Habanita by Molinard

shamsiruhe

this is the funkiest, sweatiest, most 3D scent i own.
more so than tabu, which was my go to skank.
love it love it love it
it is what i imagined civet to smell like
but i guess that's the combination of the amber and musk
...stayed with me
for.
ever.

LadyJedi

Habanita is a soft oriental with a heady, bitter opening. The drydown is a lot calmer - dusty, leathery and easy to wear. I find it very similar to Balahe and I recently discovered that they have a lot of notes in common - orange blossom, orris root, jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, musk and vanilla. Habanita is more powdery in the base and the leather note is very disctinguishable, at least on my skin. I also smell tobacco which is not listed in the notes. I would classify Balahe, Habanita and LouLou as classic orientals with definite retro sounding. I appreciate the complexity and character of every one of the three but LouLou is my favourite and the only one I would repurchase.

soulsong

Habanita starts out chypre sharp, then quickly evolves into a powdery heart. But after a few hours the balance between the leather and powder is absolutely perfect. Then I think this is a perfect chypre.The leather slightly predominates, but is softened by the fading powdery effect. The three stage evolution makes it very worthwhile, so wear and smell for several hours.

hollycat

To me this scent is way too powdery for me. Its great for those who enjoy powerdy scents. It has elegance to it, a bit of sexyness. Its like a hybrid of L heur blue and bvlgari black.

not bad, but not for me.

TURQUOISE

OMG! The original vintage formula has nothing to do with the new one!
I mean it's not that bad, it has some depth and maybe complexity but compared to the old one this is more like a Johnson's Baby Powder.. Sorry
All I can say is that
if you ever get the chance to try the real thing! just do it!
It's pure magic!

BronxBeauty

Habanita is the scent of 1920s oriental boudoir -- what Theda Bara might have worn in her Vamp phase. It's resolutely old-fashioned. This is one fragrance that has NOT been reformulated -- so contemporary noses, used to the clean, corporate, focus-grouped scents, would definitely find it offensive. It goes on animalic (to the point of being goaty) but then subsides to something searing, even sexy. Not a scent for the faint of heart or lovers of fashion, but one for hip chicks and perfume adventurers.

kastehelmi

It's a beautiful name, and I am surprised that I find it wearable...So far I can't say I like it, but I am not ready to swap the sample-one drop on the wrist wasn't a proper end to my relationship with Habanita.

It is kind of waxy, exactly in the way of old lipstick...It's dusty and smells dated, but it is a classic oriental that everyone should smell once-even if, like me, you are pretty sure you wouldn't like it. I kind of like the smell of old lipstick, and there are many shades of dusty-some dusty scents cause sneezing fits, some make me want to do some discovering. Habanita is the latter.
I find the leather-amber combination attractive, it blends nicely with the orris root and the ylang ylang-The wealth of notes is obvious to me, as I smell less rose, less jasmine, not too much lilac, and the base is just busy and not so straightforward-mysterious, if you will.
I think that if I decide I like this, and wear it, Habanita would become one of my "selfish scents"-but I still find this interesting enough, that I would love to see whether it is really so dated, and finally get somebody to tell me I smell "old"...I've never been told that yet, and it seems like a certain accomplishment among perfumistas to provoke this response. If I wear it, and somebody reacts positively to it, it would be extra exciting, whether or not I want to make this scent mine.

rockrose

This one is a tough one to describe. It starts with a rather harsh opening a la Tabac Blond, Vol de Nuit, and En Avion, and if it hadn't been for positive reviews I'd read long ago, I'd have scrubbed it right then. So I waited. On my skin, Habanita almost immediately sheds it tough exterior, and moves right into the softer notes of amber, ylang-ylang, vanilla and oakmoss. Yes, the leather is still there hanging around, but I feel that's a good thing (Jolie Madame is one of my favorites!).
I don't feel it's dusty, so much as it is powdery, kind of like L'Heure Bleue and Bal a Versailles. When I think of dusty, I think of Mitsouko, which doesn't mesh at all with my chemistry. I definitely get the Johnson's baby powder comparison, but this fragrance is so much more than that. This may be hard for some to believe, but I consider this a comfort scent. Very warm and sexy, and best left stored away until cold weather comes.

vioversilver

The bottle was the first thing that captured my attention , the dark nymph design by Lalique , very art nouveau.
Very cool since I love fantasy art ,mermaids , fairies, nymphs , elves , ect.
I happen to think the spanish name is very pretty also.

