Reviews of Bandit (1944)
by Robert Piguet

Review of Huile pour le bain Bandit :

My very first impression after opening the old bottle was " This was marketed toward women"???

This parfum version is maybe the very best leather scent I've come across. It's super concentrated, yet doesn't knock you to your knees. It's just awesome.
No need to say more. A+++.

I got a sample of this and it was incredible. I bought a full bottle online and it was a real let down. Not the same as the sample at all -much more floral and without the bite. I realize now that the sample was the EDT and the bottle is the EDP. What a difference! I wish I'd read these reviews first. It seems that Bandit varies from one formulation to the next. Try both before you buy!

Thumbs up is for the EDT.

OLD REVIEW: (rating: thumbs down)
I had to try Bandit because of the history behind it and the rumour that Marlene Dietrich used to wear it. But as with vintage scents in general I just don't get it. It smells vintage to me, no more, no less (and I did get a new sample so it's not aged). Sour/dry/musty/sharp/floral/green, that kind of stuff. I can't pick out any notes and the dirty, naughty leather drydown I was hoping for never arrives.
However, a friend put some on to go clubbing and on her chemistry it was a much nicer sweet and sultry floral which suited her cabaret girl outfit.

NEW REVIEW:
Oh what a fool I was! Thank god I had two samples and only swapped away one so I could retry it, though I would probably have ended up retrying it anyway sooner or later due to the legend... I can now do chypres and I adore Bandit! I can think of a number of classic chypres that have more of that sour/sharp/musty "old lady" vibe (which I like nowadays, mind you). I have some vintage Bandit (not sure which formulation, maybe edt?) and that one is more like a classic chypre (think Cabochard), a bit sharper, more oakmoss/galbanum. The modern edp, which I now own a bottle of, is positively juicy! Green green green in a slightly sour-sweet, sunny way like grass and hay and warm animal bodies. I don't even think it's a very "dark" or "naughty" scent - well perhaps just a bit naughty due to the animalic/leathery warmth of it... Naughty as a biker and a society lady together in a meadow or on the hayloft...

This is a review for Bandit EDP and Parfum, but it's also an update on the review I did yesterday for Tabac Blond and Habanita. But first a story that perfume junkie/hunters everywhere can appreciate: Yesterday I had one of those "Oprah Moments" (a term sarcastically coined by my good friend after catching a show where Oprah featured guests who write books on how you can bring anything you want into your life by simply visualizing it). Well yesterday I had an Oprah moment: I had just finished writing the review for Habanita and Tabac Blond in which I said that I would do update as soon as my sample of Bandit arrived (it hasn't). Having already experienced Habanita and Tabac Blond, I was fixated on Bandit which I had yet to smell. Just then a friend called and said that she was headed down to a shop we frequent that sells vintage furniture and other miscellaneous vintage odds and ends. I asked her to look out for some old perfumes and call me if they had anything, even though I really wasn't expecting that she would find anything that I would want. About 2 hours later my friend rang me up on her cell phone from the shop. She said, "I'm holding two black bottles. They're the same, except one has a black top and the other one has a clear top. They're by a Robert (she started spelling) P-i-g-u-e-t." Silence (from disbelief) on my end for a moment. "Spell that again" I said. She does, then says, "They're called Bandit. Bill (the owner) said you can have them both for $3. apiece." I'll be right over", I said.

Sure enough, within several minutes I had my hands on a 50 ml bottle of Bandit EDP and a 30 ml bottle of the pure parfum. I put them both on immediately.

All the posts that I've read about this scent are right when they say that there can be a world of difference when it comes to the EDP and the parfum versions of this scent. On first opening the bottles, the parfum smells more green/floral while the EDP has a spicier vetiver edge. Once sprayed and dabbed on, the EDP was much more aggressive while the parfum, after an initial harsh blast, immediately became a skin scent. After about 45 minutes the parfum had settled into a smooth and dry, subtle leather scent while the EDP became slightly sweet, spicy/vanillic with a leather edge, almost gourmand on my skin.Between the two, I prefer the EDP, but as the day wore on I experimented and found that the two layered, create something even more beautiful.

