Description
The arena was flooded with sun and the clamour of the crowd rose fromthe tiers like an offering.Wherewerewe? In Sevilla? In Puerto SantaMaria ?Definitely somewhere in Andalusia, where the stature and pride of men are compelling. On this particular Sunday of themonth of May, the combat to be delivered did not have the aimof putting a bull to death. The intention was a sensuous ritual act: to confront animal-like notes with the influential power of a flower, one of the most odorant in the vegetal world, the tuberose. Wood, musk and costus, in daring, unreasonably abundant proportions, would once and for all bite the dust in this arena dedicated solely to the glory of men. In this openly sexual confrontation – me the woman, you the man-, one of the most blasphemous of men’s perfumery, the purity of the tuberose is falsely innocent so that in appearance only, thesemacho reputed notes seem to be the only ones to be victorious. But smelling it tells a completely different story… the nose instinctively knows who the victor is: signed the Virgin and the Torero.
Composition: Bergamot, nutmeg, pepper, cardamom, ylang ylang, tuberose, leather, animalis, costus, patchouli, vetyver…
Noses for this fragrance are Antoine Lie and Antoine Maisondieu. Edition 2007.
ares73rus – :
I love smelling ELDO’s cheeky lexicality in its liquid form in those transcending moments when intent and content click. Putain, Rien, Jasmine are all excellent examples.
All my favourite Etat tropes are at play with Vierges et Toreros. Leather, ELDO’s library staple, here is raw skin and wet fur. Cheeky, challenging, addictive. Cool crispiness, so exclusive in ELDO’s creations, lets the whole composition (and the wearer) breathe. The main flower is almost unrecognizable. This is what niche is about.
*****
yht859Negeltzex – :
Starts very pungent! Like really dry leather and some spice, but there is smokiness too. Unfortunately, this is the big fuss, and later you’re left with a rather unimpressive peppery-smoky drydown. I didn’t pick up any tuberose, but considering how weak this fragrance is, I’m lucky that I picked up anything after the opening. Overall, it feels like someone started with a great idea, but was in a rush and didn’t finish the job. The opening, in my opinion, deserves similarly interesting development to make the perfume worth.
marto4ek – :
Amazing smell, I spray it on hair, it lasts long time.
I get slight leather scent with a lot vanilla like nutty smell.
AntoreyDencor – :
I don’t know how this is going to turn out. I may scrub. But the opening is BRUTAL.
I get the leather. But it’s not a nice soft leather. It’s smells like a freshly skinned animal. I can actually visualise the blood and the microscopic hairs on the carcass. . Absolutely mental. It’s making me queasy, but I can’t stop smelling myself.
I’ll update, if I see this through.
pabi – :
Used to be a favourite but I won’t buy again. ELDO have destroyed it. It not even cologne strength. I emailed them to ask about it and got no response. SHAME
Jack260873 – :
animalic leather that has zero sillage and longevity,it takes one quarter of a small bottle for a mediocre performance…save yor money on this!
vale.melihowa – :
I believe the best way to approach any ELDO fragrance is to disregard the name and the silly scenarios constructed for them for marketing shock value. Then you may really appreciate a few of their products. I personally love a couple of them, like a few more and not care for the rest, and hate one (guess which?).
My loves are Rien and Vierges et Toreros.
This one is a heavy leather scent, but kinda live hide rather than dead luxury shoe shop leather. The leather cord paired with costus evoke animal images, whilst the tuberose adds a touch of sweet floralcy without showing her true colours.
I do find it projects much less than it did a few years ago, and doesn’t last as long, so it has probably been watered down due to costs or people whining about strong perfumes.
Still, I own it and I love it on me 🙂
erh424bedyWelty – :
This reminds me a lot of Si by Lolita Lempicka. Overly spicy, cloying, superstrong vintage cologne. The fade gets a little weaker but it is still too much for me.
I do get a faint blood scent (how do they achieve that? secret undisclosed notes?).
The blood isn’t pleasant.
I really love their other scents, so I can forgive them this.
Halelappy – :
His initial notes is as a direct punch in the nose, it is difficult to distinguish any particular note, because it has an explosion of notes all poignant, but very well mixed. After a few minutes it is remarkable the predominance of nutmeg with a slight citric background, as over time it evolves and burnt note nutmeg gives way tuberous, with carnal aroma, juicy and sweet levemete, but having a citrus background noticeable.
