Topaz

WHERE has this beauty been hiding!? It's not in the notes but both hubby and I get tobacco, spice and fruit with a bit of floral in the background. I think the tobacco might be coming from the mix of woods, patchouli and cassis. It's a nice, sweet tobacco smell, not like an ashtray or a cigarette. It's pretty linear with the only change in scent was when the tobacco and spice got stronger and the fruit a bit weaker. It's SO nice! Has lasted a good 6 hours (though low sillage) with one wrist spray. This is a hidden gem for me and SO happy to have found it. I was afraid it would be overtly floral but they stay in the background and let the other notes take center stage. This is one I will wear often and is not offensive so it would be great for office wear or when you want to just smell GREAT and not SMELL great.

I have Leiber's 'Night' EDT and went for this one after reading the reviews here. The bottle is beautiful! The scent is unique. The first spray is like everybody describes it: boozy/fruity/smoky. There is a sweetness of fruit but is unusual... Hard to describe. It is balsamic from start and delicious! Then in the dry down, it reveals all its beauty. So womanly and elegant. Warm and sweet (a grown-up type of sweet), a bit powdery. Is a very cosy, inviting scent. I love it! Can't wait to wear it during the cold months. I'm so happy to have it in my collection <3

For me this is a smoky, rich, some dark and almost too sweet fruity, balsamicy wood, and myrrh. The aroma is reminiscent of burnt toffee with some dried fruit, raisins? ... Raisin Toffee? Heh, but in a very expensive way. I could imagine this scent on some fine lady, or even on Pope himself, and I would admire it like Thousand Dollar Niche Scent that an ordinary mortal just can’t comprehend. Another 10/10 from Judith Leiber for me.

Very challenging, fierce and unrelenting. It takes multiple wears until you literally realize its complexity is beautiful and no other perfume can compete. It’s similar to an uncertain new love relationship until you realize this is the one. That is the effect!

Topaz smells like a fruity pipe tobacco. At first the pipe tobacco has yet to be lit then as the fragrance progresses it is lit and a slight smokiness comes to the front. I get the image of a woman sitting across from a handsome older gentleman who is himself sitting in a fine leather wingback chair while the fireplace is blazing in his den. She is about to ask him if he would like a cocktail, but she becomes transfixed by watching him ready his pipe for a smoke. This perfume has an understated sensual feel and a carefree rugged elegance in the way that it smells. This is a unisex perfume. I would love this on my husband the only problem w/ it is its longevity and strength. I wish it was stronger and lasted longer so when my small bottle is gone, I will not repurchase. What a shame because this is a beautiful smoky, pipe tobacco and woody scent. I'm sure I will burn through my small 1 ounce bottle this fall; it won't be hard since I will have to overspray so it's beautiful scent can be noticed. Edit: 11/23/22 Wearing this again since I tested it. I kind of forgot about it to be honest. I have to say I am really enjoying it more than I did when I first tested it. The sillage and wear are moderate, but it is performing better in cold weather for me for some reason. I only bought a small 1 ounce but for the price (dirt cheap) I think it smells more expensive. This perfume shines in the cold and during the holiday season. This perfume is a compliment getter as well. I received 2 compliments this morning from my hairdresser and his assistant. They also got the pipe tobacco vibe like I do. I spoke too soon in June; I will repurchase this when the bottle runs out. Edit:8/4/23 The more times I wear Topaz the more I really like it. In fact, I would have to upgrade this perfume to a love. Topaz smells much more expensive than what I paid for it. This is a really excellent fragrance at any price point but what a value. I just purchased a larger bottle of this because I don't want to be w/out it. I was able to get a 3.4 ounce for $25. This is a cool/cold weather fragrance, but I will wear it in warmer weather as well. The fruity top notes really make this perfume workable for most weather except for extreme heat.

