Vierges et Toreros

This spectacular collaboration between star perfumers Antoine Lie and Antoine Maisondieu is a culmination of all that confounds and seduces me about fragrance: salient limbic responses and vivid flashbacks to sensations not felt in years. An oily tuberose bubbles over, bursting through a peppery seal, puff and fuzz, a mentholated unguent drying on sebaceous skin, fills my nose with this inexplicable bliss. What on Earth is going on? This smells freaking head-scratchingly gorgeous. Ylang ylang like over ripened botanic detritus being picked off of leather boots, lived-in denim dungarees, gentle florals growing furry and feral, "I am a lineman from the county, and I drive the main road" starts playing in my head. Vierges et Toreros smells like AM Gold, has that feel of those pale, faded TV slides used as interstitials in the 70s, announcing a community calendar, an exhibit at a local art museum, or the debut of a new public affairs program. "Oh the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see" is what this fecund costus root accord croons in the heart, "fantasy it gets the best of me" as its goat-fur reverie and post-coital bedsheet essence grows more addictive over time. Nutmeg and perspiration arouses the senses; gee, I wasn't expecting that. The tuberose transitions from mentholated petals to lily whispers, a rugged leather is brushed senseless into soft suede and the Animalis Hypo base sheds more herbaceous and woody in this dusty vetiver haze. For those whose tastes are firmly planted in the likes of Kouros, Bel Ami, animalic fougeres and chypres from 35 plus years ago, and have yet to explore what 21st century niche has to offer—this would be a perfect gateway drug. A brilliant, absolutely brilliant fragrance.

I tried this on blind of the notes, only remembering people mentioned 'blood' in reviews & I'd been curious. I got a semisweet sandalwood-like opening with something thick and rich and oddly sweet I recognized from ELDO's Charogne (tuberose's richness mixed with their brand of leather + ylang), something zippy contributing an effervescent edge (ELDO's good at this, it's bergamot & spices here) and some other fun spices (light application of pepper, nutmeg, & cardamom the most). The combined effect was a fun, sweetish but lush floral with an increasingly buttery-feeling, gently leathery undertone, so yummy & unique! Unlike anything else I've tried, excepting that little bit reminding me of Charogne at the opening. BUT... 2+ hours later it morphed into an entirely different beast! Now it smells undoubtedly masculine, like something one of Lutens' musk scents (MKK, Mauresque) would produce as an offspring. I'm tempted to use the word 'dated' but don't let that offput you; I'm very, VERY attracted to this. And if I'm being brutally honest, it makes me blush a little because I feel like this would be something I'd smell on an older man, an older but strikingly sexy man who looks every bit his age and still makes the ladies swoon, a la Sean Connery. I love it! Very rich, almost powdery amber edge with lots of the smoothest pepper I've experienced, and a TON of dark, decadent musk. Very animalic, spicy, and rich smelling. As the Connery joke goes, it stops evolving and stays in the manly phase once it gets there because "Once you reach max level you stop leveling" (look up the pic, gamers will laugh). I love the opening on myself; I'd be strongly tempted to devour a man wearing the drydown. Hm. Decant or FB wanted!

Sensitive cowboy vibes. If you enjoy animalic notes at all, take any gasps of horror, wailing, and gnashing of teeth concerning this fragrance with a grain of salt. This is a cool masculine-leaning take on tuberose, and there's an avant-garde aspect to it, but ultimately I don't find it the least bit challenging. Just pleasant for what it is. This does for tuberose what Terre d'Hermes does for orange. To me it's vetiver dominant with generous black pepper on the front end and light tuberose humming in the background throughout its lifespan (as advertised), and yes there is an animalic aspect, but since that's a product of the costus rather than civet, deer musk, castoreum, etc, it stays well away from being pissy or barnyard-y and veers more modern, toward the smell of something that resembles good quality natural wool. If you have a sensitive constitution when it comes to smells, this may read as edgier than you'd prefer, but I doubt most will be even remotely offended by this unless all they're used to smelling is Macy's perfume counter testers. This also isn't nuclear in strength by any means. Previous versions might have been stronger, but I actually kinda prefer that my bottle provides adequate but not overwhelming projection and sillage since the scent's uniqueness more or less speaks for itself and doesn't need to be blasted into the stratosphere to make its point. This is a great one from ELDO, and it's a shame it was discontinued since it strikes such a great balance between wearable and innovative.

