Nombril Immense

A sudden itch in my bellybutton and I have to scratch it. Woah, woah woah - I've got to stop neglecting this little recess during my shower time, it seems there's a hefty dose of lint trapped within. I pull out the itchy culprit and inspect it. What is this? It's not lint, but a balloon. A mottled balloon; primarily green but flecked with specks of brown and purple. Just how did that get in there?! As I bring this oddity to eye level to inspect it my nostrils are teased by the odor of patchouli. With child-like curiosity I begin to inflate the balloon. There's a tingling sensation in my mouth, and with each breath the sensation grows until finally it has engulfed my tongue and cheeks. I don't know it now, but there's a bouquet of violets stuck in my vanilla chiclet teeth and my uvula is actually a piece of smoldering opoponax resin. The once dark green mottled balloon grows and grows. I'm not sure if the balloon's rubber has stretched so thin that it has simply disappeared or if it has mysteriously transmogrified into the denser hazy green smoke that encapsulates the swirling currents of opoponax smoke and violet breath within. I continue to blow and it continues to expand until my head is completely engulfed; like an old diving helmet but rendered not with copper or brass but patchouli and opoponax and violets and vanilla instead. A vaporous helmet fit not for an aquanaut but a psychonaut. The intoxicating aroma of my new headgear assuages any fears of absurdity that had begun to arise. With my newfound confidence I gaze back into the navel that gave birth to the whole of this experience and find neither flesh nor flora, but instead a gaping expanse of velvety white clouds that extend into infinity, each perfectly shaped into the likeness of a patchouli leaf... ... ...My toes reflexively curl as if to grab hold of the shag carpet beneath my feet for a bit of extra stability as I come down for a landing. I open my eyes and gaze about, slowly adjusting to the surroundings that my body never actually left, and wonder just how long and just where to my mind has been traveling. Gently clutched in my left hand is a sample of Nombril Immense.

The brand ELDO is known for rather provocative monikers for its products, but in this case we can happily disregard any associations with belly buttons and focus on the scent per se - I mean, belly buttons don't smell like peppery patchouli! For this is a very beautiful (and not at all kinky) fragrance with patchouli as the star protagonist. The list of notes is completely accurate: our protagonist is supported by black pepper, bergamot, vetiver, opoponax and peru balsam; pepper is the sidekick, and the remaining notes play relatively minor, but colourful supporting roles. This fragrance is green, woody, ambery and completely unisex. On my skin it lasts 8+ hours and stays pretty linear throughout. Highly recommended even to people who are normally averse to patchouli, because here it has been stripped of all potentially challenging components. If someone asked me to (re)name this scent, I'd call it 'Zen'.

This is a beautiful patchouli fragrance: soft, feminime and very comfortable. Nombril Immense is my favourite from ELdO!

This is My favourite,my love:)

Soft. Powdery. Patchouli? I should start by stating that I'm not a huge "patch head", honestly, it's a note I struggle with. As someone who has spent their life involved in music and art scenes of various types I have naturally encountered many saints and sinners who held patchouli incredibly close and wore it almost like a second skin. With the association of both the kindest old women I've ever met AND passive aggressive condescending granola yuppies attached to patchouli I've naturally approached it with trepidation and just a general apprehension. Enter Nombril. I was offered a trade a few days ago, Nombril being a part of that. I was already a fan of ELDO so that certainly helped it initially but I did some research and was intrigued. I love soft and gentle fragrances, especially of the "brown" variety. After getting home and testing all my newly acquired fragrances I was initially a bit let down. All I could smell was patchouli, rollerball hippie shop patchouli oil. So naturally this morning it was with a bit of apprehension that I decided to test this fragrance on skin but I am so glad I did. Nombril has been a pleasant companion with me today as I do chores and loaf around my apartment. On skin this fragrance opens with a slight citrusy brightness along with a strong dose of patchouli but that fades VERY quickly. Very shortly after the opening I was left with a very relaxing and cozy patchouli and woody scent. There is a certain powdery feeling that I absolutely love, which I believe is coming from the carrot seed, that powdery feeling in the dry down is making the patchouli much more digestible for me... Here's my assessment: -7/10 Overall -Spring, Fall, Winter -Day or Night -Location/Situation: Asheville, NC on a sunny Saturday afternoon in November. Window shopping after eating lunch and an edible. -Song: Things We Never Did - Sad Lovers and Giants

