First off, thanks to you all who kindly commented on my last post memorializing my friend Sue. Your thoughts were greatly appreciated.
We haven’t done a Cheap & Cheerful in a while and that might be because I have been shamelessly piggybacking on other Posse Peeps posts. This time, I am doing so because of shamelessly piggybacking.
I am not immune to the marketing hype of “just add $X to your order to get FREE SHIPPING!!”. On Amazon orders it will mean that I will stick something like a package of SweetTarts. On this FragranceOnline order it ended up netting me this bottle of Tabac Original.
Now, I know that I had heard of this one and may have even owned it back in the day. I probably dismissed it as being a bit of false advertising: the name would lead you to believe that it would be something like Knize Ten, a leathery tobacco, or at least the (used to be) sublime Tabac Blond. But no, This is a powdery fougere with notes of (from Fragrantica) “Top notes are Aldehydes, Lavender, Neroli, Lemon and Bergamot; middle notes are Carnation, Sandalwood, Pine Tree Needles, Rose, Jasmine and Orris Root; base notes are Tobacco, Musk, Oakmoss, Amber, Tonka Bean and Vanilla“
Murderous fake gourmets and cologne over-applier Bond Baddies Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd
Although this was introduced in 1959 I am sure that time, economies, and IFFRA madness has likely altered the mix. But I dare say not by much. All those innocent sounding ingredients make a fairly strong impression: in moderation it would seem like the sort of thing James Bond would wear. One too many spritzes and you start getting into Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint territory. So go steadily.
Have you tried this one? Thoughts? Share in the comments..
Tabac is available at several e-tailers such as Amazon and Fragrancenet, which has it as of this writing for $6.60 for the 1.7oz I purchased all the way up to a whopping 10.1oz for $15. I purchased my small bottle from them.
Images: MY iPhone, Pexels, and Wikimedia Commons
Yum yes this scent is forever associated with my early childhood. When my aunt started dating a French guy and he smelled so good when I met him the first time. Then they married. And on top of that I adored him more then and he also treated me with so much love. Of course he smoked. And only “Gitanes Blondes a bout filtre” mind you! Everyone did smoke back then, no judgement, it was the late 70s early 80s for God’s sake. The scent to me is forever engraved in my memory and embodies my love for my dear “Oncle Pierre”. And I’m not sure if the delicious “tabac” scent on his neck came from the cologne itself, or from a combination of it and smoking the Gitanes. Great article Tom, thank you! You made me miss him even more.
Thank YOU for the lovely and evocative response! You almost make me want to take up smoking again..
Welp! This would have been waaaaaay better than the Axe / Bod years with the teenagers but not if they marinated themselves in it! I love these cheap and cheerful posts, so thank you!
I wonder of Axe is bearable of you don’t marinate in it. Not sure I need to find out. But I do need to get to Target and try those ones that you hated..
Nope, never tried this one. Though I think I’ve heard of it, and like you, assumed it would be a strong tobacco scent. Thanks for the review Tom!
It was quite different. But I wasn’t disappointed. Not at that price point.
Uh, this has passed me by over the years. It doesn’t make me go woo ha, even given your wonderful description. Oh well.
Well, not everything can. But thanks for the props!
A blast to my teenage self right there!!
Pre Lynx (Axe) teen boys wore cheapies like Tabac. Others were Old Spice, Denim, Brut, Mandate, Aqua Brava etc. They moved onto Aramis, Paco Rabanne & Eau Sauvage once they were earning a regular wage.
You need to do a series on vintage men’s fragrances & how they smell now
I think I’ve done a bunch over the years; I should do a round-up. I still have a bottle of Eau Sauvage- I’ve been wearing it since I was 15. (15 years ago)
I’ve never heard of this one. Lavender is iffy but I do like carnation. It all depends on how everything comes together. I suspect samples of this will probably not be available.
This month I’m going to get a fb of Diptyque Philosykos edt and possibly a 9ml decant of the edp to wear them together. Next will be a fb of Tom Ford Black Orchid, so I’m good for a few months, I hope.
Yeah, lavender can be iffy. This one was is nice, especially at the price. I’ve been using it on my bed pillows. Lovely.
Weird coincidence. I have run across an older sample of Tabac among my frags and have been spritzing it for the past few days. Smells very good when not heavily applied. But it sure doesn’t smell like tobacco.
Nope. No tobacco. But very nice.