Clandestine Clara

Clara will always have a special place in my heart as it was the first fragrance that made me fall into this deep rabbit hole of perfumes. It totally captured my heart at first sniff. At the time, I was unaware of anything perfumes but I saved every penny I could to purchase this bottle at full retail price. The notes in here are still notes that I gravitate towards when it comes to scents, vanilla, tobacco, rum, amber and subtle spices. Clara is a boozy ambery warm vanilla that dries down a touch powdery, it doesn’t transform much but I don’t get bored of it (it doesn’t last long enough to get bored of lol). She looks sweet and innocent but there’s a dark sensual side to her that very few gets the pleasure of experiencing. She is self aware and gives of idgaf what you think of me you'll love me anyways energy. Layered together with the very bewitching yasmine (amps up the sweetness and longevity) and that is now a signature scent to me. That’s when I feel the most myself. Every time I put this on it reminds me of my first love, Clara.

Looking at the accords, I simply knew this was for me. I love perfumes with smell all boozy and cinnamon-y with just a hint of tobacco on my husband, but he isn’t a fan of those. Which is why I took to buying perfumes meant for men that smell like this! But this? Everything I want in a pretty bottle :) I might be a bit partial though - I was ready to love this even before I smelled it because of the copy from Penhaligon’s. I mean, Clara does sound like the woman I want to be. I know people have had issues with longevity and sillage but to be honest it doesn’t seem to bother me. I am surrounded by a cinnamony spicy cloud that I am basking in. So, so unique. So different from any other perfume I am used to. It does border on unisex and I would love to smell this on a man! I imagine someone who’s confident and willing to admit it wearing this one. This is the kind of perfume that you’ve got to know better to find the soft core within, know what I mean? Get past the hard exterior shell to find the warmth inside. Gorgeous smell!

So I got this today and I have been racking my brain trying to think of what it reminds me of. It has a bit of a vintage edge to it and it's wafting something really familiar to me.... Its just come to me! It reminds me of Samsara! But the OG, not the current formulation. When I put my nose to my wrist it doesn't smell like it, but wafting in the air I get that distinct Samsara vibe. Off the top its spicy play dough with a marzipan/almond nuance. This isn't boozy, it's dry and powdery with a touch of sweetness. The dry down is where this frag shines for me. The play dough burns off a fair bit and you are left with a creamy vanilla, cinnamon and rich amber that is a touch powdery from the lingering playdough. Its such a shame that when it gets to the divine dry down it is almost gone. 2 hours and it's a skin scent, and it only projects for maybe 20 minutes. For the price thats a joke. Its a true unisex fragrance.

Think sweet powdery smooth aged rum by the fireplace. Even after years of maceration, longevity and spillage is disappointingly weak for the price you pay. Such a shame for a beautifully blended fragrance. Extremely close to the skin but a warm surprise oozes out upon discovery. My batch is JUNE 2020... at room temperature on my hand I need to be at least 15cm close to get an essence - an odd liquorice opening which eases in to sweet woodiness. The only way to comfortably wear this out is for it to ride on the back of a projecting fragrance like Mancera roses vanille. Given then name, I gather Clara is very quiet and mysterious, not wanting to be easily identified hence the subtle complexity. 7.5/10 - losing points for price, longevity, and projection but smells divine!

I do like testing female/ unisex fragrances to wear for myself (I am a heterosexual male) and would layer some with different molecule compounds to alter the tone for a more masculine offset as I'm very much into gourmand and vanilla notes. I tested this out after reading all the reviews on this at first, especially with the opening spray - I wasn't a fan. Though as most fragrances I wanted to give this a chance so I just bought it anyway and tested it for a week and where this shines I feel is the dry down and when its in the air. I layer this with ambroxan, so perhaps that had something to do with it but it was surprisingly pleasant and have received a lot of compliments both female and male.

This beauty is like an eclectic evening out as a seductress! At the very beginning, the experience is so fun and fizzy and very punchy with the yummy rum note. It is so pleasing and stays like this for a good hour with me, like a Christmas party vibe, with some time, it relaxes a little and allows the cinnamon and woods to really pop, still whiffs of rum but not so dazzling, more of a cocktail hour by the fire in an upscale hotel. Then the cosy dry-down, Vanilla amber and trails of the spicy rummy night linger. She is lovable and fun. I love her for the evening, I imagine wearing Feve D in the day and then adding her to it at night for a really yummy experience.

