Basile

Hi Action, As I've used your wonderful reviews for many purchases, I thought I'd offer mine of this. BRILLIANT!! From first blast (definitely a blast) to final notes...an overwhelmingly warm, tingly and luscious journey. Lasts long, great sillage....but a soft around you sillage, not knock them out across the room. On me opens with ....licorice???? and a nice bracing citrus combined with spice. Then, the spiciness mellows, becomes more woody and earthy and seems balanced with that bracing citrus tone and the rose and iris notes. One of those where you keep smelling yourself just to enjoy it. I agree with Vena w and guest, very much in that spicy family like opium...but what it most made me think of was a soft, balanced more woody less spicy version of Youth Dew. A definite rebuyer, and now I have the terrible task of deciding which of my beautiful newfound fumes to wear today!! 10/10 for this one. Quite cheap, but with a very expensive feeling...

Very reasonable price... and honestly.... I didn't expect this kind of high level fragrance. It's something special and would be hard to compare it with anything else in my collection. Basile opens with special mix of cinamon and tangerine, some sweet flowers and hidden note of wood. Than woodsy note becomes more and more powerfull. And here it is, the most beautifull part of Basile when all those notes blend together in a woodsy incense dry down. It's mistique and it works spiritual and somehow rich. But not in tipical oriental way. Orientals are usually more sweet. The sweetness of Basile comes from white flowers and ylang-ylang and is therefore somehow gently sweet. To make my review shorter -this stuff is superb and you will not regret if you purchase!!

Now THIS is a beautiful warm, spicy, sweet perfume. I bought Casmir hoping to get THIS scent but was quite disappointed. So far, this is the closest to my favourite love, Fendi EDP. It doesn't have as many notes as Fendi EDP & not quite as colorful, but it is the closest I have found so far. Absolutely beautiful. I can smell the cloves, orange and amber which give it that wonderful warmth. I am soooo impressed. I bought the EDT ... for a very good price, but the EDP must be incredible ... but at $150 for 100 ml ... it's beyond my budget. I think I'm partial to Italian perfumes .... Basile, Fendi, Krizia, Gianfranco Ferre, Ungaro.

Oh this is Divine!!!! It's my favourite scent at the moment!!! It's beautiful!!! Heavenly!! Such gorgeous spicy flowers, such delicious sweet and tangy, juicy citrus', such a FABULOUS, aromatic, earthy, sweet and rich dry-down, that goes on for ages!!! The whole perfume, with all the divine notes coming and going, and shifting and changing, right from beginning to end - oh bliss!!! It's luxurious, exotic, refined and elegant, sensual and exuberant!!! I LOVE it!!! And the bottle is superb - so calming and peaceful looking - so contented and demure and feminine. Gorgeous!!!

I totally favor Basile over Opium! It seems rounder somehow and the opening tangerine sets it apart from many other Oriental style fragrances. Basile's warm, ambery and floral dry down lasts a long time on my skin and finishes with oakmoss and sandalwood. I don't get much patchouli. I use the vintage EDP. Vintage Basile is a quality fragrance for a really low price (when you can find it). The newer version EDT is lovely too.

candymarie, I own vintage edp and a later release though not the latest, that comes in a rectangular bottle with a round cap. I do not smell castoreum in either. Hope this helps :) To me, both newer release and earlier release smell too much alike to warrant seeking and paying a hefty price for an older bottle. The differences are very minor. Both are beautiful fragrances with incredible silage and longevity.

My friend let me test from her vintage bottle today; I was already wearing Coco EDP, which might account for the similarities I noticed right away, but the warm spices and beautiful rose notes, along with that clove, made me think of Coco, although it seemed a bit more herbaceous. A beautiful fragrance.

I agree with most reviewers that this is a very interesting, well balanced fragrance. One could wish for more complexity, given that, the way I read it, it is an opulent evening perfume (the kind that makes you feel put together and attracts just the right amount of attention at a play or concert). But there are no miracles, this is merely the closest you can come to one, perfume-wise. The fragrance is extremely alluring and warm, and you cannot fail to be impressed. After the powerful first blast, it settles down to a spicy floral woody aroma with just the right amount of strength and sillage. It has sweetness and pungency, and the two balance each other well against the sandalwood in the background, yielding a very refined result. It doesn't last as long as I'd like it to on my skin (about 3 hours), but none but the highest quality perfumes do. I think it's a better buy than you might think possible at this price level. Still, if you are very focused and have a fine nose, you can discern some cheaper and synthetic ingredients, just not to the point in which they'd get in the way of enjoying the experience, if you're like most people... My mark: 7/10 P.S. There's really no comparison with Opium. Opium is far more complex, less sweet, and the frankincense and musk make a lot of difference. Each with its own...

