SpellBound

Guess who now owns a vintage bottle of the increasingly hard to find Spellbound EDP, full 3.4 oz??? This girl, that's who. Awesome sauce. Guess how much I paid for it? It was a steal! Not literally...I don't get down like that but I happened across it in a dusty old pharmacy (hasn't the ubiquitous dusty old pharmacy become the perfumista equivalent of the used car lot little old woman from Pasadena car who only drove it to church on Sundays? No, but really it was an ancient pharmacy). Anyway, I spritzed a bit on my forearm...no wait. Today I wore my new fave Grey Flannel so I did not want to mess up my violet iris revelry with any other frag. Instead I spritzed a bit in the air of my bedroom (I know sacrilege, how could I waste a drop?). I went about my business. Now my bedroom is in the back of my home. I went out to the garage and came back in...WHOA! One spritz of Spellbound in my back bedroom had traveled all the way to my living room and into the family room and in my kitchen. I was almost afraid of this stuff. I finally tried it on late in the evening once I was home for the night. Spritzed a bit on my forearm and it becomes this caramel sugary lollipop sweet. Now before you run to the hills, keep in mind that I don't mean American candy sweet where it's just pure sugar overload. Instead I mean the very embodiment of the word "dulce", which when translated is just the Spanish word for candy or a sweet. However rarely do mere translations communicate context and culture. The confections of many Spanish speaking countries differ from American or European because there's always the addition of spice. Sometimes just a bit, sometimes a great deal, but whatever the amount the spice is supposed to act as a counterpoint to the decadent sweetness. Spicy candy? Yes. Candy and sweets are not viewed as mere simplistic succor for the young but expansive gustatory experiences where each portion of the tongue is left satisfied. I say all of this to say that Spellbound is not a gourmand in the way that we are used to in terms of pure sugar. It is no Pink Sugar nor is it a Flowerbomb. It presents an entirely different point of reference for sweetness. I expected an incense bitter spice but instead, I got a palerinda or even a cinnamon rich vat of dulce de leche. I'm loving it and it reminds me of my childhood growing up in the central valley of California. I want to lick my arm where I sprayed and I'm so happy that I came across this find.

I prefer this variant more than the reformulation, because it is deeper but also more uncontrolled. But let's face it, it's a boudoir scent, not a street scent. It is indeed the boudoir scent of a strong woman, not a housewife, not a "luxury pleasure lady", but it is still a perfume of negligee. To give you an idea,imagine a feminist woman from the 90's coming from work, where she held a leadership position, late at night, she is dress in a dark power suite, with her hair caught sober, she enter her house, only a few lights are on in the house and it's a grave silence. She closed the door slowly behind her, and set her bag and work files on the floor, she takes off her oxford shoes and her black long velvet coat, she releases her hair and runs her fingers through it, she opens her lapel shirt close to her bust and takes off her pants belt, she advances to the marble stairs in the middle of the hall, from the small wardrobe next to the first step of the stair take out a bottle of Spellbound or of it relative Cinnabar, she sprayed with it and go upstairs. She enters the matrimonial room, sees her partner in bed reading wrapped with a duvet up to the neck, the partener see her, fix her with the eyes and wait, the woman moves lightly and felinistically to the bed, grabs the book and throws it down,she tangles her fingers in the consort hair and fix the eyes. They start kissing and she throws the blanket away and then....you know exactly what happened then 😏, anyway this arr the Spellbound or Cinnabar, two perfumes created for boudoir pleasure for powerful women. In my opinion, with the risk of putting the crazy fans in my head again, both are much better than Shalimar, or the classic Opium or Bal a versailles or others, at least for a powerful woman and that because yes it's sensual, and tumultuous, deep but in the same time is elegant, sober, strong and has something cold-mysterious in it, like a velvet back suit with a dark red satin blouse with long neck on which you put a vintage gold brooch with a big red ruby.

