Faberge Flambeau

Flambeau is the last I am reviewing of the Faberge quartet I've been journeying through. This one is a beautiful, well-structured fizzy rose, beautifully balanced and sublime with oakmoss and narcissus featuring quite prominently. I don't find this firey as the name might suggest, but it's elegantly sultry, much in the way a vintage Chanel EDT might be -- smooth and lusciously golden with sparkling aromatics silkened with orris. Too bad Faberge is no longer making perfumes of this calibre. Acquisition by Unilever in 1989 has seen an end to that, and the birth of toiletries brands such as Brut, Axe and Impulse. Fortunately these vintage beauties are available at an affordable price -- keep your eyes open at estate sales and online auctions for the best value olfactory trip back in time!

One would think that a perfume named,"Flambeau"(French for "flaming torch") would be a real hot mama number: intense, smokey, a bit dangerous. It is, in fact, one of the most ladylike of fragrances. "Flambeau" is silky roses. There are some green notes that give a sweet, sparkling quality rather than a fresh coolness. The overall effect is smooth and creamy. That such a captivating scent fell out of favor is hard to believe. For that matter, it's hard to believe that a house like Faberge, which made so many exquisite perfumes, went out of business.

i actually bought the pure parfum from ebay.it was still sealed.when i opened it,it had'turned'.it smelled like an old sour mop.i love this fragrance and would love to find one similar or maybe a vintage bottle with the fragrance in better shape.and btw this brut parfum company doesn't list flambeau,i sure wish it did.i'll just keep the search going.love to you all,cocola

I was fortunate to find a bottle that the fragrance was intact.it is SO lovely,just as I remembered from when I was a teen

I got this as part of a lot I bought on EBay. I didn't know anything about it when I bought it, but I've been enjoying it. In the opening, I don't get any lily-of-the-valley or peach, but it reminds me of many chypres of the era. It just smells vintage, if that makes sense. The middle smells strongly of orris. It reminds me a little of Givenchy Le De, but more floral and less powdery. Later, I smell amber with a hint of sandalwood, and then the oakmoss comes out. It's much longer lasting than I expected, based on what I've read about it, but the scent does stay close to the body. I don't think I'll have any trouble using up the bottle I have, but I am not sure it's something I'll seek out again.

I’ve been collecting vintage perfumes for many years. I just happen to get a spike in my interest lately. I saw a listing for a bottle of vintage Flambeau on eBay. I wasn’t expecting much as I usually only purchase vintage perfumes for display and collection. However, just for grins and giggles, I tried a little on my wrist this afternoon. I really like this fragrance. It’s sweet and spicy at the same time. I swear I smell cinnamon. I’m getting Cinnabar, Spark and Scoundrel vibes (three of my favorites) from Flambeau. So far I am highly enamored of this scent.

Flambeau hot damn! Beautiful powdery, creamy, flowery and gental for a chypre. It's not green or sharp but it is strong. For a cologne this can be deadly if overapplied. I love it to death but mine is more like a strong perfume. This is a good thing... if I can remember it. It reminds me a bit of Avon Moonwind with HEV-E orris and vetiver.

a woody chypre, nothing more and nothing less; nothing special

A friend bought me some Flambeau body powder with a fancy red puff at an estate sale. I might put some on tonight and try it out; it seems a bit strange to have a body powder with a chypre fragrance, but it came with a half-full bottle of Moonwind cologne, another vintage chypre, so I suppose it is just one of those cases of autres temps, autres moeurs. My friend who found it for me says she discerns a cinnamon note (part of the Spicy Mix, no doubt), but most of my chypres seem to have pretty complicated spice profiles, so this would probably blend well with any number of things. I have my doubts about the safety of using such ancient talcum powder (manufactured before they really cracked down on asbestos), but my nurse friend assured me that it's probably find, as long as I avoid "the nether regions," as I certainly plan to. I love the extravagant red box (the cardboard resembles silk shantung fabric) and the hubba-hubba fluffy red pouf. Even if the scented powder proves disappointing, I'm happy to have this as part of my scent libraries. And 'tis the season for a bitter chypre. Taylor Swift, feel free to use that line in a song, no charge.

To me, Flambeau is one of a trio of warm, sensual 1950's floral chypres - along with Revlon Intimate (1955) and Max Factor Primitif (1956) - that also have fruity, balsamic or Oriental notes. The scents share the same creamy depth, subtlety of floral notes, and intoxicating touches of woods and resins. I appreciate the restrained use of sweet notes such as vanilla and benzoin so that the warmth in these perfumes never becomes cloying. And while none of these scents seems overtly animalic to me, they all have clear notes of civet or castoreum to add some oo-la-la to the mix. Flambeau is a pillowy, rich floral chypre with lots of spice. There’s quite a bit of clove in the opening, then it shifts into warmly funky castoreum and musks and some thick, creamy orris. The florals are restrained, but I perceive mostly soft rose and jasmine. The peach lactone note in Flambeau is subtle, when compared to vintage Femme or Mitsouko, but it is definitely there and whiffs of Flambeau certainly evoke these other two great perfumes. Flambeau is beautiful perfume for cold weather and special nights out.

I can almost imagine the vintage ad copy: "It's a chypre. ...It's an oriental. ...No, it's both! ...It's Flambeau by Fabergé". Yes, there are a variety of floral and woody nuances, and yes, the oakmoss chypre base is a solid presence, ...but don't underestimate those vaguely listed 'spicy notes'. There are generous doses of cinnamon and clove in this formula. If I was going to compare Flambeau to anything, it would be something like Tabu, ...though this is more peachy and mossy than that. After, just now finishing writing a review for another pointless, modern scent, that really didn't deserve the effort, it is such a pleasure to sample such a rich and exquisitely crafted, antique treasure, ...that fortunately is not yet lost, but likely will be someday. So indeed, while there is still possibility, be sure to escape this ever-diminishing present and time-travel back to legendary days of yore every change you get.

My third vintage Faberge scent, and I have to say, I love Faberge. I can't smell any of the notes directly; I don't think it's too powdery or floral, but those notes are there. It does, however, smell like some sort of old school make up line or lipstick from the past (not Coty airspun powder or Revlon lipstick), but I can't put my finger exactly on which one. But it does make me think of classy vintage face powder or something. Very pretty vintage scent!

"My mood is torchy." That was the slogan. This is Big Girl perfume and Big Perfume. Allldddeeehydes alot, like Ciro Oh La La but a soft and gorgeous come down - Oh yeah soft powder smooth bourban silk velvet Captial P Perfume. Classic.

it had a green 'twin". anyone remembers the mame? 🙏