Shocking

Vintage Shocking by Schiaparelli I blame Frida Kahlo for making Shocking by Schiaparelli my new obsession. My cousin, a friend of the curator, arranged for us to have a private tour of Frida’s show at the Palacio De Bellas Artes in Mexico City. It was breathtaking. There were paintings from private collections that I’ve never seen in print before. She told us stories of Frida that the collectors told her. It was as if Frida herself was speaking to me from beyond. I thought I had died and gone to heaven and I didn’t think it was possible to love her any more than I already did. It was there that I learned that Shocking was one of Frida’s signature perfumes, along with Tabu. It makes perfect sense since both Frida and Elsa Schiaparelli were the “wild” children of their day. Both women had such passionate and colorful lives – Frida as an artist and Elsa as a designer – it was a match made in heaven. From that day forward, I was determined to find and wear this scent. I am a firm believer in cooking and in perfume that you should always start with the original formulation before you change it and make it yours; so I knew that nothing less than the vintage fragrance would do. It took me years, but I finally found my vintage bottle with the “S” in the corseted bottle based on Mae West’s figure. I began with the Eau de Cologne, knowing that if I liked it, I would upgrade to the pure parfum. Today is the first day I wear it, and for the occasion, I put together a Shocking pink vintage outfit that Ms. Schiaparelli would have loved. Then, in a moment of passion, I doused myself. With a vintage fragrance, it can sometimes go either way. You can go straight to Heaven or Hell with a spoiled note or two, and I usually play it safe by just dabbing it on and waiting it out. Not this time. I went for it. I doused myself. I figured I had nothing to lose and Frida and Elsa would have wanted me to go for it. Then, I grit my teeth and waited. About 10 minutes later, I got what I now know is the QUEEN of honey scents. I felt like I was walking in a room full of cut flowers dipped in honey where someone has just made love. It’s a full and complex composition; so well blended that I can’t pick out any particular notes. It has that naughty animalistic undercurrent that I LOVE. It takes the entire fragrance out of the “nice” and “pretty” categories and puts it in the “dangerously beautiful” “sultry”, “risqué” categories. This is not a signature scent, this is a LIFESTYLE. Both Frida Kahlo and Elsa Schiaparelli are beautiful women – beautiful inside and out – for who they were and what they contributed to this world as women and this fragrance is a tribute to that lifestyle. I can’t deny that this fragrance makes me feel beautiful and inspired and unique. I feel like it’s the only fragrance I have that acknowledges that I too have a purpose in life, like I am here to fulfill a very specific calling in my own unique beautiful way. Wear it well and bless this world with your unique beauty and your unique purpose too.

