Theo Fennell Scent

*Wardrobe Mistress, You ROCK!* HOLY PERFUME, BATMAN! This is "perfume", of that I have no doubts, even in the 'eau de toilette' strength that Wardrobe Mistress sent me (in a very generous sample). Dabbed with the dipstick cap only, on the back of my hand, it smells as if I sprayed a full blast on! Wow! SCENT is an understatement. More like HEAVENLY FRAGRANCE to me! I imagine a new olfactive claasification for this baby: THIS is a spicy floriental chypre. Here, in Theo Fennell's remembrances of nightclub excesses and glamour, is the luxurious and elegant perfume of yesteryear: uncompromising and elegant at the same time. Rich and heady with flowers, and spices...and this is ALL in the first five minutes, mind you. Gorgeous feminine florals like lily, rose and orchid are warmed and spiced with sweet saffron and cardamom. Spice adds thickness, but not too much heat or anything remotely "curry-like". This does come on a bit "strong", almost brusque; but once it calms down it is like a true lady. Very creamy and lightly powdery as the caraway adds a dry sharpness and cinnamon makes it come alive. This is amazing! As TF Scent dries down, it is very oriental with labdanum (rockrose resin), tonka and benzoin keeping everything sweetly resiny and incensy (just the way I love 'em!). Sandalwood adds to this exotic affair, and somewhere (underneath it all) patchouli adds just enough skankiness to this unreal beauty to make her earthy and voluptuous, without seeming like a "tramp" or too much of a "good time" gal. She is rich, in every sense of the word. Full of life, full of "spice" (read: sassiness) and mysterious; I am at once mystified and enthralled. Sillage: Amazing! Longevity: Very good Overall: 4.75/5 This may be meant for women...but I know one thing for sure: I will wear this proudly, as it smells wonderful and has one of the most incensy drydowns I have ever smelled. Not smoky, mind you, but like real incense...flowers, spice,and sweet woods. Each and every layer of this is spices and flowers, flowers and spices and then a warm and wonderful base of timeless oriental indulgence-yet never is it sickening (to me). THIS is what Akasha (ancient Egyptian queen who was one of two most ancient vampires on Earth) would smell like as she passed you by...and with a scent like that: I'm a-followin!

Oh mama, this perfume is all grown up... I know we have many debates on Fragrantica about the 'age' or 'maturity' the wearer should be for certain perfumes, and I am usually to be found in the "age doesn't matter - if you love the perfume, wear it!" corner. However, I shall state again... *this* perfume is alllll grown up. By that I mean, to wear this with aplomb, to do this fragrance justice, you must have a little wiggle to your hips, know how to lick your lips, a certain smile in your eyes that says "I have lived a little, I know many things, I may choose to share them with you if I let you get that close." The opening blast - the very first sensation was of pink lemonade and baby shampoo. I know, hardly classy and sexy, but this is my honest first impression. It lasted only a few seconds, as on my next sniff, I was enraptured. The intoxicating smell of pollen-heavy lilies began wafting from my wrist, and I knew it would be love. After the lily comes a warm, all-enveloping, creamy cloud of orange blossom and jasmine with rose and spices elbowing for room - not sharply, but sliding through the crowds, smiling, always getting their own way. And then the cinnamon began, beautifully handled, softly mixed, completely addictive. Oh, and the saffron - incredibly, exquisitely blended, never dominating but always very present in the middle of the perfume's development. Oh, I adore it, I keep getting waves of a delicious scent lapping at my senses and wondering: "who smells so gorgeous? OH, it's ME!" Three hours in and I am at a stage that smells of juicy yellow plums infused with the rich saffron, a sprinkle of cinnamon, baked with rose petals and a dash of some exotic liqueur. Oh god, it's heavenly. My only regret is that I have the EDT - and now I must, must own the more powerful juice itself. You absolutely have to try this for yourself - it seems to have been transported from another age - one can certainly sense Theo Fennell's influences of stolen visits to impossibly chic Parisian nightclubs. There is a glitter of expensive jewels, the softness of fur stoles, the gleam of gold powder compacts and the deep red, unashamedly sexual slashes of lipstick surrounding this scent. Oh, Theo Fennell, I adore your perfume - if only I could afford your jewellery, too. Must. Have. More.