This is my impression of the EDP. I haven't tried the EDT so I can't comment on it. The EDP is a gorgeous dark amber in colour, and the scent is just as wonderous. I initially had samples and had to have a bottle. Basile is a beautiful, authentic spicy fragrance with depth. Care was obviously taken in constructing this as the notes cascade harmoniously throughout the different stages. And how it sparkles! Rich, yet not heavy in any way. The citrus is juicy and introduces Basile with a gorgeous glow. The cinnamon and clove soon arise and add more depth. Faint menthol characteristics underline the top notes - apparently there is juniper and pine in Basile, though they are not listed here. The florals are subtle at this point. The next stage is where the true beauty happens. Fresh woodiness soaks up the citrus/spice blend and creates the body of the fragrance. The florals have now emerged, lacing the woods and spice, they carry on and stay well into the drydown. Deep, longlasting, excellent sillage but not overwhelming; it's very warm and inviting actually. The smell of autumn and the changing tree colours set the perfect mood for wearing Basile. Simply gorgeous! I recommend for anyone who loves woods and spice and who wants a citrus with some complexity and depth.

There's a note missing here that's not listed and is very strong on first application - clary sage. To some people it could smell like licorice, but for the most part it has a very strong, pungent, earthy and almost chemical smell. Then that dissipates and it becomes a nice spicy, lightly floral fragrance that reminds me a lot of Fendi Asja. Both fragrances turn into a super clean soapy scents on me in the dry down. Spicy scents seem to do that on my skin. I had a similar result when using Obsession too. It's not cloyingly soapy, but more like an expensive, spicy bar of soap. It gives a very comforting feeling. I like this a lot.

I have known this fragrance in this site. I am italian and i always snubbed the italian products sold in drugstores because of the low price. I read your reviews and i bought Basile as a blind buy. Wow this is surprising! Excellent sillage and very well done. Very spicy, It begins like La Perla which i love but develops differently. Very very well done. Price : 10 euros. Cinnamon and clove are the notes i detect more. Try if you have a chance and if you love spicy fragrances.

It's true, iris_it, this is an excellent chypre with an excellent sillage, monster of longevity, original and not already smelled. An underated, very italian, warm and spicy masterpiece. In Italy is easy to find at 10 euros. When a lot of low quality stuff is sold at very high price. Incredible, but sometimes it happens.

OMG, such a unexpected find. Appears to be a vintage bottle, low price ebay find, but inside is a PARADISE. Classy floral chypre with Clove spicy opening, this chypre lasts and lasts, what is how I like me perfumes to be! Very recommended.

Basile is a lovely old school oriental similar to Youth Dew and Opium. Loads of clove and cinnamon with a creamy-smooth drydown, Basile smells far more expensive than it is.

The clove note is so unusual to me ,I like that .I bought it with a scarf in a box.My EDT bottle has a little black cap ,the liquid is orange .

Opened my Basile this afternoon! And not much more can be said. It IS lovely, soft, round and floriental chypre. Not oriental enough for my taste though; I had to come here to see the notes again since I was just sure some tuberose jumped out at the first spray. Sure enough it's in there! Immediate disappointment? Then that fades fairly quickly to a faint reminder of tuberose. I do see the reference to KL...KL us much deeper in my opinion and I've worn a LOT of KL. No way near the spices as in Opium, but has that warm, round feel that the original Opium had. I wish it was a bit spicier, because I would be in "low cost, heavy oriental Heaven"! Definitely worthy to have and will be a great summer time fragrance for those of us who just can't abide the florals and sugar juices summer usually brings. Try it!

What a beautiful scent! I am thinking about trying the newer version because I would have to spray lightly, and yet it isn't that strong. Powdery rose with rich spices and blended woods. The floral/powder is almost creamy. I do not smell much of any resemblance to modern Opium. It's too powdery. People talk of how luxurious Opium is, but I couldn't see it's beauty until I was shocked trying it in summer. The spices in it had an original green grass edge undetectable to my nose before that. Well, needless to say if you love grass but usually find it too sweet ( as in RL Safari ), Opium can be a great choice for summer.....But then it is probably very different on my skin. Basile has none of this grassiness, but I suspect it would be quite good in almost any weather. This is so pleasant it's hard to imagine anyone disliking it. It is much less powdery than other powder bombs ( like Rose Noir ) and the spices are not musty or cloying. The citrus and sweetness add a touch of interest and keep it lighter than most heavy orientals. Unlike lovely Youth Dew and some other sophisticated fragrances, it doesn't have a troubling balminess lurking to pounce on the new initiate's nose. This is something most men would love and an inexperienced nose would find could gently ease them into the daring world of vintage. But Basile never gets boring. It has elegance with a kind heart. Sillage and longevity moderate.

