Animale (1987)
by Animale Parfums

The opening blast of Animale was an alcoholic melange of synthetc smelling notes that made it seem cheap and thin. However, as it layed on the skin and warmed, it's rosy, animalic qualities emerged and I could see how this could be considered a seductive scent. To give you an idea of how it smells, think Paloma Picasso (F_Frez is right) meets Paco Rabanne's La Nuit, only the materials used in Animale are not nearly as rich as the ones used in both of those. But I still find it interesting. After smelling my wrist to experience it's progression, I felt that it would be better layered with something else, so I grabbed Muscs Koublai Khan and the two together created a real beast. Although there is a male version of Animale, this is very unisex and is worth adding to your collection if you're really into animalic scents.

Animale is an exotic scent, specially for those who wants to seduce.

I smelled this fragrance today from a colleague at office, she used it for several years and the first time I met her, I confused her fragrance with Paloma Picasso.

As I smelled this some hours later from its first application, didn't know how their top notes are. At least at morning, when my colleague crosses the hall in front of me, the trail she leaves at middle notes are based on strong roses and earthy notes of ylang-ylang, and some spicy note like coriander (like a less flowered version of Paloma Picasso). At the end of the day sometimes I leave the office with her on her car, and the base notes of this fragrance felt more musky, with some notes of earthy moss or oakmoss. There's a strange vein of animal notes, maybe civet, castoreum, ambergris or leather.

Still remember those advertisements from the 90's about Animale, and this fragrance felt a bit retro. It's very long lasting, for women with personality (at least my colleague uses it as her personal signature). A bit strong for summer, more suitable for winter or evening use, like saturday nights at pubs. Young and mature at the same time, I think can be used for women in the range 30-45 years old.

Animale just suits me, and I am complimented everytime I wear it (probably more so than with any other scent). This is a multi-faceted, interesting, arresting scent that is absolutely sexy and very hard to ignore. The oakmoss base anchors this chypre and gives it a powerful elegance that lifts it out of the typical heady oriental category and helps it stand on its own eccentric feet.

Animale is redolent: while sillage is good but not monstrous, Animale sort of "pulses." It works beautifully with body chemistry and creates more of an aura, an enveloping cocoon of scent, rather
than a wake.

The florals in Animale are heady, musky flowers like ylang ylang, rose, and jasmine. The animalic notes (civet & musk) keep these rich florals reigned in, and the oakmoss adds a multi-facetedness and depth that is irresistible to me.

Animale will never leave my wardrobe. I think it's under-rated and, while slightly retro, a relevant and eccentric scent. You can not be ignored while wearing Animale. It is a scent that, if it works for your chemistry, will ellicit memories from those around you: each and every time I've worn it, people have told me that I remind them of something, and out pops a memory from their childhood. Animale almost works as a conversation piece for me, but I love it in its own right for its eccentric, sexy, sensual, and provocative nature.

It's a perfect Saturday night scent, to wear with a short dress and strappy sandals, to a nightclub, to a party, to a dark and moody bar, or to seduce someone. I also wear it sometimes (in a more moderate application) to sex up a rainy weekend afternoon. It's versatile, but never a wallflower.

A big thumbs up.

Categorized as a rich chypre, it has a sensual little animalic note throughout that well supports the name. The promotional ad states: "Possessed of a deep and mysterious sensuality, it captures the instinctive power of pure femininity ...always desired, never contained. Animale was created by Animale Parfums in 1987, and possesses a blend of bergamot, coriander, jasmine, pineapple, currant, orange flower, rose, violet, ylang-ylang and other exotic flowers. The scent warms to a long lasting woody base of sandalwood, vetiver, oakmoss, patchouli and musk."
I liked this one immediately, and bought a bottle right away. After wearing it every day for a week, I got a little tired of it, as it's not as complex as others I had, and the oriental-type vanillic note (a la 'Obsession')on the start-up was a touch too prevalent for my nose. But it is still a sensual evening brew, and the "animale" note in it is fairly sultry, so if I keep the usage down to every so often, it works nicely. I tend to like my sensual scents a little less vanillic and on the drier side, being a chypre-holic. One perfume site listed this as a daytime scent, which had to be a huge typo - I consider this a quintessential evening/seduction fragrance, sort of in the hot oriental category. I can't imagine wearing this into Wal-Mart. If you like chypres or orientals this will work for you, and if you like vanilla with your animalics, you'll have hit the jackpot.