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Tabac Blond - Habanita - Bandit - Fumerie Turque

post #1 of 11
5/3/10 at 1:56am
Thread Starter 
I wonder whether I should forget Tabac Blond and write it off (new formulation now available to me)
- if I really like Habanita and self-confidently wear it. It really captures the mood/image behind it well. It always re-arranges its balance feminine - masculine (because of its notes) while it dries down on me. Gorgeous!!
- if I thought Bandit was ridiculous (I mean what I expected given the name) and washed it off as I found it quite off-putting. I didn't even care what went wrong on me. AND - too feminine on me, BTW.
- if I find Fumerie Turque too one-dimensional, smelling too much of "cold ashtray" (whose review hitting the nail on the head am I quoting?) and that I can appreciate it quite a bit and even think it starts to radiate when layered with 1-2 drops of (Bulgarian) rose.

Another question, please, to the much more experienced than I am:
Is the parfum in the Habanita Molinard 1849 collection the same compared to the parfum extrait e.g. sold by Molinard in small flacons? If so, could anyone please describe how it works compared to the EdT and parfum in small flacons?

Or do any other must-sample recommendations come to your mind when reading this?

Thanks a lot in advance!
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post #2 of 11
5/3/10 at 3:36am
Dont give up on Tabac Blond. The current version is still good!

Habinita though. OHH man! Thats a fragrance that should get more pub on here. A little harsh and off putting to start but the dry-down is probably the most enjoyable in my entire collection.
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post #3 of 11
5/3/10 at 4:10am
Thread Starter 
Maybe I should add that I very much like Cuir Mauresque - does it share a certain relationship with Tabac Blond apart from the Lutens' opulence?
Knize Ten I like and find somehow close to Habanita, but a safe bet for a man, yet also less beguiling.
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post #4 of 11
5/19/10 at 10:17pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Bigsugarman for your encouragement! I finally got my Tabac Blond (Extrait) straight from the Montaigne boutique in Paris. Weeeeeeell, it is much more about leather. I am tempted to call it "Cuir Blond" I like the initial fanfare, but I wouldn't call it a blast. The journey from there involves a lot of clove and carnation. Not quite what I hugely enjoy, but then the drydown is a soft leather melting into your skin. VERY nice! Overall, a must-have, but it does not live up to its name nor to the images of the past. (There was a point after half an hour when I thought this could be called resembling tabac blond unlit.)
So, I think if you want the cold ashtray thing, get Fumerie Turque. If you want a "cuir", try this! I also think one cannot deny that Tabac Blond is a bit along the lines of Knize Ten for a lady (I wear it now on my right wrist in order to compare the two).
I have read discussions about the color of this juice here. Mine is an intense yellow - not ambery. I find it less unisex than Habanita. If you feel comfortable wearing Chanel's classics, this should be fine for you.
The bottom line is: Boy, I LOVE MY HABANITA, just as slightly "trashy" as it comes in EdT!!!

To answer my second question (reply from Molinard): No, the juice in the Habanita Collection 1849 is the same as the Extrait sold by Molinard. So, the thrill is just about the bottle.
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post #5 of 11
5/20/10 at 12:14am
Larimar,
Thanks for the report on the Habanita collection 1849 and the extrait--good to know for sure.

I'm with you and BigSugarman on Habanita in principle for sure--the edt is a wonder just as you two have said and described it. I only know the edt, and sadly, I don't have it anymore because my mom stole my bottle! (With my permission I guess, because I find it hard to turn down my mom on things like that.) But I've now got to get another one. To me it even beats Tabac Blonde extrait for wearing pleasure, and I think all the vintage Tabarome wanna-wearers should pick up Habanita for something that is similar and sometimes a surpassing pleasure.

Wish I could say something intelligent about the Lutens scents, but you guys are the experienced ones there. I haven't had the pleasure of those tests. But I dig the power and the joy of the simple and reliable Habanita edt. Right on.
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post #6 of 11
5/20/10 at 12:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustB View Post

But I dig the power and the joy of the simple and reliable Habanita edt. Right on.

I'm fully with you
BTW, Cuir Mauresque will join the Lutens export range as a limited. Go sniff it at the end of the year, but be patient (if you feel put off by the initial blast), the drydown is gorgeous!!
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post #7 of 11
5/20/10 at 12:37am
I only have Habanita in the 1oz black bottle. Now it does not have the vanilla blast that the edt has, its far richer and deeper.

Have to say I have a love hate thing with Tabac Blond. I sampled and sampled and sampled. Sometimes it smelt gorgeous smooth wonderful. Other times all I got was a tanner's yard raw leather thing going on. In the end I bought En Avion which is leather but seemed to work better with my chemistry.
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post #8 of 11
5/20/10 at 12:42am
Thread Starter 
I have been trying the Habanita EdT and Extrait a lot recently... I think the Extrait is very nice (evening?), but for me Habanita does the trick better with the rough edges and the blast of the EdT. Having said that, I don't feel they are really far apart. I think I smell 'quality' in the Extrait that is partly not there in the EdT (of course), but I don't care...
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post #9 of 11
5/20/10 at 12:56am
I wouldn't pass on the current Tabac Blond because of the reformulation. Maybe it has been tamed, but it still has something quite shocking about it. I recently bought the parfum, and I love its raw smoky animalic edge. I don't doubt it has been changed, but I just can't figure out some of the descriptions of the reformulation that I have read. If this is a dumbed down version, the original must have been like wearing eau de skunk -in a good way
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post #10 of 11
5/20/10 at 3:04am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sean-dt View Post

I recently bought the parfum, and I love its raw smoky animalic edge.... If this is a dumbed down version, the original must have been like wearing eau de skunk -in a good way

I wonder where the beast is lurking in my bottle? But good for you.
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post #11 of 11
5/20/10 at 7:45am
Habanita is one of the best-kept secrets of the House of Molinard. The EDT can be found at discount and is a wonderful leather, vanilla and tobacco scent, with a touch of vetiver. Slightly powdery. The EDT is long-wearing and with good sillage.

Don't ignore the Tabac Blond, it is a treasure to have in any formulation!

Keep in mind Habanita was originally made for women (it still is) who shockingly starting smoking in public in the 1920s--these women were the garconnes: the boy/girls with their hair short in the Eton crop, showing their slender legs in short skirts and rolled down stockings. The Americans called them the "flappers." (Smoking cigars and cigarettes was strictly a man's activity prior to that time, which is why the likes of George Sand in the 1830s--a woman writer who took a man's name--was considered so scandalous. A tip of the hat to those pioneering gals of bygone times. Too bad they chose smoking to take their feminist stand and not something else...)
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