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.

Отворя се с прекрасно шоколадово, леко маслено пачули и много скоро ляга върху кожата като меко кожено яке с лек намек за пудра. Красота.

It is fabulous: audacious patchouli powdered with Iris e layered with sensual, warm amber.

I miss this cinnamon-iris zoo painfully. I wish they would bring it back....

I love this scent. Amazing !!! Powerfull

Calamity J's opening packs quite a lot of herbaceous, earthy patchouli. But it soon tames and here comes a rooty iris. The first few minutes of Calamity J to my nose seems to be more towards something green. However, this deceptive rooty green impression soon fades away, while the main player, the amber dominates the whole composition. The amber here is not the sticky, edible type. It's powdery and dry, and it has undertones of incense, exotic spices and some animalic facets. There seems to be a lot of things going on, but Calamity J is well blended, and at the same time, incredibly sheer, thus preventing it being overpowering. The iris also contributes the powdery texture and maintains an earthy aspect. The vanilla and tonka bean become more prominent after about 6 hours. The scent thus becomes sweeter, but with restraints. Along with musk, they create a lovely skin scent in the far drydown. The sillage of Calamity J is very soft on me, with a longevity of about 8 hours. I have to admit that I have a sort of déjà vu while wearing Calamity J. Several fragrances popped up in my mind, and Calamity J with its sheer quality, seems to be a tamed version which packs a lot of interesting ideas. Probably not the most mind-blowing fragrance, but Calamity J is indeed well constructed, and easy to wear. If you're looking for a powdery amber fragrance with a polite strength and sillage, Calamity J can be an interesting option.

Calamity J is among the muskiest fragrances I've ever smelled, with a collection of animalic notes evoking skin and leather. It's all about the clean and worn qualities, with a powder-smooth iris note in the heart and a fine spiciness. It reminds me of lipstick, cosmetics, and clothes; I think it would be perfect for someone who is feminine but dresses with an edge. A natural partner to a leather jacket and jeans without being too contrary and avant-garde. There are definitely niches that explore this theme with more exoticism and daring, but not everyone is going for that, and this is a rendition that I think general audiences would appreciate. It reaches a nice middle ground, and the muskiness gives it a big distinction. Be aware, though, that you would need quite a few mists to create a trail, but doing so would give you a really nice, musky cosmetic sillage. It's pretty and appealing, and I'll be keeping my sample on hand, but I ultimately rejected the notion of an FB because grand animalics aren't my favorite. I feel similarly to this as I feel about Narcisos, whereas Narciso for her to me is the cosmetics with a fuzzy sweater, Calamity is the neighborhood bad girl companion.

With the cooler weather descending upon us, I've been anxious to compare some of the amber perfumes in my queue, and Juliette Has a Gun CALAMITY JANE is a nice one! This relatively simple blend primarily features patchouli and amber to my nose—I don't really detect the iris distinctly—but what a lovely blend it is! Smooth and golden and resinous and seductive... This composition is not all that original—I have sniffed a couple of other niche perfumes inhabiting the same neighborhood—but I guess that just goes to show that high-quality patchouli and amber notes marry well! It seems to me that when a simple yet compelling combination is meant to be, then multiple perfumers are bound to come up with it eventually. I would love to have a bottle of CALAMITY JANE... This perfume has good longevity and perfect wintertime sillage: warms up on the skin to waft up the neck of a snuggly sweater. Definitely unisex.

I’m happy to write this review during this Christmas Holidays. This fume is so perfect for Christmas. I guess it’s because of the warming scent of cinnamon, which was guessed even by my seven years old son, who exclaimed: - Mamma, cinnamon!... It’s elegant, soft amber fume. I like this opposite balance created by woody, cold iris from one side and sweet, soft, warm vanilla/ tonka/ amber/cinnamon combo from other side. It’s cozy, comforting without being gourmand sweet. I guess the lavender is creating this light masculine vibe, which helps to avoid falling into the common sweetness of many oriental amber scents. Could be worn by anybody and by anytime, but it’s perfect for the dark, cold winter days illuminated by candlelight.

I get the connection to Shalimar but find this easier to deconstruct - it's less powdery and I don't get the old woman smell at all. To me it reminds me of going in the 1990's to Camden market, the indoor market on Kensington High Street and the strange subterranean canal side market in Leeds - Granary Wharf. It's the mixture of Amber, Musk and Patchouli that makes me think of Indian rugs and wallhangings, ethnic jewellery and spiritual sky incense soaking into the surroundings. I really like it, it's very sexy and feminine. I imagine the smell in 1960's London leading me across the rooftops of Victorian houses to a secret attic room with dark green walls, Indian wall hangings and incense wafting in the air.