What a fragrance! I'm always looking for fragrances out of the ordinary, and I think I scored here! There are two ways to read this fragrance: 1- we get into the marketing game: "Vierges et Torreros". That is: "Virgins and Bullfighters". The name is well found: indeed, one can smell notes reminding clearly of blood (the virgins... not so virgins anymore) and the corridas (bullfights), a smell of animalic flesh and cowshed. While I agree with the blood image, to me it reminds me more of a goat farm, goat excrements, possibly rotting goat cheese haha! I would have chosen a different name personnally, mire like "goats and butchers", or "shepherds and slaughterhouse"... 2- you forget the name: aside of the fresh opening (ylang-ylang/bergamot), it morphs quickly into a linear base, that is a beautiful spicy tuberose (tuberose+black pepper+nutmeg) that makes this one lean strongly towards the masculine side. The drydown is about birch tar/leather+musc+vetiver. Also noticeable is a hint of cardamom. Whichever vision you should have, I think that again the duo Lie-Maisondieu made a total hit. A show of 21st century perfumery. I love it, but I admit it may not be the easiest fragrance to pull-off. In the same "range" as Histoires de Parfums 1740, but surprisingly I'm not a fan of HdP 1740... Strongly recommended to frag heads, but not as a blind buy. (I blind bought it, but I personally like "extreme experiments"). Spring/Fall nights, 30+ fragheads. (lovers of sephora's freshies: stay clear from it!)

Interesting one this..I purchased a 10ml sample to try it out, and on opening the bottle my first thought was "cheap, very alcoholic womens' perfume"...however, I applied some to the skin and then it was a completely different story. Initially, a heavy nutty floral note (the tuberose?) which dried down to a spicy leather, and definitely made me think of bull fighters and dust under the spanish sun....perhaps a hint of blood in there too. Fast forward to last night when I made the bold decision to apply this liberally to my neck and back of head before attending a black tie event. My experience of this fragrance this time was somewhat different...I seemed to be getting more of a coconutty tobacco scent from it, but always with a bizarre slightly cheesy body odour smell underneath....not wholly unpleasant, and as fan of animalic scents I appreciated the uniqueness of this. The longevity is superb (24 hrs+ on my skin) and sillage also good (although perhaps my dining companions were not so appreciative). I do like this and will continue to wear it on special occasions (it is not one for the office really). This is a really fascinating blend of floral, leather and animalic and I wonder if my perceptions of it will change as I wear it more often...this scent takes you on a journey, an adventure, and perhaps that is it's main attraction...there really is nothing else out there that resembles this one.

Vierges et Toreros is one weird scent. The opening is quite rubbery and thick. A bit like hot plastic. But there's also an orgnanic feel to it. The mixture of leather, rubber and tuberose stays constant for quite some time, but I do get occasional whiffs of nutmeg. When smelled from a little further away the leather and nutmeg are most prominent and create a very typical masculin smell (I'm not familiar enough with masculin fragrances to really describe this scent further). There's also a hint of hot milk, mixing with the leather-tuberose combo. This creates a strange intimate feeling, almost like skin after sex. I don't think I like Vierges et Toreros, but I don't dislike it either. It is very intruiging to say the least. I do find the last stage rather pleasing to smell, but it's still not very wearable. But is that always the point of ELdO? EDIT: Ok, I DO like it. A LOT. It's totally weird, but so intoxicating! The "typical masculin scent" is not so strong after all. And the leather, oh god, what a glorious, waxy, creamy, warm and sexy leather! The tuberose and milk create the most beautiful blend and the tiniest hint of blood raises this whole combination to another level. Tuberose for men or strong, butch leather for women? I need a bottle. Stat.

I was a bit hesitant to buy this one, reading all the negative review on this one, but after a couple of months on sale, nobody bought this perfume, hence, all things considered, I was compelled to buy this blindly... And the winner is me... of course... But this is a love or hate perfume, I give you that. It's true that the image floating in my mind the first time I sprayed this is a hospital corridor, because the leather here smells much alike to antiseptic liquid, maybe it's the mixing of leather and tuberose, but don't take it negatively. It is beautiful. Maybe the reason many people associate this with blood and linen because the brand intended us to think that way. But I tried to smell it without thinking about the image of blood on the card that accompany the purchase.... I conclude that this should be classified aromatic, medicinal, floral... It's really beautiful, and it's in the same vein as Clinique Aromatic Elixir... And the more time lapses wearing this, it gets better and better. Strong silage and longevity. No regret from me blind buying this perfume.