Habanita starts out very tough! - tabacco , leather , liqour! earthy and kind of on the hard side , kind of a biker mama !

Since I have rode a motorcycle before -and I don't mean riding on the back seat either ,this scent captures that fearless, tough mama side of me quite well. But wait ..

It changes , after a bit, on my skin into something alot softer, with the earthiness still there, never gone - orange blossom comes in with something like vanilla taffy candy or even mocha cappuccino comes to mind - rich and warm - soft and sweet.

Florals come in next for me , especially the rose and the ylang ylang.

I 'm thinking this will do especially well in cooler weather since its so warm and rich.

This scent shows the tough side first which can be strong and intense for sure, but give it time and it will show you its softer side that was there the whole time.

Complex, wonderful and yea, 'don't give a damn sexy'.
This is a keeper for me.

Since this really is a strong perfume apply with a light hand .
Note: this is not a scent for just any chic either, you do have to have the right personality to be comfortable with Habanita!

nathalieZ

well it is an old glory..I remember back in France in the 70ties, it was a hit amonst women who had some audacity!..back then it had that sultry femme fatale image..nowadays it is an aging old star, but very well constructed..with a bit of freshness and appeal in it.. I do not find it bad at all..just from another era..I can understand it had power, but it is more a mystic perfume than a very wearable one!

kittykati

i am a fan of orientals, but i found this THE single most-offending fragrance that i've ever tried. not to be unfair, i gave it not one but three chances, and it failed bigtime. it smells of soil, leather, tobacco, an overdose of musk and burned rubber. heavy, dusty, out-dated, and just plainly unpleasant.

cleo cupcake

This is a fabulous classic and what a joy to wear after all the oceans of candy/friut/florals that dominate the market today. This may be an acquired taste but it is worth trying if you want something different with character and class.The combination of fruit, spice, tobacco and vanilla is a glorious balance between masculine and feminine and very alluring if worn with the right attitude.

9154mf

I bought this unsniffed because of the reviews stating it is a sexy, femme fatale scent blah blah. All this smell slike to me is an old fashioned high end perfumey-lipstick. The waxy lipstick smell but most of all a powdery scent. I didn't find this appealing and neither did anyone around me that I polled. I can understand this being sexy way back when it first came out, but not now, no I don't think this fits the definition of sexy at all. The only place I could see this working is possibly at a whips and leather swingers night - its got this trashy kind of thing going on.

MoietToi

I would really like to try this one it seems so sophisticated and very classy. Oh yeah the name Habanita reminds me of this song from George Bizets Carmen : "Habanera".

litldove7

Habanita. Definitely an acquired taste. Something about it reminds me of Shalimar, but less smokey/gasoline/burnt rubber-like. Ok, that sounds horrible...but I love Shalimar, so naturally, I love this too. I actually find it more wearable than Shalimar (on my skin at least).

I don't get any fruits here. The flowers also seem to be hiding somewhere unknown to me. Instead, I get a dry, tantilizingly earthy, musky, slightly sweet tobacco & orris root aroma. Though this is an older perfume, I just can't call this dated. Calling it so would be an insult to all wonderfully-composed vintage fragrances. I, for one, am pleased with this. Habanita has the "balls" to be unique (as compared to many of these other fragrances). I can picture a woman with an I-don't-give-a-damn look, smoking a sweet-smelling cigar, with leathery sun-drenched skin, dark smoldering eyes, disheveled hair, working hard over a meal she is preparing...but still sexy in her own right. Don't mess with her though. She could drop-kick you with her eyes alone.

Mellyhelly

I've been wanting to try this famous fragrance for long time and when I finally got a sample I was disappointed.
It's not bad smelling. Actually it's very interesting but too weird and - hate to say this - it smells so old. Ithink it smells old because it has been around for many years and it was probably all the hype when I came out.
Maybe it's a matter of chemistry. On my skin it smells so dusty, like an old house. It's all dust and smoked Baby Shampoo Johnson's with hint of hairspray. Too bad. I think it's a masterpiece in its on kind.

lillybee

A nice and well-balanced little sister of Shalimar, the resemblance on my skin is striking though Habanita is softer, sweeter and generally 'well-behaved'. On my skin the most dominant notes are lilac, orris root, jasmine, leather and vanilla. It's a dark, 'old-fashioned', dusty and woody oriental with 'dried flowers kept in old drawer' floral tones and a quite sweet vanilla topping.

nadzieja

Great! Deep, rich, heavy, bitter and very, very sweet. Sometimes a bit inconvenient in the beginning, but after some time ... phew! Lasts for days.
Can be worn all the day, but you have to be in Habanita's type. If not - she won't be comfortable with you.

memechose

I have worn this since 24 yrs old. I think its closer to a chypre(oakmoss base), than a oriental, although Michael Edwards classifies it as a Woody oriental.But structurally it reacts on me like chypres...