I've wanted to add a patchouli to my collection for some time, and quite frankly was getting patchouli fatigue from all the niche samples I was trying. So many of them smelled similar, and I wanted to be surprised. Well, I'm here to tell you Nombril Immense didn't surprise me either, but it's the patchouli I went with in the end. It hasn't completely shaved off the rough herbal edges of the shrub (nor would I want it to), but the balsams round it out nicely to make it very enjoyable and cozy. I'm a big fan of Nathalie Feisthauer (I also own Putain de Palaces, Murmure des Dieux, and Must de Cartier Pour Homme), so I was happy to add another to my collection. Honestly, LM Patchouly Boheme is a little better (also with the balsam) but was too expensive and only came in a huge bottle. I found the Nombril at a great price (this may be discontinued, as it's no longer on Eldo's website).

While I don't agree with below reviewer on the worthyness of a bottle, I need to say that Nombril Immense is not bad at all! It's actually one of the few Etat Libre that I enjoy on my skin. It's confortable, relaxing, a little bit mystical and it gives me a vision of open spaces. Like many other from Etat Libre it goes on in alternate stages. The first hint is a woody freshness, then it becomes baby powder, then again woody and mystical. It smells like the wood columns of an Eastern temple in Tibet could smell in my imagination. Mostly like Dzongkha, but not as greatly done. All in all is pleasant and meditative. It hits on my nerevs that it smells better from the vial than applied on my skin. Worth a bottle? No. Buy baby powder and throw some sandalwood and patchouli oil in it. It's cheaper.

I'm finding myself going back to this after a long time since my review. I'm thinking about FB, because this Immense Nombril (ombelico immenso, hahaha!) has a lot more to say. It's kind of addictive and yet so out of my comfort zone. I love how the patchouli is done here without that thick heaviness of a hippie-type patchouli oil. This not even TM Angel, thanksgod! It almost smells like sandalwood... or a forest. Comforting and grounding, free and positive. And yet it is a sweet scent in some phases. This one smells raw and primeval, not perfumey until it reaches the drydown and smells a little like aftershave. One of the very few ELDO that I might buy and the marketing bla bla is more tolerable than others.

Pleasant, wearable, refreshing. Didn't last too much on me, but still a nice, rounded scent. Besides the patchouli, i could hardly pick up anything else. If i let myself carried away, I would probably say this is a grown up hippy, respectable and almost conventional, with just a hint of the old transgression. but then hippies stopped being transgressive a long time ago.

I'm mighty glad that I chose to order a sample of Nombril Immense amongst the vast array of enticing Etat Libre d'Orange scents. I knew just by glancing at the scent pyramid that I would love it. Nombril Immense sounds so beautiful when spoken in French, but the rough translation to English is huge navel, or belly button. Well, if belly buttons smelt this good, you wouldn't be able to drag my nose away from one. I can assure you, Nombril Immense is an oriental with a lovely blend of patchouli and opoponax. When I first applied this fragrance to my wrist, I was met with an intense, spicy burst of patchouli and opoponax. I was left wondering how people could describe this fragrance as subtle. However, after a few minutes, Nombril Immense did indeed become subtle. So subtle, that at times it was hard to detect. I enjoy loud scents, so I would be lying if I said that I wasn't disappointed by Nombril Immense's weak sillage. I often rectify this problem by over-spraying, and I find that the more I layer the scent, the stronger it in turn becomes. Other than the dominant accords of patchouli and opoponax, other notes that I can detect quite strongly on my skin are pepper, peru balsam and vetiver. I think this fragrance could wear well on both men and women, and is best suited to wear during Autumn and Winter. By all means, if patchouli often gives you a headache or offends you with its dominance, you may want to give Etat Libre d'Orange Nombril Immense a try. I'm certain that many will find themselves enjoying this fragrance's unique subtlety. I highly recommend.

