Habanita L'Esprit

I really don't get the dislikes based only on the impression that L'Esprit has no connection to black Habanita. I have a FB of black Habanita, and a FB of white L'Esprit. Are they alike, or similar? Probably as much as the colours of their bottles, so: NO. But, do they share the concept and Habanita's familly DNA? YES. I think it is fair to say that the concept behind the two different scents is the same as much the shape and ornaments on black and white bottle. If black is the devil, the white one is an angel, but - with no mistake - their faces share bone-structure and, rightfully, the name. As the black original, L'Esprit opens loudly and intensely, but instead of a blast of mastique supported with petitgrain (in black one), this white one hits with labdanum and nutmeg, supported with rather sharp citrusses. I can really smell all three notes, but on me labdanum dominates, as mastique dominates in the opening of the black one. So, if you have the problem with labdanum, it would be quite difficult to pass its concentration in the opening. But, I love it and I enjoy opening very much, because this is where this white Habanita introduces herself by her familly name and says: "Hello, I am Habanita, but the other one - L'Esprit." After about half an hour L'Esprit starts to calm down and soften. The same happens with the black one, too. Though nutmeg and labdanum are present, flowers take over, turning the middle of the fragrance into creamy, calm, tender flowery-balsamic composition. This part is beautiful, so lovely, so tender - barely a hint of familly DNA, but don't be fooled. Habanita is there, and deeper we go into the drydown, the more seductive it gets. Further in the drydown the creaminess remains, but flowery component that dominated the middle is toned down. Tender powdery-almondy heliotrope, characteristic for Habanita - family stays, but now is enpowered with again more proiminent labdanum. Traces of nutmeg and citrus are still here,now joined with mostly musk, warm, tender and sensual and vanilla-like benzoin. The final musky hug is divine. I'm not a fond of musk in general, but this is the musk done superbly: warm, light, cuddling, fleshy but clean. L'Esprit is silky, smooth, tender, light but complex. There's nothing to cloy, nothing to offend, but everything to reveal sensuality. This is Habanita you don't have to be prepared for, as for the black one, but it is as capturing, as sensual and as womanly all the way as her black sister. It is L'Esprit in approach and stile, but not in the effect or performance. Her heliotrope-powder is not "grasp-for-air", but the airy one. Her balsam is less thick, and more silky. Her musky-labdanum skin is not tobacco-leather type, but nourished-creamy one. But she is Habanita, and she is tenderly capturing and descretely seductive. She would only do it differently - smoothly, like a spirit - L'Esprit. This fragrance is beautiful. And so cuddly. This white Habanita has all the qualities of the greatly done perfume - development in which the notes interplay not only horizontaly, but vertically too, and they drydown instead of "fall off". L'Esprit, like the black original, has progression, soft but persistent projection and very good longevity when applied on skin. So: Habanita -yes. L'Esprit - yes. White - yes. But, even when compared to the black Habanita - not simplified, and certainly not pale. Just differently beautiful. Really, really beautiful. Highly recommended as a summer option for powdery oriental lovers and musk lovers - she doesn't mind the heat. Highly recommended in any season, in any other case. Period. *like *longevity: long lasting (8+ hours) *sillage: moderate (arms lenght at least) * weather/season/time: All year round. Endures the heat (+30 C) without changing or becoming heavy. But I plan to wear this white beauty trough early, warm, golden autumn. Casual to formal. Day.

I received a sample of Habanita L’Esprit yesterday but because I was happily surprised by my recent blind buy for this summer (Bvlgari- Acqua Divina) I decided to try it later on. I have and adore the initial Habanita and don’t know why I didn’t try this one earlier. On my skin this scent is extremely similar to Mugler’s Alien edp, however a bit sweeter and much paler. I’ve once been told by a very nice guy in Milano at a Guerlain perfume shop, who sold me L’Heure Bleue (that has become my signature scent) that I should smell a perfume only after about 5 to 10 minutes upon spraying and decide how I feel about it. Coming back to L’Esprit - after 10 minutes I sense powdery benzoin, musk, a bit of nutmegs and Patchouli and florals - Jasmine and others, maybe Heliotropes because it’s just something of a flower I don’t remember to have smelled before. (I said florals because I am a simple lover of perfumes but don’t know how Heliotrope or Mimosa smell. Except for roses, Jasmine, Violets and few others I wouldn’t recognize a specific flower in a perfume. ). My nose does not detect in this perfume vetiver or lemon at all. All in all, given that I love Mugler’s Alien and that I smell a lot of resemblance between the two, I also can say I like Habanita L’Esprit very, very much. Only L’Esprit is lighter, softer, more tempered and with a bit more florals and powdery sensation than Alien. I definitely consider buying it for warmer evenings, since Alien is for me at least an autumn-winter only perfume. I don’t know what to say about silage (at first seems a bit poor- considering the initial effect of the perfume) and longevity but hopefully I’ll come back and update my post. One more thing, despite I seem to be pretty in love at first sight with this one because of its overall sensuality, I wouldn’t recommend as a blind buy as it seems to be (to me at least) a perfume with a strong personality and quite little in common as an overall with the initial Habanita. Update: app. 3 hours later this perfume settles down like a second skin (now it reminds me of Le Peche or Diabolique from Eisenberg) and I must say I keep sniffing my wrists as it’s somehow addictive- I will surely buy it because it’s simply wonderfully blended. I simply love it! Also, I consider silage to be moderate and longevity also moderate.