It’s amazing how it evolves almost constantly on the skin making it difficult to describe it, but after 40 minutes of application citric background is almost completely erased, and now it becomes creamy and slightly sweet, and so it remains for almost two hours, at this stage, the aroma is more feminine, but after these two hours comes a woody chord dirty and burned lemevente mixed with the creamy note.
I could not make a connection between the name and the perfume smell, i was expecting it to be a little more dirtier, what show more the side of the bullfighter, but it’s still a good perfume.
tenzu – :
A daring concoction, which neither assaults the nose nor insults it like a safe, easygoing scent. Transformative, influential, a little bombastic – but also extremely pretty thanks to the tuberose, which is both key and lock in a heavy and exotically carven doorway to a pensexual orgy of immortals.
Vierges et Toreros has an undeniable, masculine / feminine intrigue. However, some suggestible minds, overly swayed by the conceptual description or the name of this perfume, are ruining it for themselves. If you fancy there is anything like “blood” accord here, or anything else remotely offensive, you are letting the promotional materials spoil your response to this gorgeous fragrance.
medoed777 – :
So, Virgins and Bullfighters. This name definitely intrigued me. The main notes here are apparently tuberose, leather, ylang-ylang, and vetiver. On me, though, it was all leather and vetiver, with a bit of cardamom. Now, that’s not a bad smell by any means. It smells like a very rugged, sexy man. But the lack of the other notes that should have been prominent meant this one didn’t quite live up to its name. I was hoping for a leather (bullfighter?) softened by tuberose (white floral for a virgin?) or some sort of dichotomy, but it was all bullfighter. This is one for the boyfriend, not me. Very good, but not what I was looking for.
vzi656speagoessenda – :
Vierges et Toreros, or ‘virgins and bullfighters’.
Upon application, I immediately smell something bloody and I am reminded of my bad experience with Secretions Magnifiques. Ever since I tried that, most of the ELDO creations are ruined for me, as they share a common accord. Now, combine that association with the artwork that comes along with this perfume and it’s no surprise where we can link the blood smell to, for both the virgins as well as the bullfighters. 😉
I think most ELDO perfumes should be considered as an olfactory experience or art if you will, and not so much as wearable perfume. Yes, I know that eventually it’s a matter of taste, but I think it’s fairly safe to say that there are few who would actually enjoy wearing this.
After the sharpness of the opening settles down a little, I do get the leather. But it’s so strong and animalic, it’s as if I can smell the bull while it is still alive. That is why the association with blood makes me feel uncomfortable. The projected cloud was much lighter than when I smelled it up close to the skin, so perhaps this could work when applied lightly and from a distance, making it less concentrated in one spot on the skin.
After about 10 minutes, I washed this off. Even if the heart would have been gorgeous, the opening of this perfume is something I could never get past. Better yet, an opening I would never want to get past. To be fair, I think ELDO is very good in creating these olfactory experiences. I remember smelling Secretions Magnifiques, and the scent itself wasn’t even really disgusting. But the scent evokes such strong associations that most people feel disgusted.
rakhimbigtorrent – :
No tuberose, or leather, or ylang-ylang on me… Just overwhelming cardamom and costus. I waited for the drydown because I felt like it might get better after a few hours, only to be disappointed : on me, it smells like filthy old man bathed in Fahrenheit.
Perhaps my expectations were too high for a scent that combines my love for big tuberose and deeply animalic accord, but it doesn’t work for me. So disappointed because I wanted to love, and I expected to love it, and I didn’t.
arkan909090 – :
I tried this on blind of the notes, only remembering people mentioned ‘blood’ in reviews & I’d been curious.
I got a semisweet sandalwood-like opening with something thick and rich and oddly sweet I recognized from ELDO’s Charogne (tuberose’s richness mixed with their brand of leather + ylang), something zippy contributing an effervescent edge (ELDO’s good at this, it’s bergamot & spices here) and some other fun spices (light application of pepper, nutmeg, & cardamom the most). The combined effect was a fun, sweetish but lush floral with an increasingly buttery-feeling, gently leathery undertone, so yummy & unique! Unlike anything else I’ve tried, excepting that little bit reminding me of Charogne at the opening.