SHOCKING, in EDC concentration, takes off smelling boozily like an herbal liqueur, not far from the aromatic realm of Underberg digestive, or even Jägermeister. Touched with bergamot, dry rose and lime peel. Throughout the development, an herbal quality is most evident to me... yes, moreso than any floralcy or animalics; It must be the tarragon. It is bolstered by what I am quite sure are myrrh and opoponax, giving a resinous, "stony" quality to the mix. Dusky narcissus adds an unsweet, orris-y quality, with improbable hints of a painter's linseed oil. I'm convinced that a bitter/dusty turmeric is also part of the dance here. The honey, patchouly and civet emerge over time. A faint accord of what I am taking to be clove and thyme give a slight, pleasant "medicinal" quality to the fragrance. Despite SHOCKING's honeyed reputation, the fragrance never, ever becomes overtly sweet, IMO. Certainly not juicy/fruity, vanillic or gourmand in any way: the bitter herbal qualities always have the last word, and for me, define the character of the scent. In far drydown, there is a faint, intriguingly louche "stale cigarette tobacco" quality, which a number of classic pre-1960 numbers boasted, as we know. Perfumers knew where and when their scents would be worn, haha. A most intelligent aldehydic/floral/chypre, the scent increasingly smells masculine as it dries down. Not what you'd call "pretty" or "femme". I wouldn't even call it "sexy", per se... compelling, stimulating, sophisticated, yes, but not exactly suggestive, erotic or alluring. If I had to synaethestically bestow a "color" upon the smell, I'd say it was olive green or pea green.... ie., a muted yellow-green. Certainly not Schiaparelli "hot pink". I find SHOCKING to be most similar to Weil ZIBELINE and Revlon INTIMATE. INTIMATE's debt to SHOCKING is without question, though not, I would opine, made of ingredients as costly. People list TABU and BAL À VERSAILLES as being similar, yet I really don't get that... SHOCKING is nowhere near as sweet/syrupy/vanillic as BàV, and not as conspicuously "dark" and spicy as TABU. The nose behind SHOCKING is Jean Carles, who also famously authored the vintage MISS DIOR, Carven MA GRIFFE, Dana TABU and ELLE...ELLE for Lucien Lelong. [UPDATE--->] I just received a bottle of the eau-de-parfum. Likely dating to the 1980's, judging from the emballage. The smell is all the ideas of SHOCKING, but highly concentrated, more "opaque" and tightly interwoven, with a pronounced sweet floralcy... brimming with ylang-ylang, nostalgic violet ionone, hay-ey/vanillic tonka and old-fashioned iris; the patchouly, tarragon, civet and aldehydes greatly ratcheted down. Arguably more traditionally "feminine". In this concentration, the scent bears a striking resemblance to Guerlain APRÈS L'ONDÉE (1906). If you are heartbroken that Guerlain no longer makes APRÈS L'ONDÉE in an EDP concentration, you must obtain an 80's/90's bottle of SHOCKING in the EDP... It's almost a dupe of ALO, I'd say, and 10x as strong as the current EDT.

[1250] Elsa Schiaparelli was a true pioneer, a fashion designer known for her innovative approach to her craft, often encompassing the use of art techniques like surrealism and trompe l'œil. Shocking is the most famous perfume from her house, named for her signature colour, "shocking pink". In addition, Schiaparelli's provocative designs were sometimes considered - fittingly - shocking at the time of their release, like her tennis skirt that was a precursor to shorts. Shocking is a perfume whose bottle is more famed than the juice within. Shaped like a female torso, it was famously modelled on Mae West's measurements, whom Schiaparelli dressed for one of her films. An obvious inspiration for Gaultier Classique et al., Shocking's then-groundbreaking bottle is in keeping with Schiaparelli's artistry. I only have a tiny miniature in a plain bottle, and would love the real deal. I was glad to discover that the perfume itself is a thing of beauty, worthy of its iconic bottle. Shocking is a compelling, opulent perfume, old-world in style, richly beautiful and classically feminine. It opens with tart freshness, its bergamot note up top prominent and intact. The aldehydes are soapy, and there is some greenness. There is some bitterness here, perhaps due to age, but it only adds character. The floral heart unfurls after a little while, sweet, rich and full-bodied. It is very smooth, almost creamy, but becomes powdery as it settles. The yellow florals, an accord I'm partial to, are initially dominant. Narcissus leads, pollen-y and slightly grassy. Ylang ylang adds sweetness, but is much less cloying than in many modern scents. Bold, powdery rose follows, and some clean, powdery jasmine is in there too, if subtle. The honey adds rich sweetness to the florals. It marries beautifully with the musky amber base, which develops in the background alongside the florals, enhancing the bouquet to perfection. It becomes increasingly animalic and musky as it dries down, with the sweet florals remaining as it fades. Soft spices emerge here, enhancing it to perfection. A nice Mysore sandalwood note emerges in the base, Opium-style alongside the amber and spice. It fades to a sweetly musky skin scent. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. It is feminine-leaning in my opinion, very feminine by the standards of its era, but perhaps could be unisex today. It is an autumn/winter scent, best worn in the evening. It is masterfully-composed, its many components expertly balanced, making for a cohesive, even seamless scent. It is of the high quality than no longer exists in designer perfumes. Glamorous, opulent and utterly beautiful, Shocking is the olfactory equivalent of an elaborate opera coat. I'm not shocked - I'm in love. 5/5.