Ran across this the other day at TJMaxx and was intrigued. I have never heard of Judith Leiber and was curious, but not enough to purchase the bottle blind (was rather pricey even at the Maxx). Later in the day, I decided to read Fragrantica's description, which wasn't much but after seeing the price of the fragrance on Ebay and elsewhere, I thought maybe the Maxx's price was good after all. So, today I took the plunge and purchased. For those who seek a fragrance unique and not found-in-every-other-bottle, this is for you. The top notes are fine, but seems disconnected with the rest of the scent accords. The middle was where it becomes interesting. There is a woody, smoky scent but sweet. I believe the sweetness comes from the ylang-ylang and the myrrh. Very lovely and nothing sugary or cloy (like so many celebrity perfumes). The dry down and base can best be described as the female version of M7. Many reviewers describe perfumes by the imaginary person who wears it. So this is my attempt. This is a lady that keeps secrets (predominately from others). She is intimidating, foreboding, and disconcerting in her demeanor. As a result, people get nervous and reveal themselves to her. She doesn't smoke, neither do those around as to not offend her. She is graceful, polite and knows etiquette; but always remains aloof. You very much like her perfume, yet wouldn't dare mention this to her. She feels dangerous and powerful and you desire to be just like her, but never will.

Very elegant and “high-society” smell. I liked that at the beginning I couldn’t smell a single note distinctively, it was just an intriguing smell of something oriental-gourmand, not too sweet, not too cloying, but still strong, not loud but one you will certainly notice. This scent is fit for a lady, definitely a lady, but not the mousy type but very self-assured crème de la crème. I’m not especially taken with the middle musk and myrrh notes. I don’t get almost any of the flowers, not separately, they too work not as soloists but a choir for me – something oriental-sounding, maybe jasmine and a touch of ylang-ylang, definitely not any of English garden flowers (shame really, I was kind of hoping to get lily-of-the-valley they indicated in the pyramid). After this it’s the base time, and the scent wonderfully transforms into a rather masculine scent with a girlie touch: reminds me of Hercule Poirot, who is certainly a perfect little gentleman but prefers sweet liquor to whiskey. At this moment I don’t think that bottle and its juice belong to each other. Unfortunately after this stage it went straight downhill for me: sickly sweet for a long long time. UPD: With the 2nd attempt I love the drydowm - sweet woods and insense note, but the middle stage was too syrupy sweet. The begginning is delightful, I wish the scent would be frozen at the first stage and wouldn't evolve. Have to try it again though, will give this nice bottle one more chance.

a smokey, fruity, woody patchouli fragrance that has an amber touch with some muck; the woods dominate, and many of the other notes are blended to swirl around them, but this is odd; it has a weird quality to it that's hard to describe but definitely isn't mainstream. In the final drydown there is an incense vibe but not the cola myrrh you expect. It's more of a resinous note that rides out the base.

Starts off boozy/fruity..light smokey. As it develops, you get touches of the other florals wafting underneath. The dry down...IMO, goes animalic on me (which is OK) and the oud/guaic wood really emerge. Final result is a classic/vintage vibe scent. Projection/performance is moderate. A pleasant surprise.

at first spray i get fruits and florals- mango, rose, lily and currant. i get a bit of myrrh underneath grounding things but the strongest note is definitely mango. i do not like fruit scents as a general rule, but this is better than most. it is not cloying or screechy like many tend to be, and i appreciate that. i was thinking it's a mango/amber but there is no amber listed. at any rate, it's a fruity floral with a bit of depth and that i can appreciate. it's pretty and i get a slight smokiness too. i get more woods and resins during the drydown with the mango note going strong. it's a unique scent-i haven't smelled anything quite like this.

Old lady's bathroom in a bottle!!! What words can I use to describe the stench that is Topaz? I think I will write a poem.... "Musty flowers, Cinnamon spice...maybe even old spice, Coco-coffee...something bitter, Either way you shouldn't try" Office Safe: No too strong Potency: HEAVY (1 or 2 sprays is enough) Timing: Winter & Fall evenings Packaging: 9/10; the jewels are a creative touch Price $18 for 75m / 2.53 oz at Winners / TJ Maxx Will I repurchase: NO Disclaimer: my experience may be different from your experience based on my skin type, my chemistry, the season, and my personal tastes

Has potential as a knockout fragrace stunning on others but on me the fruity notes turn and kill this for me - the mango/kiwi give it a sickly sweetness almost like fruits gone over-ripe which combined with the woody notes reminds me of Hillary Duff's with love which I loathe. Smells amazing on others very glamorous rich scent and the bottle is amazing.