This potent clove stuff is only potent in the older versions.The new production has lost everything but the nice bottle.The bottle is the same but the content NOT Amber = the best.Orange = ok to good (depends on the bottle and the year ) White-lilac = water. Anyway , the guys are honest and don't color the water ,so anyone could see what they are buying. Please note ,that the concentration and strength have changed in time as the juices were produced : what was sold as edt once upon a time , came out years later in the bottle of edp or parfum - just to give an example and to prevent any drama between sellers and buyers.It's like wine ,what's inside the bottles depends on decade or year of production.In one word : lottery.

I saw this one at a drugstore close to me for about 10 euro. It's the only place where I saw it. I tried the tester and I was positively impressed. It smells very rosy and elegant, almost a rose-based fragrance, not heavy and not cheap-smelling. This put me in a doubt. This seems a much more modern scent compared to the old Basile. I'm old enough to own a mini from the '80s and it was completely different fragrance. Now my mini has gone off, but I still remember the dark ambery jus inside, floral for sure but with a strong spicy impact, almost a fur perfume, elegant and very 80s. This new one is very different and conjures no memory for me. Anyway it's a good deal because it's inexpensive and good quality.

Basile, a classic of Italian tailoring for connoisseurs, is not very well known outside its mother country, but in Italy it's always been associated with absolutely impeccable style. This wonderful spicy chypre, is again quintessentially Italian with its love of spices and citrus. A beautiful ambery/spicy/orangey scent which is one of the most distinctive chypres I've ever smelt. Similar in style to La Perla, another impeccable chypre, but somehow this is more refined, more tailored than slinky La Perla. A warm embrace of spices gives way to an even warmer, pristine smell of ripe tangerines and amber, which is perfect for a hot autumn evening in the South of Italy. Bellissimo.

At first I was furious with this - I was on a desperate hunt for something similar in any way to Fendi (Donna late 80’s) and my signature for many years - along with the rest of the world. Basile rated high as similar but when I secured a blind buy bottle on eBay, all I could think of was what I was missing. HOWEVER I became increasingly intrigued and delighted, I don’t have all the perfume language but this fragrance gives me a warm, deep, generous and sensual vibe that IS entirely in the spirit of Fendi (if not to me like It as a scent) but adjacent - and a curious scent of burnt candle wax, that I’ve come to love.

Got a 3.4 oz today and it is really really nice. I believe this blind by is a keeper. It's unusual and great smelling. I do not think it smells like Opium. I have Opium and Black Opium and love them both. I can see why some people may compare it to Opium because there is something in this fragrance which may for a minute make you think of Opium. It's soft, a little flowery and spicy, which I love. Worth the buy!I will be adding this to my collection right next to Kenzo Jungle L'Elephant and my Opiums.

Stunningly good. Puts most modern fragrances to shame, especially for such an "unknown" house like Basile. It's like a more rounded, full-bodied "Feminite du Bois," but centered around clove. Heck, this could have been a Serge Lutens release or a draft for a final fragrance. (Surely more interesting than the bland and redundant La Fille de Tour de Fer they put out last year.) Wear it in the in the Fall/Winter season for maximum effect and enjoyment.

Wow! Excellent sillage and execution. Very spicy, with a strong cinnamon and clove scent. Divine, lovely, and divine. Such stunning spicy blossoms, delectable sweet and tangy, juicy citrus', and a fantastic, aromatic, earthy, sweet, and rich dry-down. It's opulent, exotic, refined and exquisite, sensuous and vivacious!!! I adore it!!!

Only to ad that the best stuff I have is in the bottle pictured above.The real color is orange to amber ,not the darkest ;but the best quality.The darker one with black collar is good also,but softer ,for those who need less "rumour" around.

I have the original eau de parfum and it is really very similar to Opium. Great sillage but if you don't like clove please stay away. Clove is so prominent it spoils the whole experience.

Not listed here, but this apparently contains castoreum. Hopefully, it's the synthetic version in the modern release. Does anyone know?

I have been wanting to try this one forever too! Please if you know it, add your review so we can decide to buy or not..

@ClassicsLover, Thank you so much, this helps!