This review is for the EDP. I'll start by stating that this is a divine floriental fit for a QUEEN! My daughter gifted me with the EDP which she bought in London recently and WOW! I was already smitten with the EDT, which I have worn regularly the past couple of years, but the EDP is absolutely DIVINE!!! The EDP is exotic, seductive, and powerful, more so than the EDT, and I didn't think that was possible! Instead of the slightly soapy saffron found in the EDT, which I loved by the way, the saffron in the EDP is smoother, silkier and richer making this incredibly exquisite and dreamy. The rose, orchid and labdanum project more in the EDP as well. I do not get any sweat, or BO, or unwashed body smells from this at all. Both EDT and EDP are pleasant and gorgeous compositions. Also, there is no fennell in this composition (nor the EDT); the Fennell is referring to a name, not the fennell herb. Both the EDT and EDP are woody, creamy, spicy, deeply floral delights with just enough patchouli and civet to make them sexy and alluring, but I have to say I do prefer the EDP as it is even more BEWITCHING! I am instantly transported to royal life in medieval times, following the haunting aroma of TF's Scent throughout ancient corridors as I discover the secrets held within a mysterious castle. This EDP wears like those secrets being discovered as it keeps changing and captivating me, exuding sultry clues as it gives up a newly discovered secret within each stage. As I venture outside into the royal forest, I am mesmerized by a beautiful, teal blue smoke wafting in the air in front of me, beckoning me on to discover more secrets. Although, there is no smoky incense in this potion, I imagine if colors had smells, then a rich, magical, smokey, ethereal, tealish, peacock blue would smell like this! I am in LOVE!!!

Oooh La La - Sex on legs! Sweaty cumin (not caraway to my nose) and a raunchy musk, together with a swirl of opulent flowers, of which a sweet, jammy rose is most prominent, create the illusion of secret perfumed trysts. This has an almost vintage vibe, recalling those huge animalic perfumes of the early to mid 20th Century. I bought TF in both EDT and EDP for a ridiculously low price in TKMaxx. Obviously a flop then. I can see why - an initial blast of organic chemistry lab, perhaps the strange metallic saffron coupled with the rose, followed by sweat and knickers! I mean, it’s not your usual fruity-floral or gourmand and anyway, where on earth could you wear this thing? But if you want a Big Girl perfume, this is fantastic. I can tell no difference in strength between the EDT and EDP and they smell pretty similar. In the EDT, the musk is more prominent and so this feels more raunchy and less wearable in polite company. The EDP is softer, more spicy and rounded and you might be able to get away with wearing it without too many raised eyebrows! I can see why some compare it to Salome because of the musky animalic quality but TF is actually very floral and even pretty, whilst Salome feels, to me, a much rougher beast ( possibly due to a high proportion of naturals) and so less wearable. In fact the Hyrax in Salome is so overwhelming on my skin that I smell like a farmyard! Although it smells very different, in style TF reminds me more of the modern reformulation of Rochas Femme and also McQueen Kingdom, they all share a cumin note. In conclusion, Theo Fennell Scent is a beautiful, unusual and complex scent, somewhat vintage, definitely boudoir and one I enjoy wearing immensely.

This perfume is spectacularly good!!!! Not to overestimate my powers as an 'Influencer' (or influenza? Jesus I hate and reject that term and in no way feel I am that or whatever) but.... I kinda don't want me or anyone else to big this perfume up too much because there's a finite supply and it's such a bloody hidden gem of a thing. Chypre lovers with cream their respective undergarments over this turbo, powdery, peachy opening, and dirty urinal cake undercurrent, shimmering, lightly metallic, honied musk, body odour cumin (actually caraway apparently but very similar) of something like Rochas Femme, Akro Night, kingdom, or mostly the fantastic Salome by Papillon artisan perfumes. As fantastic as that particular perfume is, Theo Fennell is spectacularly better than that! It's smoother more refined, it's transitions are seamless and beautiful. After all the slightly naughty excitement of the opening couple of hours you're left with a really nice musky, powdery rose hip, with strong ambery apricot chypre. This perfume is fucking brilliant!!!!! It's not just a take on a classic theme, it's truly a ballsy innovative piece, timeless is what it is. Who is it by? you might ask, well Christophe Laudamiel and Domicile Bertier apparently and what a way to knock it straight out of the park for a brand which is apparently a Jeweler (Thanks Fliss) who makes some really innovative pieces and clearly had a precise vision for their one and only perfume which was a total flop, but will gain immortality with fragrance enthusiasts because this is a blinder of a perfume.

