1826

Soft and understated. Elegant and enchanting. Histoires de Parfumes has become a bit of a personal obsession as of late, and 1826 Eugénie de Montijo an unlikely new staple in my library. It started as a blind buy of a deeply discounted bottle. The note breakdown alone didn’t do much to peak my interest, but my acquisition was prompted more by the intriguing reviews here on Fragrantica paired with a growing desire to explore this house in earnest after falling head over heals for both Ambre 114 and 1899 Hemingway. I’m not going to carry on endlessly about it since the reviews below that inspired me to take the plunge generally proved to be right on the mark. 1826 really does smell like the pages of old, well loved books - a dry and mellow patchouli being the soul of this allegorical accord. And user brightflashes makes a particularly apt observation about the enduring progression of the scent that, “even more astounding is that the scent is non-linear too, so it's like walking through a library.” This one could certainly set the bar for olfactory experience associations for all who have ever considered themselves devout bibliophiles with sentimental idealities of the culture of reading - a claim that I think Histoires de Parfums would regard as high praise considering the literary influences at the heart of the house’s artistic vision. It’s likely what Gérald Ghislain and Sylvie Jourdet were aiming for in the first place, and if so, I’d say they hit their mark. As for me, one day I will leave this world, and if I am indeed heaven bound, it will be to a cozy independent bookstore, softly incandescent-lit with storied oak bookshelves, screen printed posters adorning old plaster walls and vast windows that look out on a perpetually rainy and lush late Spring day. And it will smell of 1826.

What a beautiful, delicate, suave, relaxing aroma ... Clear, sensual, tempting, unforgettable ... I'd rather say it's a gourmand-aromatic rather than an oriental. It's dedicated to Eugénie de Montijo, last French empress. She was born in Granada, Anadalucia, and she loved the aroma of patchouli. 1826 starts quite heavy and spicy, reminds me of Ambre Sultan at this stage. But it only lasts a few minutes. Then it becomes more and more milky and vanillic, sweet, but stays transparent all the time. I think I smell something similar as in Clinique Simply - a bright accord of anise, which is not listed in any of them. It gives this fragrance a pale, lunar light. It's so well blended ... Absolutely nothing stands out. One light accord of patchouli, white flowers, amber, vanilla ... Recently I've been so bored with spices and flowers shouting at me from almost every composition out there... And when 1826 touched my skin I felt like in a scented heaven. A Zen-like scent. Modest and modern at the same time. Sounds perfect? Yes, but it has 2 very serious drawbacks. One: there's almost no sillage! A true skin scent. I literally have to put my nose onto my wrist to smell it. You really have to use a lot, and still only YOU will be able to smell it ... Pity, considering how beautiful it is and that I'd love to share its beauty with someone around ... Two: No lasting power! After 2 hours there's no trail of it. Almost made it to my wish-list, but I think I'll look for something with better sillage and staying power. But I'll never forget 1826.

Empress-Worthy Luminous Soft Purple Florals on a Dark Patchouli Base... Composed as a tribute to the Empress Eugénie de Montijo, I could imagine Amparo Rivelles (1925-2013) wearing this on set as she played the title character in Eugénia de Montijo (film 1944). Notes from the discovery set insert read: "The first and last French empress was a sparkling beauty who influenced the mundane life and artistic refinement of her time. In her honor, a luminous fragrance: A sensual amber carried by the full-bodied power of white flowers and patchouli, leaving an unforgettable trail." The listed notes are close to what the pyramid here states: "Top Notes: Bergamot, Tangerine Heart Notes: White Flowers, Violet, Cinnamon, Ginger Base Notes: Patchouli, Amber, Incense, Blond Woods, White Musk, Vanilla." This is really well blended, so it's hard to pick out individual notes, but I definitely get the violet in form of soft purple florals over a woody-amber-patchouli base. There's a powderiness along with the patchouli that's done in a similar way to other Histoires de Parfums scents. This isn't a dupe of anything, but I would put it in a family of scents similar to Black Orchid Tom Ford. This doesn't go as black as Black Orchid, and keeps the florals in the soft purple range, which do give a luminous feel. Several hours into the drydown, there remains a cashmeran-oud skin-scent. Performance is slightly above average for a year round wear, with a really beautiful trail. Enjoy!

