Calamity J.

Christmas in a bottle! This fragrance reminds me of open fires, mulled wine, sequin dresses and all those other party season cliches...in a good way! As well as Amber, Cinnamon, civet and tonka are the main notes that present on my skin. It almost feels like a contemporary, even borderline futuristic take on classic animalic orientals like the original Opium and Fendi, Paloma Picasso and of course Coco (though I consider Coco completely timeless). The civet is in no way brash (and I sincerely hope, synthetic) and the musks and castoreum are both clean and altogether give the fragrance that animalic feel that I love. Don't worry, if you're new to animalics or just like them subtle but present, this is a very safe bet. This scent has really grown on me now that the weather is cooling down here in the UK. It's definitely not for summer - it'll choke you in warm weather, but for autumn and winter, it's beautiful. Feminine but not girly, very "classic" feeling but with a young, modern twist, as most JHAGs do and it lasts ages. About 8 hours on average (for me anyway). I love it. I really do! JHAG continues to impress me!

The opening is very woody, smoky and earthy. At the first sniff I get a burst of Patchouli, I am also noticing Incense and light Amber. To me Calamity J. smells like black tea for the first 15 minutes. The transition to the middle is tiptoeing. When the Patchouli is slowly put in the rear, still present, Amber and Iris come into the open, very sensual and pleasant. In the base they are completed with alluring Vanilla and Musk, which is dominant but not overpowering. All the time this perfume is inherently consistent. I am noticing the presence of this perfume for about seven hours, not meddling at any time. For me Calamity J. epitomizes a powerful woman, which knows what she want, sexy and smoky. I don't get a picture of a cowgirl like Calamity Jane in my head when I sniff it, but a smoking woman dressed in a black dress and lace with red lips, foregrounded by chandeliers. On the surface it's a very feminine scent, but there is lurking something wild and masculine, dandy-like not macho, in the background. (By the way, I found some mailorders who cite Vanilla as a part of the base note.)

I was drawn to this fragrance because of its name, but also the notes sounded amazing! I actually blind bought this one. I was so lucky that it ended up working out for me. Calamity J has so many great things going on at once. It starts out with a lovely lavender musk combo, not quite clean but not dirty either. After the top notes a distinct powdery iris starts to emerge entangled with an earthy patchouli. I can not tell you guys how much I LOVE this part of the fragrance! This stage last for a few hours, before it hits the base. The drydown is soft, but warm and cozy a lovely blend of a powdery soft amber with a hint of vanilla. I am completely enjoying this fragrance. Calamity J is a great fragrance if you love purple florals like iris and lavender. Though it also for the people who love a great amber patchouli combo. Usually they two types of fragrances fall in different categories but here they are all blended so well with each other. <3

When I first sprayed this, I didn't know what to think and I didn't love it right off the bat. Very quickly, the glorious triumvirate of patchouli, musk and amber completely won me over. I purchased a bottle quite soon after my first testing, and this is one I reach for at least once a week. Longevity is quite good, and sillage is there but not overpowering. The resinous accords balance the iris nicely. I love the idea of a perfume homage to Calamity Jane, and I think of her as portrayed in the series Deadwood. She was a complex woman who was at turns tough and tender in the extreme. She lived in a rough environment, but was a natural healer. And fairly handy with a gun, apparently. I'm not sure if this is what was on the perfumer's mind, but the image appeals to me and adds to the pleasure of wearing this scent which is, to me, unlike any other. Nice quality bottle and cap, with lovely packaging that is perfect for storage.

This is such a dreamy patchouli scent! There is a subtle medicinal aspect to the patchouli during the opening that I enjoy very much. It doesn't take long for the iris and amber to become more present. The musk doesn't feel dominant, but maybe it balances the composition. There is an incensey feel to the scent. It's soft, feminine, and woody. It reminds me of the other modern chypres that I love so much (Perles de Lalique, Oriflame - Amethyst Fatale, Gres Cabaret). At times I get more amber, other times more powdery iris, and other times more patchouli. I have found that spraying this scent vs. dabbing it on makes a big difference in terms of sillage and longevity. When I first tested this, I was dabbing it on, and it didn't project and didn't seem to last very long, but sprayed on, it lasts 12+ hours on my perfume-eating skin, and it radiates warmly so I easily smell wafts without having to sniff my wrist.

Although I didn’t find it in the notes, Calamity J smells a lot like incense to me. It has a somewhat solemn, heavy feel to it, as if you're in the presence of a very powerful element - it makes me think of stepping into a Roman-Catholic church, with its long aisle, painted windows and distant echoes resounding at every step. Only I'm not a believer. On the contrary, I feel like a bit of a Devil wearing this, sinking my finger into the holy water and making it boil. This is a truly remarkable scent, it has a personality of its own and therefore demands a strong personality to wear it. It's devilish and untamed, deep and intense, deliberate and pervasive. Very (wickedly) fun to wear!