So I've had the opportunity to get acquainted with Shocking through 4 packages of nips for the vintage parfum by now, and I have really grown to love its fresh, smooth, honeyed jasmine a lot. Every bottle I have ever smelled has been off-smelling except for these nips. And today, I receive the much maligned reformulated version of the fragrance - the EDP, still sometimes available online for quite a bit of money. This is very much an honest attempt at reissuing the fragrance. It's completely different, ingredient-wise, but the scent is very, very close. The opening is a bit more synthetic but it captures every nuance of the original's lovely and very soft opening. The middle started to blow my mind - it is dead on. Perhaps again a little synthetic, but otherwise dead on. The beautiful, soft, almost liquid jasmine and amber honey accord that is exactly what Shocking is supposed to be. Then it changes from the old one - an updated classic. The patchouli is given a sharper, spicier edge and the soapy quality of the original seems to be toned down. The sandalwood is different, there is a different musk, and there is something like the cumin in Kenzo Jungle present here. It's beautiful, sure, but it is definitely a little modernized from the original (but not much). I can see why one would be upset about it, for it does ruin the illusion of the 1930s a little bit, a common issue with perfumes that have been in production since the first half of the century. I'm stuck, because it is a beautiful, high-quality rendering of the original fragrance. It is, however, different from the original. Since both versions are rare, discontinued, and expensive, it's hard for me to recommend this one over the original parfum. If you don't mind a little toying with the basenotes (and that's largely to aid in projection IMO), it is definitely one of the best perfumes money can buy. If you want the authentic 30s feel with the nitro musk and the extinct complex vintage bases or if you're simply a purist, you must go for the original. As for me, I don't think the original Shocking smells particularly vintage anyway and this new version is an example of one of the best reformulations of all time. I miss the deeper animalic base but it's still boiling over with sex. A marvel of perfumery resurrected (though briefly). I only hope that future iterations of this are as respectful to the formula.

pale petals torn asunder in sullied gardens. estromanic honeycomb perspirant. blushing rosebuds stained with lipstick. right off the bat, shocking lives up to its name: skank, skank, and more skank. civet dances in massive clouds of dirty musk, with aldehydes provocatively sparkling on top alongside a sweaty note of sour bergamot. the animalia begins to tame itself a smidge, but soon comes narcotic white florals to seize the baton: rich narcissus, sweet ylang-ylang, and indolic jasmine, soaked in pungent honey and dripping all over, making a sticky mess of the now-ravished flowerbeds. ivory flowers with the help of clove give a brief impression of carnation, bubblegummy and coated in rouge. in the end lies a saccharine sheen of dirtied blossoms, orange zest, flowing honey, and cozy musk. i wore shocking to bed and actually dreamt of exploring mountains, and while photographing my endeavors a civet appeared before the lens! blessed by the oneiric civet goddess, it's hard to imagine i would've dreamt that without wearing shocking to sleep. upon waking, the scent was even sweeter and softer than the night before.. honey, jasmine, tangerine, civet—shocking is a dream of its own! it's so fitting that out of all artists, leonor fini designed shocking's flacon. part-woman part-feline, fini was finely in tune with the jagged talons of eros as well as its soft side. her pink-hued paintings depicting violently sensual scenes from pauline reage's novel 'story of O' alone proves this, but so does her self-portrait portfolio filled with photographs featuring long legs spilling from tulle dresses with a cat mask shrouding her face—mew! fini understood the harmonious dualism of eroticism well, so it's no surprise that schiaparelli commissioned her to design the bottle for shocking: delicate amber curves and sharp shoulders hugged by ribbon and crowned in a laurel of flowers! "there goes my girlfriend, strutting like an alley cat.." songs for shocking: fallogentrismo by charles, lady shave by fad gadget, this dark desire by justine & juliette, she's my girl by ariel pink's haunted graffiti.