After a fantastic aggressively masculine blow my mind, knock my socks off opening, mid phase through dry down I suddenly felt I smelled like I just walked out of a kitchen filled with freshly baked cookies. Talk about contrasts in femininity.. I went from powerhouse amazonian warrior princess to smelling like mom in a matter of minutes..wth?? The dry down is much more subtle and now I'm gathering a very Birkenstock earth muffin vibe all enveloped in patchouli, vanilla and powdery muskiness. What a crazy ride! I can't help but feel some disappointment. I would have liked to have rung the buzzer at the opening of this magic carpet ride ; by far my favourite part of this chameleon like fragrance.

If Shalimar and Prada Amber had a baby, it would be Calamity J. This is right up my alley, heavy on the Patchouli to start with, the first spray is a bit aggressive (like Prada Amber) but then it shows powdery iris and then it's amber heart. It's a bad-girl dirty amber, I would have guessed there was some ambergris in here too but I see from the notes it is the civet, castoreum and cetalox which give it this animalic edge. The dry down is musky. It's a post-gothic grunge type perfume with a feminine edge, and I really enjoy it, but it has no staying power. I have to re-apply at least once a day for it to last, and that is my only complaint with this fragrance.

Patchoulli and iris. Both of them are something I'm afraid of as they usually tend to spoil everything for me. But here it's not that bad. Ok, I don't love this, but I can imagine myself having a tiny, tiny sample vial and taking Calamity J. to party or something. The opening was hard. It was harsh, medical and somehow extremely heady, but when I got after the first minutes, the iris and amber appeared and I got this extremely sexy, smoky, seductive, sweet scent and the patchoulli worked perfectly together with it giving some darker side to all of this. It's enjoyable, really. If you're ok with patchouli - you might like t his very much.

This might be the only JHAG I can stand. I love rose, but in all of their other perfumes, their roses smell like fake plastic ones, and I just can't enjoy them at all. I guess JHAG and I just don't work well together. This time instead of rose, they decided to veer from the norm and feature amber in one of their fragrances...a note/accord that makes me queasy in large doses. Having said that, this perfume is quite nice. Amber is strong, but it doesn't make me queasy. Calamity J is soft, sweet, and reminds me a bit of cookies baking--a great fall fragrance. If I were forced to wear a JHAG perfume, it would definitely be this one.

This perfume is very unik on my skin. Like a soft warm cosy blanket .. comforting and velvety at the same time . I Feal the powderyness of Iris, the warmth of cinnamon spice mixed to perfection With Tonka beens . Pactholie, lavender and Vanilla to round it up in the end . I put this one tonight being drawn to it but thinking well it might be to much With the heat outside. but its wonderfull and lovely still .Not to much not to little .I feal powerfull, feminin and strong in this stuff . almost as i rais my head a little higher. proud and strong . this always last a long time on skin aswell . on clothes aswell. I love this stuff

I remember smelling the sample some time ago and it reminded me a lot of Kat Von D's Sinner with that initial blast of cinnamon. The cinnamon and iris are most prominent when I first spray it, which gives of a very spicy baby powdery vibe. I do like it, but this is one of the those fragrances that I am iffy on wearing in public. It could across as too aggressive and offensive with that cinnamon note. I feel like I smell like a cinnamon broom at Christmastime. Could grow on me once the colder weather hits. I think it's still too warm to wear this one.

Yes its a bit Shalimarish,ambrish and patchoulish.Cheap if you compare it with the big sillagemonsters and the big classic orientals - dont do that! If you compare like that youll do this beauty very wrong! Judge it for what it is,dont compare it! Calamity J is a nice ,discrete ,not strong oriental ,manly maybe but it sure is made for a woman alright! Its nice,warm and comfortable,non offensive and easy worn. maybe you can call it an oriental for the non orientalfreaks? But ,it fades away waaaay to fast!!

A take on the subtle version of patchouly if there is one. Meaning, a gentler patchouly apt for the ladies, however criticised as an old woman's scent by one colleague - she wears two dabs of pure jazmine oil, she thinks perfumes are overpriced and vulgar. I like it, but I don't find it very original, it is somehow lame, if this adjective can be applied to scents. I'd rather choose another (Villoresi's, for example) if it were not for the fact the bottle was given to me for free.

I've put this on and when it reached the dry down I was trying to remember what it is reminding me. And then I did - Shalimar EDP. The opening is different but the dry down is very similar. I really like it, maybe even better than Shalimar - this one is sweeter, because of the amber I guess, which is the only ingredient that is present here and not present in Shalimar. Into my want list...

