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Animal Attraction - Seeking Sexy Civet!

post #1 of 23
2/23/07 at 11:36pm
Thread Starter 
I have realised after falling completely for Ava Luxe Rasa Xtreme that I love civet in my perfumes. I find that the note helps the scent meld well with my chemistry and adds longevity. Two key words for my style / expression are rich, complex and deep - civet helps perfumes to manifest this by ebhancing the development richness of each stage of the scent, and by providing a strong long lasting base from which the scent can project nicely.

So I am now on a mission to find me some (sexy) civet scents. Funnily, enough I have plenty of scents which feature civet as a note already:

Avon Occur!
Ava Luxe Rasa Xtreme parfum
Ava Luxe Chypre Noir / Dark Chypre
Ava Luxe Film Noir parfum
Schiaparelli Shocking
Coty L'Aimant PdT
Gres Cabotine
Jean-Louis Scherrer Scherrer For Women
Rochas Femme (vintage)
Jean Patou 1000 / Mille
Estee Lauder White Linen
Chanel No.5 EDP
Gianfranco Ferre Gianfranco Ferre For Women
Carolina Herrera Carolina Herrera For Women
Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds
Guerlain Jicky PdT
Chanel Cristalle EDT
Jean Couturier Coriandre
Ungaro Diva
Montana Parfum de Peau
Estee Lauder Knowing
Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum EDP / parfum
Balmain Jolie Madame
Piguet Bandit
Caron Tabac Blond
Boucheron Boucheron For Women
Caron Narcisse Noir
Dana Tabu
Chanel Coco EDP
Shiseido Feminite du Bois
Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles
Lancome Magie Noire (vintage)
Cartier Must de Cartier EDT / parfum
Guerlain Shalimar (all formulations)
Calvin Klein Obsession
Clinique Aromatics Elixir
Van Cleef & Arpels First
Caron Fleurs de Rocaille (vintage)
Van Cleef & Arpels Gem
Caron Infini parfum
Houbigant Quelque Fleurs L'Original
Laura Biagiotti Roma
Estee Lauder Spellbound parfum
YSL Y
Givenchy Ysatis
Le Labo Labdanum #18 (I need a decant / bottle of this!)

This list is by no means complete as I have found it difficult to find full / comprehensive note listings for many of my perfumes.

Do you have any recommendations for other rich, full bodied, classic perfumes that feature civet?

I am currently researching the following scents:

Avon Topaze (vintage)
Ava Luxe Ambre Tibet
Catherine Deneuve Denueve
Ava Luxe Ingenue (Denueve type)
Mike Storer Monk
Ava Luxe Scandal
Ormonde Jayne Orris Noir
Versace Blonde
Jean Patou Adieu Sagesse
Jean Patou Amour Amour
Lalique Creation
Paul Sebastion Design
Jean Patou Eau de Patou
Jean Patou Joy
Laura Biagiotti Venezia
Weil by Weil

Can anyone tell me about them, whether they are worth seeking out for the civet? I look forward to your responses.

Thank you!
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post #2 of 23
2/24/07 at 12:18am
Can I ask which strength of Narcisse Noir by Caron you own?

If you have never tried the extract then that is the one to try.
It just screams civet, wear it and growl.

Narcisse Blanc is more metalic but still has the civet.
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post #3 of 23
2/24/07 at 12:34am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by donna255

Can I ask which strength of Narcisse Noir by Caron you own?

If you have never tried the extract then that is the one to try.
It just screams civet, wear it and growl.

Narcisse Blanc is more metalic but still has the civet.

Never tried the extrait! I have vintage Parfum du Cologne and samples of EDT (I think).

Thank you - I shall look into it ASAP.
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post #4 of 23
2/24/07 at 1:44am
I thought that Joy was a musky jasmine scent? I could be wrong but it smells strongly of jasmines to me. I don't get any civet from it but I think it would depend on chemistry?
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post #5 of 23
2/24/07 at 5:17am
I don't know about the civet, but it sure is animalic beyond belief: Paco Rabanne - La Nuit
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post #6 of 23
2/24/07 at 5:30am
I have a hard time picking out civit and this is why: it is listed as a basenote, yet I have read, repeatedly, that people pick it out in the first few moments after application.

I love many of those perfumes you have listed, moondeva, so I think I must be a civit fan. Yet, I'm still not sure what it is supposed to smell like. What do you look for to verify that it is a dominant note?

BTW, should Youth Dew be on your list?

