Tabac Blond Caron for women

A retro scent. Think old Hollywood in the 1940's with the great movie stars of yesteryear like Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall and Marlene Dietrich in a smoky nightclub.Powdery fromthe iris with a touch of sweetness and some leather. As it develops, the cedar starts to come through nd it's a little smoky, which is nice. After an hour, it starts to turn a bit soapy. I would like to smell a vintage sample before the reformulation that I know is in my sample to see how the two compare as this is a classic perfume. Still it's fair with medium longevity.

I have a several small bottles of Tabac Blond extrait that I bought before the recent reformulation.
They seem to be from the 60s.

I applied it one day and my daughter exclaimed "ugh
what smells like gasoline?"
One hour later I hugged her goodbye as she was about to go out with friends and she said "Oh MOM! You smell soooo good! What IS that??"
Well of course it was the same perfume.
I am going to treasure my vintage to the last drop and not buy the new stuff.
I wear it to feel brave, sexy, strong and to celebrate specail occasions.
It was made in the day before all the perfumes that smell alike were churned out--a precious classic with such personality!!!!

Thanks EK for the generous sample. I have put this beauty on my 'want' list. Understated leather, gentle spice, soft musk and so much more, but I don't get any tobacco. It has that certain something that defines and captures the essence of a classic fragrance. I't's not particularly long lasting though - quite fleeting in fact.

a true gem! fits even good on mens! a timeless and unique rare scent.

Dusty old books, unlit cigarettes, old leather- this is fantastic for a man or a woman. There's no sweetness or fruit or any of that, just a dry, rather masculine blast from the past. Really beautiful if you're looking for an excellent Leather note scent.

Tabac Blond parfum: One of the sexiest tobacco-leathers. It smells like an expensive, vintage, transparently smoky, leathery, powdery vanilla with a slightly boozy touch. A tiny bit trashy and a whole TON of elegance. It reminds me of the Prohibition. (Edit: I tried this parfum again and disliked it. This is overpowering and smells like a bingo hall full of wealthy people and stale cigarettes.)

Tabac Blond EDP: A lot of sharp cloves. Not much else. Maybe some sweaty hair in the background.

Tabac Blond is an unforgettable aroma of perhaps best forgotten situations.

It speaks of liberation and the release of sexual frustration in equal measures.

Of women free enough to smoke and free enough with their favours to sleep with men for money or pleasure or both. As such it exists in a tension of repression and liberation never properly resolved.

It all starts with a slap across the face by a leather gloved hand, then an upturned table, a smashed glass vase and carnations strewn over the floor.

A bar brawl avoided, only just, as a vanilla and iris perfumed semi-siren seeks to calm the situation and seduce all sides with her placid heart.

It is a front, for behind lie deeper motives and the baser notes : wood, a patchouli that seems only to dampen and darken, a vetiver that adds a little smoke to the scene and a slow climb upstairs to discover a musk that is one part powder and two parts body.

Tabac Blond is a sin, as simple and satisfying as that.

Sex some say is a sin but sin itself is no respecter sex. Men and women are all of the flesh.

*************

I wore Tabac Blond in a current and older version of the Eau de Parfum.

Differences between the two are overstated, though the earlier EdP may not have been old enough for true comparison.

Tabac Blond starts off with a potent leather note, combined with the soft, honeyed smell of Linden blossom (which works to take a bit of the "edge" off of the sharp leather). Carnation and clove quickly appear, lending a beautifully warm and spicy aroma. Cedarwood also becomes prominent in the early stages of dry down. I love the contrast between masculine and feminine here -- honey and leather, carnation and cedar. I don't necessarily smell tobacco (and oddly it's not listed as a note either), but Tabac Blond does have a smokey aura -- likely caused by the melding of wood, musk, and leather notes. Soft musk and vanilla become more obvious later in the progression, and the final phases of dry down are powdery, comforting and sweet. My only complaint is that the early leather stage passes all too quickly.

Tabac Blond is surprisingly intimate, with moderate sillage. It has a sexy, languid vibe. It makes me think of sitting in a booth at the back of a smoky club, listening to jazz, smoking, drinking, and making eyes at a man in the crowd.

It is also fascinatingly androgynous -- it's for the woman (or man) who is confident, but never aggressive or overly-showy. The wearer of Tabac Blond doesn't NEED attention, but he/she gets it anyway!