BUT…
2+ hours later it morphed into an entirely different beast! Now it smells undoubtedly masculine, like something one of Lutens’ musk scents (MKK, Mauresque) would produce as an offspring. I’m tempted to use the word ‘dated’ but don’t let that offput you; I’m very, VERY attracted to this. And if I’m being brutally honest, it makes me blush a little because I feel like this would be something I’d smell on an older man, an older but strikingly sexy man who looks every bit his age and still makes the ladies swoon, a la Sean Connery. I love it! Very rich, almost powdery amber edge with lots of the smoothest pepper I’ve experienced, and a TON of dark, decadent musk. Very animalic, spicy, and rich smelling.
As the Connery joke goes, it stops evolving and stays in the manly phase once it gets there because “Once you reach max level you stop leveling” (look up the pic, gamers will laugh).
I love the opening on myself; I’d be strongly tempted to devour a man wearing the drydown. Hm. Decant or FB wanted!
Alva – :
It’s love at first sniff.
I’ve never heard before of Etat Libre D’Orange and as I was at this fancy Concept Store where the salesman there told me he wants to let me smell their new arrival.
First I was really impressed by the name of the fragrances of this house and I chose to try and smell the ones with the strangest names:Charogne,Putains Des Palaces,Dangerous Complicity…. but the salesman told me to try his favorite:Vierges Et Toreros.
I was spellbound by this leathery,spicy,animalistic weird frangrance sprayed on my arm.I bought 100ml in a heartbeat.
I kept sniffing my arm all day long and after more than 6 hours it overpowered my Zadig et Voltaire that I reaplied.It was strong but not repulsively at all.Not the disgusting sweetness of One Million but something more enchanting,sexy and seductive.
When I wore it all over my body the next day afraid it would be way too heavy for a summer’s day but it turned out to be an amazing fragrance worn like a second skin.
Definitely one my favorites.
Reminds me a bit of the original Obssession and Obsession night and Kenzo’s Jungle.
icersape65 – :
A wonderful and totally original interpretation of the concept of “androgyny”. As a dialogue betweek light and darkness, innocence and sin, “Vierges et Toreros” explores the dramatic contrast between an accord of white flowers (carnal tuberose) and dirty animal leather.
The result is surprisingly elegant and sophisticated, and It can be extremely addictive. Far from the classic aura of “Cuir de Russie” or “Bandit”, “Vierges et Toreros” is a leather masterpiece that smells wild and racial. Like the olfactive interpretation of a poem by Federico García Lorca.
Better suited for men’s skin.
shurik podirka – :
A very animalic leather scent. I get the nutmeg, but hardly any tuberose at all. Reminds me of Tom of Finalnd, but less synthetic. Not sure it is to my tastes.
ikoss – :
Interesting one this..I purchased a 10ml sample to try it out, and on opening the bottle my first thought was “cheap, very alcoholic womens’ perfume”…however, I applied some to the skin and then it was a completely different story. Initially, a heavy nutty floral note (the tuberose?) which dried down to a spicy leather, and definitely made me think of bull fighters and dust under the spanish sun….perhaps a hint of blood in there too.
Fast forward to last night when I made the bold decision to apply this liberally to my neck and back of head before attending a black tie event. My experience of this fragrance this time was somewhat different…I seemed to be getting more of a coconutty tobacco scent from it, but always with a bizarre slightly cheesy body odour smell underneath….not wholly unpleasant, and as fan of animalic scents I appreciated the uniqueness of this. The longevity is superb (24 hrs+ on my skin) and sillage also good (although perhaps my dining companions were not so appreciative).
I do like this and will continue to wear it on special occasions (it is not one for the office really). This is a really fascinating blend of floral, leather and animalic and I wonder if my perceptions of it will change as I wear it more often…this scent takes you on a journey, an adventure, and perhaps that is it’s main attraction…there really is nothing else out there that resembles this one.
Tarusikapimzf – :
I don’t get any blood or metal, or sweat. I was expecting a way sweatier and dirtier scent even seeing the pee-yellow juice in the bottle when unboxing. But it’s not really the skunk I anticipated.
Dry leather, a little smoke + the tuberose is all really. Still, it won’t exactly charm a lot of noses.