I'm right in the middle on this one. It's attention grabbing at first spray, throws a wallop of a punch and then hides it's hands. It is sweet, it is boozy but there's no density to it. It almost come across to me as fizzy, like there are little tiny pockets of air filtering through the fragrance. It reminds me of a cherry cola. Amber-y it is, vanilla-sh...sure, but I have to be honest about my disappointment in it's sillage and longevity. I feel like I have to keep this uncapped and tucked in a hip sheath to spray at a moment's notice, lest I be accused of not having it on. I like it though. :)

Okay, boozy, I can smell that, but more sweet. Clara is not a barfly. She may have taken a swig before passing by, but she didn't spend the night drinking. The booze and vanilla explain why I want to lick myself when wearing this. I don't get any patchouli smell, thank God. Penhaligon's is the MASTER of blending their scents in such a way as to have it super refined, and nothing is cacophonously standing out like a lone note. I like that about them because they do it well, do it for depth and mystery, and they achieve class scents!

It is a super sexy, lovely, warm, inviting fragrance that is a nose burier and one of the most underrated and ignored Penhaligon. It's unisex, and I love to wear it. Despite not usually going for booze in my perfumes, I adore the rum note in this, but it is just enough to make me feel like a flapper in the late 20s sitting in the cocktail bar. The amber provides the warmth to match it, and I think a liberal spray lasts 6 hours on me with a little cream on my skin. It dries down perfectly for a coffee after cocktails. IFYKWIM!

Clandestine Clara has my number. This fragrance has enthralled me with boozey swirls of amber, vanilla and patchouli. I think this will be my next full bottle, and has supplanted Elixir as my favorite from Penhaligon's. I will spend this winter enfolded in layers of velvet, suede, silk, and utterly in the thrall of this bewitching Clara. With fire in my heart, I am ready to face the winter.

Love at first sniff!! It’s actually the fragrance that made me enter the fragrance world. Anyways for me, I think it’s very sexy, unique, and has an enticing scent trail. Scent uniqueness: 9/10 Scent itself: 10/10 Longevity: 9/10 (amazing dry down) Projection: 8.5/10 ; spray a lot for better Performance But overall: 9/10

This is more of a note for myself to reference at a later date. This a powdery, sweet, and spicy scent on me. Smells a bit unisex but leans feminine. The fragrance is reminiscent of Khamrah but much smoother and refined. I also get hints of baby powder and chestnuts or tonka beans which are not listed in the notes.

Oh, this is so pretty! It’s got such warmth to it, with the amber, rum, right amount of spice and sweetness. I personally feel this could work on any night, but will shine in winter all day. So far I’ve enjoyed all of the Penhaligan’s that I have tried, but this one is my favorite.

I adore this perfume more with each wear ... its like a velvety fresh vanilla drizzled in woodey boozey cinnamon... yet it also has a powdery softness ... its heaven ... so sexy Someone below said it reminds them of samsara and yes I get that Soooo good and so sexy

I'm in love I'm in love and I don't CARE who knows it! I haven't smelled all of this fun Penhaligon's line, but Clara just ticks all the right boxes to make me feel warm, luxurious and comforted all at the same time, and lasts forever on my skin. Happy!!

I really like this one. It just works so well with my skin chemistry, and smells warm and inviting, a little bit smoky and more than a little bit sexy. One of my sweetie's favourite perfumes too, he always comments when I wear it.

I think it is me in a bottle, although I believe that nothing can abbreviates me, but when I smell it, I feel that it is me, similar to me in the Combining of the opposites, clear but mysterious, simple but not like everyone else

I think it has a bit of a poetic air, it is a warm scent and despite the sweet notes in it, I think it is a masculine scent. Maybe it is the scent of a man you will fall in love with. It has become my favorite scent lately.

I adore this scent. It's moody, romantic and dark, but not cloying or heavy at all. I actually find it very subtle, deep, low, soothing voices of smoky, woodsy, savoury vanilla. A true comforter.

truly the most beautiful scent i’ve ever smelled, reminds me of candlelight, dark wood panelling, fancy boutiques at christmas, dancing the waltz in a ballroom to jazz suite no. 2

This is so good. It’s so well blended and smells just like the notes would lead you to believe. I layer this with Boucheron Ambre D’Alexandrie and it’s heaven.