After finally acquiring some samples from another member on here, two full bottles came into my life within two weeks after many years of searching! What can I say that others haven’t? It’s tuberose, cardamom and goat leather. It’s a very weird combo, and it works so beautifully. Creamy, animalic, comforting but also VERY strange. Did they sell this one at Sephora when ELDO was sold there? Thinking about the masses going in and smelling this makes me think that’s why they discontinued it 😆 There is a slight goat cheese facet that is so funky I just can’t imagine it ever being mass appealing. Perfect fade to soft patchouli incense. It is absolute perfection and def one for the niche freaks if you can find it. If you can’t (because it’s pretty much impossibe), Luci Ed Ombré is actually a gorgeous replacement. It isn’t as animalic but it’s the closest you can get and it’s beautiful too.

Butch and bitter start, leather and glue, which is equally indolic and mentholated. The interlink between the floral and the animalic is clear from the very beginning. Instead of forming a dark and heavy duet, their texture is somehow elevated by a rubbery neoprene freshness. Tuberose takes the stage more and more with time аs the bitterness of leather fades and turns into soft new suede. This narcotic flower can often make you dizzy: here, it keeps your senses sharp, the way petrol fumes do. You can see in Vierges et Toreros the potential of smelling straight expensive, a part of an exclusive soliflore collection. But luxury was sacrificed for the sake of a rebellious concept: unrefined urban industrial elements counterpoint the lushness, opera was tweaked into punk. It's a challenge in a bottle. Pushes you out of the frame immediately.

I believe the best way to approach any ELDO fragrance is to disregard the name and the silly scenarios constructed for them for marketing shock value. Then you may really appreciate a few of their products. I personally love a couple of them, like a few more and not care for the rest, and hate one (guess which?). My loves are Rien and Vierges et Toreros. This one is a heavy leather scent, but kinda live hide rather than dead luxury shoe shop leather. The leather cord paired with costus evoke animal images, whilst the tuberose adds a touch of sweet floralcy without showing her true colours. I do find it projects much less than it did a few years ago, and doesn't last as long, so it has probably been watered down due to costs or people whining about strong perfumes. Still, I own it and I love it on me :)

My wife got a sample of this stuff and I quickly laid claim to it. This is my favorite scent. Period. It's everything I look for in a scent. Woods and Leather, Earthy and Bold, and with a twist to keep me wanting to smell myself again and again. It's a huge collection of bold notes, juxtaposed to create a ghost note that reminds me of iron, blood, hormones, and a hint of sex. And this was what I was thinking before I read the writeup. I don't honestly buy into gender in fragrances. Yes, some are clearly geared toward women, some towards men. Some I wouldn't wear because the do smell too "girly". But this stuff can go both ways easily. I appreciate the ambiguity. And this stuff lasts all day. Many I have tried, I don't care to smell anymore after a few hours, but with this, it transforms all day long.

sexy sexy sexy, it’s less trad masculine feeling than I thought it would be straight up leather and sweet, juicy tuberose which prevail for the entire thing with supportive nuttiness, citrus peel, pepper, cardamom, it all comes out fresh and dewy with a pretty floral veil labdanum and vetiver in the dry down bring out a cashmereish quality, I loved this not actually animalic or bloody to me but it feels post-exercise, and I can interpret the lingering spice notes as that warm back of throat sensation before you notice that your nose has started bleeding... lasts beautifully, I love it EDIT: where can we find this in 2026? can't even get samples anymore, so sad

A daring concoction, which neither assaults the nose nor insults it like a safe, easygoing scent. Transformative, influential, a little bombastic - but also extremely pretty thanks to the tuberose, which is both key and lock in a heavy and exotically carven doorway. Vierges et Toreros has an undeniable, masculine / feminine intrigue. However, some suggestible minds, overly swayed by the conceptual description or the name of this perfume, are ruining it for themselves. If you fancy there is anything like "blood" accord here, or anything else remotely offensive, you are letting the promotional materials spoil your response to this gorgeous fragrance.

wow, very unique and conceptual but wearable and addictive; for me the strongest notes are nutmeg and leather dry yet sweet and powdery; cardamon, labdanum and patchouli are present too but not in an herbal way. This has a very smokey feel to it. I would guess there is styrax in it as well or maybe some birch. All rounded and powdery pretty. Reminds me a bit of something from January Scent Project or Hendley.The base is very resinous and reminds me almost of conifer/evergreen. And, in the final final it is a creamy soft incense/amber that reminds me of the base of some Histoires de Parfums. It's all about the labdanum here.