I just received my extrait de parfum from Paris and it's absolutely amazing. I can smell iris, vanille and carnation, little bit of leather (I wish it could be more). But I cannot detect any tobacco or smokiness, I kind of hoped for, but I do not miss it. The longevity is unbelievable, it lasts like 24 hours, which is very unusual on me. The drydown is sweet and sensual. It is not a sexy frag but very womanly. And there is nothing old-fashioned about it. It's very classy and in some way very contemporary. And for me the most important thing is that my husband loves it.

The winter comes in early and hard to these northern ports where France ends suddenly and the blank-faced Atlantic begins.

In storm surges sideways rain slams the little parade of quayside shops. At night all are battened down except for M. Caron's, the red cedar stained exterior lit by one lamp. It casts its beam across the familiar sign 'bar-tabac-bierres blondes' and Pelforth's pelican looking on.

Inside, cutting a swathe through the thick sweet cloud to reach a table, the scent is not of the acrid tobacco shavings smoked by sailors, stokers and stevedores but of the honeyed, clove-infused, golden hued stuff of the officers' mess. Imbibed through pipe not papers.

Defying the sign you order a bierre brune: dark amber in a glass, brewed from English yeast brought over to conjure comfort for soldiers on their return from the front.

Long stemmed carnations in clear glass carafes have been commandeered by amorous sea captains eager for female attention.

For their part, the women ranged against the creme Anglaise coloured walls, dresses polka dotted pinks, blues and violets smell sweetly of last summer's improvised flower water, iris and a little citrus blossom, and of the musk of their profession, the oldest.

Longing to kick off leather to-the-knee boots and settle down to true home comforts, you must settle instead for their simulacrum: a stodgy pudding in the English style laced with heavily vanilla-ed custard from Caron's kitchen and the conversation of a woman who is not and could never be your wife.

The nights at the 'bar-tabac-bierre blondes' are long, and though perhaps not what they should be or once were, in a world turned upside down, on a weather-beaten winter's night, they are without doubt the best show in town.

Year's later, a thumb worn photograph in hand, you will not recall the colours of Caron's, you may not even remember the girl's name, just the colour of her hair, the damp yielding of her flesh in the cheap room upstairs and that priceless, immortal smell.

This is my favorite. It is what I go to in fall, it feels tweedy, leathery, smoky, like being bundled up on a cold, windy fall day and slipping into a smoke filled pub.

so good you can taste it. it reminds me of the intent of that other great women's lib perfume, cuir de russie. oh, and their lesser cousin habanita

I recently obtained a couple of quarter ounce bottles of the parfum, which I think are from the early 1980s. The opening reminiscent of The Knize Ten and Gomma but not as sharp. Over time, however, a softer aspect emerges, the strength diminishes quite a bit, and the leathery quality shares space with a powdery, "full," vanillic accord that may contain a hint of tobacco. This is fairly "rounded" but you can tell that some of the notes listed are present. I think I prefer the strong leather fragrances I already own (an ounce or more, which should last me a very long time), but I can certainly understand the appeal of this one. Since it is expensive it would make sense for me to swap or sell my bottles so that I can acquire fragrances that are different from what I already own, and of course I'd be glad for someone who really wants it but is strapped for cash to have a chance at obtaining some.

OK. You can get Tabac Blond at a Caron Boutique in NY City. Call 877-88 CARON.
Diane there said that 3.4 ounces of the next thing down from the parfum was $ 170.00.
I had trouble understanding the French accents of the names. (This was not the eau de toilette, if they even make EDT.)

They also have dab on parfum at quite reasonable prices.

Enjoy!

I just got a decant of this and I would like to purchase a bottle. Is it still being made? Having trouble finding it on standard online perfume stores.

For those who would like to know the vintage TB:

Knize 10 smells very very similiar. It's a 20s creation and hasn't been much reformulated, I guess. It's so vintage, that's it's unisex.

I like the reformulation of TB as well, it's different, but very unique with extreme sillage and staying powder. Very vintage. It becomes better with age, rougher edgier and much more leathery. I always get compliments on it. A tiny drop is able to fill a room completly.
If it would be a recent creation, it would get a lot of love; as a reformulation it gets compared to the vintage the whole time and fails.

To glitteralex: Maybe you don't own TB, but Poivre? If so, you can call yourself lucky, as vintage Poivre is a gem and very very expensive. TB is bargain compared...

Tengo los mas bellos recuerdos de Tabac Blonde , toda mi infancia esta llena de ese aroma, mi abuela lo usaba y era la mujer mas dulce conmigo. He tratado de encontrarlo ahora , pero me ha sido imposible. No quisiera morir sin haberlo disfrutado por lo menos una vez mas.