Firstly, there is NO fennel in this fragrance. Theo Fennell is a jeweller and he's behind it - check out the brand website and see the price of the jewellery he designs. Fortunately, this fragrance only smells expensive and - for its quality - it's a bargain. This is a review for the EDT. My goodness, this is GOOD. It reminds me of some of my favourites from the 80s: Fendi Fendi, YSL Opium and Lancome's Magie Noire. More specifically, it reminds me of how I REMEMBER them smelling. On first application, there is an initial but - thankfully - transient BO taint. This disappears completely within five minutes, leaving a gorgeous sexy fragrance behind. I am not great at analysing notes and this is beautifully blended. It makes an entrance and leaves an impression - definitely not for the shy and retiring. I don't stick age labels on perfumes - wear what you like - but I don't think a teenager could pull this off; given the current fruitchouli fashion, I suspect they wouldn't want to either. Easily a unisex fragrance; this would smell great on a man, I think. I am going to buy the EDP. I can't begin to imagine how intense that must be, given the sillage of this. No idea about longevity yet, but I suspect I won't need to reapply this frequently. Although I bought this without first testing it, it is NOT a "safe" blind buy and - from other reviews below - it seems that I am lucky that it suits my skin chemistry.

Upon application of Scent EDP, I immediately hear in my mind Berlin's "Sex (I'm A...)": 'Feel the fire, feel my love inside you it's so right There's the sound and the smell of love in my mind I'm a toy, come and play with me, say the word now Wrap your legs around mine and ride me tonight' Lilies moaning their overripe fragrance, perspiration dripping on blood red roses, cumin suggesting pulsating interiors, and the aroma of underthings thrown in a fit of abandon. Oranges are squeezed onto salty skin and the sticky juices are lapped up with relish from tailbone to neck. It's spicy and skanky, but also lavish and sumptuous. Scent is a banquet for the senses that can also tingle receptors seldom stimulated by perfume. A sordid bouquet that is at the precipice of being too much, but it edges, it resists that explosion, which makes it all the more titillating. One could say this is a nod to those bodice-ripper scents of the mid-20th century such as Shocking, but in Scent, Christophe Laudamiel treks some uncharted terrain in this composition, incorporating this lick-a-nickel metallic element (the saffron?) that somehow enhances the sensuality of it all. The elements are all fused seamlessly, feeling hypnotically seductive. This is a fragrance that requires a post-coital cigarette after wear.

Like many, I was hooked by the Turin/Sanchez review of 'Scent'. A "Guerlain Transformer"? Ladies' fur coats, perfume, cosmetics? Yes! Sounds perfect. But other reviews scared me a little "BO, sweat, etc. etc.". Having sniffed and worn hundreds of vintage scents in my life, I thought, ok, they say it's old fashioned, but modern. Have to try it! Astounding luck... a perfume-pal sent this to me in a trade. I waited, and held my breath. I opened the box and beheld a small golden bomb. Admired said bomb for a bit, then sprayed it upon my wrist. Scent reminds me of Ungaro's Diva, without any of the nasty harshness. Initially, I get a Rose like none other, so very close to real it is amazing. Then Saffron spices her up a good bit, and Lily emerges, along with a good bit of Cumin. Does Scent smell like sweat? Maybe. But I think that particular essence in Scent is more like a few drops of perspiration on the decolletage of a dancer. It comes and goes, and I miss it until it returns. This is an edt I'm reviewing. I need not spray more than once. It is extremely powerful and lasting. I am wearing it here at work today, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead... but Scent is really a heady scent, best worn for close encounters, or to turn heads. Slightly dangerous, completely captivating.

Gorgeous Scent. The opening is a huge bouquet of lush flowers, rose, soapy orchid and lily. It feels very very retro, when perfume would still smell "perfumey". Then it becomes all pollen heavy lilly and spicy cardamom. A combination I dispise in Etat Libre d'Orange's Charogne. But here, I can tolerate it. What do I say? Here I love it! The caraway and cumin slowly start to appear and a beautiful velvety accord of benzoin and sandalwood is laced through this gorgeous spicy floral mix. I have a soft spot for benzoin, I love the rich, opaque feel it gives to perfumes: dense, not creamy but not dry either, very textured, almost furry; quite animalic, but not overly so. Yet, I don't seem to find many enjoyable benzoin centered perfumes. Maybe it is exactly because it is not the main player here, that I enjoy it this much. The sweetness of the benzoin is slightly tamed by the animalic spices and waxy lily. I really love the different character the benzoin lends to the chypré composistion. Theo Fennell Scent is a perfume for the night. There is something very dangerous about it. Terrifyingly beautiful. I wish I had discovered this Scent earlier, and had gotten my hands on the bath oil and the dusting powder; such beautiful body products to accompany a perfume!