The drydown is almost pleasant. Still it’s very wearable to me
Good for those “Give me a raise!” or “Leave me the F alone” moments.
Krivol – :
فقط رائحة الماعز فلا تنصدم من العطر لكنه جميل. للذين يريدون الاستمتاع ببعض التغيرات
kush881 – :
This scent will make you its bitch. You can’t wear this, it wears you. A horse saddle, the Spanish sun, hair oil, animalic. Hemingway would have worn this.
manushkino – :
I am sorry to say this, but it was my very first perfume trauma… Unfortunately, my boyfriend likes it to wear from time to time.That keeps me ayway from him efficiently 😉 It smells to me like sweaty, dusty male bodies fighting in the arena..2000 B.C Also, i find it terribly longlasting and its sillage is good. If I had to wear it – I would cry. It is very animalic, very niche..
VANNYMONE2 – :
i begin to think that ELdO is not a niche brand & not common either, it’s like rare among common fragrances, but merely not niche!
take this one for instance, i see completely no connection between the story behind this perfume, it’s Picture, and it’s name! it’s like the name and the picture fits together in one corner, and the perfume is on the other opposite corner! i agree the perfume is quite good & it could fit many tastes, not that harsh, not that unique, kind of identical of the 80s style, and a kind of safe to be worn. but the perfume shouldn’t be named “virgins & Toreros” it should be named for instance “80’s leathery coat of order” or “dark glaze in a sunny day”. i just don’t see any connection between those 3 aspects + i don’t see any amazing factor that makes me really adore it. it’s acceptable & not unique!! what make me accept it much and think of it regularly that it is truly very masculine, virile & so much of the 80’s perfume’s power house style. you have to give it more time to like it.
an advice for ELdO: don’t keep on releasing fragrances like that if you want to be a niche brand, else then keep on doing what you do.
& at least find a connection between the name, the art, and the perfume.
kerf88888 – :
Gorgeous fragrance. Exotic flowers and sweaty leather. I’m honestly not familiar with tuberose and the patchouli seemed to dominate for me. The fragrance seemed to change all the time – with sweaty leather, patchouli and a dry peppery smell predominating. I would love to own a bottle of this – it’s *very* sexy, masculine and visceral.
Rapid987 – :
A Spanish Bullfight in a nutshell!
Pure drama in an olfactory sense. Leather, tuberose, pencil shavings from a posh cedarwood pencil that never stops. My god that cedar note is strong (funnily enough there ain’t no cedar but the vetiver, patchouli and pepper together create that smell). It’s probably due to the bull goring his horns into the wooden walls of the arena when he fails to hit the red robe of the Matador, time and time again.
After hours of gruelling and duelling, the leather of the saddle is covered in the sweat from rider and horse, further heated up by the Sevillian sun (the tuberose) piercing down from the zenith.
That’s when the rider has won over the fainting bull who struggles to keep afoot in this basking heat. Musk, nutmeg, leather and a fainting tuberrose.
The bull finally succumbs together with the tuberrose, the sun, that sets in the late afternoon.
All that is left is the earthy wooden smell, sprinkled with sweat and blood after everyone has left the arena.
THE END 8/10
skr426speagoessenda – :
This stinks. Thick and soapy, like a leather jacket soaked in floral detergent. No blood accord that I could detect and not really animalic or dirty either, just overhelming.
Definitely not feminine, but I wouldn’t want to be near the man who thinks he can pull this off.
suevalova – :
Vierges et Toreros is one weird scent. The opening is quite rubbery and thick. A bit like hot plastic. But there’s also an orgnanic feel to it. The mixture of leather, rubber and tuberose stays constant for quite some time, but I do get occasional whiffs of nutmeg. When smelled from a little further away the leather and nutmeg are most prominent and create a very typical masculin smell (I’m not familiar enough with masculin fragrances to really describe this scent further).
There’s also a hint of hot milk, mixing with the leather-tuberose combo. This creates a strange intimate feeling, almost like skin after sex.
I don’t think I like Vierges et Toreros, but I don’t dislike it either. It is very intruiging to say the least. I do find the last stage rather pleasing to smell, but it’s still not very wearable. But is that always the point of ELdO?
