It’s all of a sudden late summer – late August – and I’m shocked, just shocked. I kept telling myself ‘be in the now – don’t wish for time to pass’, but it has passed.
The last time I visited my favourite bakery in the next village the owner commented that summer has just flown by.
I’m looking at Estee Lauder Cinnabar today. Testing this, like EL Youth Dew, Clinique Aromatics Elixir and Guerlain Shalimar, has taken me way too long.
YSL Opium was my 1980s heavy hitter oriental. But over the years I’ve spoken with a number of people who said theirs was Cinnabar. So, it was always there in the back of my mind – to be sampled ‘one day’.
I’ve finally managed to reach that day.
Cinnabar was released in 1978 and the noses were Bernard Chant and Josephine Catapano. I don’t recall seeing that many perfumes with teams of noses.
Notes include spices, cloves, tangerine, peach, orange blossom, bergamot, cinnamon, carnation, ylang, jasmine, lily, rose, lily of the valley, incense, tolu balsam, amber benzoin, sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla and vetiver.
Before I first sprayed this on I braced myself for the opening – because much of what I’ve sampled recently has opened up smack you in the face. But no, that’s not what I got at all. This is smooth from the get-go and it was sort of a relief to breath out and just go with the development.
This starts on me cinnamon-clove with maybe a minty note under those deeper spices. This is sort of aldehydic without the harsh fizz I get from some things.
As things heat up, I’m in cinnamon-carnation territory. Warm and spicy, a bit nicely cardboardy from the carnation. Maybe a whisper of tangerine.
In the drydown the incense, tolu, amber, sandalwood and vanilla emerge. But the clove note is still quite apparent, as is the ‘feel’ of carnation.
And just to say: this lasts forever. Like, it was still apparent the next morning.
For me, this is much sharper than Opium, less cushy in the drydown. But having said that, I haven’t sampled Opium in years and I understand it has changed a lot from the opulent, decadent thing I wore in the 1980s. I totally ‘get’ why someone would be either/or with these two – ie, whichever sits better on the chemistry.
And interestingly, one of the reviews on Fragrantica grumpled about how Cinnabar was pale vs Youth Dew. I managed a blotter of YD when last in town and have to say – having not visited with this in about 10 years – that remains utterly glorious.
So, is Cinnabar one of yours or was it Opium? Or, indeed, something else entirely when it comes to heavy hitter orientals?
Pics: Wiki Perfumes, Pexels
Cinnabar was the perfume I wore during high school and college. I bought a bottle a few years ago and it still holds up. It is funny how the past follows you – when I looked up the notes in Cinnabar, they are all notes that I still love and look for in other perfumes!
It’s a great, sort of old-style kitchen sink, notes list. It’s now another fragrance I hope to one day find in an older sealed bottle at a charity shop.
I don’t think I could place Cinnabar out of a line-up. I’m sure I’ve smelled it but I don’t think it was applied with the life-threatening levels people did with Opium (which back in the day should have been called Chlorophorm.)
Like Kathleen I find YD to be a comfort scent- like a nummy cashmere blanket snuggling by the fire. I’m going to have to try Cinnabar- reads like it’s the place that gave Uncle Serge the idea..
I think Opium just begged for overspraying. I’m sure I was guilty of that.
Ha! I was (and am) #teamcinnabar. I had a roommate in college who wore waaaaay too much Opium so that probably figures in — you could smell her coming down the hall. I haven’t sprayed anything on yet, I have a vintage dabber bottle of Cinnabar and it is GLORIOUS, I think I’ll go put some on!
Ah, glad to be an enabler. As I recall beyond Youth Dew, the only other perfume that appeared on someone I lived with at uni was Ivoire de Balmain. She wore it well.
I didn’t wear Opium or Cinnabar in the past although enjoy both. Somewhere in the past 10 years purchased whatever the current formulations were and occasionally wear. Youth Dew has been in the top 10 forever, I’ve worn it since the 80s. It is the ultimate winter comfort scent for me. I usually don’t wear it out, it’s my relaxing evening at home fragrance.
Interesting on YD as a comfort scent. I find it edgier but I haven’t tried on skin in a while and clearly need to.
I enjoy Cinnebar but sit firmly in the vintage Opium camp. It’s cheap as chips on resale sites so I have various vintage iterations in my stash.
I’ve worn Cinnebar but, despite the carnation loveliness, I felt no emotional pull.
Other big hitters? Vintage Poison still wows me, especially the Esprit de Parfum with its dabber.
Current Aromatics Elixir is excellent.
Tabu was a frienemy’s choice, worn in such huge amounts she smelled of it whether she’d applied it or not.
YD? Not for me. Too sweetly cola-ish.
