Faberge Babe

This is a review of Faberge Babe perfume and cologne - *not* Beauty Brands, which doesn't smell like original Babe in a side to side testing by any stretch of the imagination, nor Brut Prestige which in my 54 years on this earth I've never actually even seen. Yes Babe was always a drugstore fragrance. But you could buy Chanel No 22 in the same drugstore during the 70s, as well as completely destroyed versions of Coty Emeraude. The 1/2 oz. perfume comes in plastic bottles with a tacky, round cap that screams 70s. Not aimed at the upper class...their loss! I was a poor kid and yet I could afford Babe when I was 13; it was cheap and marketed towards teen & college age girls mostly. When my kids were grown and I got into collecting perfume I picked some up, for fun and to have a laugh at my terrible teenage taste. It turns out that my taste was pretty good. Despite being a drugstore frag, there are 118+ ingredients in Babe not the least of which is real oakmoss. It's a well composed, fresh, gently aldehydic floral chypre with an oriental feel that stars rose with wonderful raspberry notes, orris, spice, ylang-ylang, jasmine and more on a bed of musky amber. The aldehydes here give it a sunny lift, but very little soapiness, if any. It does not wear especially vintage as it's not powdery, musty, sharp, or difficult. The raspberry in Faberge Babe smells like raspberry, not candy and not bathroom spray. (I don't know how Beauty Brands can say they made 'Babe" without raspberry. If you wore Babe at any length in the original version, the BB is not going to fool you.) Sillage is good, as 70s perfumes were, and longevity - the cologne lasts 6-8 hours, and the perfume 10-12. I was fortunate to find a very special seller (thanks Gary) and now have a massive hoard of well stored, wonderful smelling Babe, top notes intact, which I hope will hold me for the rest of my life. =) If you see it at a reasonable price and like happy, feminine floral aldehydics I highly recommend it. Pre 2005 Estee Lauder "Estee" is a very close relative.

In the 80s I was too much of a snob to even sample Babe. I wore Cristalle and didn’t really think twice about Faberge. It was “drug store” and I was insufferable. But a 4 oz vintage cologne concentration bottle arrived today and I’m blown away by the quality of Babe. Just about all of the notes are still here. The florals are here, although not long lasting, at least not on this first spray. The hyacinth outshines the rose, and I would love more carnation. I didn’t get any raspberry this go around. But the drydown! YUM. The standard issue cyphre is given a yummy zhuzh by the coriander and celery seeds. The amber peeks through, but is bested by the musk more often than not. I swear if you plonked this in a Byredo bottle and called it BABE WATER you could sell it for $300. Luckily is still rather inexpensive on ye olde ebay. Get some! PS —a bunch of the 1977 TV ads are on YouTube and they’re a kick.

I wish they would bring this scent back! It's one of the few perfumes that have a carnation note but DON'T make me sneeze. I think Babe has an interesting and complex mix of notes, for such an inexpensive scent. I first used it as an afterbath splash, which was four for a dollar, small bottles, in a local discount drugstore. The splash lasted surprisingly long and had a decent sillage. Then I bought a small bottle of the Babe fragrance oil---incredible longevity!!! I could never pick out an individual note, in terms of any being dominant, but the mix of herbal and sweet really appealed to me. Babe was named for legendary female athlete Babe Didrikson, and the spokesmodel was Mariel Hemingway.It was one of many "liberated woman" scents that emerged in the wake of Charlie, and I think it actually smelled better on me than Charlie. Correction: The spokesmodel was Mariel's big sister Margeaux.

Wow, what I wouldn't give to have the 70's smells back again! Drugstore perfumes! They were so glorious! I do remember the smell of this very much. I got it after, Emeraude, Charlie, Wind Song, Tabu. I just loved Babe. It had something about it that popped it up a notch. Very clean smelling. There are some I missed here, but covered some of those gone by fragrances. I've tried the new drugstore ones, and they are only a hint, and sometimes not a good one of the vintage or original. Couldn't afford Chanel and the likes back then, so the drugstore is where I got these, off the shelf. Yeah, I so remember loving this one. It was my era, young and carefree. Bell bottoms, Bee Gees, always Elvis. The music of the 70's was the best. Friday nights out with the crowd. Boy do I miss those days! Yes, a fragrance really brings back memories.

Oh I love this fragrance so much ! It was a scent I longed to posess in the 80's when I was in grade school.The girl who boarded the bus before me wore it and it smelled so good! I finally asked what it was and then begged my parents for it for Christmas.I cannot tell you a single note that stands out, but it was just so sexy.Like salty skin, flowers and musk.I just acquired a bottle on Ebay.It is old, but I can still detect the original, beautiful scent.Bring it back, honestly-bring it back!

So.........just received my VINTAGE bottle and it smells great! I can see the resemblance with some of the "reminds me of" selections, but mostly I would put this in the category with Estee and Chanel No. 19 but softer and more floral. I thought I would remember what it smelled like but I was so wrong. But then again, how many years ago was that? Way too many!! Glad I received this and will enjoy until it's gone. :) Have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend.

Oh yes, had it, loved it......back in the day! Margot Hemingway, by far one of the most beautiful natural looking ladies of the day! Sadly gone too soon also. I forgot about this too, but I can still see her face. Truly beautiful. What did Cher sing "If I could turn back time". They could never make this today to smell exactly as it did back then, well maybe if allowed. Good times back then and great drugstore perfume!

