Baghari 2006

It's very hot where I live so I don't often get to experience this one in the cold conditions it was meant for. Last night it was freezing and this morning, as I was struggling to leave my warm bed, it was the thought that today was a perfect day for Baghari that finally got me up. I do wear Baghari in the heat but then I miss out on all the lovely subtleties of it, like those bubbles of freshly poured cola that sparkle from freshly sprayed Baghari. And the coziness and warmth of it puffing up from a scarf into cold morning air are absent in the heat. I disagree with most of the reviews and the note pyramid. This a warm, spicy and slightly animalic scent - I get Christmas cookies and the musky scents of skin and habitation - perhaps Grandma's cottage at Christmas. But shot through it all are the sparkle and sophistication of the aldehydes - Grandma had an interesting past and a secret stash of exotic liquors and foreign spices. The comparison to Chanel no 5 is fair to the extent that there are very few scents that combine aldehydes with spices and musk to create a "dark" aldehyde centered fragrance like these two. Other than that, I don't think they have much in common and comparisons to the lighter, sunnier no 5 flankers like eau premiere are even farther off the mark. I've never smelled the original, but I find this reformulation to be much friendlier and easier to wear than no. 5. Someone mentioned l'Heure Bleu as being similar, as well. What I think they're getting at is a gourmand aspect coupled with an animalic muskiness. But l'Heure is lemon pastry to Baghari's gingerbread, plus the sparkling sophistication of the aldehydes is lacking in l'Heure Bleu. This is one of those scents that I will always have in my collection. I only wear it a few times a year, not because it isn't a favorite but because wearing it is an all day experience that is so all encompassing and satisfying that once or twice a year is gracious plenty. I like to keep it special but it could just as easily be a signature. Today, I will enjoy this all day in all of it's many facets, sparkling, spicy, cola, warm, sweet, orange peel, panforte, musk and I'm going to feel as cozy and snug as a hibernating bear in it's cave, all while being ravishingly beautiful, sophisticated and sexy as hell.

An immediate love even before I sprayed it on my skin. Just lifting the cap and smelling the nozzle was enough to capture my heart. There's something about this fragrance that evokes an emotional response in me, a feeling that I know this fragrance, or it reminds me of something or someone, maybe something in my past. I have no idea what that could possibly be since I don't know anyone who wore this scent, either the original or new version. It brings to mind another time and place, and has an old world, refined, and elegant feel, yet is not dated, conventional, or prissy at all. Though structurally it has a vintage backbone, it's much more modern than that. While many here compare it to Chanel No. 5, it has a much warmer and more feminine profile than No.5, which aside from the aldehydes and some shared notes really doesn't remind me much of that fragrance. I haven't really delved deeply enough yet into this fragrance to dissect the notes, though some do stand out to me. But right now, I'm not interested in that. I just want to enjoy the full effect of this beautiful fragrance. I just want to add that I've never smelled the original Baghari so I'm able to appreciate this on its own merits. And based on what I smell here I think is just beautiful. It's a very alluring, womanly, and chic fragrance. When I'm in need of feeling ultra-feminine, this is the one I'll pull out. I'm so glad I bought a bottle. Even though I have more perfumes than can be used in 5 lifetimes, I am considering purchasing a backup because I know this fragrance is going to be in heavy rotation. Edit – reading through the reviews, I have to agree with tanguy20026. He used the term “haunting” to describe this scent and I could think of no better adjective than that. One of the definitions for that word is as “having qualities (such as sadness or beauty) that linger in the memory and are not easily forgotten.” It's certainly having that effect on me.