Review for a 90's formulation bottle. I finally got my hands on a bottle of this legendary perfume. Sampled it for the first time 2 years ago ago and loved it: it became a slightly spicy/powdery, but a very smooth honey/musk on me. It was great and I have been looking for a bottle ever since. I don't know if my bottle has another formulation compared to the sample, or if my chemistry has changed, but it's not a love anymore. A real shame, because I adore the bottle and the honey/musk combination. It opens with a lot of aldehydes on my skin, which transition into a -very floral- mid. I also suspect a fruit/peach note is in the opening, because it has a fruity tinge. It reminds me of Tresor at this moment which is not a great thing. The mid is almost too much for me, except it's balanced by the tarragon and the very lovely honey note. It smells very fleshy/indolic/full to me, along with a very powdery rose. Rose and jasmine are the ones I can smell the best (daffodil might also be an option but I haven't smelled a lot of Daffodil centred perfumes). However, the combination of rose/jasmine/aldehydes + honey + that fruity note makes it smell very 90's/old-school imo. The drydown works a bit better for me. The florals disappear and make place for civet/amber/musk/clove. The musk is very smooth and lovely, the best aspect of Shocking. I don't smell a lot of civet though and the amber gives it a nice 'warm' hue. I also get a slight menthol tinge, which is caused by the patchouli/clove I think. I'm left with a powdery rose honey musk, along with spicy/menthol facets coming from the basenotes. This combination is quite queasy and it smells like body odour + honey/rose potpourri on me. I can actually imagine that it simply works better on a female chemistry. Longevity is okay, about 7/8 hours and sillage is quite big in the beginning, but it dies down after 3 hours.

A few months back, after chatting about our love for vintage animalics, fellow Fragrantican Bokonon12 implored me to try Schiaparelli's Shocking. I turned to eBay, where I found a partial mini of the vintage extrait—cute little Mae West bottle, glass flowers adorning its neck, touche-oreille stopper, leather carrying case. Upon its arrival (gosh, the anticipation!), I dabbed just a wee bit to my wrist. Holy $#!+—what a revelation! So potent, so dense, so sexy. To my nose, Shocking is the richest honey and civet underpinned by light spice. There's an overt sex appeal. It's as though this juice's sex drive was suppressed within the bottle all those decades ago, and now the id has been freed to revel in all its wildest fantasies. VA-VA-VOOM! Needless to say, LOVE. I returned to eBay, where I found another vintage extrait. This time, the rectangular bottle, sealed within a box that mimics the look of a hardcover book, metallic with bright pink hearts. Again, love. This extrait, which I suspect was produced later than my Mae West bottle, is just as superb. Now I'm anxiously waiting the arrival of a vintage EDC. Be still, my heart! Recommended if you like vintage animalics; running your tongue suggestively over your lip; uncrossing, then crossing, your legs like a Basic Instinct Sharon Stone; making love on a bearskin rug; parking that big Mack truck right in this little garage. ETA: The vintage EDC is divine once it settles on skin. The top notes in my bottle have gone off, so it's a little jarring at first. After ten minutes, though, HELLO! I don't have breasts, but this stuff makes me feel as though my voluptuous, heaving bosom is in the throes of rapturous ecstasy. In contrast, the '90s EDP re-release is an ABOMINATION. I will never speak of it again.

