Tabu (1932)
by Dana

Tabu, vintage extrait (came in 1/4 oz. screw top bottle, lovely presentation, no 
evaporation)

This puts a bright smile on my face! So, picture this scene:

Woman in her early 40s, truly a full-blooded woman with all the right curves and sex-appeal, has 
lived the highs and lows of love and sex life, always taken good care of her appearance, facial 
skin and expression are soft. She's got taste - not the big splendor or the maxime in elegance, 
but it fits her, her personality and her budget. Now, she is to meet a young man in his end 20s, handsome, thin guy, the type of worrier and thinker, maybe with little experience in his life so far.
They meet and he gets intoxicated by her very present perfume, sweet, alluring, haunting, sexy 
and slightly dirty. Most important, it fits her style and is in harmony with her gesture and expression. The intentions are clear... 
When you wear Tabu in its vintage extrait form, I think the message is rather 'agressively sexy'... 
let's have a little talk, we both have our wit and brains, but sleep with me afterwards. 
The talking continues, laughing together and she knows very well to play the right cards at the right moment - seduction by a full-blooded woman! A thin line towards ridicule, if not played masterfully by the right woman. 
The evening turns to night and her perfume is getting sweeter, honeyed and slightly spicy. The looks thrown to each other get deeper, playful and the aura around the two is heated, the outside world fades and their looks focus on each other's eyes, attention turns to alertness and every move and facial muscle contracting is noticed. 
No more words need to be spoken and the rest if the story is up to your imagination...  
That's Tabu!
Its effect is masterful and timeless, an indepth analysis otiose! 

3rd September, 2011.

I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE Tabu!
Orangey,spicey ,ambery,goodness with some animalic oomph to it .(Tabu puts the PURR in Perrfume!)Tabu reminds me of Bal A' Versailles and Opium - or what would result if the two were crossed.
Ideal for either gender as long as you love oriental scents.

27th August, 2011.

Ah...the unmistakable deep, dark, seductive, " Black Velvety" sexiness of Tabu!!! I love it, but have to be in a "Tabu" mood to wear it...and a drop goes a loooooong way! Apply too much and people will smell you before you enter the doorway. :)

1st June, 2011.

This is a fragrance which I happen to see quite often while I'm out shopping or browsing through the stores. With its distinguishable black, white and red bottle and the matching talcum powder in its box not far away, this is one inexpensive fragrance many seem to avoid.

I was surprised to find this fragrance in my mother's room, covered in dust and pushed to the darkest part of her closet. It was obviously my father's attempt at buying my mother a fragrance, but trying to do it on the cheap. I found myself reaching for this bottle and dusting it with a tissue, only to spritz a small quantity onto my wrist.

Seconds later I was met with a wonderful and totally unexpected, warming scent. It took me to a place where I had visited so many times as a child; a quaint, little store filled with incense, tiny trinkets, tie-dye saris and colourful wind chimes. It had such a carefree, quirky and unique style. Such a sensual and warm fragrance.

I promptly asked my mother to give it one more try, to which she discovered what had captivated me only minutes before. Never again will I judge a fragrance solely on its price tag. This fragrance is a true gem in the world of scents.

26th April, 2011.

Tabu, Have been excited about this little gem for a while. Somebody compared it to Givenchy Ange ou Demon, but I've later came to find out it's nothing like it but rather a dirty strong classical fragrance which got me even more excited. I expected something similar to obsession, vintage shalimar, or kouros. And I finally found a reasonably priced vintage violin bottle. I spray this little baby on, and my nose is met by mild floral notes of coriander, rose, neroli, and other flowers I can't distinguish, on top of an oriental background. Though I really HATED something about it. I was trying to figure it out, is it the floral notes? No, they're too weak. Is it the typical vintage make-up note? no I detect no powder or iris in it. Is it the Musk? this is hardly musky. Is it the Civet? No, no pee or poo notes.

Then, it finally hit me. The root of all evil notes, the sinister goblin that ruined so many orientals for me, the sacrilege of so many supposedly ambery or musky fragrances that I would've purchased otherwise.

PATCHOULI! How could I have not thought of this before? But why? And why is this considered a classic from the 1930s? I thought patchouli's hyped started in the 70s? but maybe my bottle is from the 70s, I'll never know or care to know. I hate patchouli and this fragrance was disappointing. The top notes did have a classic floral blend in them, but they were light and fleeting. You end up with a typical dusty patchouli past the first 10 minutes. If that's your thing then great, but I can't grasp why this fragrance is a "classic" or how it ever became a top seller, it smells and looks cheap. And did I mention it's a sticky fragrance? It is very sticky.

The dry down isn't that terrible though, very similar to naga champa, but I don't want to smell like that either. Montale's Patchouli leaf and PG L'Ombre Fauve are much better takes on Patchouli, and I'll pay the price difference for them despite my dislike of Patchouli.

This should be a Tabu to wear indeed, in a bad way.

---//

Presentation: 4/10
Uniqueness: 4/10
Value: 4/10
Longevity: 6/10
Projection: 6/10
Scent: 3/10

Overall: 3/10

2nd March, 2011.

Rich, sensual and exotic!
Rich also in strength! This is nothing like your modern wishy washy flowery artificial fragrances you have to use liberally to get a few hours of staying power and sillage. this is maximum strength and need to be applied molecule by molecule! If I am very careful my man who likes very few perfumes likes it!
Luckily I am wholly unbiased about Tabu. I don't think it is worn a lot in the Netherlands so I have never sniffed an old lady wearing it. Nor do I know what root beer is so I don't have any of these associations. My first smell was from a vintage bottle I brought on e-bay after reading about Tabu here on basenotes.
I get a 70s feeling because of the patchouli, but I mostly get a lot of dark mysterious oriental magic!


Now we all know it was supposed to be for a 1920s '''puta'', but I do not see a modern street hooker here.
I see the 20s Femme Fatale, a dark bobbed beauty, with magnolia white skin and black khol around her sultry eyes, black lace and beaded dress with a deep cleavage and bare back, she lures in the men like a fatally beautiful black orchid, smelling of magic, mystery and luscious erotic sex.
They are mesmerized.
They are hers...
They are lost...
And then she is gone, and the world will always smell cold and grey...

21st February, 2011.