand touch in a non sugary way, definitely worth to try and to buy! a real gem with this one you can never get wrong in any situation, sillage great, staying power great!
publics – :
Oh, now I see. I was wondering while wearing Balenciaga TALISMAN this afternoon and evening why I kept smelling wafts here of leather, there of honey, here again of caramel, there a touch of booziness, here–could it be coconut?… Yes, all of this and more: the list went on and on.
TALISMAN is a beautiful light oriental fragrance with abiding slightly sweet vanilla patchouli and a modicum of just about everything else under the sun thrown in to induce these delightful tiny wafts of variety. Rather than having a well-defined development trajectory, TALISMAN, on my skin, seems to operate like a random note generator. Imagine those ping-pong tossing machines that mix the numbered balls using air, only here the notes are popping up instead.
Yet the composition really is light and likeable and not at all overwhelming. I actually am a bit disappointed with the longevity, to be honest, but TALISMAN is appealing enough that I could see myself spraying it on over and over again just to be able to catch some more of these nice wafts. I’d like to try this creation at perfume strength, if available…
LFC – :
what a glorious scent!
This perfume is one of my favourites. It is very french ; amazing, charming, gorgeous!
wolf72 – :
This perfume has the most gorgeous set of notes EVER!!
It is such a wonderful combination of the most adorable scents in the whole world.
GORGEOUS!
dreadlock17 – :
Wow, I think I’m in love.
Despite the numerous notes usually attributed to loud 80’s frags, this one is well blended and delicious.
For some reason, the caramel comes to the front right away on me with a muted softness of flowers and suede. It reminds me a little of Boucheron but has none of the “head shop” vibe.
Unlike some other scents, I don’t think I could ever tire of sniffing this one. It’s perfect and goes to the top of my “buy a big bottle asap” list.
(and since when is 1994 ancient history? “Very old”? Give me a break.)
Update: Looks like it has to be layered…EDP only last 2-3 hours.
werwer – :
Talisman is a really sensuous and feminine chypre. It has a strong fruity-floral opening with distictive notes of hyacinth, carnation and lily of the valley. The heart is creamy and powdery with woody notes of leather and sandalwood. It’s definitely a retro frag in a good way. I am not sure whether I would repurchase as I am not very much into floral chypres but it is worth the try plus the bottle is very cute.
georgiy.63 – :
What it is about Balenciaga I do not know, but if you have not tried one of their fragrances you are really missing out on the wonderful creations they have to offer. And the great thing about them is, that some are very affordable too. Very very classy, all of them!! I wish they had’nt discontinued some of their masterpieces like Quadrille…
Sawjkee – :
Sweet coconut,rum and leather,lil bit retro but in a good way.Reminds me of Rumba by Balenciaga.
I love them both
They turn me back in time .
i want them
ailcom – :
I have been wearing it ever since it came out. It has become my signature fragrance. However, the last 2 years have been rather difficult to purchase. the CRISTOBAL perfume and the men’s cologne are quite nice too.
mzvuka – :
I adore Talisman. A very beautiful, womanly scent, ripe fruits, tropical fruits, caramel candy and a rum chaser all wrapped um in a delicious floral bouquet.
It is a heavy duty scent that somehow transcends seasons. It seems like a perfect winter scent (and it is) but the florals bloom forth in the warm weather and it morphs into less gourmand and more femme fatale floral.A development that the development of the scent took me by surprise! A counterintuitive choice for warmer weather when you want a dishy bouquet that turns summer in NJ into a carribean beach.
It’s dark for the winter and sultry for the summer and lasts for about 8 hours on me.
MrAdam – :
Classical, dark fragrance. I am 30 and I wear it easily since 2 years.
Unusual mixture of leather, coconut, beeswax, cedar and rum.
I love it.
igorka69 – :
For older women than I am (I think). It was really good on me at first but than turned into this heavy mess of god knows what, till my mama asked me to go shower. I was sneezing, too. Bad choice.
olegvdv – :
this one is very old but still unique as many girls don’t know about it yet for that reason i may bring it again