As others have said, this opens up with a rich explosion of patchouli, that i find quite impressive, i wish it lasted longer actually. After about 15 minutes the heart comes in, to me this is the almost opposite of the opening, a slightly sweet powdery heart that is almost like a new-born baby's soft skin. I am very impressed by this scent as not only does it duplicate a (pleasant) sweaty skin opening leading quickly to an extremely pleasant powdery cleanliness... but the quality of the patch and the juice in general is damn good (on my skin at least). Sillage is moderate but i'm getting well over 6 hours on my skin in longevity. In that time i never had to dig into my wrist to find the scent, it wafts beautifully. Highly recommended.

Giant Bellybutton! Once again, the wacky frog-eaters at Etat Libre d'Orange have come up with a strong smelling, very original scent. Of course, a REAL giant bellybutton, full of lint and body odor, wouldn't smell like this - it would smell more like their Secretions Magnifique, which I like, too, but in the way I like certain types of ear-splittingly painful and difficult music. (Penderecki, Throbbing Gristle, Captain Beefheart, Carcass, and early Public Image Limited, if you care about music. This, however, is a slightly spiced up Patchouli that avoids most of the hippie associations...which is good, 'cos I can't stand hippies. So if you like Patchouli, this is a good one to try out

Connecting the scent of Nombril Immense to its name is an exercise in free association. Belly button, as in vaguely spiritual navel-gazing in a cloud of powdery, woody incense? Belly button, as in umbilical cord, as in infant? It's certainly baby-like and soft, so the natal connotations are as close as I can get. Nombril Immense is the most gentle, breathy patchouli imaginable, and that in and of itself is something of an accomplishment since it's totally divorced from the usual hippyish connotations. Imagine patchouli as a warm skin-like scent, and that's close to this experience. It's absolutely genderless, and while beautiful and comforting on its own, it welcomes layering.

Regarding the above "official" blurb for NI: Patchouli is not a wood, by any means-- it's a simple bush or shrub. It's the waxy leaves where the scent comes from, not the stems. And lest it seem "exotic and precious", virtually anyone in the USA can easily grow it in a clay pot on their patio, given enough warm sun. I have grown it on many occasions. The only patch oil that's expensive... is some that has aged for 20 years or more. Otherwise, it's as common as sage or mint. But then again, we all know that the descriptors often used by the 'fume industry are silly and fatuous.

My favourite scent from the French brand Etat Libre d'Orange is this lovely autumn-winter fragance. I have been wearing it sometimes this cold winter because it is cozy, comfortable, mystic and contemplative. It is all about patchouli, but high quality patchouli. Nombril Immense is ambery and woody, with a hint of sweetness in the dry down. It has reconciled me to patchouli (and to Etat libre d'orange too). To me, it is completely full bottle worthy.

3 of 5 for me. it's nice enough but nothing that impresses me per se. it IS a light scent and those aren't usually my thing. i LOVE opoponax + patch, but this isn't a pushy opo-patch scent at all. it has that Etat drydown that IMO a number of their scents have that doesn't thrill me - something too powdery about it (and 'dirty' at the same time). decent longevity, but no sillage at all after a fashion - a real skin-scent after the initial push.

Patchouli, patchouli and more patchouli on a slightly bitter balmy base with a tiny hint of spice (the carrot seeds?). Interesting but I just don't love patchouli nearly enough to appreciate the difference to ordinary patchouli oil. I'm not sure what attracted me to Nombril Immense in the first place. I guess I was expecting something warmer, more resinous, less patchouli-y. It lasts more than 10 hours.

The name « nombril immense » that significate « huge belly button » is for me a reference to the ego and the fact of smelling really strong! In French, we say about someone who has a « huge belly button » that this person is self centered, quite arrogant, and likes to show off and be remarked. If this smell is really strong, then you have your explanation on the name!

A lovely, fresh, almost lemony green beginning that lasts less than five minutes. This is followed by a soft scent that must be patchouli and vetiver (I don't know how opoponax smells), very wearable, with some sillage and lasting about two hours on my skin. This gives me an excuse to spray again and experience the wonderful beginning all over again.

L'ombelico immenso di cui si parla è in realtà il foro anale, che si vedeva nel disegnino che si trovava nella bottiglia nelle prime edizioni. Era un'allusione a quello, e anche l'aroma marrone e caldo della fragranza parlava di quello. Era molto buono e caldo, cremoso, invitante. Ma non é stato compreso e ora interrotto da tanto.