Lovely, but doesn’t seem to last at all, like not more than 10 mins projection and maybe an hour on my skin. Very disappointing as it’s rich, warm and lovely.

Has a feminine booze at the beginning, but then becomes more woody and masculine. I believe anyone can wear this just fine. decent performance too 8/10

This smells how cashmere feels. Might not be the most unique or groundbreaking but I think it fits me perfectly and is definitely FB worthy. Love!

I don't know if the curse is on me or what? As usual, just when I get hooked on a fragrance, I'm surprised to find out it's been discontinued.

It was really a love at firts sniff, just amazing, will definitly buy a full bottle. Even after 2 weeks on my top , i can still smell it

So gorgeous for autumn and winter, I will get a second bottle for sure 🥰

Why is this powdery? There are no powdery notes. Presumably owing to the cinnamon and rum, this is a spicy and warm scent. If you told me it was a Kilian scent I would believe you. It isn't a dupe for any of their scents at all, but it's got a similar spicy warmth to it. I suppose some would say "boozy". I am usually hesitant if I see patchouli as a note, but I've got a couple Penhaligon's scents with it, and they do well with the scent. It's not like in your face and offensive or stinky. This is very much a woman's scent due to the powdery note (seriously, where is it coming from?) I don't get woody. I suspect the vanilla is taming the patchouli. Vanilla is listed as a note, but again, it's just not in your face like a lot of gourmands can be. (This is not a gourmand.) All that to say, I like this a good deal. I don't love it, and I may never wear it out. But there are days where I do wear it around the house and I seek it out specifically. I see why it was discontinued. If I want warm and spicy, I have warmer and spicier. If I want RUM, there are more rum forward scents. If I want powdery, I'm going to grab a violet-forward scent. It's almost too well blended. It spans a few scent-profile buckets, but isn't a leader in any, in part because it's not really a member of any of those buckets. Which is why I'm glad I have it. I've never smelled anything quite like it.

Another beautiful winter warmer in Penhaligons' Portraits collection. I don't love Clara quite as much as Yasmine and Constance, but I like her a lot. To my nose this is a patchy, boozy semi-gourmand that smells just like the notes list suggests. I just can't believe that patchouli is the least voted note on here right now, it's the strongest note to me. This patch is dry and earthy. At first I found it too dusty in the opening, but then I noticed it's smoother when you do a small spray from afar. Then the patch feels just dry enough to balance the very warm vanilla and keep the scent from going too foody. I think some unnamed woodsy notes also add a little balancing sharpness. Rum is definitely the other key note in this. It's intoxicating, rich and round, with a lush, humid texture that makes the scent so much more lively and fun. Together with the cinnamon it creates a hot, almost fiery sensation, which I love but don't find in perfumes too often. Every time I tried this, some of it remained on my skin over night or after a quick shower, so the longevity is good. The final skinscent is a very pleasant, warm and creamy vanillic amber with a hint of a diffuse woods and spices.

The initial opening is a bozzy Vanilla scent that is semi-sweet and slightly creamy. 15 Min - I am still getting a boozy Vanilla scent with a light creamy spiciness coming from the Cinnamon note. 30 Min - I continue to get a semi-sweet Amber and Vanilla scent with a boozy undertone and some hints of woods. 60 Min - The woody and Patchouli notes are providig balance to the sweetness of the Vanilla and Amber making the fragrance a much better wear. Dry Down: The dry down of this fragrance is a Vanilla and Amber scent with undertones of boozy woods and a light spiciness to round out the fragrance profile. Performance: Projection of this fragrance is OK with the frangrance creating a scent bubble of about 2 feet for over 2 hours. The sillage is also OK with a scent trail of about 2+ feet for over 2 hours as well. Longevity on my skin is OK with the fragrance lasting on my skin about 6 to 7 hours, and becoming a skin scent at about 3 hours. My rating on this fragrance is a 7.5 out of 10.