I like this one. It reminds me of a salad made of fresh herbs (Including herbs that might not be available in my country. I'm thinking of an herb from Italy, I think it is called Nepitella? Anyway, this herb sounds delightful, and I wish I could find it here in the US. Baghari has that "rare herb" quality/essence to it, is what I'm trying to say), with a hint of sweetness from amber or whatever the beautiful resins are in this, a touch of smoke, and some fizz from aldehydes. Upon applying, I felt like it could be a cousin to Vol de Nuit (and now I'm curious to try Vega, which I see that Baghari has been compared to. I've never sampled Vega and now I'm kicking myself for not investigating it before Guerlain pulled it from the website, last year). The florals and vanilla are very understated, very refined and in the background. Baghari definitely has a vintage smell/vibe to it, which I love because it doesn't smell like what most people are currently wearing. I would reach for this on days where Habanita might be a bit too intense. This is definitely growing on me. PS: This one projects a very soft, close aura around me. After about four hours, you would have to stand very close to me in order to smell it. So I have had this on for almost nine hours and now I can smell the jasmine/violet/musk/vanilla close to my skin. I am quite impressed! I think Baghari and I will become good friends! Edit: I recently acquired a sample of Guerlain's Vega, and yes Vega does smell very similar to Baghari. I prefer Baghari.

Just got this, and while I will concur it reminds me of Clive Christian No. 1, perhaps more a sister rather than a cousin. I did a side by side, and I love them both, but there are differences although to my nose their similarities are more intense. I am glad I happened upon this because I don't have to be ever on the hunt CC No 1 at a steal. I'm not going to name notes because Fragrantica and the reviews are pretty dead on if it works for you. I just will say that I love this. I will add that this is not quite as "dress up" and CC1, or as pricey. If you ever wanted to try CC1 and don't have the $$, which I think is vulgar, then go for this one. Oh, side note, I never tried the original. I love Fracas also, so I will probably try more from this house. Edit 11/13: I still really love this one. Fragrances seem to bloom more on me in the dead of winter, which we are experiencing here in the North East right now. This evokes John Dillinger's woman to me. If I had to imagine what she smelled like walking past me, this would be it. Sorta flapper age. It is very lovely, sexy and alluring enough just to pull in not Dillinger, but perhaps even the actor himself who portrayed the notorious bank robber. I prefer this one very much over Fracas. They are both worth a try though.

I wasn't expecting to like this as I'm not keen on aldehydes and I'm not a great fan of Robert Piguet, however I have surprised myself because this is one of the most stunning perfumes I have smelled in a long time. At the first spritz I can smell strong aldehydes and I get shades of Chanel No5, but this baby is far, far, nicer than Chanel in every respect. Firstly, there is never any harshness in this fragrance, I think that the neroli softens the bergamot and then the middle notes step in with the most beautiful and delicate rose note, a soft and quiet jasmine and a hint of violet. The composition ends with a crescendo of oh so sweet vanilla! which is kept in check by the musk. I simply adore this fragrance, I cannot get enough of it and I can't stop smelling my wrist. The dry down on this has settled into a sweetened floral aniseed. I know aniseed isn't listed but on my skin that's what I can smell. Finally I get a quiet and gentle floral perfume which is gentle, sultry, elegant, charming, classy and refined. Damn this is too good to be true and I just have to have a FB.

I own the vintage of Baghari in a 2 oz parfum and a 2 oz eau de toilette, and then the modern parfum and eau de parfum. Aurelien Guichard did a magnificent job of updating Baghari - no small compliment coming from an older lady like myself. I suppose if Chanel No 5 is what one knows of aldehydics there's a resemblance but it's not a strong one at all. Baghari is (in both vintage and modern) a dark, somewhat spicy floral chypre on a musky, powdered amber base laced with just a touch of vetiver and held together with a magnificent candied orange peel hyacinth & aldehydic thing that has little in common with the soapy top note aldehydes used in No 5, No 22, Caleche and the like. It's quietly beautiful - a little sophisticated maybe but much warmer, less reserved and more sensual than the aforementioned scents. The aldehydes here are used in such a unique way, running throughout the heart of the perfume. I love the effect it has, and can't find anything to compare it to. I think this is really a masterful creation.

