Tabu (for women)

susieqrj

I always had prejudice about this one: when I was a teenager, I used to mock about Tabu, saying that it was smelly, cheap, and so on.
But yesterday, after reading the positive reviews, I decided to give it a try.
Bought it at a drugstore (where you can find a great sort of cheap perfumes - it costed me about 2 dollars for 60ml - 2oz) and tried it at my skin.
Incense. That´s my very first impression of Tabu. And it was kinda pleasant. I just tried a little on my hands. Later I´ll try it fully on my skin.
(I don´t know if the perfume produced here in Brazil smells exactly as the one produced outside or if the concentrations are the same. Also there are three new versions of Tabo for sale: Tabu Romance, Tabu Flores and Tabu Segredos - Romance, Flowers and Secrets, respectively -. I don´t know if these versions only exists here in Brazil).

Updating (14/05/09):
Today I tried it fully on the skin and I have to say: it is very strong. The impression of incense/esoteric store only happened at the first time. Now that I have it well aplied on my skin (the bottle don´t have a vaporizer, I have to apply with my hands), it is kinda sweet and something on it annoys me. Could it be the Civet?
I´m still trying to get used to it, the fragrance is not bad but it´s almost like a bright sign, screaming "Hello, I´m here!".
It´s been 4 hours since I applyed and the smell is still intense. I don´t know it leaves trails as I walk, but I´m still engolfed with it, exaling it.

falovalo

The best word to describe this is VERY. VERY spicy, VERY rich, VERY oriental, VERY loud and VERY long lasting.

maid_marilyn

It's extremely difficult not to overdo this one - even one spray can be too much for most social situations. I use the cotton ball method: I spritz the cotton ball with Tabu, and then dab the cotton ball on my wrist. Even when I apply it this way, Tabu is still almost too strong for me to wear.

Used with some serious moderation, this is a warm, spicy, beautiful scent. I get lots of cinnamon from this, plus amber, oakmoss, and loads of musk, of course. I hadn't thought of it before I read tessture's review, but I think she's right: Tabu does remind me of rootbeer. Spicy, musky rootbeer. I also get the comparisons to Shalimar, but Tabu is far heavier, muskier, and not nearly as classy. Still, for a tenth the price of Shalimar, you need to try Tabu if you like heavy, spicy orientals. (I paid $1.99 for my little 15 ml bottle and I can honestly say it was worth every penny.)

KalteStern

I wore this as teenager, usually when I wanted something VERY strong that could survive bars and discos, which may be part of it's rep as a perfume of the night; it can take the heat.

It also has that sweet heavy oriental overall structure that many men seem to love. But be warned, if you don't like it, it can make you feel sick and you will be desperate to wash it off, as it's so pervasive. But for its usual price it is a hell of a bargain -think of it as cut price Shalimar for those on a budget

ferrari

It's strong and spicy. Remindes me something between Guerlain Shalimar and YSL Opium.
Nice in few drops, but for me I think will be to strong in few spray.

missk

This is a fragrance which I happen to see quite often while I'm out shopping or browsing through the stores. With its distinguishable black, white and red bottle and the matching talcum powder in its box not far away, this is one inexpensive fragrance many seem to avoid.

I was surprised to find this fragrance in my mother's room, covered in dust and pushed to the darkest part of her closet. It was obviously my father's attempt at buying my mother a fragrance, but trying to do it on the cheap. I found myself reaching for this bottle and dusting it with a tissue, only to spritz a small quantity onto my wrist.

Seconds later I was met with a wonderful and totally unexpected, warming scent. It took me to a place where I had visited so many times as a child; a quaint, little store filled with incense, tiny trinkets, tie-dye saris and colourful wind chimes. It had such a carefree, quirky and unique style. Such a sensual and warm fragrance.