This smells like every terrible perfume my grandmother bought in the 80s/90s. Very dated; what I imagine the set of Dynasty smelled like. Heavy, sharp & powdery at the same time. Pine sap & the tiny boxes of raisins you gave to your kids.

Before anything else, I don't like the name. Why is it called Topaz? There are other (semi)precious stones much better than a topaz... for that matter I wasn't interested in it at all. Finally curiosity won and got it. I found it in Winners... and since I had just received a late Christmas present cheque, I said to myself I could give "moi" a surprise. Wow. The scent is just gorgeous! On mt skin it's violet and oud, frankinsense, myrrth an amber. I cannot smell jasmine or lily of the valley, which is a good thing for me. I cannot smell any fruits or bergamot either. The scent is not far for the violets of Tom Ford, mixed with a good dose of musk and some oud and burning resins. The oud though is not medicinal like Montale's oud...or smooth like Micallef's, It's smoky, woody.... reminds me a little of M7. Unexpectedly good, even for me, and I usually don't enjoy scents that contain violet. For a designer fragrance, I find it quite "risky". It seems to me that the nose here decided to be adventurous and take some chances... as I cannot see the public going crazy for this. It just lacks that "pleasant" character. It's special, different, a little strange. Unlike the J.L. Night, which is sweet, gorgeous, fruity, easily loved, I can see Topaz being the one with an attitude! The bottle is brown glass adorned with brown rinestones. Quite pretty, although I am not into the bling bling that much. Overall, a lovely and original true oriental. Modern, smooth, rich but still crystalline. Not a safe blind buy though....

Absolutely lovely Oriental. I appreciate this scent because of how vintage in style it is. At first I thought it WAS vintage! The resinous, vanilla, amber nature of the scent doesn't translate at all as containing the notes of water lily, violet leaf, mango, or kiwi. Well blended in every way - delightfully warm and woody. In the opening, I also smell something bright and fun that reminds me of marigold, but is probably a combination of all the notes I DON'T smell! Charming and polarizing, all at once. At first, I felt let down by the lack of sillage. No longer. It performed far better on me the third time, which I suspect was weather related. Cold weather is perfect for Topaz! Even so I appreciate the scent as a cologne strength in warmer weather. Scents it Might Somewhat Resemble? Joop Femme (though Joop is more vanillic and less woody and resinous) Rumba (though that's more fruity-funky) Regine's ( ditto - though few have smelled it!) Incognito by Revlon - most of all :) I recommend not as a blind buy, but for those who enjoy scents in this basic category. Well worth your carefully saved pennies. :) The cinnamon-plum accord here is wonderfully vintage and not a bit like what the notes show. I could have sworn this was a vintage, discontinued beauty. Love!

I love this perfume. It smells like Sunday morning to me. Here's why...the opening of this little number is tinged with a certain maple-y bitterness of a piss soaked mattress left out on the curb at the entrance to an equally piss soaked subway the maple syrup/hobo piss smell calls to mind images of a subterranean dwelling in some metropolitan city where the lush floral perfumes and wafts of starched stockings of the upper crust drift down the street grates to mingle with the earthy smell of the musty subway. There's also a smokiness that hovers above a very woody base that also reminds me of Sunday service at a catholic mass where the incense and the wooden church pews scents fight for dominance. I can also say that if I were to put on my moms vintage leather trench coat, smoke some of my dad's camels, and douse myself in my aunts CoCo by Chanel I wouldn't need Judith Leiber Topaz. But in the interest of not looking like a cross dressing chain smoking old slut I'm glad Topaz has found her way into my collection.

Hmm...this is unique for sure! It's smoky, fruity, woodsy and kinda maple-y, like another reviewer noted. After sniffing this for a while, it puts in mind two other weird but wonderful fragrances, Amouage's Interlude and Hanae Mori's Magical Moon. Both of them have uniqueness with the fruits, smokiness and incense, and this one has a similar vibe. I'd say if you're a fan of either of the aforementioned, do give this one a try. For me, it was a blind buy, and a successful one at that. I don't get much floral on my skin, maybe a bit of ylang ylang, but I do get woodsy fruits laced with smoky myrrh. Patchouli, as always, stands out on my skin too, giving it a hint of darkness. It's like an 80's powerhouse but with a modern twist, if that makes sense. I will say, it's kinda hard to describe this scent because it smells so unusual. I owned Leiber's Night and really enjoyed it, so this is another pleasant addition from the brand. I'll have to update later on sillage and longevity.