Edit (2022): It's amazingggggg how taste changes. I tried this back when I was just really getting into perfume (omg I was 26 and had never worn a perfume in my life!). Now at the old age of 31, I return to it and I just wonder what was wrong with me? Did my nose just not work? This is wonderful. Yes, you get the dry spiciness of cinnamon. It's warm, almost smoky. Dry dry dry and very clean! It's really sophisticated. If only the first hour of it never goes away, it would be a 10/10 but no, unfortunately, the longevity isn't great on my skin. Regardless, this is way more beautiful than I let on before. Classy, and classic without being old and stale. 8.5/10 Original: You’re initially hit with a heavy blow of tart citrus. But it quickly starts to dry down into some florals, apparently there is cinnamon but I can’t detect it, however the ginger it’s noticeably lining each wave of scent that comes out of it. Just as that is starting to get comfortable on your skin, the patchouli, vanilla and wood notes come through to hold it all up. This isn’t bad at all, and it reminds me of their 1740 except with sweetness and lightness. And more importantly, it feels like it fits into 1826. 7.5/10

1826 is an angelic perfume, a white, soft, effervescent aura of musky, sweet, woody, and creamy patchouli. The soft hint of vanilla couples beautifully with dry and dusty patchouli. This perfume is so good, it is in the league of a couple of Tom Ford's perfumes, probably the house I love most and find the most luxurious of all. This is more of a white patchouli than his White Patchouli, which seems substantially denser, spicier, and darker in comparison. This is more along the lines of his White Suede. Patchouli is very obvious here, but I can't say I have ever experienced it so light and bubbly before. I actually wondered if there might be aldehydes in the top notes. This is a rare creative beauty, another gem from this house. I have no problems with sillage or longevity, as is the case with most perfumes from this house.

I have a sample of this perfume. It lasts for 10 hours. With a medium intensity. Of course it is a perfume that has a slight classic touch, which will lead us olfactoryly to another era. But that classic aroma does not take away the fragrance's interest. We have a fresh aroma of exit for its different citrus fruits, accompanied by a certain spicy spicy aroma. But the heart of this perfume, heart are the flowers, a beautiful white flowers lightly dusted by the violet. But not to leave it in a common scent of white flowers, they are accompanied by the aromas of amber, incense and spices ... that give the body and personality to the perfume. It is exquisite and elegant. A perfume from another era that we can enjoy today.

I love this scent so much that I acquired a vintage bottle. First I'll comment on the vintage presentation – it's gorgeous. The bottle an metal cap is heavy and feels premium. The vintage scent is a different animal from the modern version. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. The florals are amped up and the sandalwood is turned down. The vintage is more fem, and the modern is definitely unisex. I wear the modern version all the time, but I'm selling the vintage (even though I love the presentation) for that reason. Message me if you're interested in the rare vintage. It's discontinued, almost impossible to find, and expensive if you do find it. P.S. United States only because of tariffs.

The first ten seconds smell like vodka mixed with turpentine. It's got something to do with that tangerine/ginger/ cinnamon thing. After that it becomes a very pleasant woody powdery fragrance. It's hard to describe precisely, but imagine clay, powder, soft wood, and play doh. Very relaxing scent that draws me in to keep smelling. Super smoooth. Unisex and bottle worthy for the right price. Scent 9.4/10 Performance 5/10 Edit: Someone mentioned the smell of paper. Bingo! Paper, powder, clay, and wood. This is what Whispers In The Library wishes it was. Edit #2. I bought a bottle. Love this one

Very, very nice scent profile. The perfect office scent, it actually performs better than the votes on this page suggest. But the scent profile: warm, powdery, slightly sweet, with just the right spicy, floral and incense contributions to render it completely pleasant and inoffensive. It does what it does brilliantly and it deserves a rating far higher than the sub-4.0 it currently has. Completely unisex and if it leans a bit more either way it would be slightly more masculine. FragHeads know enough to overlook which gender a frag is marketed to.