As with Habanita and Tabac Blond, I am now in love with Bandit and glad I own all three. All are beautiful, dark and mysterious. But how do they compare? Like I said in my previous review, from everything that I had read before I tried it, Bandit was supposed to be the real badass. I'll admit she's a pretty assassin (Angelina Jolie in "Wanted" or "Mr. and Mrs. Smith), but if these 3 leather-clad femme fatales were walking down a dark alley together, TABAC BLOND would be the one leading the way, with either a cigarette or a cigar dangling out of the side of her mouth.

I'm reviewing the EdT.

This stuff makes me feel like a bada**. Seriously, I can't put it any other way. If you have a lack of confidence problem then you cannot wear this. Be warned! Strong leather, musk balanced with mild citrus and a bit of neroli and a flowery scent I think is jasmine or gardenia.

This stuff is not for the weak stomached.

Two horses of a different color, the EDT and the EDP, both of which smell like fine vintage perfumes, one striking and the other soothing. How could this be the same fragrance? Question answered: the formula was changed several times, and the EDP that I smelled was from a brief period when Adrian Arpel reformulated it into a sweet, green chypre, very beautiful, but not in keeping with the original character. The following reviews reflect this difference. Indeed, they are for two different perfumes:
First, the EDT which is close to the intent of the original formula, which was to excite and shock. It opens with a sharp galbanum and leather blast before developing into a sweet-and-sour combination, in which I smell gardena and vetiver. If this combination of notes does not seem to jive, that is precisely the point. Sharp green + sweet floral + sour vetiver = olfactory mayhem. Some people smell leather and ashes, and I certainly can agree to that. It is acrid, green, sour, and sweet. I smell marijuana smoke on my clothes the morning after the rock concert. I smell a vase full of flowers invaded by catnip. This is naughty, it truly is. What a joy. And at a reasonable price, too. This scent will turn heads. I can't see how a person could do without a small bottle of Bandit. It's a whole lot of fun.
Now for the Adrian Arpel version of the EDP, now obsolete. This shares alot of notes with Miss Dior, one of my all-time favorites. Bergamot, gardenia, galbanum, neroli, jasmine, rose, patchouli, sandalwood. Compared to the other, it has much less moss and labdanum and more sandalwood enveloping the flowers. Gorgeous fragrance. This one will turn heads, too. But it will be in approval, not in shock.

Bandit starts off with a green peppery note and then develops into leather chypre fragrance with extraordinary sillage. It is *the* perfume to wear when you need a boost of self-confidence as it is strong, sexy and devil-may-care, but yet it is ladylike. If you like Mitsouko or Jolie Madame, you will understand and appreciate Bandit. However, if you like Anais Anais or Flowerbomb, this is unlikely to be the scent for you. Final cautionary note: A little bit of Bandit goes a very long way!

Too tempting to pass by. L'eglise St. Germain in Paris, dark light from tinted glass windows, all those candles... incense. That is Bandit for me. Quite understandably, Bandit has been classified as feminine in 1944. But it has more masculine elements in it than many modern fragrances classified as such. Enjoy its distinct absence of sweetness! I prefer the EDT version to the EDP, but both have less class than the original version available until about 1970, and therefore: 3/5.

Bandit: Declaration of Badness through Scent:
Notes include galbanum, orange, bergamot, neroli, jasmine, rose, tuberose, leather, patchouli, mousse de chene, vetiver, musk.

Due to a failed swap of this frag I had squirreled away, I decided to give it another ride.
Let me just say that I have been spending the weekend getting to know Bandit a bit more intimately and I am a much better woman for it!

Based on reviews, I was really eager to try this frag, sure I would love it, and at first sniff I was rather repulsed. Something musty, something not quite proper, something that had been sitting in the dark a bit too long in need of some sun. I put it away, I put it on my swap list. Just couldn't swap the darn thing away.