Castoreum, on the othe hand, is usually quite clear to me.
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post #7 of 23
2/24/07 at 6:08am
Like purplebird, I am a little confused also. In fact I am much more confused. I know all the musks, I think from clean to dirty to anything in between, but how does civet and castoreum differ from synthetic deer musk? I know deers, cats, beavers, but scent wise, how can you tell the difference? What do they smell like? If anyone would know this, you would Moondeva. Lordy, you own just about everything.
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post #8 of 23
2/24/07 at 6:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TDDanae

Like purplebird, I am a little confused also. In fact I am much more confused. I know all the musks, I think from clean to dirty to anything in between, but how does civet and castoreum differ from synthetic deer musk? I know deers, cats, beavers, but scent wise, how can you tell the difference? What do they smell like? If anyone would know this, you would Moondeva. Lordy, you own just about everything.

Like, yeah, Moondeva!! What a shock to have you ask us!!

Can only speak to my reaction to (and adoration of) Joy. On me it's a hum of jasmine and tuberose with an underneath pulsing throb of....civet??!! They don't hardly make them like that anymore.

I am in any event WILD to see what you come up with. Have become an Ava-Luxe addict myself in the recent past. Do I smell an Ava-Luxe week coming up??
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post #9 of 23
2/24/07 at 6:42am
O.K. I will be frank. Castoreum smells like feces.
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post #10 of 23
2/24/07 at 6:56am
Well, I guess I can strike Castoreum off my list. But now Civet? What does it smell like anyone? How is it different from musk and feces?
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post #11 of 23
2/24/07 at 10:11am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MysteryFemme

I thought that Joy was a musky jasmine scent? I could be wrong but it smells strongly of jasmines to me. I don't get any civet from it but I think it would depend on chemistry?

Sorry, MysteryFemme. Jean Patou Joy definitely has civet in it as a basenote. It is what gives it that depth & tenacity. You may not notice the civet distinctly because the heady jasmine, ylang ylang, orchid and tuberose (all heady and indolic) mask the animalic warmth of it. Like Guerlain's classic, Jicky, You will probably notice more civet the richer the concentration. So although very smooth and luxe the parfum is going to be noticable more warm and animalic than the EDP or the EDT.

Jean Patou Joy, like many of the classic old school scents, has over 100 notes but the major ones to note are:

Top Notes: Aldehydes, Peach, Greens, Calyx
Heart Notes: Jasmine, Bulgarian Rose, Ylang-Ylang, Orchid, Lily of the Valley, Orris, Tuberose
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Musk, Civet

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Quote:
Originally Posted by shifts

I don't know about the civet, but it sure is animalic beyond belief: Paco Rabanne - La Nuit

I cannot seem to find a comprehensive scent pyramid for this one, annoyingly. I do happen to have a stash of it though - as I love it for it's FU rose and leather combo. I do know it as animalic for the leather but I shall have to wear it again soon to see if I notice any civet....

I must say though, I think it would be absolutely astounding worn layered with Ava Luxe Rasa Xtreme!! Wowzers! I'm getting real hot under the collar just imagining it!

*********************

Quote:
Originally Posted by purplebird7

I have a hard time picking out civit and this is why: it is listed as a basenote, yet I have read, repeatedly, that people pick it out in the first few moments after application.

I love many of those perfumes you have listed, moondeva, so I think I must be a civit fan. Yet, I'm still not sure what it is supposed to smell like. What do you look for to verify that it is a dominant note?

Quote:
Originally Posted by TDDanae

Like purplebird, I am a little confused also. In fact I am much more confused. I know all the musks, I think from clean to dirty to anything in between, but how does civet and castoreum differ from synthetic deer musk? I know deers, cats, beavers, but scent wise, how can you tell the difference? What do they smell like?

In its raw state civet is like your cat's territory scent sprayings x 100. For those who own cats that haven't been spayed, you will understand what I mean when I say, imagine your cat in season - marking their territory on the hottest day in summer... Thankfully, very, very little civet, a mere trace, is needed to make a mediocre blend positively zing!

Civet is amazing in the fact that when used lightly, and blended well in a scent, it works almost like an aldehyde in the way that it strengthens and amplifies the projection / presence on the other lighter notes in a blend - without overpowering them with it's own smell. This is why those who are more sensitive to this note are immediately aware of its presence from the very opening of a blend rather than discovering it in the base notes where it is listed. They perceive it as sharp and redolent of ammonia, just like cat scent markings. Civet's base note character is expressed by how it works as a fixative for holding and prolonging the longevity of the other notes upon the skin and for melding with your skin in such a way that the scent seems to emanate directly from your pores rather than sitting atop it. I tend to perceive civet by its presence in a blend rather than by its scent. So, I can find it easier to tell you which scents it's not in than explain what it smells like.