Disclaimer first: do not wear this to the office or for a family gathering, I beg of you. But as a lover of leathery, animalistic fragrances, this is a huge hit for me. It opens with a strong, goat-like leather (unlike Liquides Imaginaire's Peau de Bête which read horse to me) that leans on the floral the same way a strong goat cheese can get floral note. My fellow cheese lovers will understand. On my skin, it then fades to a soft incense that is reminiscent of sweat, not your own but someone else's, making this scent incredibly sexual. Very appropriate for BDSM events, and night time forest rtuals.

Addictive and sexy smell. Very animalic to me, to the point where I can’t picture myself wearing it anywhere else than a club. Completely NSFW. If I ever encountered someone wearing this I would be obsessed with this person. Without knowing this perfume I would probably wonder if this person has ever showered or if it is a very niche scent. It definitely doesn’t smell pleasant or clean. Reminds me of goat leather, dog fur, sweat. This is an amazing work of art that I would keep in my collection to smell it from times to times and wear only in an appropriate setting.

The moment of pure bliss is what I felt when I smelled this unusual fragrance. Green tuberose, powdery leather, earthy patchouli, dry vetiver and inviting spices is what I get on my skin. Intense tuberose isn't something I would go for, ordinarily, but it is a star amongst these intriguing notes, and the perfume wouldn't be as vibrant without it. It is a very appealing mix. The scent is fresh and dirty, innocent and feral at the same time; I find it magnificent. The projection and longevity are both wondrous. What a masterpiece!

I love smelling ELDO's cheeky lexicality in its liquid form in those transcending moments when intent and content click. Putain, Rien, Jasmine are all excellent examples. All my favourite Etat tropes are at play with Vierges et Toreros. Leather, ELDO's library staple, here is raw skin and wet fur. Cheeky, challenging, addictive. Cool crispiness, so exclusive in ELDO's creations, lets the whole composition (and the wearer) breathe. The main flower is almost unrecognizable. This is what niche is about. *****

On me it starts with leather and spice, think that's the Toreros part, violent and strong. And then tuberose appears, and bergamot edge the leather softly. Patchouli is the base of the leather. The animalic part makes me kinda dizzy but it's still fascinating. 2-3 Hours later it turns into a gender combination of tuberose and leather, delicate and not so aggressive anymore. I admire this one, but since it's Etat Libre d'Orange, it may not be acceptable for many people. lol

What this reminds me of is, going to the library, and turning pages fast of an old book and having a whiff of it, old paper, woody, leather surrounded by something balsamic, have no idea What that is, maybe ylang ylang... I hate ylang actually but it so blended that I don’t detect anything apart woodiness and leather. Such a masterpiece. I can imagine A stylish man sitting in a mid century styled house.

Amazing smell, I spray it on hair, it lasts long time. I get slight leather scent with a lot vanilla like nutty smell.

i am always looking for a backup of this, pls pm if you're selling ur bottle

I don't see it on the site anymore, is it discontinued? :((((

I finally got a bottle of Vierges et Toreros which I'd been wanting to try for ages, so when it arrived in the post early this morning with 3 other ELd'O fragrance I purchased online, I immediately rushed to have a shower and try this one first. I liked it immediately, being part of my Oriental/leather/wood favourites, so I got instant recognition with many of my old favourites, like Bel Ami by Hermes, Jules and Dior Homme by Christian Dior, KOUROS and Opium pour Femme by YSL, Comme des Garçons by Comme des Garçons, RED for Men by Giorgio of Beverley Hills, DHL by Estee Lauder and a few others whose names escape me right now. The leather, wood and spice notes really dominate the theme and I can definitely tell that the florals and freshly masculine bergamot are there to softly balance the stronger, masculine notes. I do not smell any of the human pheromone notes, but perhaps they are meant to be subliminal. All I know is that this is a very sexy smell of a self-confident man. I will most certainly be buying another bottle when this one finishes, especially since this is a rare EDP strength It's definitely a very masculine smell and I need to stress that I wore this after a shower on a very hot summer's day in Western Australia. I honestly don't know why a woman would wear it, unless you are a great fan of Opium pour Femme and like wearing lots of it, as it's a rather 'butch' fragrance to be smelt on a feminine figure. For the guys, this is your passport to getting yourself noticed in a sexy, addictive way. Definitely go for it if you are the daring go-getter who is not afraid to be noticed. I read and liked the creative blurb and was fascinated by the concept of deflowered virgins, toreadors and a bullring on a hot summer's day in Spain. It's marketing after all; and what many parfumistis forget is that La Maison des Etat Libre d'Orange as a perfume house, does NOT create perfumes for the ordinary, everyday, conservative, 'normal' perfume fan. They produce unique, outrageous, over-the-top fragrances that are designed to stand-out, shock and cause a commotion; a 'fracas', like the other famous retro perfume. Too often, the non-specific gender marketing of ELd'O fragrances confuses wearers into thinking that they can get away with wearing a particular shared fragrance that simply doesn't suit their personal tastes and this occasionally breeds negative reviews. I think you either love or hate these fragrances; but it's not worth obsessing over their negative aspects. My philosophy regarding ELd'O is "if you doubt yourself, wear something else". There are many other nice, sweet-smelling, pretty, floral fragrances out there to feed the masses of clean-living fans who like to smell sweet and fresh. Vierges et Toreros and ELd'O are definitely not for the faint-hearted!

