Paloma Picasso Eau de Toilette

(Review of a vintage EdP and a vintage EdT, both Parfums Paloma Picasso era pre-1990) This perfume is lewd. It’s got the bit-lip, swagger and gait of a night worker in leather wearing some enormous rose perfume. You do get to see some different sides of this singular, seedy personality in these two different concentrations though, but regardless of which one you spray on your person be ready for some raised eyebrows. In the EdT, immediately a rich honey note and a cloudy fecal civet note are playing upwards and not wanting to wait their turn, mixing and mingling with massive crystalline aldehydes, bitter and sour bergamot, and a cold pale green hyacinth. Rose and coriander quickly begin blooming with the tenacity of bonfire smoke. This rose is no wallflower; it is not jammy, sweet, demur, or prim and regal, it is vivid siren red with a sharp green edge. Part of this has to do with a geranium note very convincingly and specifically accenting the rose with a bitter, oily green and slightly lemony quality. The coriander is cooly woody and keeping the lights low. It takes a little time but the other florals eventually make their presence known in unison, but mostly behind the rose and coriander. The geranium departs before the florals even begin to lose staying power, giving more room to play for the jasmine. In the EdP, the honey and civet are not present in the opening but those enormous aldehydes, the bergamot, hyacinth, rose, and coriander are still present and accounted for but simply - and maybe obviously - more saturated and with greater detail. However, the heart is more rose forward in the EdP, and the tuberose and ylang-ylang are playing bigger roles. I definitely pull the tropical and creamy banana lean of ylang-ylang, and tuberose is its usual diva-self here, heady and energetic. With some time the honey begins to peak out from the base and augment some of the florals in the heart to give a distinct mimosa impression, but then it shifts backwards to the preceding notes. Neat trick. The dry down of the EdT is a classic stinky chypre done flawlessly. Mossy, civety, earthy from patchouli, and only slightly vanillic and resinous from the benzoin. The EdP does eventually approach nearly the same base as the EdT but it certainly leans more amber, focusing on honey, civet, woods, and benzoin with a noticeably smaller dose of oakmoss and patchouli - still a chypre, but more weight placed on some amberic notes. The leather intonations are subtle, like trying to smell the night worker’s leather jacket over their massive rose perfume; both concentrations are more civet-animalics and resins forwards, and only touches of materials vaguely like styrax or castoreum that could truly evoke leather. The EdT certainly arrives at its base faster than the EdP, as to be expected, but the EdP keeps its base surprisingly well hidden for a long time. It is reasonable to think of this either way, but it is very remarkable how long the EdP holds onto the floral heart or, versus, how fast the EdT dispenses it. What a marvelous piece of work Paloma Picasso is. If it weren’t for the obscenely bold character, you could almost call it elegant. There is a seamlessness and perfectly-judged blend to the composition that creates an exquisite and elegant texture... that you will notice from ten feet away, that is. For whatever elegance the composition has to its structure, that bold rose and those rumbling animalics plus a diffusiveness able to be detected by satellites can, at times, distract from the intricacies and luxuriousness. Wear this with confidence, because, if you don’t, it will be one of those perfumes that wears you.

To me, this scent is all about the civet. Picture a big, sparkling orb of rich, unctuous, golden honey. Sometimes, to me, civet has this almost honey quality, where it's thick and golden, not sweet, and both dirty and clean at the same time, and that's exactly what I get with PP-EDT. It's in a similar vein as the civet in Estee Lauder's Knowing. This gives it an old-school polished perfumey vibe that makes it a good pick for lovers of classic chypres to try. I don't think it's an easy wear, but it will make a statement. The aldehydes give me this sense of a sparkling, golden lift. The oakmoss and coriander are both present, but I don't reach for PP-EDT when I'm craving oakmoss. To me, the oakmoss isn't the star but the support to the civet, adding a sense of austerity and powder. The coriander adds that vegetal funk that you get with Jean Couturier's Coriandre and gives PP-EDT a masculine edge, adding to the no-nonsense lady vibe. Then there are the florals. I picture that big honey civet orb poured all over a pungent bunch of mimosa blossoms, pink roses, and unidentified white flowers. They're all just at the edge of rotting when they're at their sweetest and most floral smelling. Every now and then I get hints of something woody and slightly smoky, like sandalwood and vetiver, but these more add an unconscious feel to the whole than they ever stand out on their own. I also get a hint of supple, rich leather, especially in the opening few hours. It's all very feminine to me in a way that makes you feel compelled to open doors, lay coats over mud puddles, say "ma'am," and refer to her as a lady. PP-EDT doesn't change much for me over time. It opens with a stronger civet blast that I can see being perceived as urinous. The other notes make their presence known almost immediately. The civet calms down after about an hour, and while it's still very much the star of the show, it's less in your face. A light hand goes a long way and I get a close bubble of PP-EDT around me for a full 8 hours or more. Compared to the EDP, this one is much more polished, refined, and reserved. There's definitely that animalic vibe, but it's all buttoned up here. I hesitate to wear the EDP to work because it's just so seductive femme fatale, but I do wear the EDT. Their matte gold (EDT) and shiny black (EDP) bottles fit each of them very well and I think reflect their differences accurately. This is the image Paloma Picasso EDT conjures in my mind: Imagine a posh lady dripping with Old Hollywood glamour and married to an incredibly wealthy and powerful man. She's impeccably dressed wearing a cream-colored pantsuit or trenchcoat, a headscarf, dark sunglasses, and leather gloves. Her jewelry is gold. She never rushes. She's aloof and a touch haughty, and might just call you "dah-ling" or "be a dear" (as in, "be a dear and fetch my coffee") if she notices you're there. But, if she does notice you, she'll write the best letter of recommendation for you and she'll make sure it gets into the exact right hands.