A great practical example, for those willing to spare a few $ to really understand, is to order 4 samples from Ava Luxe: Rasa, Rasa Xtreme, Kama and Kama Extreme. When you receive them pick one of the pairings (Rasa OR Kama) and apply one to each wrist. Even sniffed from the vial you will immediately notice the significant difference that civet can make to a blend. The Extreme version of each will either make you blush and recoil at its potent sexual animality or it will make you smile with erotic, sensual recognition. That's the civet effect.

The reason I pick these is because they are both animalic blends which contain exactly the same notes but in different proportions. Take Rasa / Rasa Xtreme: both contain 4 different musks from around the globe, ambergris, russian rose and civet. Yet they are very different in reality. Rasa focuses on the musks and rose with the ambergris adding a wonderful velvety plushness to the blend. Rasa Xtreme definitely gets civet off of the bench and features it in the game. It is the same but more - raw, sexual, animalic. Rasa is a sheer top worn out of an evening with a sexy lace push up bra, Rasa Xtreme is a sheer top worn without a bra and rouged erect nipples. Smell them both and you will see what I mean...

Other comparisons to try are:

Le Labo Labdanum #18 vs Donna Karan Essence Labdanum
Serge Lutens Musc Koublai Khan vs Kiehls Original Musk #1
Ava Luxe Film Noir vs Serge Lutens Daim Blond

I do hope this has helped to clarify the scent / influence of civet in a blend.

*********************

Quote:
Originally Posted by purplebird7

[...]BTW, should Youth Dew be on your list?

You know - I keep thinking that too! But even though it has a bushel load of other great notes, the only thing animalic in there is the musk!! I know! Hard to believe eh?! And I think it is an Egyptian / Clean musk at that! This would explain why when applied properly (discreetly) the effect is actually quite crisp, clean and pristine - somehow aloof, virginal and untouchable; like a 50's Housewife.

*********************

Quote:
Originally Posted by TDDanae

[...] If anyone would know this, you would Moondeva. Lordy, you own just about everything.

to you too!

I do not you know - there are Basenoters, far more discreet than myself who own 700+ perfumes and colognes... There are still many, many more scents out there for me to experience, own and maybe one day create as well...

Can you guess that I really love perfume?!

*********************

Quote:
Originally Posted by Taolady

[...]Do I smell an Ava-Luxe week coming up??

Great 'crazy, addicted' minds think alike!

I woke up this today with the thought that I needed to propose an Ava Luxe Week. I have a quite a few samples on the way... (sorry Kasae ) and will need the discipline of a week (more like a month) to work my way through them all!

Are you going to organise it Taolady? Or shall I? I think you should personally - you know, to 'break your ducks', so to speak... :brolly:

So yes! An Ava Luxe Week - easy. Bring it on!!
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post #12 of 23
2/24/07 at 10:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by moondeva

This is why those who are more sensitive to this note are immediately aware of its presence from the very opening of a blend rather than discovering it in the base notes where it is listed. They perceive it as sharp and redolent of ammonia, just like cat scent markings.

I always thought I was very sensitive to this note when realizing that the reason for me not being able to even cope with the supposedly clean Gendarme V was the civet it contained. It is exactly like the cat scent markings in there, it is so sharo I almost recoil. But go figure when I love the civet of Jicky PdT... There seems to be no definte answers when it comes to fragances notes...
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post #13 of 23
2/24/07 at 1:57pm
I just want to thank you Moondeva for your excellent description. When I said you own just about everything, I hope you did not take it in a way that was not intended. I think it's great!
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post #14 of 23
2/24/07 at 2:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by moondeva

[FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=4] For those who own cats that haven't been spayed, you will understand what I mean when I say, imagine your cat in season - marking their territory on the hottest day in summer...

So all I have to do is sniff my baseboards? Cool....... or not.
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post #15 of 23
2/24/07 at 2:36pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shifts

I don't know about the civet, but it sure is animalic beyond belief: Paco Rabanne - La Nuit

Amen to that, Shifts! I wore it today, as a man's scent, along with a touch of Cuba Paris and New Tabarome and I can vouch for it being D-I-R-T-Y! (in a really, really GOOD way)! Wow...I still am getting 'nasty-but-nice' whifs from the single chest spray at 11AM this morning and here it is 5:30 PM.