This goes on with a bang of buzzy aldehydes that has a surface resemblance to Arpege. It soon simmers down to a warm amber musk, with a very clean soapy vibe, which brings to mind White Linen. I don't get much of the floral notes, maybe some jasmine/orange blossom. And the amber musk reminds me somewhat of Diane Von Furstenburg EPD - also made by Aurelian Guichard. After the shouty opening this sits very close to the skin which I love. It's taken me seven years to enjoy this. It was a blind buy that I originally gave away (horrified by the strong opening) only to have it returned. Then I kept it in my cupboard for a few more years but decided to give it away again, and put it in my give-away box. Recently I've been retesting everything in that box. And here I am today very happy with the mistake I made all those years ago. I bought it with Futur and Fracas, two that I thought I would keep only to have them fall by the wayside. Who knew this would be the one to stand the test of time?

a new love, where has this been all these years?? i fell in love with lauder's vintage white linen last year -- then got covid and suddenly it smelled like bacon (as did/ does bill blass nude, which i also used to love... whaaaat???) -- so i've made do with chanel no 5 in several iterations (mainly current edt and vintage cologne) ... but now this: baghari in the 2006 spray edp iteration (thank you jbuzz for the swap!!!) -- and it's as aldehydic as white linen is (a thing i absolutely adore. nothing better than that aldehydic sting to the brain. ha!) ... but somehow it sits better with me than no 5 (which i still like a lot.) it *does* have a slight tuberose tinge to my nose ( granted, impaired since covid) -- and tuberose is not my favorite. but here it works. i am so happy to have this!!! now i want to try the original to see if it's anything like this. ever the pursuit, eh? -p.s. starts with an aldehyde blast ... and ends with hints of habanita. it's really interesting.

This is very lovely! Smells like powdered panforte sparkling with aldehydes. I would describe it more as vintage than old lady and imagine it would be perfect on a bride or at a garden party or anywhere where a floaty sundress would be appropriate. As to those who say it is similar to Chanel No. 5, I could not disagree more. True it is powdery and aldehylic, but that is where the similarity ends. No. 5 pretty much ruined anything with a prominent aldehyde component for me and this little beauty is the first to redeem it. I can't see myself wearing it often enough to warrant a full bottle but I will keep my sample for the right occasions. Classic and unique! Edit: my love for this one just keeps growing. I've got a bottle now and find it's a perfect winter fragrance. The dry down is warm, powdery and sweet with a touch of aldehyde sparkle. Perfect!

Having gone through the comments of the "oldladysh scent" sort, I am highly amused and grateful that they didn't talked me out from buying Baghari. "Old ladies" must have known what amber of exquisite quality used to be. It turned out that I succeeded in purchasing the last bottle available in a certain online store, on the spur of the moment and largely due to the decent price and Luca's rave review. The scent is delicious from the shiny, crystal clear and friendly aldehydes up top to the very warm, elegant and friendly amber at the bottom. It is unwavering deliciousness, politeness and friendliness. The only aspect I am ready to challenge Luca is the darkness he mentioned. This here thing greets you as if you are his beloved cousin, it is 7 pm in mid-June Friday and a hearty dinner is waiting for you. On its fruitiness no arguments shall be.

Aldehyde lovers please come forward and pay attention: this is ultra-aldehydic. Frosty, tickle-your-nose, rays-of invigoratingly-piercing-light aldehydes are what we have here in Baghari, a presumably faithful reconstruction of the original by Guichard (I have not experienced the rare vintage original). This isn't too similar to say, No. 5 or Arpège, however: the aldehydes are orange-hued, citrus-zesty, even waxy. It simmers down to powdery rose petals and an orange-creamsicle vanillic amber. After all soapiness and fizziness dissipates, what is left is this warm aura, bridging bitter with sweet. It has a restrained elegance, a topaz translucency, with violet shadows, in like a lion and out like a lamb, no longer baring its teeth. It's a sunset kind of smell, a little haunting, as if summoning grand ghosts of the past.

Baghari is what every wonderful scent should be: puzzling and unpredictable. Both adjectives are majestically fulfilled here. It opens strong, with lots of flowers, so many as if they all wanted to embrace you in a tight hug. Little by little the flowers make a step backwards leaving the embrace to softer notes, so gradually that you are hardly aware of what's happening to your skin. You only see it's smelling better and better in a developing of simphony notes. And again little by little you are led to a powdery path, very elegant, very soft, very subdued but never ever banal. I regret not having bought this wonder before and I am sure this won't be the last bottle for me. Oh and for me no similarities with Chanel n°5: the opening of Baghari is too flowery to resemble n°5 which is much more aldehydes.