If you can afford the pure perfume it is nite and day from edt, like going from black and white to HD. On me its not heavy or dark, like Mitsouko. As Mr.lerouge-bernard said in the interview about Molinard, its for a very specific woman....

allexa27

very nice and wearable classic.Not like some other that can give u a headache and make u dizzy.smells like sweet tobacco,very nice...

hollivomitsyou

habanita is lovely. it feels very self assured and feminine. more than anything it is powdery but has some fruit. if you really dislike tobacco, this would not be a good choice. otherwise, definitely worth a go!

solocha

My encounter with Habanita is marked by a load of respect I built upon sniffing it. It was raining drearily, under clowd like in autumn yesterday and when I tried the sample I didn't know what to think, where to locate myslef. This is truly a dark scent, but to me the first notes were morbid. In other words, it didn't go with me, the what I guessed as indolic notes gave me impression of carcass and instantly brought anxiety to my mind.
Later, the middle notes came out within 3-4 hours, the scent grew into a civilised, intense perfume of an important femme-fatale-like personage. It was a perfume of the first half of the past century, of black and white films when glamour was real because it was rare and uncopied. Habanita is appealing once it develops the middle notes. I could distinguish rich, almost rotting fruits and complex heavy flowers. I will try it again but I doubt this will be my favourite - it's too scary.

eljayebee

If you can stand the sharp (almost bitter) first 5 minutes, you may love this, as I (and my husband) do. The only scent I have found where the "leather" notes don't produce a hot rubber smell on me(i.e. Knize Ten!). Just gets muskier and sexier the longer it stays on my skin. And it DOES last - all night and into the next morning. Erotic and earthy, I don't wear this one to work.

tommy_girl

Habanita is typical oriental,old fashioned fragrance that you can imagine your mum wearing it.but I'm sure it was good enough at the year it came out.
the opening is sharp,full of oriental flowers and a bit bitter.
ylang-ylang is very dominant and the whole smelling is very familiar to my nose.it's a bit like Mahora by geurlain,the original escada fragrance and a bunch of classic perfumes.
to me this is too sweet and sharp to take,though the smelling becomes milder after a while,the sweetness doesn't disappear.
by the way I like the idea of the bottle very much;the woman with long hairs,just a classic feature of a woman,but mysterious at the same time;just the fragrance in it.

Ambraselvaggia

One of the most revolutionary fragrances I ever tried, although it dates back to more than 80 years ago. Yes, it is not for everyone... but if you want to make yourself unbelievable, just try it!

NebraskaLovesScent

I love Molinard de Molinard and had high hopes for Habanita. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

In spite of the complexity of the notes, the overall effect of this fragrance on my skin was that of baby powder. Johnson and Johnson baby powder. That's not a bad smell, but I was expecting a bit more from this legend of the perfume world. I definitely recommend sampling first.

mahanta

Unfortunately this is the only perfume (out of about 100) that I have tested which keeps fighting with my skin chemistry, and the outcome is really unpleasant, reminding of an ancient attic full of dusty chests and old-fashioned clothes:( I regret it so much because I wanted to love it judging by notes and reviews. The only way I can tolerate it is layering with Rose Essentielle. Oh, well, there are still other fish in the sea;=)

woogyjones50

This truly is a dusty oriental-so well put by tessture. It describes this perfume perfectly. I don't think I have ever experienced a perfume, except maybe Mitsouko (Sp?) that has that dusty scent to it. This one is spicy, powdery, dusty, strangly sexy, and incredibly long lasting on the skin. It is surprising to me the level of powder this one gives off. And it is odd because that powdery scent mixed with spice, musk, and leather is indeed an unusual combination. But I enjoy wearing this one-it's perfect for cold weather-and I can catch brief moments when I'm wearing this perfume when I am struck by how sexy it is. Probably not for everyone but if you like heavy and dark perfumes, this one is really worth a try.

tessture

Heavy, dusty oriental that smells dated on my skin. Contrarily, my sister can wear this in the same fashion as En Avion or Vol de Nuit. This is more affordable than those, but must be sampled.