I'm amused to find that many smell blood in this fragrance, or other seemingly nasty accords. I smell none of these things, in fact I think this fragrance smells quite sexy. Whenever I wear Vierges et Toreros, I feel like a seductress. On my skin, Vierges et Toreros opens with sweet, buttery tuberose and smooth leather accords. This blend is both naughty and nice, the perfect meeting of the masculine and the feminine. I would recommend it to both sexes without hesitation. I like the contradictory nature of this fragrance, especially the sweet and powdery white floral meets animalic leather and musk concept. I believe I first heard of this fragrance through Tama Blough on Cafleurebon, where she wrote an article earlier this year on the classic seductress, Bettie Page. Well, I do agree with her, Vierges et Toreros does suggest "lady of the night" to me too. I do have to be in the right mood to wear Vierges et Toreros. I would personally pair it with a little black dress and killer heels, or reserve it for those occasions when a little bit of 'naughty' is required. I think it bears some similarities to another seductive fragrance love of mine, Vivienne Westwood's Boudoir. The longevity and sillage are both very impressive. However, in regards to the sillage, the best tip is to apply sparingly in order to enjoy the scent and its seductive aura. I've come to the conclusion that this fragrance may be an acquired taste, in a similar fashion to Secretions Magnifique. Essentially, one person's taste of heaven, is another's worst nightmare.

His initial notes is as a direct punch in the nose, it is difficult to distinguish any particular note, because it has an explosion of notes all poignant, but very well mixed. After a few minutes it is remarkable the predominance of nutmeg with a slight citric background, as over time it evolves and burnt note nutmeg gives way tuberous, with carnal aroma, juicy and sweet levemete, but having a citrus background noticeable. It's amazing how it evolves almost constantly on the skin making it difficult to describe it, but after 40 minutes of application citric background is almost completely erased, and now it becomes creamy and slightly sweet, and so it remains for almost two hours, at this stage, the aroma is more feminine, but after these two hours comes a woody chord dirty and burned lemevente mixed with the creamy note. I could not make a connection between the name and the perfume smell, i was expecting it to be a little more dirtier, what show more the side of the bullfighter, but it's still a good perfume.

A Spanish Bullfight in a nutshell! Pure drama in an olfactory sense. Leather, tuberose, pencil shavings from a posh cedarwood pencil that never stops. My god that cedar note is strong (funnily enough there ain't no cedar but the vetiver, patchouli and pepper together create that smell). It's probably due to the bull goring his horns into the wooden walls of the arena when he fails to hit the red robe of the Matador, time and time again. After hours of gruelling and duelling, the leather of the saddle is covered in the sweat from rider and horse, further heated up by the Sevillian sun (the tuberose) piercing down from the zenith. That's when the rider has won over the fainting bull who struggles to keep afoot in this basking heat. Musk, nutmeg, leather and a fainting tuberrose. The bull finally succumbs together with the tuberrose, the sun, that sets in the late afternoon. All that is left is the earthy wooden smell, sprinkled with sweat and blood after everyone has left the arena. THE END 8/10

This screams 'animalistic' to me. Leather? I'd say an animal farm. Actually, I absolutely agree with the comment about goat excrements and I don't mean it as a bad thing. It's hot outside of the farmhouse and somehow we've also got some intoxicating tuberose here! Interesting, as the tuberose smells most intensively at night but this perfume feels like scorching sun. Smells like falling for seduction, just like I did when I grabbed the decant right after reading the frag's name. And then there are nutmeg and ylang-ylang. I believe that the latter is responsible for the salty blood accord, as I got the same feeling with the vintage Samsara EdP. Speaking of Samsara, it smells amazing if you spray it on top of Vierges et Toreros. I've picked up this tip here on Fragrantica, can't remember the username but thank you, kind stranger! I find it hard to wear Vierges solo as it is more of a piece of art rather than an everyday scent.