I love and miss Babe....big,bold and beautiful... definitely a very popular perfume among my friends in the late 70s and 80s. I would recognise this fragrance anywhere! Wore Babe myself for awhile in junior high.. my first boyfriend loved it, so I am sure Babe was a fragrance that appealed to many males. I am so sad it has been long discontinued.. such a classic

I agree with Beaufort. I own the original and the current 'copy.' To me the reformulation is a weaker strength interpretation at best. Track down the vintage if you can. However my love is so deep I will use the copy if I can't locate the vintage. The original is just delicious, warm, sexy, and yes, raspberry.

I loved this in high school and had all but forgotten it till I saw it here. Brings back fond memories of my teen years! I remember it was a very long lasting scent.

Someone respond to my plea! Bring it back. There is a market for this. The memory lane market at least.

Growing up in a time when Babe was released I had forgotten about it so I wanted to take a trip back down memory lane. Come down memory lane with me to see what Babe smelled like. Let's go back to 1977. Disco balls and the release of Saturday Night Fever (the heart of the disco era) and Disco Inferno. Bell bottom jeans and perfectly feathered hair. Men doused themselves in Brut colonge and women lathered their hair in Faberge Organic's Shampoo. Touted for their silly commercial - you tell two friends and they tell two friends and so on.. (Youtube that one for a giggle). Let's also not forget Bonnie Bell roller ball super shiny bubble gum lip gloss - because of course the shinier your lips were the better... but now back to Babe. She was a universal fragrance who could be afforded by all - even some of the less fortunate girls such as myself. Margaux Hemingway the Granddaughter of the famous Earnest Hemingway made Babe look so glamorous in her commercials. I believe $4 could get you a giant 4 oz bottle of this magical juice. Babe is classic, she is vintage but she is also extremely wearable to today's standards. There may be a vintage hint but not in a off putting way - there is a rasberry note, some pretty hefty oakmoss, an extremely fresh happy note that instantly lifts a bad mood. Babe in a word is "classic". She is also timeless. In a world of sweet sugary gourmands she certainly is a square peg (sorry more 70's slang). But she could easily be a Niche fragrance. I have the cologne splash and it's got enormous longevity and a pretty moderate silage. Babe bears a resemblance to Estee Lauders "Super Colonge" the vintage version of course. So in closing I would suggest finding yourself a vintage bottle. I adore the retro cheap look of this bottle as well and display it proudly on my dresser top.

I have fond memories of this perfume. No longer in my possession for many moons now but it was gifted to me when I was in Jr. high in the early 80's by a boy who had a crush on me. He was disappointed because it wasn't the perfume, he intended to give me, which was Love's Baby Soft. He loved Love's Baby Soft (I wore that all the time back then it was a signature) but he got the names confused. I of course thanked him for his kindness and wore the perfume anyway. I really liked it. It was unlike anything else I had ever worn before. It was quite a bold perfume for a girl of 13. I had never worn a chypre before, but I really liked its boss style, which was actually considered sporty at the time. It was very refreshing to splash this on after gym class. It made me feel refreshed, clean and put together. Unfortunately, the boy who gave it to me hated it and ended up buying me a big bottle of Love's Baby Soft. He said he never wanted me to smell like anything else. So, Babe became my gym day cologne. These old drugstore classics really performed. I miss those days, great perfumes, very little money.

Floral, fresh, soapy, almost unisex! Babe is the mirror opposite of today's sport scent, and yet advertised by naturals for naturals. So different from today's marketing, in the most delightful way. I also enjoy a similar scent, Avon Topaze, which is more aldehydic and has sweeter florals. As such it's more feminine and mature, but they are quite similar in character and when worn side by side smell like a 'his and hers' version of the same release! Good time travel - nothing aquatic or assaulting to the nose here. The notes might lead one to believe this is sweet, but the fruit and honey are such hints as to be unnoticeable to my nose. The hyacinth, aldehydes (soap), marigold, and vetiver dominate after a citrus opening. Oakmoss and musk ground the whole very delicately. A refined and happy trip into the 70's..... <3

I diddn't think much of it when it came out, thought it was just another "teen scent" in a big, loud, ugly bottle. I recently aquired a 4 oz. bottle and am liking it for an everyday after bath type fragrance. I don't find it strong or lasting all that long. It's just a nice mellow scent for everyday. It has a nice flowery, musky scent that is comfortable and inviting. It would be fine for any activity or occasion.

This was my first 'proper' fragrance in a bottle. I think I was around 12 ( so that'd be 1983) and I got a huge bottle for my Christmas from my mum and dad. I felt so grown up, with my bottle reminiscent of the 'fame' logo and the gold lid. I vaguely remember it being very sweet, but not in an annoying way, just very clean and innocent. Happy memories and good times.

Just bought a vintage bottle and WOWWWW! Def worth trying! Great quality for price. The sweetness is perfectly blended with the florals that aren't harsh at all. the earthyness of it brings it all together. totally an incredible scent! its a shame they dont make this today, I'd wear it daily if it wasn't so hard to get!!!

I loathe chypres. With that being said, I like this scent. It goes on BIG with a blast of aldehydes and oakmoss but quickly settles on the skin to a soapy aldehyde floral. It almost has the feel of a Caron with a bite.I do not detect raspberry at all. I am wearing the vintage original.

I had cologne concentration. On the transparent tree sap, many, many inseparable floral elements formed into a seamless whole. A good and very long lasting scent. Perfect for the office during the day. It doesn't seem old-fashioned.

The favorite of the 80's teenagers, like me!! very fresh and clean like a soap