Alot has been written about the reformulations of this perfume over the years. I bought a decant from The Perfumed Court, and it was not advertised as "vintage" so I assume this is the current version. It was a disappointment but probably what I should have expected from my research - I assume a vintage version would have had more going on. Anyway, not unpleasant, started out with a very rich, leathery, slightly floral scent that I liked alot. However, those topnotes died within 1 hour and I was left with a classic "vintage face powder" dry down - old fashioned, powdery vanilla and oakmoss, pretty much identical to Habanita (but Habanita goes through lots of interesting changes for about 3 hours before getting there, which makes it worthwhile to me, whereas Tabac Blond pulls no punches and heads to "face powder" right away). Shame.

For those interested in enchiching and making this pefume heavier and more mysterious try adding 2-5% of the extract or oil of the Jawan Styrax (Loban Jawi). This works particularly well with a freshly produced EDT version that did not have enough time to vintage. As Styrax contains both sweet base, middle and sharp/spicy top notes in its bouquet the effect will be laudable throughout the entire life of the spritz on your skin. The amplified lower notes start to play from the very beginning thus showing the entire 7-octave range of the mix and creating an impression of a very wide space. Never tried this with an Extrait de Parfume version of the Tabac, will let you know of the outcome.

Hooray, my sample has finally arrived! I love this, it's initially slightly sweet and powdery on me, but develops into a heady mix of flowers and a slight hint of leather. It's ladylike, but with an edge. I don't think I've smelled a fragrance quite like it.

This is an exquisite golden tobacco perfume from the great house of Caron. It's luxurious, mature, complex and very sensual, transforming any woman wearing it into a classy rich goddess. The leather and carnation add spice and a naughty twist to the more classical base of vanilla, (light) patchouli and musk.

I'm very much in love with this fragrance, I adore its opulence and impressive style, but it is at the same time quite demanding and it would take a lot of self-confidence and a very fashionable outfit to pull off this one. Not to mention golden jewelry seems like a must when wearing this.

By far the best tobacco I've tried to far.

Tabac blond is an iconic fragrance, representing the independent female role models, who emerged after the first world war, who could smoke, wear trousers, take their life in their hands. I have to admit, every time I wear it, it's like a confidence boost, sth that no other perfume has achieved. The opening of this sensual leather and soft smoke, combined with sweet spicy carnations is beyond this world. The top notes persist in the heart as well, a bit mellowed by the floral accords. The musk-vanillic dry down- at least in the EDP- is a bit weak in comparison to the dynamic top notes, but the perfume is still unique. I imagine it on a woman in elegant black clothes, a classic beauty deprived of ladylike mannerisms. She knows who she is, she doesn't care to prove anything to anyone, and the most important she loves herself. I'm neither a smoker, nor blond, but I love it, and it makes me love myself.

Tabac Blonde, timeless, unusual, not for the fainthearted a true classic. Subtle smokiness, sensual and rich very evocative !

I liked this "old lady style" parfume. The thing that struk me was how perfect the name Tabac Blonde was for this parfume. It's tabac for sure, but something sparkling and bright that combines well with the idea of blonde. It reminds me of Mitzuko a lot. But lighter.

I've always been interested in Caron’s fragrances, because this house has a lot’s of big perfume hits back in the 10’s or 20’s.

Despite my desire to buy blind some Caron’s great fragrances, I have been ignoring them for a long time duet to the almost depressed and Overly Exaggerated comments about Caron’s reformulation. Like: ‘’Caron ruin fragrance legends with reformulation’’ ‘’Now Caron’s fragrances smell horrible’’ ‘’ I have such lovely memories of it and the new formulation defintely doesn't have nothing of the original’’

Thanks God! I Don't Take this So Serious and decided to purchase some decants.
and guess what?..

I make an order of almost 20 good fragrances, 5 of them were from Caron, and let me tell you, that this 5 beauties, smell far better than the others fifteen, and also so much better than a lot of fragrances out there. I Don't try to say ‘’Things Don't Change’’, I know that they change, everybody change and Guerlain and Chanel change too, but they are still pretty. And finally I don’t work for Caron, Caron don’t even exist in my country. I only jugde what I smelled.


(Review edt)

Tabac Blond is unique, Caron allways bring a classy elegant touch.

Is an interesting Soft-leather fragrance, the edt version is a close to skin scent, it's dark, it's smokey, vanilic and better than Cuir de Russie.