I don't smell the BO or unwashed body smells in this at all, nor do I smell cumin. I really love this fragrance, and I think it's possible that people are mistaking the Saffron note in the opening of this perfume for other spices. Saffron has a very complicated and dense odour profile, and as a consequence it's possible to smell a lot of things in Saffron. It's spicey and soapy and floral all at once, it also has something uniquely Saffron-ish which is hard to quantify. This all means that in general people either love Saffron and respond to it positively or else they despise it. It provokes strong reactions. To me this perfume revolves around a strong soapy floral Saffron top note, followed by a rich Lily and Rose and Vanilla heart, which gives way to a base of more vanilla and deep musk (which is also somewhat tangy and may be the source of some of the BO comparisons). I get so many compliments whenever I wear this, and perfect strangers have been known to stop me in the street to inquire what I'm wearing and give me compliments about it. I highly recommend it. Sillage is very good indeed, and longevity is good too. Edit: Also I agree very strongly with Gypsy Perfumista's review.

It does smell like an animalic-flowery-saffron-caraway mix on me, or circus-kitchen or ancient candle-factory, unusual and boozy and I suppose I more than likely would ask the person on the street, who wears Theo Fennell Scent, what sort of fragrance IS that. Instinctively attractive on subconscious level. I think big role here plays the skin, caraway is never smells like sweat or sex on me, more like an old dated leather with honey. So it always has "vintage vibe" to me, that I am searching everywhere, in all aspects of life. And saffron with lily and labdanum gives an impression of fury cute animal with cheeky eyes, but the more you wear it, the more Victorian it seems. Development is just white floral with spices, still animalic (indolic jasmine?) underneath, still very warm and likeable, like thousands of candles in old Church's air. I own EDT version. And as a vintage lover - highly recommend. Made in 2006 (or 2007 according to basenotes) it would be loved by those, who wore and still wear Dana Tabu, Femme Rochas, Mystere Rochas, Bal a Versailles, etc The nose is Christophe Laudamiel, who made Youth-Dew Amber Nude Estée Lauder

Scent is a work of art, one which was unknown to me until earlier this year (thank you Les Oderants!). I patiently waiting until a bottle popped up at a good price, and now I finally have it, I’m lost for words. This beauty is from the genius of Christophe Laudamiel, but feels absolutely inspired by Alexander McQueen’s Kingdom which came just 3 years earlier. The scent profile is deliciously smooth, almost deceivingly so, given the note breakdown. A delicate marriage of sweet roses and a slightly metallic saffron, which is at once sweet and warming, mingles beautifully with a soft, sweaty undertone. The cumin responsible for this sweatiness is very much there, but has none of that harsh spiciness you’d expect, as though it sits behind a veil of soft, creamy flowers. This kind of sweatiness which is so smooth is incredibly difficult to describe, unless you’ve smelled Kingdom, it’s a remarkably similar effect. For me, this smells like two well-dressed, perfumed bodies sharing an intimate moment as the night becomes heated and the nice clothes are lost.

If Eleanor of Aquitaine had had a perfume, I insist that it would smell like this. Like her, Theo Fennell's 'Scent' is a headstrong beauty. But... for the contemporary soul, it is a chypre to be reckoned with! There is rose, yes, but this is not a rosy-rose perfume; it's sexual rather than romantic. The jasmine isn't creamy, but coppery. These are dark flowers;they're sinister; they're Baudelairean. And they drive mercilessly into the thudding heart of the basenotes. It's an old-fashioned resting place we come to there: the drydown does everything a good classic should do -- lingers smokily and lovingly in the crooks of your elbows, nape of your neck, mingles with the sourness of your all-night skin to become 'you-only-better'. Yes, this is one for night. A night of black dress, opaque lipstick and feminine wiles. Strong, libidinous (but not animalic), and unapologetic, 'Scent' will crush every 'Light Blue'-wearer for miles around under it's well-heeled leather shoes. Royal consort or not, you can get a shot of this stuff at The Perfumed Court.

After reading many reviews (thanks, fellow perfumista's!) about Scent, I was determined to try it. Well, my bottle arrived today, (just in time for my birthday!) and I gave it a spray. My immediate impression was "What a bloody expensive vanilla-musk perfume." But after a minute, or less my opinion had changed, for the better. The strong vanilla-ish hit faded, and settled into an earthy, spicy background for what was to come... flowers! Now I am wrapped in a heady mix of incense, roses, jasmine, spice and herbs. It smells like the most precious of offerings to the Gods... like an altar to Isis might smell. A little like Alien, there's that divine tobacco-like smokiness (once again, NOT cigarette smoke, but properly cured tobacco), but it's not as "purple" as Alien. SO glad I made the purchase, and this is just the EDT! It makes me feel beautiful and womanly. And yes, darlingbuds, it is what Éléonore d'Aquitaine would have worn. And she would have had the perfumer sworn to secrecy on pain of death so no other woman could wear her Scent.