42)The best thing to do if you want to try this perfume it's to forget everything about a story or an experience. You'll just try something strong, a heavy leather with tuberose flower...if you can do that, it'll be like trying "Secretion magnifique" without know the name...it's not so challenging, it's weird ok really heavy and long lasting but nothing over the top for who like this kind/family of fragrance. For me one of these rare perfumes impossible to wear for a women.

Sampled this cuz I thought it would be strong...well its ok but the notes are hard to pinpoint. To me this smells like fragranced hair, but in a good way. This is second time I've tried a perfume that has what I'm gonna call "hair" accord. Wearing in public it drifts in and out. It's like an invisible fragrance. It's subtle and strong. I'm gonna keep sampling this..

Uno fra i profumi di etat libre che mi piace di più. Ne ho una boccetta del 2007 e lo trovo stupendo. Speziato molto piccante,bianco splendente,come viaggiare d'estate in una decapottabile coi sedili in pelle bianca,il vento che soffia sul viso, e poi un maneggio, odore di stalla nelle vicinanze,ma l'atmosfera è così piena di sole,pulita..

I kind of understand what people mean by a blood smell. What I get is a waxy smell. The leather and tuberose seem to create a kind of warm, clean, waxy smell. it has a dangerous feel to it - like a Man with a knife. It smells quite cruel. I think the virgin should be very afraid of this toreador.

Opens with a strong flowery leather accord, then quickly, within an hour or so, settles down to tuberose labdanum frag. with spicy undertones. Lovely for spring and fall, but also at summernights. It is however a soft fragrance with a soft sillage, but the longevity is quiet ok. 83

@alphairone and @anastasia.privalova, I have never seen such terrible writing combined with overuse of 'fancy words'. Why try so hard? You both obviously write with a thesaurus at hand thinking you sound sophisticated and 'intelligent' but it's very much the opposite and cringe as all hell. Anyway on this fragrance I love the leather note in this one but the flowery dry down is not my favourite. Decent silage and longevity and quite unique so if you're one of those people who need things like fragrances/clothes/hairstyle,.. to stand out as a replacement for a personality this one will do the trick I'm sure.

SO different on skin. On paper, this has a mentholated feel with an underpinning of rough and dirty leather. On skin this is much more rounded. Also, i would strongly advise against smelling this too up close! I wore it to the office (brave) and to my surprise, the sillage was a beautiful, softly spiced, rough leather. When smelled up close, the barnyard-like qualities are much more noticeable. Definitely growing on me!

Vierges et Toreros, or 'virgins and bullfighters'. Upon application, I immediately smell something bloody and I am reminded of my bad experience with Secretions Magnifiques. Ever since I tried that, most of the ELDO creations are ruined for me, as they share a common accord. Now, combine that association with the artwork that comes along with this perfume and it's no surprise where we can link the blood smell to, for both the virgins as well as the bullfighters. ;-) I think most ELDO perfumes should be considered as an olfactory experience or art if you will, and not so much as wearable perfume. Yes, I know that eventually it's a matter of taste, but I think it's fairly safe to say that there are few who would actually enjoy wearing this. After the sharpness of the opening settles down a little, I do get the leather. But it's so strong and animalic, it's as if I can smell the bull while it is still alive. That is why the association with blood makes me feel uncomfortable. The projected cloud was much lighter than when I smelled it up close to the skin, so perhaps this could work when applied lightly and from a distance, making it less concentrated in one spot on the skin. After about 10 minutes, I washed this off. Even if the heart would have been gorgeous, the opening of this perfume is something I could never get past. Better yet, an opening I would never want to get past. To be fair, I think ELDO is very good in creating these olfactory experiences. I remember smelling Secretions Magnifiques, and the scent itself wasn't even really disgusting. But the scent evokes such strong associations that most people feel disgusted.