If wear talking d/ced EL PC Amber Y’lang was a monster! Hated by Turin & Sanchez but stunning when fully macerated & dark purple.
Ah, No cola from YD, though my association is with a uni roommate who bathed in it and was briefly a heroin addict. I might have a look for Opium. I so enjoyed wearing it in the ‘80s: went with me dancing till dawn loads of times.
I didn’t wear either Opium or Cinnabar at any time. The oriental heavy hitters were never my cup of tea. However, I knew and disliked a gal who bathed in Opium. Toxic memories. My bestie wore Cinnabar throughout our high school and college years. So I’ve got much better memories of that one.
Sometimes too much is too much — in all kinds of different ways. I have that sort of friend memory with YSL Rive Gauche. It was never one of mine but someone I loved dearly wore it and it was great on her.
Yes! Another high school best friend wore Rive Gauche, and I admit I loved it and the gorgeous blue & silver metal bottle.
Opium is terrifying! I am/was more of a BWF sort of girl, wearing a (now vintage) Joy parfum my parents brought me on … ??? Also the original Oscar de la Renta, which embodied the 80s, imo.
I am also a big fan of the original Oscar de la Renta.
I tried Joy and it was a no go. But, of course, can appreciate it on others. It just didn’t sit well on me. Hmmm. Your parents had good taste.
I was a Dior Poison girl, wore gallons of it when it came out. Then moved on to Ysatis.
I am sure I tried Poison at some point. Hypnotic Poison was one of mine back a few decades. A boss wore Ysatis, so I just couldn’t go there. Woman was a lot of fun but bat sh*t crazy along with it.
Heya Cinnamon,
I have an older bottle that I’m pretty sure hasn’t had a spritz for 10 years.
Thanks for the reminder, you’ve inspired me to go hunting for it.
Portia xx
Is there anything you don’t have hidden among the bottles? Be very interested to hear what an older version of this smells like.
HA! There are SO MANY I wish were here Cinnamon but are not. A few I moved on early in the craving that I heartily wish were still in the collection.
I wish you lived around the corner so you could come sniff for yourself.
Now that would be a treat — living round the corner from you ?
I was never a fan of either Cinnebar or Opium. I did however think Youth Dew was great, though I doubt I would like it now with all the probable reformulations.
I was surprised that — at least on the blotter — YD still smelled really compelling. I will need to return to sample on skin.
I wore both in the 80’s, re purchased several times, both similar but not close. I preferred Cinnabar, for some reason opium jarred my nose, refused to meld with me, although I tried it winter and spring. One note simply bashed the rest away. Cinnabar settled down nicely, felt like velvet and didn’t fight me at all. Haven’t worn either in years. I’m assuming formulas have been messed with (doggone IFRA), my other 80 fave was Magie Noir, but that has only a shadow of her former power now.
Magie Noir seems to have faded into a strange sort of oblivion. As you experienced with Opium that was me with MN — it just never sat quite right.
I love Cinnabar. On other people. When I finally had the chance to purchase it back in the 80’s it made me feel nauseous wearing it. I eventually gave it away after repeated attempts. For years though, before and after my purchase, I would smell Cinnabar on someone else and in dog- like fashion almost follow after their scent trail. When people talk about chemistry or how something smells up close, this is it. I could not handle it on my skin, nor do I think I left any glorious billows after me.
I never liked Opium which felt like “too much.” It was overwhelming on others and on me. Vintage Shalimar is as close as I can get, and even that wears me sometimes, rather than my wearing it. I love and adore YD in all its yearly iterations in the bath oil, and I still have old vintage Clinique. I cannot wear the new stuff. No one mentions “Vintage” Tabu (not the stuff that sells for a dollar a pint at drugstores), the dark liquid on your mom’s or grandmother’s dresser. That rocked and was a foundational perfume to my young nose.
I love vintage Tabu!
It’s really close to being the original founder of all spicy, dark, sexy, musky, a bit of smoke perfumes (save for Shalimar). I found vintage Tabu somehow more wearable. I also see women of the day in two camps: Tabu (my mother), and Joy (someone else’s mother).
I hadn’t thought about it, but I think you might be right about Tabu. It’s one of those perfumes that always hold a bit of magic.
When I was in my early teens (many years ago) a neighbor was gifted a bottle of Joy – brought back from Paris for her. She called me over one day and we sat on the porch steps and she brought out her bottle, opened it, pulled out the dauber, and had me sniff. I thought it was the most beautiful fragrance ever. So I have a foot in both camps. 🙂
What Vintage Shalimar like? I have the recent iteration of perfume and adore it. I keep hoping I will happen upon a sealed older bottle at a charity shop.