In an age of so much hype and so many eagerly-anticipated perfume releases, the build-up to Bengale Rouge still stood out.

Summer of 2019, it had an awesome origin story, a cool-cat mascot, and was created by a perfumer who just about everybody seemed to consider a friend – Liz Moores of Papillon Artisan Perfumes.

But also Liz has a history of creating unique, daring, knock-out scents for her brand, like Salome and Anubis. And it’s been two years since she released a new perfume, so her fans were hungry for it. And I am one of those fans.

I pre-ordered Bengale Rouge, like many people did.

I saw the early reviews, which were astoundingly positive, and I felt pretty confident about the blind-buy. From the lofty praise and mountains of superlatives heaped on by those who received the very first samples, I was prepared to be completely blown away.

THE SAMPLE

Normally I would have just waited for my bottle to arrive, but the official release was many weeks away. So, when samples finally became available for regular folks to purchase from retailers here in the U.S., I bought one. And….. my first reaction was “smells like some of the Shalimar flankers.” (Specifically a blend of Parfum Initial and Eau Légère).

Now, I like the Shalimar flankers, but did I need something that smelled similar? I wondered to myself if the pre-order was a bad idea. But there were SO…. many…. fans….

I decided to try it again. I did a full wearing, and spent the day wondering why I couldn’t count this among the Great Masterpieces as others seem to (yes, the word “masterpiece” has been flying around this one).

I find it quite rough around the edges. And, that’s definitely a style — don’t get me wrong. It may be exactly the kind of “indie-cool” vibe that she’s going for. But it’s not the kind of vibe that I expected from the early reviews. I didn’t smell the Distilled Essence of the Perfection of the Ages. I smelled furniture polish, Brach’s cinnamon disks, and baby wipes.

THE BOTTLE

Between trying the sample and receiving the bottle, I wondered almost daily if I could cancel the order.

Since the full bottle arrived, and I’ve tried it twice. After the first time, I put the bottle back in the box and actually hid the box — because the degree to which I find this perfume not all that exciting is almost frightening to me when I think about all of the great things that have been said about it. To dislike this perfume in the face of all the exaltation bestowed upon it was like committing a sin, and I didn’t want anyone to know.

To say this out loud is to be a blasphemer. I fully expect to be skewered and burned alive for daring to speak anything but abject adoration for this perfume. But I didn’t find it special.

LET ME EXPLAIN….

First of all, I absolutely think that everyone should try this for themselves. You might love it. If you haven’t had a lot of experience with the classic French-style vanilla-ambers so often referenced in the reviews, or if you want a more modern and edgy take on them, this might be for you. I have a friend who’s tried every single type of Shalimar looking for “her” Shalimar, and I told her that Bengale Rouge might finally be the one (it wasn’t).

I’m in no way saying that it’s terrible or unpleasant. I’m not saying that everyone else in the world is lying. I think it’s obvious that Liz put a lot of love and care into making it and she seems to have many hundreds of dear friends so she certainly seems like a lovely person.

I’m a big fan of Papillon Artisan Perfumes, and own several other perfumes from the house. I wanted this to be fabulous. Maybe that’s the whole problem. I think it’s ok. But it’s highly referential, and of the things that it “refers” to, I prefer all of them over it.

I considered quietly reselling it and not writing or saying anything about it. But within the past few weeks, I had a health problem that caused temporary loss of my senses of smell and taste, and some severe difficulty with vision and hearing. After being deprived of nearly all of my senses briefly, now that I’m recovered, I find that I care a lot less about what other people think.

Also, I’ve watched the evolution of a lot of other people lately from small, independent, casual reviewers to being part of larger ambitions, organizations, and circles. I’m happy for these people who are following their dreams. But there still have to be little people who are in the trenches and outside the circles, and willing to say the difficult things, and I’m one of those people. I still want to be everybody’s friend, but maybe I’ll never be anybody’s dear, dear friend, and that’s ok I guess. None of this is personal.

BENGALE ROUGE QUICK SNIFF REVIEW

Today is probably the fifth or sixth time I’ve worn Bengale Rouge. I used the sample three times, and I’ve worn it from the bottle twice. Because I don’t love it and intend to keep it, I’m not going to go into the backstory detail and expressions of feelings that I usually would. Instead, I’ll just describe exactly what I smell the most at intervals during this wear.

First spray: a lot of bergamot. Maybe more citrusy than I’m used to. And labdanum, growing menacingly. Something greasy. Overall effect is Lime Pledge.

Five minutes: Lime jello with marshmallows, and a slight overtone of burning hair

Ten minutes: dusty opoponax, a smell of soup broth, floating in the broth are grapes and carrots

Fifteen minutes: coumarin, orris, & labdanum — smells like a straw purse and an old straw hat, along with warm scalp and hair.

Twenty minutes: old fur coats and stoles swirling in a mushroom liqueur

Twenty-five minutes: OMG cinnamon rush. Cinnamon candle. Cinnamon gum. Hair. Cinnamon gum in my hair.

Thirty minutes: sandalwood appears – smells like tangy vegetable soup with carrots and cinnamon candy floating in it

Thirty-five minutes: I smell vanilla toffee, hair jam (literally jam made from human hair), carrot peels, hot circuit boards, and hot cinnamon wax melts

Forty minutes: Orris-cinnamon candle, maybe some sandalwood

Forty-five minutes: powdery opoponax pastry cream, smells very pretty, has a sandalwood base. Maybe something that smells like rose “gel” for a second but it’s fleeting

Fifty minutes: Toffee, rock candy melting and burning, a hint of cinnamon

One hour: Toffee, pound cake with banana milk glaze, vanilla smoke, crushed pineapple in a can, labdanum-cinnamon candle

Ninety minutes: Opoponax Brandy buttercream, old wood & furniture polish

Two hours: Baby Wipes

Three hours: Baby Wipes

FINAL THOUGHTS

At no point was Bengale Rouge unpleasant, and I can’t say that I actively disliked it. I can imagine a lot of people liking it, and I’m not here to challenge their opinions. As someone with lots of other options, it’s not for me. That doesn’t change my overall respect and admiration for Liz Moores and Papillon Artisan Perfumes, and I will happily try any future new releases.

Because ALL reviews are just opinions, I encourage everyone to try it for themselves and make up your own mind.

I purchased my sample and my bottle of Bengale Rouge from an authorized retailer at full retail price. This review was unsponsored and unsolicited.