I'm currently working my way through the Etat Libre D'Orange sample kit, sadly not enamoured by a lot of it. I get savoury and blood notes through many which I find really distasteful.I think their eccentric reputation has led us to believe that the scents are better than they really are, with perhaps just a few of their current line being wearable/likeable. For me, this one is utterly awful for at least the first hour, almost as bad as the legendary Secretions Magnifique. Why? It reminds me of badly cured leather. I adore the fragrance of leather but this a perverse version. I went to Tunisia some years ago and the smell of cheap leather products festering in the heat made me feel nauseous. The smell had a leathery base but a real stench of 'not quite cured properly' about it, as if the material still held blood fear and gore. An hour in and it's less offensive with a more standard leather and tuberose note taking place. At this stage it's wearable but pointless when other much more beautiful leather and tuberose scents exist. It's not worth the awful journey to the wearable stage.

The first time I sniffed Vierges et Toreros by Etat Libre d`Orange was a gross experience. I must be a masochist, so I tried it a few more times and each time was a little less gross, but still, hell-to-the-no. ELdO did not eff around with the execution of the concept. Speaking of execution, VeT is “the virgin and the bullfighter”—with blood, tuberose and leather. Yes, I’m picking up all three accords loud and clear, but there is something in the composition that smells truly awful. I can’t describe it, but it certainly makes me nauseous. Maybe all of us are not working with the same olfactory equipment and some notes are divine to some and putrid to others? Perhaps genetic factors are to blame... Are we supposed to applaud or mock our hero as he withdraws his bloody sword? I can’t rate this.

No tuberose, or leather, or ylang-ylang on me... Just overwhelming cardamom and costus. I waited for the drydown because I felt like it might get better after a few hours, only to be disappointed : on me, it smells like filthy old man bathed in Fahrenheit. Perhaps my expectations were too high for a scent that combines my love for big tuberose and deeply animalic accord, but it doesn't work for me. So disappointed because I wanted to love, and I expected to love it, and I didn't.

This is a great example of a brilliant concept for a disappointing substance. Vierges et Toreros opens with a smoky, dusty leather that's quite fashinating but it gets terribly chemical and annoying in the flowery drydowm. It has something I'm not able to exactly detect that litterally makes my throat contracting. So bad 'cause I liked the ideas behind this perfume but I can't really stand it. I've to pass on this one. Rating: 4.5/10

I am sorry to say this, but it was my very first perfume trauma... Unfortunately, my boyfriend likes it to wear from time to time.That keeps me ayway from him efficiently ;) It smells to me like sweaty, dusty male bodies fighting in the arena..2000 B.C Also, i find it terribly longlasting and its sillage is good. If I had to wear it - I would cry. It is very animalic, very niche..

This reminds me a lot of Si by Lolita Lempicka. Overly spicy, cloying, superstrong vintage cologne. The fade gets a little weaker but it is still too much for me. I do get a faint blood scent (how do they achieve that? secret undisclosed notes?). The blood isn't pleasant. I really love their other scents, so I can forgive them this.

This stinks. Thick and soapy, like a leather jacket soaked in floral detergent. No blood accord that I could detect and not really animalic or dirty either, just overhelming. Definitely not feminine, but I wouldn't want to be near the man who thinks he can pull this off.

I can appreciate artistic fragrances but for me this is completely unwearable. It smells like a dental surgery filled with a sweaty team of rugby players.

labdanum + tuberose = BOOM that's an explosion! Now, if you like labdanum that's for you! quite thick and grand lady like if you know what i mean ;) I tried it because of the tuberose. I like that very much, a bit less the labdanum. The suede and nutmeg give character to the main ingredients. The name is great! the flowers are so pure and vapourous and in the drydown you get an impression of blood, which is very subtle, you need to imagine it. Nothing disgusting at all! To try out!

This is supposed to be a twist on a floral leather. Past floral/leathers have used the juxtaposition of the hard and the soft to lead to an interesting blend. I’m not sure if it’s blend here or just a contrast. The tuberose doesn’t last long, but it makes for an interesting opening. Fairly soon, the dominant note is a plastic/leather accord that lasts through the basenotes. There’s supposed to be a strong animalic vibe here, but I don’t really get it. Maybe that’s what I’m calling plastic, but the artificial quality of plastic seems so far away from raunch in the bodliy sense that I don’t get anything carnal. Just a very clean plastic. I know Etat Libre d’Orange is the pixie of the perfume world. They challenge our notions of olfactory beauty. (I’m a fan of Secretions Magnifiques.) And I’m very appreciative that they do. But this doesn’t really seem like a challenge. It’s more that they’ve decided to use an accord that simply appeals to the nose. It’s really a play on tromp la nez. Plastic can smell good. So can gasoline and paper for that matter. I know we don’t usually point these things out when we discuss the art of perfumery, but here’s the evidence. In this case, though, and using the ridiculous gender distinction of the virgin and the toreador as a red herring, we’re distracted from the plastic by a description of florals and leather.

