Comments on: Penhaligon’s Hammam Bouquet & Elixir ~ fragrance reviews

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:11:30 +0000

Well finally got to sniff the Elixir today. All I can say is the 2009 WANT list is slowly starting to buildup for me. My hammam sample is on it's way…will let you know what I think. Ciao!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 19:08:25 +0000

Lars: famous last words but if Hammam Bouquet were dropped from Penhaligon's “list”…it would be like Chanel dropping No. 5. (But I do need a bottle anyway….so!)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 16:45:29 +0000

Hey Kevin! Today I dropped by Galeries Lafayette in Berlin and they told me Hammam Bouquet has recently been withdrawn completely from the German market… Hope that's not a bad sign.

Had a sniff at Elixir and yeah, it's nice. It seems to share a specific dusty spicy inscense & rose accord with HB.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:36:10 +0000

Cheers! My impression was Blenheim Bouquet was more a seller. A friend loves it. I prefer HB by far though. It's just so different.

I'll certainly give Elixir a sniff during the next weeks.

It's so good if a smell brings back memories of a special trip…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 23:54:49 +0000

Lars: I think Hammam Bouquet has kept a pretty steady clientele over the years…if Penhaligon's got rid of it…well, it would be “outrageous”…it's always been their best and most famous product.

HA! Mouchoir de Monsieur has associations with a trip to Spain and Portugal…again: not France. And don't think simply “foody” with Elixir…the food aspect is fleeting and “raunchy”…not the scent of a pastry shop.

And never apologize for long comments! Enjoy the holidays.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 23:35:41 +0000

Oh… this looks so long. Sorry

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 23:29:07 +0000

Thanx Kevin for this review! HB is as far as I know the first ever men's perfume in a modern sense still in production today (Though I remember, when I said this before, you mentioned some older American fragrance some of your presidents used to wear…).
I recently got Luca Turin's perfume guide and was surprised he rates it only mediocre (***), saying it must have been gorgeous but nowadays the ingredients were too expensive to make it work properly (still he says it's very wearable). But i find his rating pretty irrational anyway. In this case I just fear that his Perfume Guide is so influential it might have an influence on sales… which in view of most of his judgements would probably rather be a good thing.
This is one of the most original men's scents I know and—shame on me—I still don't own it (I'm surviving on sample vials). I used to think have the same g-word association, but now I think—as I'm not really looking my age and I'm avoiding the English look—I should really get and wear it. I think I can avoid the “old Englishman” air of the dusty roses.
The rose is so shockingly strong in this—sends me to the seventh heaven. It's really rare to get such a flower bomb for men that on top of it actually smells absolutely masculine! And all this medicinal arabic spicyness. And its DRY, real dry. It almost makes you cough smelling it; As powdery as you can get. Absolutely stunning! I hope they never discontinue it. I'm afraid it does not sell too well, so let's all spread the message: This is unique stuff! And good value.
I remember you mentioning this HB-Paris connection before: it makes me smile that you wore this epitome of Victorian England on your first trip to Paris! And you mention Mouchoir de Monsieur in the same breath… The French must have been not amused
Concerning Elixir: I must say, despite an intriguing list of notes, your mentioning of a certain foodyness makes me loose interest. I'm getting bored of gourmands (waffled about it at the Infusion d'iris post, so won't repeat it here).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:05:17 +0000

HDS1963:Glad to hear from another Hammam Bouquet fan. I got a bunch of Penhaligon's samples recently so will be exploring the line come the new year…several fragrances I have not tried in YEARS and YEARS.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 09:20:27 +0000

Kevin you're a man of immaculate taste I have to say – read my comments on Penhaligon's in the bang-for-buch niche Friday poll (before I'd realised you'd written this. Doh!)

Hamman Bouquet I have come to slightly be in awe of over time. The more I wear it – and I wear it a lot, I try to restrain myself to days when I just want to treat myself – the more I realise just how beautiful it is. And it IS a very male scent, disporting elegance and class and refinement whiles carrying with it an ageless and timeless beauty.

I adore Elixir and have been foaming at the mouth about it ever since getting a preview bottle of it six months or so ago.

I love the drydown which is where you start (I think) to notice the rose a bit more. I some times lightly mist HB over the top just to amplify the rose a tad (it's just me, I like rose notes!).

Great reviews Kevin and I agree with you all the way down the line on these.

Can we have more Penhaligon's fragrances on NST now please?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:30:08 +0000

Mike: DO get your hands on some Hammam Bouquet…you must sniff it. I like the Elixir bottle too…in one photo there's a glass globe on top of the bottle and the online photos are hard to read because of the ribbon. I'll find out soon enough…a bottle will be mine!