The air is so thin up here - you dip in and out of the earth's atmosphere silently wondering what the inhabitants are like....it's been centuries since you paid a visit. The sun gleams off of your porcelain skin as the air whistles throught your massive wings - you leave a sparkling citric rain that ignites as it falls to the earth. If any were to look up it would appear as if the sky was torn open and raining a heavenly fire. You dive down for a closer look. The powdery clouds streak across your rosy cheeks, thier iris cold dew clings to your feathered wings. Something goes awry as your wings are set ablaze - you barrel down to the earth at a frightening velocity. The smoke pouring from your wings bears the tinge of sacred incense and heavenly heliotrope - your trail can be followed to a cropping of acacia trees through which you crash landed. Your angelic presence has somehow diminished in your fall. Your skin is thick with a humid patchouli like sweat and dirt - no longer a magical porcelain, your skin has adopted an ambered hue and a thick musk. Not quite human, not quite angel, you feel compelled toward the horizon....you wonder what things await? Day 93 - Descent Listening to: Agnes Obel - Chord Left Notes: I forgot how absolutely gorgeous this is...its muskiness rivals all the greatest musk fumes I have tried and the journey to that musky drydown is dazzling! The opening is a dramatic aldehyde mixed with pure powder, sparkling lemons, and a dewy rose. The heart blooms many floral notes - a cool iris, a sweet and vanilla-like heliotrope, a warm mimosa, and a delectable trail of smoky citric incense. The scent slowly spirals into the depths of a warm amber and nutmeg with interlacing traces of a sharp yet calming patchouli. From here, a decadent white musk grows in power, playfully mingling with the smoke and sweet resins before reigning supreme on its own. This fume is truly magnificent and I don't ever want to be without - it is undoubtedly unisex and anyone who loves floral musky should give this a try. For longevity lovers, this lasts a solid 12 hours in my skin....and it is a breathtaking ride!

Sweet dreams are made of this... And So are memories. I won't talk much about noyes because my nose is not ready for properly fine tuned vintagey perfumes I have just started learning about. To me perfumes have very emotional meaning, they take me to people and places, some ld and some new. I bought Habanita l'esprit because although as tempted as I am to try Habanita EDP I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet. So I blind bought this wonder, blind buying becoming my secret adventure. It came in post today and so I eagerly opened it and sprayed on my arm. My mind immediately took off and there I was in my friend mum's house, fifteen years ago. Now, there are two reasons for that. My best friend's mum was a doctor, and the first wiff of Habanita l'esprit smells a bit medicinal to me. But that goes away in a moment or two. And then I'm getting comfortable in their house. My friend's mum, although being a doctor, was very keen on spiritual things, art and oriental philosophy. Every time I visited my friend we would sit in the semi dark living room, listening to some blues, drinking coffee or wine, breathing in heavy incense. Their house always had an incense stick burning, so everything there was penetrated with that delicious secretly scent. And that's where Habanita l'esprit takes me. The incense, the comfort and memories, warm rainy autumn day, secrets and shadows. Oh Habanita, you temptress! I want to close my eyes and go back there. Two hours have passed and I can finally smell some bitter lemon. The smell has slightly changed but it still remains divine. I think I found my new love. I'm looking forward to my favourite season, autumn, so I can wrap a scarf around me, spray some Habanita l'esprit and go wander, watching life reflected on wet maroon and golden leaves... I'm in love.

It's kind of a perplexing fragrance. Sometimes if comes across really modern, clean and uncomplicated. At other times it can't hide its origins. It does bear a similarity to Her EdP by Narciso Rodriguez, but I wouldn't also overestimate it, the Devil's in the details after all. Habanita L'esprit is certainly more of a chameleon. It only has a bit of the original Habanita DNA, but this gives it a particular character that evokes vintage orientals, even though the musk in it is very clean-smelling. Imagine a hybrid of Her EdP and Shalimar EdP. Habanita L'esprit lacks the incense and leather, but it does have something in common with the drydown of Shalimar. A powdery and resinous feel. As for the others mentioned in the "reminds me of"... Citizen Queen is sweeter, soapier and has a metallic (aldehydes) aspect to it in comparison. There's some similarity, but it's more of an outline. "Safe blind buy" is an arbitrary concept. A blind buy is only safe when someone knows exactly what to expect, the fragrance ends up working with their body chemistry and is almost universally liked. Not to mention having money to spend on fragrances not having to worry about making a choice that doesn't work out for them. Despite me personally liking it, if you consider the mixed reviews and votes I definitely suggest you try it before you commit to it. Personally I think Habanita L'Esprit is superior to anything crafted by Narciso Rodriguez. It's got depth and layers only time can build, because it is fundamentally still Habanita.