If there is a perfume that deserves 5 out of 5, this is IT. What a masterpiece! A must have for any collector. I was lucky enough to be able to get the perfume version that comes in the exquiste torso bottle (which Jean Paul Gaultier copied). Well....for those who believe that scent can transport you to higher realms, this is Nirvana. A scent created by an actual human being, in his lab, an alchemist. Like all perfumes of yesteryear, it has a soul. I got a textbook on perfume making these days: by computer. Once a person chooses in the program what artificial components he/she wants to throw in, they click in the scent. Then they have all these volunteers (the type they are targeting for sales), they attach a bunch of electrodes on their heads and ask them to sniff different options. This is entirely true! I have photos of the person sitting in front of the computer and the volunteers with the electrodes, sniffing away. Ok. For a lot of people, this is perfectly fine. And I know you have the right to your opinion. As for mine, to compare a perfume made with mostly natural ingredients, made by a master perfumist, thinking to create something magical, and a frag meant for mega sales created by a computer....Again, to compare them, the computer creation would be the Frankenstein version of a perfume: a Frankenfrag. I am very happy that there are out there, still, small companies trying to make perfumes the old fashion way, as works of art. Again this is my opinion. Update: The 1930s version and the 1990's version are pretty different. The original, strong civet (besides the other wonderful notes), the newer version strong honey. I prefer the latest formula (not too crazy about civet).

This was my mother's signature fragrance and all of my memories of her are filled with this beautiful fragrance. I spent hours as a little girl opening the bottles to memorize every note. I can remember burying my head in all of the fur collars on her coats where the fragrance lingered. When I was no more than seven or eight years old, I remember going into the city all dressed up with gloves, just to buy her Shocking. As if it were yesterday, I remember the beautiful department store counter where it was sold and those beautiful bottles! Many years later, after it had been discontinued in the US, I moved to Italy with my Italian husband. Every time I went back to the US to visit my mother, I would make a trip to France to try to find it to take to her. Of course I could always find it in Paris at the Schiaparelli boutique in the Place Vendome, but sometimes I could find it along the Riviera in a dusty old perfume shop. She died several years ago and I have since returned to the US. I began searching for it a couple of years ago and finally ordered a bottle from Scent Direct. When I first sprayed it, I was at first disappointed because the reformulation is not the same. It is much sweeter with less civet. However, the character of the original fragrance is still there and it is still a knockout fragrance. Men love it and I always get so many compliments when I wear it. Most importantly, when I wear it I am comforted once again with my mother's love and I know she is near me, smiling.

The pungency of aromatic plants, at that time, must have opened up the territory of people's sense of smell, and it is precisely because of this that Shocking has the reason and qualification for its name. Shocking smells good. Shocking entered a deeper and deeper place in the soul, and for a while, I believed that all kinds of crazy design inspirations and fantasies of Schiaparelli were inspired by Shocking. A finely powdered, waxy oriental floral fragrance, it is a powerful rose. Ylang-ylang, narcissus, rose and jasmine... its honeyed floral aroma is bold and sweet. Shocking highlights the feminine charm, and the colors are bright and unrestrained. With amber, patchouli, and civet, it is warm and round, and the taste of tobacco is slowly brought out by the floral aroma. I dare say the civet is the point. It naturally blends in floral, resinous, and medicinal scents of cloves. There are smoky tones dirty and bleak at the front, and bright and bright floral aromas at the back, which are intertwined like drama. The liquid has almost nothing to age. Shocking always reminds me of Tabu, although the taste is different, but from the same person, I really want to find out if they have the same genetic code. Shocking is a traditional musk-floral fragrance. But it will never have any connection with negative descriptions such as conservative, rigid, boring, etc. Shocking has no shortcomings. Speaking of the animal part, in fact, it's just salty, not half of Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles.