With Baghari the fragrance is far more than the sum of its parts. With my body chemistry this turns into a strikingly fresh breeze in a garden of roses. It's intoxicating to me. Unique and of undeniably strong character, I find no other fragrance compares. I drink it in through every pore and feel refreshed and uplighted. The aldehydes do not register with me. Bandit is also a favorite of mine when I'm feeling bold and outrageous. Fracas, the signature (read 'only') fragrance of a friend of mine is also outstanding. I occassionaly enjoy wearing it, but it's overpoweringly floral. I prefer Oriental fragrances and wear very few Florals. Anyway, this lasts for at least 24 hours and the sillage is notably long lasting, as well as excellent.

Ubelievably beautiful! Wow, I have something nowadays with Robert Piguet..I like Calypso, Futur and Bandit and I LOVE Fracas but this one I ADORE ! For met the best Piguet remake.. so flowery, powdery and deep longlasting. It also changes a lot, the opening note could be a little heavy on the aldehydes (for people who don t like this ..wait a few minutes::) THEN the middle notes slowly take over and what a charming combination of ambery iris! I didn t think these two notes would mingle so well, but girl, they did! The powdery violet even depens the amber and is a very flirtatous as ever with the iris. It s a dark,creamy slightly sweet oriental and please, give it a 2nd chance, as I did! No blind buys , go for a sample first:)

I think that the new version is probably one of the best results obtained after the terrible reformulations that masterpieces from the past had and still have!, (it's true that sometimes it is impossible to recreate them) to suffer. Compared to the original formula, that I luckily chanced to smell once, I believe that the new B. it's even better (in my opinion) although it lacks all those "animal" notes composing the first one that made it a winter-time perfume. The old B. was a great perfume but this new one is more in my mood; a fragrance which lasts a long even in the summer! that can be wear all year around, I'm normally picky about the "wearability" of a fragrance....but not in this case.

Vintage review: I took me a year to find a mini bottle of vintage Baghari, but it was so worth the wait and I've never even smelled the reformulated version. Vintage Baghari is a magnificent perfume from a different era, one of elegant cocktail parties, fur stoles and coats. It's a little more on the dark, sultry side, but it denotes class. It's soft and powdery, a musky and animalic oriental with vanilla, rose and hints of bergamot. It reminds me of Bal à Versailles rather than L'Aimant or No.5 which is what I imagine the modernized version must smell like. It's warm and wonderful, too bad they just don't make them like this anymore.

Chanel No 22 Parfum is my absolute holy grail, and all my other perfumes rank a few notches below her (even those I really love). Baghari is the first to come close to my beloved 22 - partly because they're similar, but partly because they're different. Baghari opens up with the same sparkly aldehydes, but then there is this animalic mix with rose that I absolutey adore, and that never goes completely away but quiets down just a bit and blends with a beautiful powdery drydown. This is my number 2 for sure, and that's a pretty big deal for me. I'm in love.

I never thought I could love an aldehyde feast more than La Myrrhe, but man, was this a revelation! The opening aldehyde combo with powderred orange, the realistic chypre mid-life with such a graceful musk drydown (much much later)...mon dieu! this is really beautiful stuff. As with Sarrasins, my wife finds this too feminine for me to pull off but I'm inclined to disagree. Nothing that smells this good can NOT work for whomever, right? (I find this quite similar to Tauer's Orange Star, but is more complex, less powdery, just more elegant...)

Yes, Baghari - you are indeed sitting here on top of my neck and wrists - large and motionless - some say incomplete. But, winter is at the door and this thick layer of your creamy aldehydes creates a warm, powdery, protective aura. Cold-warm, you smell like flowers and agrumes sealed by amber and caught by morning frost. You are embracing me the way I am not used to, with furs and pearls, and taking me into the snowy night, illuminated by candlelight. Romantic and from another era. An occasional dose of glamour in everyday life.

A present. Nice, very polite, a bit sweet, a bit flowery, a bit powdery on me. Doesn't make me fall in love, but it is very polite. Upd.: bought vintage. "They killed Kenny!" (c) Vintage has amazing narcissus, lily and rose for me, whole and alive, fresh and dewy, but minus the root parts of the flowers, and plus a drop of aldehydes. Beautiful, and not just three flowers, but many of them in a garden, and the wind is dancing there, quietly, gently. Am enjoying the scent, that goes to the "I love" shelf.