Timbuktu (2004)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

It's chock full of spice and incense and smells like a Hollywood movie about the mysterious desert, but it's also light and airy. I get a sweet 'curry' type smell which makes me wonder if it's more something I'd like to eat than to wear. It's a little too sweet for me - once I smell incense I want something dry and ethereal. But it's not bad at all. After the initial few minutes, it does start to get more airy and mind clearing. I would dearly like to smell the older version as, from my reading, it seems to be closer to what I would love this to be.

I had high hopes for this one. Reading others' reviews and the note breakdown, it sounded like an inventive, challenging unisex that I would bathe in. I was disappointed even after three wears.
More than one spritz of this would act like human repellant- and, due to the high sweetness, fly attractant.
Aside from some pink pepper and a sort of generic fruity accord, all I get is an overbearing, old fashioned, sweet incense that somehow reminds me of old lady bingo parlor perfume.
I suppose my nose isn't yet refined enough to pick apart the notes in something so heavy. I'm going to keep the sample around and check in with it occasionally in the hopes that I am one day able to enjoy it.

There is some citrus in the beginning but after that, it's all incense, creating a dated, mature smell that I'm not ready for yet. Very good projection. Seems more formal than casual.

Soapy, smoky, woody, sweet, and vegetal...all at the same time. Best worn casually (i.e., hemp, linen, denim, etc...), during one's leisure time, as I'm not convinced Timbuktu is a great choice for office wear (unless you work abroad as a Swahili professor, or for the womens' liberation foundation..whatever...).
Not just sexy, Timbuktu smells OF sex.
This is about as unisex/gender-nonspecific as they come.
Classic.

This has an incredible soaring quality and is the prettiest vetiver I have found (although totally unisex), as it uses the floral and fruity notes to take the edge off the raw coldness that vetiver often has. It remains a cool, collected scent, and it makes me feel all-conquering, so should possibly be worn with care.

I don't think to wear it a lot but I am always glad when I have it on, plus it practically makes my husband salivate - which shows that men aren't all Pavlovian creatures programmed to go wild at the scent of synthetic vanilla...

Anyway, it is a beautiful fragrance - both shimmering and brooding, soft and austere. The sillage and longevity are both excellent.