EDIT: Ok, I DO like it. A LOT. It’s totally weird, but so intoxicating! The “typical masculin scent” is not so strong after all. And the leather, oh god, what a glorious, waxy, creamy, warm and sexy leather! The tuberose and milk create the most beautiful blend and the tiniest hint of blood raises this whole combination to another level.
Tuberose for men or strong, butch leather for women?
I need a bottle. Stat.
rafal – :
The first spritz of this was rather pleasing to my nose. There was a sweet and heady floral note and I thought wow! This is going to be exciting for me.
Sadly the euphoria didn’t last very long as the notes settled into this rather sweet smell of floral disinfectant. It didn’t change and it didn’t get any better and I really couldn’t make out any single notes at all.
Unfortunately this perfume is not for my skin chemistry as it didn’t rock my boat.
rij261speagoessenda – :
The first time I sniffed Vierges et Toreros by Etat Libre d`Orange was a gross experience. I must be a masochist, so I tried it a few more times and each time was a little less gross, but still, hell-to-the-no. ELdO did not eff around with the execution of the concept. Speaking of execution, VeT is “the virgin and the bullfighter”—with blood, tuberose and leather. Yes, I’m picking up all three accords loud and clear, but there is something in the composition that smells truly awful. I can’t describe it, but it certainly makes me nauseous. Maybe all of us are not working with the same olfactory equipment and some notes are divine to some and putrid to others? Perhaps genetic factors are to blame…
Are we supposed to applaud or mock our hero as he withdraws his bloody sword?
I can’t rate this.
windir59 – :
In initial wearings of ELdO Vierges et Toreros, I was not that enamored of this perfume. My issue was with the leather accord, which I have not found appealing in some of the other ELdO perfumes as well. Since they likely use the same leather accord wherever they list “leather” among the notes, it’s going to be a winning or a losing proposition, depending upon one’s idiosyncratic tastes. (What’s new?)
This morning, I find that the leather is not annoying to me at all, and the composition seems far less rough hewn than I recall. So I must be having a good ELdO leather day. The tuberose, symbolic of virgins here, in a typically ELdOian use of irony, is shrouded beneath the bullfighter’s leather. This may be some sort of statement about power: the bullfighter ravishes–or is that ravages?–the young virgin as though she were his bull. Both of the bullfighter’s quests involve seduction and ultimate victory for him. The virgin comes away from the encounter worse for the wear. Oh well, now she can go get married to a banker and breed babies in the burbs.
Another thought-provoking creation from a house whose cheekiness never fails to elicit a smile from me.
elizovetaetaa – :
this is one of my Top 5 scents. This is truly an absolute complex masterpiece of a Fragrance. I can almost smell the barnyard olfactory aspect but that thankfully does not develop on my skin.
It is a thick THICK UBER SEXY scent. Extremely long lasting. It is a heavy authentic blanket of leather tempered by sweet animalistic Tuberose with a smidge of cardamom & nutmeg. It is most definitely a try before you buy.
I am a woman who wear very bold mostly niche “mens” scent so this fit my bill perfectly. My skin adores leather, cigar, smoke, hash, tobacco etc. I remember when i first sniffed this creation I was INSTANTLY smitten. I wear it and I get so many “interesting” compliments, this might not be a scent for beginners in any sense of the word.
I LOVE the ETAT line. They have so many amazing complex fragrances, they just work on my skin. You either get them or don’t & to each chemistry their own!
Svoiak07 – :
42)The best thing to do if you want to try this perfume it’s to forget everything about a story or an experience. You’ll just try something strong, a heavy leather with tuberose flower…if you can do that, it’ll be like trying “Secretion magnifique” without know the name…it’s not so challenging, it’s weird ok really heavy and long lasting but nothing over the top for who like this kind/family of fragrance.
For me one of these rare perfumes impossible to wear for a women.
Vakiwap – :
I kind of understand what people mean by a blood smell. What I get is a waxy smell. The leather and tuberose seem to create a kind of warm, clean, waxy smell. it has a dangerous feel to it – like a Man with a knife. It smells quite cruel. I think the virgin should be very afraid of this toreador.
funtikmhz – :
This smells like a blood-stained dusty sheet.