Paco Rabanne La Nuit is a winner in that regard, and a damn nice unisex scent anyway!
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post #16 of 23
2/24/07 at 2:51pm
Romeo Gigli Uomo

Lots of civet and perfect on a woman.
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post #17 of 23
2/24/07 at 6:51pm
what a great, informative post, moondeva! i have so much to learn. keep on teaching us....

i just read on "the scented salamander" blog that zibeline has civet. to quote the blog, "The civet becomes more distincly perceptible, realistically evoking feminine sexuality with the help of musk and sexual ylang-ylang." so that might be one to try.
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post #18 of 23
2/24/07 at 7:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by moondeva

Great 'crazy, addicted' minds think alike!

I woke up this today with the thought that I needed to propose an Ava Luxe Week. I have a quite a few samples on the way... (sorry Kasae ) and will need the discipline of a week (more like a month) to work my way through them all!

Are you going to organise it Taolady? Or shall I? I think you should personally - you know, to 'break your ducks', so to speak... :brolly:

So yes! An Ava Luxe Week - easy. Bring it on!!

I'm with YOU, girl!!

Why don't we work on it together? Maybe think of April or May. I'll PM you - and meantime, any others interested could chime in with suggestions and we'll think about starting a new thread. :bounce:

P.S. This was a GREAT post -thanks, as always!
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post #19 of 23
2/25/07 at 7:48am
O.K.
Now I understand why people smell it in both the top and base notes.
Cat pee has that ammonia smell that gets your attention right away.
Also, it has a dirty, long-lasting stink, causing me to scrub and scrub (and curse and curse when the tom cats come to my house and mark my corners.)

Thanks for all the information moondeva.
I love your posts.
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post #20 of 23
2/25/07 at 8:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by purplebird7

O.K.
Now I understand why people smell it in both the top and base notes.
Cat pee has that ammonia smell that gets your attention right away.
Also, it has a dirty, long-lasting stink, causing me to scrub and scrub (and curse and curse when the tom cats come to my house and mark my corners.)

Thanks for all the information moondeva.
I love your posts.


BTW, go to PetsMark and get PetZyme. Wash the area, and then overspray with PetZyme and leave it. It will work.
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post #21 of 23
2/25/07 at 9:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by moondeva

Civet's base note character is expressed by how it works as a fixative for holding and prolonging the longevity of the other notes upon the skin and for melding with your skin in such a way that the scent seems to emanate directly from your pores rather than sitting atop it.

Moondeva, this is exactly how I experience civet. I like how you've described its quality. I particularly get it in Joy and 1000 extraits. They are both so gorgeous in the extrait that it spoils you for other formulations. I'm sure the civet concentration is part of the reason. I don't seem to get that quality in the edp or edt.

I've also worn Versace Blonde in the past, but it was edp, not extrait, and I don't remember it emanating from my skin in the same way Joy and 1000 did. I loved Blonde, though, and I wonder if it would express its civet-ness better in extrait form. I saw it for sale somewhere or other on an online discounter's site.
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post #22 of 23
2/25/07 at 10:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taolady

Do I smell an Ava-Luxe week coming up??

That sounds like a fantastic idea!
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post #23 of 23
2/25/07 at 12:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taolady

I'm with YOU, girl!!

Why don't we work on it together? Maybe think of April or May. I'll PM you - and meantime, any others interested could chime in with suggestions and we'll think about starting a new thread. :bounce:

P.S. This was a GREAT post -thanks, as always!

You're on!

I was looking at her site (regular occurence these days) and thought that one could easily get overwhelmed with the sheer breadth of choice. But we could do, like the Guerlain, and have a scent 'theme' each day and people could purchase samples / chose what to wear from within each group.

Here are all the groupings. Even doubled up there is still too many for a 7 day week (We may need an Ava Luxe Fornight)! ...

Chypre / Vintage
Floral / Tropical
Fresh / Clean
Fruity / Gourmand
Wood / Incense
Spice / Resins
Green / Herbal
Oriental / Amber
Musk


--------------------------------------
Thank you pluran for the rec for Romeo Gigli Uomo and thank you quinpus for the Zibeline rec... I am seeking samples currently.

Sooo... Any more recs or do I have far too many as it is??

PS. I have finally fully recognised the delicious civet, castoreum and cistus labdanum accord at the heart / base of SL MKK and now need another decant / bottle... *sigh*
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