So I decided to embrace it one more time. Dear God! Either this little elixer has changed or I have become a dark corrupted scentophile who likes things that thrive under rocks. The first burst of scent makes you do a double take, I am guessing it is the galbanum, something sort of like wet grass and dirt, but there is something very pretty and delicate that makes itself known rather quickly after that settles down. There is a muskiness to this with an impression of wildflowers. There is also something incense like here. It's such an unexpected mix of various notes. I guess there is some leather in here too. After several hours I get the pepper, slight incense and delicate flowers with sheer musk. Haunting.

This fragrance is beautifully elegant and yet deliciously bad. It pleases me. It is now officially off my swaplist.

This is Perfume 101 for any serious reviewer. They don't review Chanel 5 because of its mainstream popularity but cannot do without reviewing Bandit. For this reason alone, I was scared of trying it. Fortunately, I ended up with the EDP which is supposed to be less aggressive. It was actually quite tame on me. The reason I mentioned Chane 5 is because it smells similar (but far more interesting) on my wrists. I have not heard this from anyone else so it must be my chemistry. At any rate, I am definitely hooked and for some reason feel superior because I can pull this one off (meant in a joking way). I figure this is Perfume God's consolation price to me for not being able to wear the likes of Flowerbomb, Black Orchid, and Angel.

I ordered a bottle of Bandit EDT unsniffed, just got it this evening, and I am just delighted for how right it smells on me! Just speechless... If wormwood were included in the original version, I can imagine how bitter, medicinal and DARK the original was, I must search for it.

Angelique Encens and Bandit were supposedly two fragrances used by Dietrich known to the public, and I love them both equally much. I consider them unisex, uncompromisingly individual and contemporary.

I can totally see how they posess angelic and devilish qualities seperately. I'm deeply amazed by how ingenius these perfumers were, to create such theatrical and timeless perfumes with green notes. Can't live without either of them, both are divine creations. :)

I decided to buy this, unsniffed, on a whim after reading so much about it. I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint.

It starts out with almost unbearingly sharp green notes, but on me the dry-down comes fairly quickly. It's soft, powdery and gorgeous. It reminds me of the way my grandmother used to smell, like very exclusive soap. The juice certainly has a vintage feel about it and to me it's neither raunchy nor overly maculine, just very comfortable and classy.

This is clearly a fragrance for darirng women- very bitter, nearly masculine, strong - the clear opposite of sweet and fruité...
Cabochard by Grés strikes a familar note and might be considered a more moderate version of it. You can wear Bandit when you are in a bold, self-confident mood - a lot of younger women don't like it at all, because it is too "dark" for them! But to me it is one of the most outstanding fragrances ever!

I have the vintage version, and it is all business. This is my new office scent, sweet incense and leather, with something stinky thrown in just to be interesting..

this fragrance is definitely unique, remarkable and hors concours!you won´t forget the person wearing this excellent perfume.....but it won´t work for everyone!This is not a perfume that can be compared to the garbage that is launched nowadays-no, this is really first class and one of the great scents of all centuries!Try it, leave it on your skin and wait, and wait....this is hot, hot and sexy - and dark, very dark!This is mystery, adventure, badness and agressiveness but it may change....If you are a connaisseur and you go for intelligent perfumes then it will be the right choice!You have to be someone special,different....as a woman and a man-specially if you´re a man you should be handsome, virile, dark and with class!

Man, I crave this fragrance, but only in the vintage form EDT, where the Isobutyl Quinoline was used so generously to "give the finger" to those who would raise their eyebrows. I think this is the perfect amount of sillage, smells like a guy should. I bought a big 8 ounce vintage bottle so I have a vintage bottle 1 oz on Ebay till thursday: just search under item 190035616703 or search "Vintage Bandit."