It tells a story: the matador has been killed/gored, his body is covered with a sheet, and bunches of flowers have been placed around this tragic scene.
petya_zorin – :
I was lucky enough to meet and interview Etat Libre’s Etienne de Swardt at MiN New York in the spring of 2012. Etienne said during discussion that this was ONE of the fragrances he found himself reaching for the most. He spoke with such passion, telling me a story about the virgin and the bull. He explained how this fragrance was meant to represent a clash in modern perfumery as well as sexuality… man vs woman (tuberose vs leather). And although I am not a reviewer that buys into hokey advertising, this fragrance actual told me that olfactory story.
It starts out with a citrus style blast blended with a fine, yet rugged leather aroma. This creates a sense of a freshly polished sofa. It quickly develops and loses the citrus top notes which begins to grow smoother due to the use of the flawlessly blended spices. As the fragrance settles a bit, the real olfactory battle begins. The beautiful smell of a floral bouquet rises to the top as it contrasts the animalic and scruffy nature of a “real” man’s leather scent. The masculinity of the leather grounds this fragrance through and through. But like many things all it needs is a women’s touch and the end results in glory. What I get in summing up Vierges et Toreros is a strong, dominant and masculine fragrance with a well appreciated soft and sensual side.
Anelyncfeeday – :
I’m amused to find that many smell blood in this fragrance, or other seemingly nasty accords. I smell none of these things, in fact I think this fragrance smells quite sexy. Whenever I wear Vierges et Toreros, I feel like a seductress.
On my skin, Vierges et Toreros opens with sweet, buttery tuberose and smooth leather accords. This blend is both naughty and nice, the perfect meeting of the masculine and the feminine. I would recommend it to both sexes without hesitation.
I like the contradictory nature of this fragrance, especially the sweet and powdery white floral meets animalic leather and musk concept. I believe I first heard of this fragrance through Tama Blough on Cafleurebon, where she wrote an article earlier this year on the classic seductress, Bettie Page. Well, I do agree with her, Vierges et Toreros does suggest “lady of the night” to me too.
I do have to be in the right mood to wear Vierges et Toreros. I would personally pair it with a little black dress and killer heels, or reserve it for those occasions when a little bit of ‘naughty’ is required. I think it bears some similarities to another seductive fragrance love of mine, Vivienne Westwood’s Boudoir.
The longevity and sillage are both very impressive. However, in regards to the sillage, the best tip is to apply sparingly in order to enjoy the scent and its seductive aura.
I’ve come to the conclusion that this fragrance may be an acquired taste, in a similar fashion to Secretions Magnifique. Essentially, one person’s taste of heaven, is another’s worst nightmare.
butch1975 – :
I’m currently working my way through the Etat Libre D’Orange sample kit, sadly not enamoured by a lot of it. I get savoury and blood notes through many which I find really distasteful.I think their eccentric reputation has led us to believe that the scents are better than they really are, with perhaps just a few of their current line being wearable/likeable.
For me, this one is utterly awful for at least the first hour, almost as bad as the legendary Secretions Magnifique. Why? It reminds me of badly cured leather. I adore the fragrance of leather but this a perverse version. I went to Tunisia some years ago and the smell of cheap leather products festering in the heat made me feel nauseous. The smell had a leathery base but a real stench of ‘not quite cured properly’ about it, as if the material still held blood fear and gore.
An hour in and it’s less offensive with a more standard leather and tuberose note taking place. At this stage it’s wearable but pointless when other much more beautiful leather and tuberose scents exist. It’s not worth the awful journey to the wearable stage.
Nikan2317 – :
My wife got a sample of this stuff and I quickly laid claim to it. This is my favorite scent. Period. It’s everything I look for in a scent. Woods and Leather, Earthy and Bold, and with a twist to keep me wanting to smell myself again and again. It’s a huge collection of bold notes, juxtaposed to create a ghost note that reminds me of iron, blood, hormones, and a hint of sex. And this was what I was thinking before I read the writeup.
I don’t honestly buy into gender in fragrances. Yes, some are clearly geared toward women, some towards men. Some I wouldn’t wear because the do smell too “girly”. But this stuff can go both ways easily. I appreciate the ambiguity.