This is a boozy scent I can enjoy! I have tried a few and they have just been too much. I love a spicy warm scent for cooler months but the rum note hasn’t been working for me. However, in this, it is just right. It burns off rather quickly and leaves a much softer spicy woody scent that’s gorgeous. As some have stated, it does fade, but personally , I think that’s part of its charm. If it stayed as potent as the initial spray, for me, that would be way too much. This settles in nicely and definitely doesn’t disappear. It’s one of the fragrances you can smell when you come in for a cuddle and find yourself enraptured by the scent. The vanilla is very delicately done. If I hadn’t read the notes, I’m not sure I would’ve placed it, yet it does give it a smoother creamy or even waxy feel. Gorgeous scent! Perfectly unisex!

Clandestine Clara is the most user friendly and feminine booze perfume I’ve smelled. It’s almost a skin scent, but anyone with permission will want to come in closer to smell this. It’s a very light but enveloping blanket of warm ambery spice and vanilla floating in a cloud of boozy vapor. It’s really lovely and is quite linear with no one note dominating the others but instead they all work together to create this warm delicious veil. Not until the dry down do woods take over but unfortunately on my skin that was in a couple hours with the scent itself only lasting about 3-4 hours. So the downsides are it’s expensive, it doesn’t project much and it doesn’t last long. Upsides are it’s delicious, pretty universally so, and the bottle is fun as well.

This is a perfect embodiment of mature femininity: It opens with Patchouli, Rum and amber to finish with Vanilla and cinnamon. Lipstick effect for sure. Not suitable for girls but for mature women who have a taste for the Retro world. Penhaligon's: A house that transmits first of all SIGNORILITY. I see a woman in full bell'epoque, Art Nouveau ... in short, all the first and part of the second half of the 900 in the bottle. The rights of the fair sex, the "WE CAN DO IT", the masculine woman who resides in all. The woman who dominates and who does not mind to play the role of man: The one and only MARLENE DIETRICH, with its unfailing cigarette and the air of someone who struts (not surprisingly, the peacock is the symbol of perfume)

The fragrance is totally my cup of tea (dark rum in a bottle) as it is spicy dark rum in a bottle BUT... Unlike the review below, I find the best part is actually the opening entering its mid-phase as the booziness is completely gone in the drydown (only vanilla-ey, powdery, a bit woody left as skin scent). Clara 'almost' reaches my favourite shelf. It is just not there yet. Despite it being deep, sensual, refined, boozy, mysterious, this beauty transforms too quickly and takes only 3-4 hours to the drydown phase that no longer excites me, and the sillage & projection is not even great. However, I feel sexy wearing it. And even though the ingredient composition looks overdone, I have not smelled anything like Clara.

I sampled this in a UK store recently and the first thing that came into my mind was Cara by Farmacia SS. Annunziata. Perhaps the name 'Clara' is a complete coincidence but I do wonder.. The opening is very sweet, marshmallow/playdough like (as above, identical to Cara) but to be fair, it dries down into something quite different with an almost floral vibe which goes against the note listing. Would I spend £220 in the uk for a 75ml bottle when I could pick up a 100ml bottle of the aforementioned discontinued Cara on ebay for around £100.... absolutely not. That said, longevity on my wrist was excellent and it still scores a solid 8/10 despite the high price tag.

Reminds me of cinnamon hearts , wintergreen lifesavers and weirdly Playdoh.... Crazy combo but I am growing to like it! The dry down is very much boozy rum vanilla. For some reason this fragrance reminds me of the song Maneater by Nelly Furtado. Kinky, Crazy and Girlbossing👀😈 Like she's a lip biter FOR SURE. I cannot wrap my head around this perfume! I'd say it's a good thing because, you want your POI wondering how can solve this enigma of attraction✨️ Sillage is moderate, and longevity is wonderful. Very impressive perfume👏👏👏 Zodiac Trio ⬆️Capricorn ☀️Aquarius 🌜Gemini/Taurus

This perfume has definitely grown on me since my first spray. The rum is very noticeable on first spray, but just like any night of drinking, the striking taste of the first drink becomes more palatable after the third and fourth drink. It’s a very warm sexy scent, with beautiful notes of amber and vanilla. However, there is a a faint smell of something reminiscent of sunscreen and on my skin it smells a bit powdery. I only got a tester and as much as I enjoy this scent, I don’t enjoy it enough on my skin to buy the full bottle.