A great, sharp, green-leather crack of a perfume, with flowers mixed in (wasn't an old advert for this a leather-gloved hand holding a bouquet of wildflowers? Brilliant.)

I saw a picture once of Germaine Cellier (the creator) and she looked exactely like the type of woman who would wear it best. Elegant, with a smirk. I'm guessing the parfum is slightly softer. The EDT I tried had just too much of a burn in the top note, so I can't wear it every day. Little goes a loooong way.

starts nicely, a bit of green, baby power, civet, I could tolerate it and almost like it if it stayed like this, but then it just turns to civet and decay shortly after, and im talking like 5-10 minutes... I even tried it on 2 other people and the same thing happened. I'd watch out.. especially if your a guy trying to wear this!

If you can wait for the drydown - you are in for something wonderful. For some reason - and there will probably be protests about this. But Bandit always reminds me of Van Gils and Antaeus. Agressive dirty leather.
benb

I love this perfume, in spite of being lauched in 1944 it really is rather modern. I get complimentary comments whenever I wear it.

I didn't know if I should add another review to Bandit, as many have expressed its facets well. But everyone had such a different take on it, I decided it could bear more input.
I like Bandit, being a chypre-holic, and appreciate its dry, non-floral, rough earth and leather quality. Somedays it's the only thing to wear. But I don't know that I'm entirely seduced by its character into calling it my HG chypre. One reason is Safari, by Ralph Lauren. Luca Turin called Jolie Madame the somber heir to Bandit, but I don't see more than a cousin kinship there, even though both are created by Germaine Cellier. Instead, Safari strikes me as more a sibling in character to Bandit, and I'm not sure I prefer Bandit to Safari. Half the time Safari wins out on those days I'm in that Bandit mood. So what does that say? Bandit is a little dryer and ashier, so it appeals to me on those days I want my chypres rough and bone-dry. If I didn't have Safari, I'd be reaching for Bandit more. Bandit does have an interesting chameleon character though that Safari lacks. Some people smell florals in it, some (as me) smell none or little. Some smell ash, some amber. Some consider it predominantly a leather scent, some think of earth and dirt. Some call it sexy and dirty, some cold, harsh and rubbery ...I'd call it a must-try-before-buying fragrance. I like its minimalist black bottle and plain label - it goes with its character.

Instant love. Love the green, fresh beginning with hints of salty leather. Love the middle of intense, dark salty leather with a bit of tangy sweat. Love the ending of soft, whispering woods and salty leather and skin. It's wonderful to layer with sweet, innocent, bright things on top. Gives them an arch to their brows, so to speak.

I bought this unsniffed in the EdP concentration after reading about it. The concept is very "me." I must admit that I love the idea of smelling like a whip-cracking, ball-busting pirate queen. The man who sold me the bottle looked at me funny when I asked for it and said, "Are you sure? This one is pretty strong. And it's older than you are!" This pretty much sealed the deal. I'm a perverse kind of girl.

I ripped the packaging off in an alley on the way to meet my bartender friend at her job, where she was working a noon shift. Sprayed it on my wrists and rubbed my wrists behind my ears. Walked towards the bar, sniffing. After a few steps, though, I realized that I didn't have to sniff my wrist to smell the perfume... it WAS strong! And kinda... old-ladyish. God, I hate it when the people in charge are right about things. I smelled so strongly of strong old lady perfume that I started feeling a bit self-conscious, which is unlike me. I suppose this is what is referred to as the "green monster" opening. I got the green stuff, but mostly it was old-lady flowers mixed with some acrid baby powder.

When I got to the bar, I made my friend smell me. "Ripe old lady," is what she said. "Shut up, I like it," I pouted, hating her. I ordered a beer and kept sniffing my wrist. I noticed that the initial potency of the perfume was calming down a little bit, getting less sharp and more powdery. "#&$% this perfume," I said, settling into my beer and my friend's conversation.