I was lucky enough to meet and interview Etat Libre's Etienne de Swardt at MiN New York in the spring of 2012. Etienne said during discussion that this was ONE of the fragrances he found himself reaching for the most. He spoke with such passion, telling me a story about the virgin and the bull. He explained how this fragrance was meant to represent a clash in modern perfumery as well as sexuality... man vs woman (tuberose vs leather). And although I am not a reviewer that buys into hokey advertising, this fragrance actual told me that olfactory story. It starts out with a citrus style blast blended with a fine, yet rugged leather aroma. This creates a sense of a freshly polished sofa. It quickly develops and loses the citrus top notes which begins to grow smoother due to the use of the flawlessly blended spices. As the fragrance settles a bit, the real olfactory battle begins. The beautiful smell of a floral bouquet rises to the top as it contrasts the animalic and scruffy nature of a "real" man's leather scent. The masculinity of the leather grounds this fragrance through and through. But like many things all it needs is a women's touch and the end results in glory. What I get in summing up Vierges et Toreros is a strong, dominant and masculine fragrance with a well appreciated soft and sensual side.

Seem like evrybody screaming when they try ELO ́s Secretions Magnifique... I didn ́t, but this one made me scream. And then it wasn ́t even me trying it, but my husband. On him it smell like worst kind splatter movie I can imagine, like something that could be called The Garden Party Massacre, cause it ́s no doubt about this being a floral... pretty, sweet and white flowers all covered in ruby red, thickening blood! A lot of blood also! And OMG do I hate the smell of blood??? Really repulsive for me... I was screaming to my husband to go and wash this horrid perfume off at once, even tough he didn ́t think it was anything wrong with it. Belive me he has no olfactory sense what so ever! I have to admit I don ́t have the guts to try this on MYSELF! Anyway, my middle daughter got home and I let her smell it and she adored it immediatly so I gave it to her. So please keep this perfume as long away as possible from me, even tough I have to admit that it is a real masterpiece from an artistic point of view, and appearantly I ́m the only one in my family that can smell the note of blood Or at least the only one that can ́t handle it... did I mention that my husband works at the emergency room at a hospital? I guess he kind of like blood... Really worth trying, nothing I have smelled comes even close...

Completely lovely, but totally not animalic to my senses. Also, obviously tuberose. It reminds me quite a bit of L'eau Scandeleuse by Anatole Lebreton -- also a tuberose and leather combo, and very much worth looking into for folks hunting a similarly unisex mellow, modern floral-leather. Primarily a very round, gummy, puffy accord of a chewy ylang-ylang (bit more than the tuberose, imo) and tuberose with a round, warm, nondescript musk -- again, not filthy, though not quite "white" musk either. Warm. The Lebreton similarity aside, there's really nothing like it and it is quite complex. Maybe that's what comes across as "filthy" or "animalic"? My work used to regularly expose me to all kinds of smells of human disaster and decomposition, so it may be my senses are unable to perceive an animalic subtlety at play here. There are tiny sparks of something metallic/lactonic and whale breath-y during the first third of its development (talking full sprays on skin and fabric). But the drydown mostly just adds a mild nuttiness. The library/old books refernce makes sense but it's a bit rounder and chewier than that, not dusty-dry and not musty-fusty, with an indescribably, vague warmth and... nuttiness! Really fine and dandy!

i begin to think that ELdO is not a niche brand & not common either, it's like rare among common fragrances, but merely not niche! take this one for instance, i see completely no connection between the story behind this perfume, it's Picture, and it's name! it's like the name and the picture fits together in one corner, and the perfume is on the other opposite corner! i agree the perfume is quite good & it could fit many tastes, not that harsh, not that unique, kind of identical of the 80s style, and a kind of safe to be worn. but the perfume shouldn't be named "virgins & Toreros" it should be named for instance "80's leathery coat of order" or "dark glaze in a sunny day". i just don't see any connection between those 3 aspects + i don't see any amazing factor that makes me really adore it. it's acceptable & not unique!! what make me accept it much and think of it regularly that it is truly very masculine, virile & so much of the 80's perfume's power house style. you have to give it more time to like it. an advice for ELdO: don't keep on releasing fragrances like that if you want to be a niche brand, else then keep on doing what you do. & at least find a connection between the name, the art, and the perfume.