Ready for a little more grief about reformulation? After having, and enjoying, a decant of the extrait I now tried the vintage formula. Its even richer and more golden. The aromatic tobacco, the leather, the lime - all golden. I percieve it as warmer and not so dry as the recent formula. The carnation is as beautiful as can be when melted with the golden accord. A little vanilla in the base adds soft sweetness in the drydown. This could have been quality niche from 2011 aswell as a 1919 vintage. An unique and attractive sensation, I understand why it is still loved and in production. There are other Carons closer to my heart, but I'd be very happy to have some of this aswell. Very good lastingpower, moderate sillage.

I had to take back my earlier review on this saying there is no smokey/leathery notes.

Actually there is a smell of tobacco. I could not locate it on my wrist but today I applied the perfume on my neck/chest. About an hour later I was wondering why I smelled like tobacco. Folks. I smoke and I could never detect such tobacco stink on myself (which I regret to say but is the nasty one, like when you spend the night in a club where smoking is allowed and you sniff your clothes the morning after, if you dare). So I would say myself I do not find tobacco unattractive but do not fancy this one :(

This is one my favorite "Leather Scents"
I didn't realize ... there were other formulations ..
I got mine from the source I had my bottle filled from one of the Fancy Fragrance Urns at Caron’s boutique on Avenue Montaigne in Paris.

Smoky tobacco with Leather notes...
hints of Spiced Carnation perhaps even Cloves...mixed in ...
Settles on my skin with its warm sweet Vanilla base...

I love it !!!
I'm in love with Leather Scents and this one always competes with Chanel Cuir de Russie for TOP of the list !

If you got others to suggest ...
let me know ...
I'm a Fragrance Addict and would love to add to my ever growing collection...

Had to apply this one at bedtime ...
needed the comfort of this fragrance .. been having bad dreams ..
perhaps this will bring me calm...

I am extremely fond of Tabac Blond EDT. I have not dipped my snout into any other vinatges or concentrations. I am satisfied with what my nose has to tell me now.

I am not a smoker, never have been, never will, but my mother was. I remember picking up her cigarette pack and breathing in the stunning gourmand smell of tobacco leaves. It was an absolute crime when she lit them and they turned into noxious smoke vapour.

Ernest has done a marvellous job of recreating that sweet, earthy, dry, delicious tobacco note in a perfume. It takes a few minutes to get to this stage as carnation is busy strutting around like a show pony. But once the tobacco develops I cannot keep myself from myself!

Later on, the freshness of the tobacco is sweetened with vanilla condensed milk, a hitherto undiscovered delicacy.

I don't pick up much leather here and no cedar whatsoever. This is an eminently feminine perfume and it would make an excellent alternative to mainstream woody perfumes if you are looking for something beautiful, unusual & special to wear.

This review is for the vintage parfum extrait. One drop on one wrist is all it takes for me to get wafts of this for the whole day and on into evening. Tabac Blond really is very edgy. When I sniff my wrist or even just smell the outside of my vintage bottle, in my minds eye I see the drag racing scene in 'Rebel Without a Cause.' Loose tobacco, smoke, and burning rubber: all of these smells comprise Tabac Blond. Many people say they cannot smell any tobacco in Tabac Blond and it's true that TB does not smell like cigarettes, or cigars, or pipe tobacco....but I think it does resemble the smell of loose chewing tobacco. You know: like Skoal or Copenhagen. My best friend growing up had a big brother who lived in the attic. She and I would sneak up there sometimes and look at his porn magazines and giggle, and I remember the distinctive smell of room: his chewing tobacco (or his "chew" as he called it) and his dirty laundry. Tabac Blond reminds me very much of that smell. And after many hours, when only the dregs are left, the Tabac Blond base-notes of amber and a hint of vanilla are laid bare. I can smell no leather per se in this, but I do smell what I imagine a leather clad, bad-ass biker might smell like after a long night of brawling and womanizing at the biker bar.

I"m coming back to Tabac Blonde after first trying it seven months ago. During that time I increased my exposure to leathers and the Caron suite of urn parfums, and was curious to see if my experience wiht TB would change.

The opening tests my patience, as the carnation is just too sweet and the leather too rough. After 2 1/2 to 3 hours the dry florals kick in, and I am much happier; this is the phase i liked best the first time around.

in the end, however, this sits just below a 'love' from me. For everythin I like in this fragrance I can point to another that does it better. But i highly recommend it to anyone looking for a leather, becase tastes differ and this one should not be passed by.