I promptly asked my mother to give it one more try, to which she discovered what had captivated me only minutes before. Never again will I judge a fragrance solely on its price tag. This fragrance is a true gem in the world of scents.

megannsmom

I too remember my Mom wearing this! To my baby nose, she smelled warm and rich and soooooo grown up. I should buy a bottle, just for the memories.....

lilinah

I've always liked Tabu. It was one of the first scents i bought for myself, a tiny little bottle. I had already commandeered my mother's bottle of Shalimar, which is still one of my favorites. Both are spicy and oriental, but Tabu is heavier and darker, almost oily, while Shalimar is a bit brighter. I still like Tabu, but it's definitely not a scent to wear to the office. And i wear Shalimar more often.

F_A

After reading so many controversial opinions about Tabu, I finally had a chance to try this famous fragrance myself (thank you Belle de Sud!).

From the first sniff I find it very oriental, like Indian market:) It is rich, spicy and colorful. Then animalistic notes come into play and remain till the very base. Those animalistic notes are somehow airy, light but sultry at the same time. It makes the fragrance smell sexy and alluring.

Strange but when I first tried this fragrance I somehow remembered the adult movies of the 90s :) You know, the ladies in satin underwear, a lot of hair spray, bright make up, pearl necklaces:) I think they could have used Tabu.

Still I was sniffing my wrist, thinking what this scent reminds me of. There was something very familiar, not the movies :D And then suddenly I remembered (do not laugh!) - it smells exactly like my dog after bath when I wash him with the flowery dog shampoo! The smell of a clean lovely smelling animal.

It is really a must try fragrance for anybody who's into oriental-flowery-animalistic fragrances. The staying power is very good!

sapphire73

I want this perfume, it's so spicy and exotic. It is very strong though and it lasts for ages.

Chatnoir

A real power scent. On me the patchouli dominates, followed by the spice of cinnamon. Tabu lasts and lasts on me, a great feat, and a testament to its initial strength. In small doses, this is a sexy fragrance.

emily1981

My grandma used to tell me that when she was young that only the happy ladies of the night wore this scent. Later in life she often wore it and thought it was still racy and "taboo". I think its a fun rather sweet scent and wear every now and then.

tessture

A very strong, very oriental fragrance. I get powdered rootbeer/cola notes that are very strange, but not bad. There are definite incense notes and some spice, but reminds too much of another woman. It's just not my style and you must try it on before buying, unless you can get the really cheap bottles now available at discount drugstores. To me, it's dated and really, really smells like rootbeer. To others, it's sex in a bottle.

MandaBee

I have always adored this scent on my Mom. It's just so sensual and feminine that I was always jealous that she got to wear it. But it's definitely a scent for grown-ups ;-)

girlsrideharleys2

Ahhh..my moms signature scent. She smells so good when she wears this and always gets positive reactions to it as well. I love it on her ;)

feyza

This parfume very resembles to cacharel's Eden.if you like it,you will like this..very powdery scent.

Aiona

I tried this yesterday, and did *NOT* like the bottle. There was no way to get just a little bit of spray. It was either "deluge" or "nothing" even though I sprayed it a couple of times in the air to try to figure out how to get a LITTLE bit. So I ended up with my wrist drenched in Tabu.

This meant that the topnotes were absolutely unbearable to me! It smelled like road tar mixed with cinnamon and florals.

So, I walked around the store for a while, holding my wrist at arm's length, waiting desperately for it to dry down. It still was very caustic to me.

But when I finally stepped out of the store, and into the breezy night air, I realized I smelled a lot like my maternal grandmother. I think she may have worn this on occasion. And from a distance, it's powdery amber drydown is kind of nice.

But to me, Tabu is a Rules girl. You can't get close to her in the initial stages. She has dirty secrets that only those close to her know, but she wants you to follow her, fall in love with her first, so you can overlook her faults when you finally discover them. (Up close, it still smells like road tar mixed with cinnamon.)

I like it, but won't buy it. I already spent a buttload of money this month.