I tested Shocking from a sealed nip from the 50's. I must say, this is one of the strongest perfumes I've ever had on my skin. I love big, strong, sillage-bombs - and Shocking was no exception - but it was SO strong that even *I* considered cracking a window to air out my bedroom. The opening is definitely a muggy, intensely animalic scent, which I adore. There was something in it, however, that reminded me of frankincense resin. A very subtle dryness hidden under all that humid civet and honey, a very subtle incense note. I loved it, and it worked with the listed notes so, so well. A glorious scent. After the initial fumigation opening, Shocking does indeed settle down enough to go out into the world, which I did. I was worried that the honey would be the dominant note, as I don't particularly care for smelling so sweet, but instead, I was enveloped in a sweet-but-not-too-sweet cloud of mature, sexy, animalism. In the dry phase, Shocking has a split personality - up close to my skin, she's sweet and warm and lightly musky, but her sillage smells strongly of another note that she supposedly doesn't have - vetiver. Overall, Shocking did not disappoint me in the least. She is a fascinating, magical perfume with many layers and tons of personality. I have a few more sealed nips to enjoy, and then I will be very sad. I'll save them for extremely special occasions.

Tonight I am indulging in the fabulous Shocking de Schiaparelli for the first time, via the most adorable vintage glass nip. What a joy this impeccable creation is; a rich and sultry scent which truly lives up to its name - it’s outrageous filth would shock most. Civet is what sings the loudest to me. It’s incredibly sharp and urinous, and almost stings the air around you as it opens. However it never becomes sour or rancid, for the inclusion of the most elegant white florals - honeyed jasmine and narcissus - alongside creamy woods and ylang is breathtakingly beautiful. Genuinely I’m struggling to find the words to describe it. I’m having a hard time comparing it to something else, it feels entirely new and yet somewhat familiar and comforting at the same time, as though a lifetime of erotic perfume speaks as one through this singular beauty. Perhaps the absurd amounts of civet is comparable to Bal à Versailles, but this lacks the dense resins, amber and spices, instead favouring gentle florals and aldehydes. Whilst it’s nowhere near aldehydic enough to be put alongside the likes of Chanel No. 5, it feels as though this could very easily be a particularly slutty distant cousin of it. I’m in heaven tonight, I cannot take my nose away from my wrist and I will not rest until I find myself a bottle.

Thanks to dear mpbrown I was able to try this legendary perfume Do not know where to start describing what I feel about Shocking. Its definitely one - of a kind. At least it's the only one perfume which literally transfers you into forgotten areas of your subconscious I got memories of things I didn't remember for a long time, my mum with her (young at those days sisters) my aunties, their silky dresses and stockings with suspender belts, hair in hot rollers...All that noise and laugh and jokes of women when they are "getting ready"...helping each other, getting nervous at wedding time, big birthday parties.. Shocking is a story-teller..It whispers into your ear, it shows you pictures as Ole-luk-oie, it makes you believe in your own power of feminity. I love every bit of it composition wise. Civet is so sexy in it covered by honey-rosy-musky coat, like someone put it on your shoulders so delicately, so sensually. Ylang-ylang is so softened by jasmine and narcissus, - and harmony of amber and tarragon at the end. There is no naiveness in this fragrance and there is no pushiness at the same time. Its sexuality paired with the wisdom, for open-minded women with big heart. Hauntingly beautiful and absolutely surreal. Something that I “must-have” now.

I like to collect old perfume bottles and cosmetics and bought what I thought was an empty bottle of Shocking pure perfume online (shocking pink box, square bottle). To my joy some thick, dark juice was still lingering on the bottom, enough of which to get a sense of this beast. Its gorgeous. Obviously this review is for the long standing base notes more than anything else but you get the sense of the roundedness, thickness, voluptuousness of this fragrance. Honeycomb with civet. I am also getting melon on this; not listed in the notes but its there. Someone mentioned similarity with Vivienne Westwoods Boudoir and its definitely there but Shocking is sweeter, thicker, rounder, more caramel, more natural smelling in some way. I am fond of civet as a note and its here in plentiful amounts. This is the kind of fragrance that really lives with you, lives with your skin, and continues developing. It almost has a life of its own. Just checked on eBay, a bottle for £400...sigh.