Bless the Fragrantica devotees who so generously cast their votes for the true main notes - and therefore, soul - of a fragrance, for if not for your collective wisdom, I'd never have known the pleasure of sampling this wonderfully hypnotic scent. Judith Leiber's Topaz is a breathless fragrance; she's the belle who sweeps into the ball and wrests the very air from the room with her intoxicating presence. On my skin, the ylang-ylang and mango provide a hint of tart freshness mixed with syrupy piquancy. But like so many others before me, I find that Topaz is a perfume that celebrates balsamic myrrh, smoke-laden woods, and earthen patchouli more than any other note. To call Topaz an "Oriental Floral" is a mis-identification in my mind; this is a smoky, spicy, woody Oriental lightly drizzled with pulpy sweetness.

Found this in TJ Maxx. Similar in the beginning to Tom Ford's Violet Blond, but while Topaz is nice, I don't feel that it pushed the envelop as far as it could have (should have highlighted the smoky/tobacco notes more), because when things start to really get good in the dry down, the scent fades out fast. However after wearing this for several days in a row, I still have to say that the I wish the envelop would have been pushed a little more when it comes to the smoky notes and I wish the dry down was longer and stronger, but when it quiets down and becomes a skin scent, this is very beautiful and sexy and I believe both men and women would think so. I've been enjoying it very much.

After experimenting for a couple of days, to be able to smell it at different times, temperatures, and hear the composition, I have come to a conclusion... That Lily of The Valley is playing waayyy too much cowbell for my liking, and is throwing the piece off. I believe this might be the weird quality some describe, with the Lily of The Valley playing discordantly with the Rose. Luckily it disappears after an hour or so, and the whole composition is finally sounding like the piece should have been written. It is better from then on! Would have been an 8/10 if this happened in the top phase, but 6/10 since you have to wait until the the heart is developed.

Testing this in cold weather. I purposely didn't look at the notes before testing with my spray sample from a friend. At first I thought "crispy amber cookie?". It still smells like that throughout to me, but later on, the incense came in smelling nice and subtle; not overpowering. I don't get any fruits whatsoever, nor any oud, any ylang, violet leaf or lily of the valley. This is a strong like but not a "love it need a bottle" kind of fragrance to me. Doesn't smell dated to me either. A very pleasant, beautiful fragrance on my skin. Soft and leans more feminine.

The bottle is gorgeous! So, will it overshadow the frag? Maybe. While breaking no new ground, this modern scent with its subtle retro nod will please. This glamorous oriental radiates with an exotic intro of cassis, black currant and bergamot which glides nicely into the classic middle notes of jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and rose. The base is a bit shy. It's there but not totally sealing the deal. This is a classy scent that radiates charm and should please those that purchase. And let us not forget the bottle!

Not for me. I bought this and gave it away. Topaz (my birthstone) reminds me of a 1970’s type of fragrance smells a little like Tabu. Very powdery 70’s vibe. I recommend this for evening this definitely Not a day time or a summer scent. Sorry I hate writing negative reviews but not my style fragrance.

Like someone said below, this also reminds me of a fruity tobacco. It gives me smoker casino vibes. Lol. It’s very complex, very aged. It’s definitely a different fragrance. I’m glad i only had a sample.

I PERSONNALLY LIKE THIS FRAGRANCE. IT IS SUBTLE BUT YET IT LEAVES A SEXY SCENT WHEN YOU PASS OTHERS. IT SAYS THAT'S A "REAL WOMEN." THE BOTTLE IS ALSO VERY CLASSY. RSTING 5.00

Bottle has a nice design with ram stones. Perfume is soft, not offensive, close to skin, nothing special but not unpleasant, was in Marshalls for sale.

Buyers beware!!! The bottle is beautiful but the smell is absolutely dreadful!!! I wouldn't give this to my worst enemy. Utter garbage ugggghhhhh