I received this in a trade and it was a blind trade for me. I'm so, so, so happy I traded for this. It's perfect smelling to me. Easily in my top 10% of perfumes. A lot of reviews note a very strong patchouli note, but to me this isn't much of a patchouli fragrance. I get a lot of a woody/cedar smell (probably Iso E Super) and sweet tonka bean/vanilla. The opening is a bit leathery, which I imagine is from that labdanum. Very lovely fragrance that is pretty balanced in terms of feminine/masculine. It lasts all day on me and doesn't radiate far, which is great. I don't like it when my fragrances are too loud. I'll definitely be checking out more fragrances from JHAG!

Beautiful parfum!!! The opening is magnetic,cinnamon immediately reveals the strong character modern and complex perfume. The most interesting part begins with the middle notes, here the scent evolves into a surprising,unique and extraordinary... I've never heard anything like that. Eccentric but also elegant and seductive, i really like this perfume. The basic notes evolves becoming powdery/sweet/musky..there is something that reminds many Make up. I'm sure you will buy this,i really like. The sillage is moderate and very good longevity. I recommend you try it,very nice and perfectly unisex! Sillage: 6/10 Longevity: 7.5/10 Scent: 8.5/10 Overall: 9/10

This is one skanker I'm really liking. Romano could have put any floral in this composition: rose, geranium, violet... but he chose iris, and I could kiss him for it. I was so impatient to try this that I put it on before heading off to the gym. Point noticed: I actually **liked** this better on my sweaty body then I did on my just-out-of-the-shower body (I reapplied). While warm and 'fresh' myself, the iris popped out like a gorgeous, smokey, woody elixir. So, this is probably a fragrance for a hot summer night, not a cold winter day. I could really see someone wearing this to a club, though, no matter what time of year. Ooh, and that would be sexy!

This is such a surprising beauty to me... took me a loong time to get to love it but ..then on a cold winter day I thought: wow what was that little sample all about? A creamy nutty, velvety Iris fragrance with a strong musky amber note fighting for dominance..thankfully the patchouli behaves and took a minor background place for me..:) It s strange because in the summer I did not care for Calamity and now I own my own bottle! But I will surely spray again on a hot summer day..maybe it was just my undeveloped , unrefined nose back then:) Well done, comforting everyday fragrance now for me

I don't know how I ended up with a sample of this, but I'm so glad because I'm a massive fan of Coromandel and I've always wanted a softer, more gentle and agreeable version to wear on more casual days. This is it. I found a secondhand bottle for $50 and took it as a sign and jumped at it. It reminds me so much of how I felt when I tried Shalimar Parfum Initial for the first time. Just stunning, so unexpected because I'm really not a fan of most of JHAG's lineup nowadays, a treasure, I will never, ever sell it

A total cool chick fragrance. Leather jacket , boots , some attitude , self assured and rebellious ! That's Calamity J ! Advertised as a masculine scent for women. First fragrance that comes to mind as a comparison is no doubt Coromandel by Chanel. Calamity J is a woody amber patchouli fragrance smoothed out by labdanum and vanilla , lots of amber and musks. Total Love for me and backup bottle worthy. Very sexy! One of my favourite perfumes.

I like it so much. Don't seem to find the "masculine" side of this perfume. For me it is so feminine...It's sooo long lasting, probably the best longevity from JHG's. Actually, I find it a bit similar to Citizen Queen. It developes beautifully on my skin, so for me...Love it! PS: what is with the "old lady smell"? I would like someone to describe an old lady smell...This perfume definitely doesn't smell like an old lady.

It reminds me sooooo much of Kenzo Flower Oriental. It's like a twin sister, just not that powerful and long lasting, more suitable for office wear. I expected it to be a kind of musky-flowerly mix, but I can't feel flower notes on skin at all. It's weird really because usually my skin brings our sweetish-floral notes even when there are no such notes! I love it though, even bought a bottle :)

Today I tested this perfume. At first, a blast of cinnamon and a harsh ashy note that made me sneeze. May be it's the Iso E. Now, after an hour or so, the harsh note receded and I can smell the vanilla and patchouli. Nice and interesting perfume but the harsh note in the opening is too strong for me.

This is the love child of Ambre Sultan and Prada L'eau Ambree. Amber and patchouly, a little bit powdery and very unisex in my opinion. Uptade: even though I really liked it, it gave me a terrible rash. I do get the same rash from L'eau Ambree - not sure if it's the patchouly or the amber. A pity.

This one starts off very woody coz of the patchouli and then I can smell the iris, a note I love in a scent that mingles with the musk and amber. Its a warm bit spicy scent. But still soft and not overwhelming. Romano gave it a masculine vibe, but on a woman it smells very feminine. Lovely scent

The drydown of this reminds me a LOT of Belle en Rykiel. Nearly the exact same fragrance! Though this has gone through many stages before that while on me Belle en Rykiel stays pretty much the same throughout.

The opening phase is very busy, harsh and mature, which I dislike. On the second try, I find that the harsh opening soon passes, the fragrance blooms into a beautiful powdery scent, warm and delicious.

All I can say is "Good Golly Miss Molly, I love this fragrance!" It's everything divine and more. I don't know if I'll ever try anything else. Ever.