By the time I'd finished my third beer, I was in love with my arm. "Smell it again," I commanded my friend, but she refused. Her loss. Bandit had mellowed into an intimate, indescribable softness that smelled both like the back of a boyfriend's neck and a soft, old leather thriftstore handbag. I got a little tobacco, a little patchouli, but mostly it was this beautiful waft of something close, treasured, and sleepy.

The pirate-queen perfume made me feel kind of... maternal, actually.

Oh, well. I AM a perverse kind of girl. My only problem with Bandit now is finding a place to wear it. The last time I put it on, I went gambling in AC in my fake leopard-fur coat, and it was perfect. But how often does that happen? I suppose there are worse fates than to plot one's life around occasions to wear Bandit.

Bandit is an attention-getter. I happened to discover it by accident and took a chance on it. I wasn't disappointed! The way I describe Bandit is that it starts out like a kitten (soft, maybe a little sweet) and then it's like a panther- sleek, sharp, can't-miss-it. I got compliments the first time I wore it. There is no other scent quite like it and seems to be lesser know. I hope it stays that way!

Bandit classified as feminine fragrance and I get it as must-have of Leather theme. But when I leave the bottle in my bathroom - it does not smell like a woman at all!
It has great chypre cuir sillage - warm floral but very powerful. Much better than Anteaus or any other masculine leather chypre I get the chance to smell... Now I`m going to find vintage perfume Bandit as it was changed dramatically from 40-s. Wormwood note (or something that has herbal properties) has gone completely in new version...
Highly recommend Bandit to all leather devoted!

Love it! Great start with the slightly sharp snap of bergamot and carnation's spiciness. Moves into a drier middle with jasmine and new leather and a twist of tannin to keep it sparking around the edges...just like what keeps a good rich red wine from being too overwhelmingly lush. The center has a dry leathery spareness that is all about confidence and refusal to compromise. Threatening? It may well be. Spray-on Spine? perhaps that too. But see the drill through to the end and it is a comfortable slightly tobacco-ey and smokey old leather club chair in front of a warm fireplace. All one needs then is a good Cognac and the company of a similarly self assured being.....

Simply brilliant. One of the great classics in female fragrance. A soft, powdery and slightly dirty floral with amazing staying power. One for the ages!

Bandit is a dirty, sweet floral fragrance. This is a most unusual fragrance. It smells slightly pink, while at the same time, so dirty. It’s a feminine fragrance, but it can easily be worn by men. This is really a must try. It’s a fascinating example of perfumery.

I tested Bandit by Robert Piguet, and boy did I fall in love. Deeply, madly, and truly in love. This is what I have been waiting for.

If Amouage Gold, the other great love of my life, is a little black dress with diamonds dripping from my earlobes, then Bandit is a leather miniskirt, my black lace corset, and a riding crop. It opens with a beguiling accord of jasmine, orris, and spicy carnation, and just a hint of the sharpness of bergamot. As soon as it truly settles on your skin, within a minute, a deep and richly dark leather reveals itself smugly, as if scornful of its more eager companions. The leather grows richer but does not overpower. The jasmine and the orris and the rose and the civet fall in step, visible and vibrant, but it is clear who is master here.

The staying power of this fragrance is magnificent. When I dove under the soft covers of my bed five hours after application, Bandit was still going strong. It was perhaps a bit softer now, calmer, but by no means subdued. And so I slumbered, and dreamt of mischievous things.

The next morning when I woke up Bandit's leathery drydown greeted me like a lover. I curled up with it, snuggling down into my pillow, and delayed my morning routine just a little bit longer before rising reluctantly, bidding it farewell.

This lovely fragrance of remarkable darkness and power can most definitely be worn by a man, but is most perfectly suited for, as the official description reads, not every woman but a certain woman. A woman who intimidates a fair number of men, but doesn't mind since they were sorely lacking in any case. A woman whose charms when turned full force can't be resisted, especially since most men can't imagine why one would try. Bandit weaves a web of intrigue around me, and man is the fly that dreams of the spider.