Mousse de fougère! This is what I call Paloma Picasso in its edt concentration. I have an edp from the mid 80’s which goes into Knowing territory. I also have a 1995 Cosmair edt for more frequent use that feels somehow drier, fougèrier, but not at all lighter. Review of this particular edt (UP271, Cosmair/Paloma Picasso Parfums). Paloma in general has always been for me a very floral chypre. Green as hell, but floral; rich dark roses, jasmine, spicy carnation/geranium accents, with very slight mimosa powder. Animalics that instead of going feral, enhance the other notes. The edp goes all the way into that territory, deepens with wear, and at the end the civet and castoreum make a curtain call to assert their presence. The edt however behaves differently. The floral notes, with more emphasis on carnation, become more dandy, more obscure, like taking cue from something like Narcisse Noir. Even Eau du Soir, which really shows here its kindred relationship. But what predominates is the woody vetiver/oakmoss base. It’s as if a shaving foam was whipped to a featherlight mousse, sprinkled with shavings of soap, a green colored one, and adorned with geranium, carnation, a touch of rose and a drizzle of honey. It smells like those 70’s ads of Badedas or Fa, famous European shower products that back in the day rivaled expensive brands. Clean, bright, soapy, groomed. Not very feral, but the animal inside gives a certain warmth to the entire fragrance. Civet and castoreum can be clean and dirty, if you know how to dose them. Sillage and longevity don’t deviate from the edp; couple of sprays on the neck, couple on the chest and wrists, project for hours and last to the end of the day. Hours in, it becomes more rose/patchouli without the chemical woods that are used today to recreate and give depth to such accords. So you get the nice stuff without the crappy Ambro whatever. If you like one, you’ll like the other. If you gravitate towards Knowing, EdS, Scherrer, you’ll love it. If you find the edp challenging, you might enjoy the edt. But it’s recognizably Paloma Picasso in all its beauty so if you don’t like old school proper chypres, chances are you probably won’t enjoy it. Fougère and barbershop scent fans are likely to love it!

I received a 5 ml bottle as a gift from another order. I was originally going to offer it to a lady friend without sampling it at all-- what a mistake that would have been! When I first tried it on my skin, I hated it. It smelt offensive to me. The strong fecal and aldehyde notes were all I could detect, and I couldn't tolerate them. As the day went on, I found I couldn't stop sniffing my wrists. The next day I was keen to try it again, and it's quickly become a favourite, regular wear. This is civet-forward, and I love it like that. I'm an animal who wants to smell like an animal, and this will sure get the job done. The civet is at times urinal trough, at times manure, but it's largely taking the florals and warming them right up. There's a clean, fresh, soapy scent that makes its way through. It calms down to an earthy, mossy blend with the florals taming the show, the citrus keeping things uplifted, and the civet, musk, and amber combine to add a pleasant current of warmth to the whole presentation. This is a confident older woman who knows what she wants, and isn't timid about getting it. Perhaps the madam of a brothel, perhaps the CEO of a company-- somewhere they're meeting in the middle. This can easily be worn by a man who's comfortable with himself, and comfortable with getting down and dirty. It'll make you blush, and it can wear you if you're not careful. I would wear this in all seasons, but cut back on the sprays during the heat. Very keen to sample the EDP.

I have been thinking of getting a bottle of the EDP, but just kept postponing it for no particular reason. Maybe it's just the wrong timing - I like changing my scents according to the weather, the season, the occasion etc., and this one is a rather picky lady. Plus as much as I am a keen admirer of chypres, aldehydes, well, most of the notes here - I happen to come across ones that also seem like a perfect combo for me - and aren't. For reasons I don't quite understand. Ending up just staring at me from the shelf, waiting hopelessly to be picked. Today the right moment came - it's a cool spring day, with long awaited sunshine, little breeze and I came home with this little one. Initially I can see two of my favs in a loving embrace - the flowery, aldehydic No 5 and honey-sweet patchouli & sandalwood of Soir De Lune. It is a bit much at the beginning, then she calms down and gets busy dressing you in a perfectly tailored golden camel coloured suit. The heavier notes are there all the time, I like applying it gently, keeping my scent close to the skin. She likes to make her statement right and clear, and I believe in the power of whispering. Luckily it stays on my skin all day, I can smell it on my silk scarf days later, like a soft warm whisper: did you miss me? I missed you a lot. Intoxicatingly beautiful, well balanced, makes me feel very much feminine, sexy, dreamy yet on focus. Now I'm thinking of familiarising myself more with the whole family.