I have the tiniest little sample of Caron Tabac Blond extrait. I was a littlw worried at first, that I wouldn´t like it, since I don´t like all vintage fragarnces.

But I didn´t have to worry. Tabac Blond is, on me, an archetypical kind of perfume. It smells like perfumes history, precense and future at the same time. It is elegant, ageless and timeless.

The carnation note are close to being a carnation soliflore but somehow it manage not to be. It is rich, golden, strong and very pleasant without being to much. The leather note is quite discrete on me, just as I like leather in perfume (a note that easily become harsh on me). In Tabac Blond the leather note is pure and refined luxury and still with some rough edges.

Caron´s Tabac Blond deserve it´s place among perfume lagends more then well. It´s longlasting, rich and make me feel like a golden age Hollywood-move star.

Tabac Blond could easily be worn by both men and women and I think it would suit any age, apart from maybe the youngest.

I´ll always need a little amount of Tabac Blond in my collection, it is like a golden shining star. Masterpiece class, best of the best, a must must must try!

I still have a little left in my bottle from 1984, and have a fresh bottle. If anything is missing from this juice, I really can't tell-- it is as warm and rich as ever-- but of course, my old condensed down drops from 26 years ago are super rich and strong. This is the perfume to wear if you plan to work hard all day, stay positive, and end the day swirling some cognac around a nice crystal snifter. There is something a little naughty about Tabac Blond-- my children sneak into my room to smell it and dab a little on. If Tabac Blond has a human match--it is Lauren Bacall. It is simply wonderful, and if Caron were smart, they would highlight this gem.

Bright and warm at the same time, like sunshine. Not overly feminine, due to it's subtle leathery, and green notes. Deep smoky carnation, but not too heavy, and much softer that La Nuit by Paco Rabanne. I would prefer stronger sillage. Beautiful!

I love this juice!
It is warm, rich and very confident. Smokey leather, spice and golden sweetness. I didn't care for it the first time I tried it, but gave it another shot and am so happy that I did. The dry down is seductive....wow!

No. I did not ever get carnation from this scent. It is burnt rubber and tobacco. Not for me; I love carnation fragrances!

I don't like it at all.

Strange to hear how it strikes others. This is a strong, deeply spiced golden scent,with marked notes of leather and a twinge of aldehydes. There's also a faint burnt rubber note that is more pronounced on me than on my sister, whose signature scent this is. It is almost masculine in it's lack of flowery prettiness. Yes, men can easily wear this too. Tobacco and vanillic notes smooth out the edges, but it still can be difficult to wear. Very elegant, confident and mature, I can see this fragrance on the right woman regardless of her age, lifestyle or background.

This review is for the pure parfum, in very good condition, from the 1950s.

As I had never experienced this scent, I was very excited to try it. I enjoy other "leather" scents, such a "La Nuit" and "Tenere" by Rabanne, "Or Black" by Morabito, and "Bandit" by Piguet. I was enchanted by the listed notes of leather, carnation, lime blossom, iris, vetiver, ylang-ylang, cedar, patchouli, vanilla, ambergris, & musk combining to create an image of tobacco leaves, vanilla, & leather.

So, imagine my surprise when I opened the bottle expecting the grand seduction of my life....and got carnation. Lots of it, carried by powder. SO much that it approached clove in character. This dominated all else, I could barely detect the Caron base in there. The spice keeps up for the first hour or so, then it mellows as the superb fixatives of musk and especially ambergris take over. I find the base more tolerable, but, still, nothing compelling. It is a supple fragrance that clings to the skin. Other than the spice, it does not shout, as I expected that it would. I agree that it could be worn by a man; it reminds me of some of the sweeter scents my grandfather used to wear. Maybe I set my hopes too high for this perfume, and cannot approach it objectively?

This is the third or fourth time I have tried this bottle, under different conditions, with the same effect. To note, it appears to have been well-kept, and hardly used at all. Evaporation is minimal, and the other Caron perfumes from this coffret are correct in character. I assume that this is not an "off" bottle, but instead, that I am the only person on this planet not to favor this legendary scent.

chapeau for the grand old master of salon-fragrances. oily,edgy and a little unpresentable.
warm,spicy and oh so flapper...
for its time a very androgynious scent that was often inspiration for later scents but got never even approximately reached. the grandeur of real chic.
there nothing else to it

It is not a sharp leathery composition as I expected. It's calm, I smell tobacco and vanilla, sweet a bit, a leather note is refined and "old", men can wear it too.

fabulous fragrance