The following review is referring to the first edition: Personally I do believe that Spellbound, represents if not the zenith in Sophia Grojsman creations, a very high level of her ability: a huge number of ingredients from fruit notes to flower ones, from resins to woods, from animal notes to herbal ones: nothing is missing and for me all the ensamble seems to work perfectly. It is a sort of well-done experiment, while using 'dissonant' notes but gaining a beautiful music to play in exchange, only a genius could do it. Of course it is a winter frag as its opulence can match no skin during the hot season, BUT on the other hand this is also a very difficult perfume to wear: not only because it could be overwhelming - not too much indeed - but this is the kind of perfume that can take you for a walk and not the contrary! Not many people make a real justice to Spellbound but when it matches your PH, the result is great! This fragrance is not so simple to tame but for me, this is one of the best frag in E.L's large family. Unfortunately and probably due to its many (some of them very expensive!) ingredients its 'not-so-easy-wearability' (it belongs to many different olfactive families!) and blablabla, it has been regarded as a sort of Cinderella (do not forget some bad reviews also, T.S., for instance!) either by customers and by the same producing industry, although for different reasons. In Europe, it hadn't been available for a long while, but when it finally reappeared it was just a little bit 'modified'....... perhaps too rich and complex for the large market it was thought for, I believe. As many reviewers have said, it is better to handle it with care, the lasting power is typical American: from morning up to........showers included! ; )

This feels like gorgeous pressed flowers trapped in glowing amber. Everything is so well blended within the amber that no single note is stealing the stage, it feels very harmonious. It’s not overly spicy or loud but it is deep, like a thick goo you could sink into if you’re not careful. It’s just sweet enough, resinous and very very smooth. It’s well named because it’s magnetic and bewitching. This is a smell that I can picture Nicole Kidman as Gillian Owens in Practical Magic wearing with her feminine earth tone clothes and copper hair. this is the scent of a mysterious beguiling person with hidden talents, a green thumb and is just at home being the center of attention at a bonfire party or reading a weathered book on a wraparound porch with a cup of honey lemon tea. It’s earthy and witchy without being dirty or heavy or an incense/musk/spice bomb. instead it is creamy and clean while remaining deep and alluring. This is the smell of skin glowing in candlelight and warm sweet night air full of fireflies. A sturdy well balanced foundation for different smells to mingle with and play across, herbal tea, cooking, potting soil, bouquets, gardens, clove cigarettes and old books would all harmonise with spellbound if they crossed your path while you were wearing it. it's a scent that's meant to set the stage for whatever your night has to offer. I can easily see this being someone’s signature as this isn’t just a scent it’s a concept and a character as well. Perfect for fall, and definitely a night bloomer. projects well but isn’t suffocating or obnoxious and lingers on skin for quite some time. Instantly in my top tier of amber fragrances in my collection.

Having not wore this scent since the early 1990s , I gave it a generous testing in Boots the other day. WOW!! This is a SILAGE MONSTER !!! My main gripe with modern scents is the terrible quality , so many I will test and although I like the scent ,it is gone after ten mins. ................. None of those problems with this heavy hitter vintage gem ! I simply must own this as my next purchase. So glad I randomly tested it as I couldnt remember much about it from my former wearings all those years ago, except that i liked it. This is so sweet in a classy floral way, not a synthetic candy way.The notes that stand out to me ( this is prior to checking if they are actual listed notes) are carnation , a heavy STRONG CARNATION on me which I love , violet , white musk , a powdery iris , a touch of somnething carnaly dirty ...... Some soft sweet spices , maybe cinnamon ? The overall affect is a beautifully scent that is complex , and hard to define. It changes on my skin between sweet/spice/floral/musky. Just amazing . The silage and longlevity are off the scale. In a sea of modern EDPs thathave little more strength than a toilet water , the quality of this is just perfect !! Im thinking this would make a lovley gift for a lady of any age , but it would be especially perfect for a young lady who loves sweet and loud scent , and is looking for something that one doesnt smell on every other person. A forgotten gem ...So happy they sre still making this.