This took my breath away. Truly unique and exactly the kind of fragrance I’ve been looking for. I can’t put my finger on any exact notes. To me it smells like morning air on the beach.. hold the aquatics. I want to say antique shop-y but a very romanticized version because I’ve never been in one that smells this inviting. To me, it’s a perfectly balanced skin scent for someone who wants to smell like nothing in particular. Maybe that’s not very helpful but hey

I bought a 2ml decant of 1826 along with 1969 and 1889 (Moulin Rouge). At the time I was very much anticipating 1969 to be my favorite based on the notes, but ended up falling in love with 1826. I just purchased a full size bottle. It smells exactly like earl gray tea in a library filled with old books and dried flowers. To me it is very soft, billowy, and feminine. I absolutely love it.

First spray has a blend of sweet citrus with cinnamon and incense to me. It's really dry, airy and warm, with sweet vanilla and fresh ginger, and soft florals in the middle. Reminiscent of old books vanilla, dry and woody. Really lovely, a unique blend. It is light but lasts a long time, though it stays close to the skin. Would love for it to be a bit stronger.

A very airy, dry, dusty, powdery, ambery violet. I love wearing this when it's hot outside since it's a pretty light fragrance, don't get scared of the woody notes. I get the "old medicine cabinet" imagery a bit but I definitely wouldn't say it's a "grandma" perfume. I think a ballerina would love wearing this.

This scent is amazing! It evokes many memories of my childhood. It smells like a slightly musty, carpeted basement from the 80s! It is not unpleasant at all, but rather comforting and gentle. I wear this purely for the memories (I am a child of the 80s!)

Dry violets between old book pages, bound in incense-scented leather, a hint of naphthalene, in the church basement. Very interesting! Nothing to compare it to

I honestly don't see how medicinal opening is a bad thing. I love how it hits you almost with a "herbs in a plague doctor's mask" kinda vibe. Amazing.

Compared to Tom Ford White Patchouli HdP 1826 is a much nicer white patchouli scent without that screechy sweetness signature of TF. 1826 stars a strong, realistic patchouli reminiscent of the plant in essential oil form, but at the same time remains elegant with a warm base of violet, ginger and white floral. After 5 hours 1826 dries down to its nice musky amber patchouli base with little incense involved. At some point I also smell a faint mandarine note, which gives 1826 a sparkling feeling. The overall experience is a creamy, slightly powdery scent that is a little bit unrefined but also very clean-cut. Casual yet attractive. This fragrance projects very well and has awesome longevity. My 2ml decant has been lasting me for months. Definitely a solid like from me and an occasional love when I crave for pungent patchouli.

Histoires de Parfums 1826 opens as a full-fledged floriental patchouli perfume. Unlike NOIR PATCHOULI, which strikes me as a bit stern, 1826 is a scrumptious composition with enough vanilla to make it slightly sweet but without going overboard. The wood notes, “bois blancs”, become more and more dominant here over time, making this more of a woody oriental in the drydown. In fact, I'd call this a unisex perfume since the sweetness subsides significantly as the wood takes over. I'd say that 1826 would be a good choice for guys or gals who like the general demeanor of D&G LA ROUE DE LA FORTUNE but find it too sweet.

Warm, ambery opening with incense and rubber. A faint hint of something medicinal. 1826 is lot cleaner than one would expect from something with musk, patchouli and amber, it's actually pretty airy and well mannered. On me 1826 is all wood and incense. HdP's description is pretty much spot on, the fragrance is both delicate and full bodied at the same time. It also has an almost medieval feel, like being in an ancient home, permeated with wood and smoke and incense. As a huge fan of wood and incense notes, I'm definitely adding this to my "to buy" list.

I didn't know perfumes came this "close to skin": I wore three sprays from a sample vial on my chest, covered myself in a blanket and went to bed. You would think that I would be able to smell it well since I literally trapped myself in my blanket with this but honestly I could just barely smell it. OLD DUSTY BOOKS! I really like that note. It is sweetened a bit with one flowers and fruit but really, this is what an idealized library smells like. I like it but it is not full bottle worthy for me, especially because the scent is so light.