Review of vintage edp, pre-1962, as there is no zip code. Honeyed honey, spice, subtle herbal greens...a hit of funky civet. In the heart rose makes an appearance, warm narcissus, a touch of bergamot. Honey remains as a strong support for the floral notes, and spice is clearly present throughout. The dry down is primarily honey, rose, and spice on my skin. I consider this a ravishing summer evening scent, but the spice is present enough to make it suitable for evening in fall and winter as well. DD is a touch heavy, to my mind, for spring. Warm, a little badly behaved, playful, quite sweet. This is one for the collection. I do find that it is a scent for blowing off steam, dancing wildly, celebrating, rather than for the quiet candle lit dinner. HUGE scent envelope- apply lightly!

The deepest and most mysterious fragrance I've had the privilege to smell so far; it makes me think of the aroma of a rich and deep wine. Had to wear it for a number of days before I could wrap my head around it. After breathing this in, all the other perfumes on my counter smelled watered down. The top notes smell like old, herbal wine to me, and I don't really like it. After half an hour, it dissipates to unveil a warm, sensual honey, with a hint of powder and a cloud of ever present spice. This lasts on me for a couple hours before settling down to a pure, base musk. It's not exactly the nicest perfume I've ever smelled, and I don't think it agrees with everyone around me, but something about this is intoxicating, highly addictive and inspiring.

What makes "Shocking" shocking? Launched in the 1930's perhaps it was the torso shaped bottle. Bottles that looked like dismembered body parts were not as common then as they are now. Or maybe it was Schiaparelli's use of that aggressive hot pink color when pink was namby-pamby and associated with babies and brides. The fragrance is not shocking today. But it is divine: the classic oriental floral combination of citrus, flowers, and spices. A generous addition of honey makes "Shocking" standout and transcend the vanilla bombs that orientals often are. I haven't seen this on perfume counters for decades, it seems to be a forgotten fragrance. Unjustly so. It is classic and timeless and belongs in every perfume wardrobe.

TERRIBLY AMUSING! Narcissus civet at MAX with hints of honey, olibanum, aldehydes, galbanum, musk, cloves, lime, and ylang. This is a potion that turns back time! it is the shattered glass liquid that inflict beauty, & turns back time beyond horizons. Revive youth and revive shallow beauty. It's evil yet useful to regain your beauty. It's weird but true! I haven't witnessed something groundbreaking & astonishing like "Shocking" in a very long time! "Odor 93", "Salome". "La Nuit by Paco Rabanne", and "Kemi by Kemi Blending Magic", where the last potions and it's been a while. Edit (1st July 2018) Now i realized where did i smell this fragrance! It's similar to Penhaligon's "Hammam Bouquet! very huge similarity there.

How shocking dirty is it? I feel brought back 1 century. My imaginary world of perfumes from one century ago smells like this. Overwhelming pissy civet that peed on my wrist and then went off and back taking me some Jasmin, ylang ylang, dirty ones, covered with something “airy” (aldehydes??), and then, again, pissy stuff. I can wear this at home, by myself, for myself, closing my eyes and imaging to be at court, wearing ‘800 outfit, smelling my sweaty clothes, surrounded by flowers, dirty flowers, looking at the queen hiding her face behind a fan and her king, looking at her, lascivious and willing to possess her . It’s hot, it’s night, it’s paradise

Schiaparelli Shocking (1937, Discontinued) - Civet Narcissus - #jeancarles definitely has a knack for creating animalic perfumes from #tabu #missdior , as well as this perfume. I get a mixture of waxy Aldehydes, mixed with Florals (Narcissus, Rose, Jasmine) dripping in Honey. Though balanced and not sickly sweet, I got more of Honey’s floral and animalic aspects. It’s heart and base is a dirt, sweet, and truly shocking Civet musk accord balanced with spices, Sandalwood, and Resins. It’s journey will be that combination of hay-like Narcissus, Honey, and Civet. One of the best floral musks to get a hold off.