*** not much of a calamity, it's really a sweet rice pudding smell mixed with spices (cinnamon) and church-like incense. so basically a nice girl with strange inclinations more than some bold calamity dandy woman. i do like it. i mean the idea of a mild dessert and the menacing/spiritual notes of incense and burnt amber and spices all blended together. the contrast is fun and unexpected.

L'apertura è all'insegna della resina e della cannella (tant'è che a me ogni volta appena spruzzato fa venire in mente il propoli). Poi si stabilizza in un profumo caldo, deciso ma non pesante, e molto portabile. Le note preponderanti a mio avviso sono ambra e patchouli, mitigate man mano dalle altre note; rimane dolce ma non dolciastro. è un profumo piacevole, adatto a tutti i giorni.

partenza maschile alla Borneo di Lutens con un pizzico di cannella salata tipo chewing gum Brooklyn . patchouli meno liquoroso ma piu' dolce e fiorito.pulito di lavanda. gli ingredienti sono ben bilanciati e l'ambra fissa tutto con un effetto retro'. apparentemente unisex ma diventa da signora. non invasivo ma duraturo., invernale e piu' adatto alla sera. good!

I was not blown away by Romantina, Miss Charming and Not a perfume. This is one is great, for a flower scent lover as I am. It has no fruits and flowers in and it's, classified by house,"masculin fragrance exclusively dedicated to women..." I've got patchouli, amber, iris and some musk in. Knowing this fragrance I'm becoming an amber lover.

On me, it was delicate at first, the iris and patchouli was lovey-dovey, nothing assertive. It did develop into a more robust scent and the musk became more dominant. It lasts for several hours on me and lay close to the skin in all that time.

Wonderful, can't believe this is discontinued! Warm, spicy, perfect for the fall/winter seasons. Kind of has cafe vibes. Really delicious. 8/10

Kind of salty ambery patchy mmm, fluffy tonkabomb theoretical liquorice marshmallow mink coat graphite cinnamon fragrance. What am I smelling.

This is Christmas in a bottle . I would say this is most defiantly a winter fragrance. I love it.

This review is for all Juliette has a Gun women's scents. I ordered, from JHAG site, 9 perfume samples, which I paid almost nothing for plus free shipping. Was very excited to finally try this niche house, however, when my samples arrived I was kinda disappointed. Out of the 9 samples, I didn't like 8 of them, they all smell very old fashioned perfumes to me, what my relatives would wear in the late 80's. I'm not calling them old lady perfume, they just remind me of that time of my life when my mom would wear bell bottoms, turtle necks, chunky wedges, and wear aviators. Kinda gives me a bit of nostalgia. But no, I didn't like any of them on me, except for me, which ironically is called "NOT A PERFUME." It might that I'm still an amateur in the fragrance world (even though I've been addicted to and collecting perfumes since I was 12 years old) and am not sophisticated enough to appreciate these scents but oh boy, do they smell bad, they're almost suffocating. No offense to the house or to the JHAG wearers but this brand is definitely not for me. I still like Bond no 9 fragrances better (though only 4 or 5 of them.)

Interesting perfume, I have been wearing a sample of this over the last two days before deciding how I feel. The sample is used up so longevity hasn't been great, and sillage is close to my skin. There is a note in this I really don't like, one that reminds me of "older" perfumes. Of course this would be a plus for many, but for me I am scratching my head wondering what it is. I haven't smelt "animalic" notes for a long while, or could it be the powder? After it has dried down a bit, that note recedes into more of a classic amber/patch blend, which is quite enjoyable to me, but I think that the "mystery" note is the whole point of this perfume, and if you enjoy that you will love this. I appreciate it and am glad I tested it, but it's not for me.

The opening seems dominated by chamomile. The actual chamomile that grows freely in my garden. It's not a particularly pleasant scent either. It's not in the notes above but then I don't think that small list of notes can be complete. I don't mind this fragrance at all, it's just too weak on my skin. Others report CJ as being strong, but I've found it too quickly becomes a skin scent. By the way, Calamity J has disappeared from the Juliette site. So lovers take note as it seems to be the first discontinued perfume from the range.

This was a blind buy, and I wanted to love it, but I have to be honest here. To my nose Calamity J starts off with a screeching two hour top note reminiscent of melted plastic, like someone left a Barbie on the radiator overnight or burned tires at the scene of a car wreck. The burning rubber scent then begins to morph into just plain old plastic mixed with Good & Plenty candies and leather. All in all, this scent makes me think of melted dolls, a car accident, bikers and shattered dreams. This bad boy is getting ebay’d – stat!