Zoologist Civet Review

Zoologist Civet – yeah!  Weird how a brand I had not even heard of like a year ago become one of my faves. Shelley Waddington created Civet for Zoologist.  For a fragrance that released 10 days ago, there are already 584 reviews.  Give or take 563.

I have my own thoughts about this fragrance, but lets take a whirl around those 584 reviews and get some other takes on Zoologist Civet.

Ida at Fragrantica – “Repulsive? Hardly. We smell the warmth of dark coffee melded with photorealistic synthetic civet and dusky oakmoss, a rich lusty leather accord underpinning the panoply of sumptuous materials.“

Robert Herrmann from Australian Perfume Junkies – “…she is still slightly sweaty from the show, but covered in a sexy, sultry perfume which doesn’t mask the skin-smell of sweat, just makes it all the more alluring and enticing.”

EauMG – “…French-feeling oriental with indolic florals, dark woods and this absolutely genius coffee accord. If I were to choose a perfume of the woman I wish to become, it’d be Civet.”

As I’m smelling this, I’m thinking I will never be sultry and interesting enough to wear it.  Notes of Bergamot, Black Pepper, Lemon, Orange, Spices, Tarragon, Carnation, Frangipani, Heliotrope, Hyacinth, Linden-blossom, Tuberose, Ylang, Balsams, Civet*, Coffee, Incense, Labdanum, Musks*, Oakmoss, Resins, Russian Leather*, Vanilla, Vetiver, Woods. (* means synthetic).

Open is poppy, like champagne, almost fizzy.  That’s a good thing because there is a party looking for a place to swan about in a black dress with a slit up to almost there.  Not sure what I was expecting with something named Civet, but this is better.  There is a lovely floral unfolding that begins after that fizzy cork pops that is an interesting blend.  I love the coffee note in there, it’s unexpected and  add whimsy to  that floral middle.  So think of it as a dance – an excited scurry on the dance floor when the music starts, champagne glass in hand.  The music speeds up a little, she puts her now empty champagne glass on an empty table and returns to the floor, the music getting more serious, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, and beads of sweat form above her lip. She laughs as the music stops, changes pacing into a slower, closer dance.  Well, you know how this dance ends, y’all.  

A few years ago I went to Barcelona and we attended Flamenco.  That dance with the invitation of sultry looks, smoldering stomping, dancers circling each other, getting closer, then flouncing off.  Zoologist Civet.

Zoologist Civet is a crazy trip and a fun one.  It’s beautifully done and paced, it doesn’t get muddied like I was afraid it would, and the civet underlies and deepens and adds interest to gorgeous leathery incensed florals.  This never becomes publicly awkward to wear. Hey, I am not saying that is a bad thing.  You just don’t have to worry about it here.  Beautifully done. Though I’m not opposed to a future revision that does turn this into a smutfest, I’m a big fan of those.  Call it Civet Night.

Winners of the Neela Vermeire Rahele sample – LeslieR, Luna Green, CBSutcliffe and taxi. Just click on Drop Us a Note at the top, send me an e-mail, remind me of what you won, give me the ten samples you want and get me your mailing address. I’ll send you a quick e-mail to let you know I got your e-mail and it didn’t land in a spam filter and then get it on the way to you.

Giving away three samples of Zoologist Civet so you can figure out your own sniffing dance with it. Favorite Zoologist?  Or have you gotten to smell one yet?