This is beautiful. I bought it on recommendation for its 'skank' factor and its 5 star Turin rating. I do not find it skanky in the least! It hits the nose initially with a blast of cumin and florals akin to Rochas 'Femme' and smells, to me, identical until after about 2 minutes. A rose emerges, a dark, blood red rose not from a garden but from the bedroom of a 'lady of the night';the slightest animalic scent upon its petals. Then the jasmine arrives, not completely unlike 'Lou Lou'. This is a schizophrenic perfume, wearing it is like being in a room with hundreds of doors which open and an entirely different person comes out to introduce themselves throughout the wearing. As I'm writing this it is still changing, now pillow soft musk and saffron. A masterpiece indeed, but very strange - like wearing 5 different perfumes one after the other. I don't agree that it's overly strong. I've got the EDT and would heartily love to try the parfum - More please!!

I reviewed this over 18 months ago. I took the plunge and bought myself a bottle of the EDP as well; I was actually quite surprised that - on my skin - there's no real difference in sillage or longevity. I have yet to test the EDT and EDP side by side, so can't really comment on other differences yet. It really is very similar in composition and texture to Papillon's Salome, so if one dings your dong, the chances are the other will too. For what it's worth, in his Perfume Guide, Luca Turin awards Scent 5/5 stars and describes it as a "modern masterpiece... original, memorable and technically brilliant." ETA: the price on eBay is gradually creeping up; I bought my bottles for under £20GBP, but there are very few now available for under £30GBP - so buy now, before this becomes a unicorn. If you are in the UK and have an unloved and unwanted bottle (EDT or EDP), please PM me as I may well take it off your hands - cash or swap, whichever suits you.

Saw all the reviews (including the Sanchez and Turin one) and immediately went on to victory via eBay. The much awaited bottle arrived.... and smelled like some sandalwood incense sticks and female sweat... Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it but I really am struggling to imagine when or how I'd wear it. I suppose the sweat smell is cumin or caraway but it doesn't quite sit right on me, it almost smells a little plasticky. There is a lush floral almost incense smell underneath and I can detect something powerful, possibly the rose but it is hard to tell to be honest. So far, not bad strength for edt but pretty linear for the first hour... EDIT: A month or two later... its love. Perhaps its the cooler weather but the beautiful notes that everyone else raves about now are developing finally. It just makes me feel rather sexy although I will admit it's pretty hit and miss with other people....

camaleontico, sinfonico, straordinariamente complesso, si tratta di una fragranza radicale che o si ama o si odia, la cui evoluzione ricorda i primi profumi creati dai maestri dell'inizio del secolo scorso. le prime note sono, per me, relativamente disgustose: c'è il cumino (con il suo effetto di pelle sudata) e lo zafferano. stavo già per maledirmi stamattina, quando l'ho spruzzato dopo la doccia, tanto da avere avuto la tentazione di insaponare i polsi per non sentirne il tanfo sinistro speziato. poi ho pensato di aspettare. wow!!! il profumo cambia, si trasforma completamente, in un accordo dapprima leggermente floreale (giglio e rosa) fino ad un fondo orientale -bellissimo- costellato da sandalo, fave di tonka, benzoino, patchouli e labdano ma, soprattutto, cardamomo. notevolissimo e già, a quanto pare, fuori produzione.

I can see why there are those fearful of the BO factor in this but I must just be lucky as it really works. I can immediately see the similarity with Papillons Salome. I have Ungaros Diva and that is way stronger and more harsh that this. Not a bad dupe for Salome but perhaps more cumin and lily in this. The cumin smells like cumin not something unpleasant. I do detect lots of saffron and lily in the opening. It is a touch animalic but first and foremost I find it spicey and aromatic. Ive got the edt and its pretty potent so try it before going for the edp or parfum. A lovely fragrance for a cool weather day. Its smells so high end. I might not even bother with purchasing P Salome. Im wearing it for casual wear. Moderate sillage and good longevity.

OK, so I bought this as a blind buy thinking it would be A-MAZING. First impressions – a little like Perfect Night by Bella Bellissima, it smells of sex and cumin. However after the necessary 20-30 minutes, whilst I still smell sex and cumin, it is obscured by a lovely sweet/peppery softness that makes it completely addictive – it’s a WOWSER of a perfume. Me LIKEY MUCHLY. It’s definitely a night time/grown up woman fragrance and it is very sexy. Put this on for a second date though as it could scare off (or indeed give off the wrong impression if you get me) potential lovers because it is soooooooo overtly sexual. I have concluded, this perfume is A-MAZING.