First let me say, I joined Fragrantica in order to review this fragrance. It is so delightful; I feel like an empress every time I wear it! I get a balanced sweetness and want to smell my skin all day long. But that is the problem - once sprayed, you can only smell it close on your skin after an hour. There is absolutely no sillage on me and I get roughly two hours of wear before the scent disappears. For a $300 bottle, I expected much, much more. Certainly a good blind buy if you can get it for 70% off the retail price.

I like the amber in this (a very difficult note for me), it makes this round and feminine despite the woodsiness and lack of regular "feminine" notes, but in a way it's too feminine, I think there's a very sweet patchouli in it, something that cheapens it every so slightly. It's a very good perfume, just not "me". The description about an adventurous woman doesn't suit it. This is the perfume a regal but maternal older matriarch would wear in her opulent rooms.

A lovely, wearable, feminine, and elevated boozy fragrance. The ambery and woody accords add great substance to the composition and the hints of cinnamon mixed with the boozy notes adds some deliciousness! As time passes by, the woody accords gain in presence and become a bit more natural-wood-smelling — which is very nice! I get 4 hours on my skin and 8-10 hours on clothing with moderate projection. I really like it ! Great for nights out during the Fall.

I so wanted to like something from Penhaligons but for years i had no luck.. and finally lady Clara arrives. I tried some on my lunch break and didn't like the opening but as the hours passed I couldn't stop smelling my wrist, the layers of warmth and creaminess started revealing themselves still keeping the notes of spice. By the end of the day I liked it so much that I bought it the same day. So complex and ever-changing. Mysterious and sexy..

Not my particular fragrance to wear, but i can respect it as an amber gourmand. It really does smell like cinnamon and honey and definitely something warm and boozy. It has a deep dirty scent to it when you over-sniff it. I'm smelling something powdery and castoreum like. Anyways, I would not wear this out, but it would be better on some pretty lady! Sillage is decent, quite a few feet. Longevity is quite well with a length of up to 6 hrs.

lejaimlefunk who likened it to the old Cara by Farmacia ss annunziata was spot on; This is the exact same fragrance in a bit louder mode. I loved Cara and I sure love this one, but they both lack any lasting power. This lasts 4 hours -or 5 on a very good day- while Cara is gone in 2-3 hours. The vanilla-almond accord is very soothing and beautiful, but with no projection or duration they're both no worth the FB for me.

Clandestine Clara is Lord George's mistress. Lord George seems to think he can cover up a recent encounter with the smell of expensive rum and cigars, but at close range you can detect the remaining trace of Clara's sweet perfume, who doesn't seem to need to cover up an encounter with a man, because you can notice the loudness of the alcohol, dry woods, and tobacco, which will eventually subside and drown in vanilla

This scent has a vibe of slipping into a cozy cashmere sweater on a winter day. It's labeled 'for women' but I think anyone could enjoy it. It has a classy vibe that screams sophistication. The rum at the start is a fancy touch. It feels smooth and luxurious. The cinnamon gives it a spicy kick and the vanilla adds a sweet creaminess. Patchouli makes it a bit earthy at the end.Overall, it's classy and timeless.

Sweet smokes! To my nose this is the darker, smokier, more seductive, better dressed sister of Lancome's LVEB. Although it is smoky and mysterious it has this comforting and enveloping quality to it. Even if at first sniff I didn't think too much of it, slowly and clandestinely, if you will, it conquered me and I rested in awe at its presence. Very glad I discovered it. Moderate sillage and longevity.

Spectacularly delicious. Is it interesting? Not really, no... but it gets the job done. The job here being relaxation. A soft vanilla and benzoin bomb that lightly envelops you if you apply it once or twice. Otherwise you'll get a headache. Soft, non-earthy/hippy patchouli... perhaps a little bit of rum. Quite lovely.

On me it's a spicy-woody-ambery pachouli. One moment it smells like an elegant old lady, the next it's a bit more masculine. It's not something I usually go for but I can't stop smelling my wrist. I'll keep exploring it.

Not nearly as extravagant as the descriptions of the lady...based on that it's boring, otherwise it's just nice. I really wanted to love this because the peacock is absolutely adorable, second to Lord George..

This is a disappointingly boring Amber with just hints of “other” notes. I oversprayed and within 30 minutes there was barely any projection. Nice but not even almost worth the price.