And this stuff lasts all day. Many I have tried, I don’t care to smell anymore after a few hours, but with this, it transforms all day long.
pain123 – :
I know, it’s supposed to be a leather fragrance (and it is) but to my nose it also smells like fur!
it’s not exactly the fur of an animal running in the wild (musky dirty animalic), but rather it is more like a scent of a processed fur garment. Both my mother and grandmother love wearing fur and have stocked up on fur coats, hats and stuff. Vieregs et Toreros smells like burying my nose in the pile of these fur coats and leather garments.
Aside from fur, I also smell spice and it is not bad: it is not a sweet spice, it smells a bit medicinal, reminds me of spice present in the CDG original perfume. It is a strong fragrance, too, but not offensive.
This is, essentially, a masculine fragrance, but, I think, it could be worn by a woman, as well. If you want to smell like you are wearing lots of fur and spice, this is for you.
kmsdos – :
On me it starts with leather and spice, think that’s the Toreros part, violent and strong. And then tuberose appears, and bergamot edge the leather softly. Patchouli is the base of the leather. The animalic part makes me kinda dizzy but it’s still fascinating. 2-3 Hours later it turns into a gender combination of tuberose and leather, delicate and not so aggressive anymore.
I admire this one, but since it’s Etat Libre d’Orange, it may not be acceptable for many people. lol
BIGMAN2009 – :
This is supposed to be a twist on a floral leather. Past floral/leathers have used the juxtaposition of the hard and the soft to lead to an interesting blend. I’m not sure if it’s blend here or just a contrast. The tuberose doesn’t last long, but it makes for an interesting opening. Fairly soon, the dominant note is a plastic/leather accord that lasts through the basenotes. There’s supposed to be a strong animalic vibe here, but I don’t really get it. Maybe that’s what I’m calling plastic, but the artificial quality of plastic seems so far away from raunch in the bodliy sense that I don’t get anything carnal. Just a very clean plastic.
I know Etat Libre d’Orange is the pixie of the perfume world. They challenge our notions of olfactory beauty. (I’m a fan of Secretions Magnifiques.) And I’m very appreciative that they do. But this doesn’t really seem like a challenge. It’s more that they’ve decided to use an accord that simply appeals to the nose. It’s really a play on tromp la nez. Plastic can smell good. So can gasoline and paper for that matter. I know we don’t usually point these things out when we discuss the art of perfumery, but here’s the evidence. In this case, though, and using the ridiculous gender distinction of the virgin and the toreador as a red herring, we’re distracted from the plastic by a description of florals and leather.
izyashniperson – :
This is a great example of a brilliant concept for a disappointing substance. Vierges et Toreros opens with a smoky, dusty leather that’s quite fashinating but it gets terribly chemical and annoying in the flowery drydowm. It has something I’m not able to exactly detect that litterally makes my throat contracting. So bad ’cause I liked the ideas behind this perfume but I can’t really stand it.
I’ve to pass on this one.
Rating: 4.5/10
hikmet_huseynli – :
I finally got a bottle of Vierges et Toreros which I’d been wanting to try for ages, so when it arrived in the post early this morning with 3 other ELd’O fragrance I purchased online, I immediately rushed to have a shower and try this one first.
I liked it immediately, being part of my Oriental/leather/wood favourites, so I got instant recognition with many of my old favourites, like Bel Ami by Hermes, Jules and Dior Homme by Christian Dior, KOUROS and Opium pour Femme by YSL, Comme des Garçons by Comme des Garçons, RED for Men by Giorgio of Beverley Hills, DHL by Estee Lauder and a few others whose names escape me right now.
The leather, wood and spice notes really dominate the theme and I can definitely tell that the florals and freshly masculine bergamot are there to softly balance the stronger, masculine notes. I do not smell any of the human pheromone notes, but perhaps they are meant to be subliminal. All I know is that this is a very sexy smell of a self-confident man.
I will most certainly be buying another bottle when this one finishes, especially since this is a rare EDP strength
It’s definitely a very masculine smell and I need to stress that I wore this after a shower on a very hot summer’s day in Western Australia. I honestly don’t know why a woman would wear it, unless you are a great fan of Opium pour Femme and like wearing lots of it, as it’s a rather ‘butch’ fragrance to be smelt on a feminine figure. For the guys, this is your passport to getting yourself noticed in a sexy, addictive way. Definitely go for it if you are the daring go-getter who is not afraid to be noticed.