Malabah Penhaligon`s for women

An oriental for men. Not really strong or original. I expected more by this English stylish brand.

Altough Luca Turin compares this one to a cheap version of Nicolai`s New York, it reminded me of a relaxed version of YSL Nu EDP. That`s certainly the exotic spicy incensed aura of NU EDP here, but less dark and misterious. It evokes an oriental aura but balancing it with some citruses and some floral aspects. What intrigues me is that the combination of rose and ginger reminds me somehow of the pomenagrate peel mixed with incense and citrus aromas. While i like it, i don`t know if i would have a bottle. But this and Artemisia made me reconsider my tantrum with Penhaligon`s fragrances.

Exotic,sweet,warm, rich ginger tea with some lemon and spices.:)The drydown is absolutely beautiful: creamy, semi-sweet spiced sandalwood.Misterious fragrance, it's invoke the hot sunny days in the winter and perfect on summer nights too when you just want to be seductive.:) .Worth to try!

Lemmony Spicy Summer Scent.
Also wearable during cold days, rather autumnal season.
It has a warm aspect, maybe ginger and nutmeg contribute to the warmth of this fragrance.
Tea is less evident for me.

Malabah is absolutely DELICIOUS. It's perfectly spicy without being offensive. The cardamom, ginger, and rose combine so beautifully with the fresh lemon. Cardamom is such a delectably sweet spice. People who don't feel this perfume is spicy are probably used to cloves and cinnamon. I love those spices, but sometimes they seem too harsh. Cardamom is a whole different animal.

The tea is only in the opening. As the perfume dries down, the "lemon tea" scent fades away.

This perfume reminds me very much of Jacomo #8. I was disappointed that Jacomo seems to remain fairly cool. Malabah has a smokiness to it that keeps it warm and gives it depth. This perfume smells like the perfect cup of chai. Malabah is the embodiment of everything that I love about Indian spices. It's so exotic.

As people have already described, this is a nice fresh lemon tea like scent, you can also smell the ginger etc but not much rose. It could be unisex I guess, but I think slightly more feminine. It is lovely if you like this type of scent but not for me.

A bright ginger tea with a slice of lemon is what greets me on opening.

Then jasmine, rose and spices subtley infused to offer a sweet warm heart. Orris also softens the composition leading into a gentle wood finish.

Refreshing and a good Oriental for warmer weather if you must wear Oriental in the heat.

Faint powdered florals with a clean talc-feel underlining a strong tea with lemon scent. I really like it for what amounts to simplicity and a feeling like scented maquillage, but it reminds me a lot of scents I already own (Toujours Moi, Novaya Zarya's Milaya le Soir) so I won't be buying it.

I went in blind....
Yes, the name is something else. The fragrance is nothing like I have experienced before, and I have no idea when I am going to wear it.
It a sneaky soft character...then it gives you a hint of floral (more jasmin than rose). I seem to have missed the opening alltoghether. Coriander and nutmeg stay with me for about 4 hours.
I love it...just wished it lasted longer.

I agree with missk's evaluation below. I bought this as part of a set of Penhaligon's and expected a strong, exotic scent but was completely underwhelmed. The opening was lemon tea and then a bit of rose developed and nothing else. It was all gone in an hour and not special enough to top it up I'm afraid.

Malabah is such a beautiful name for a fragrance. Here I was captivated by its name and imagining a rich, spicy tea scent with an element of exotic sensuality.

This fragrance, to put it nicely, is too polite and refined in my opinion. It's simplistic, inoffensive and rather plain.

Malabah opened with some interesting accords which had me hoping this fragrance would develop into something magical. The lemony tea opening was about as interesting as it gets.

The heart is a combination of sweet and spicy, with such weak sillage that one may wonder if they're wearing a perfume at all. I've had my fair share of spicy rose scents, and Malabah has left me underwhelmed in that department.

For my spiced tea fix I usually turn to the beautiful L'Artisan's Tea for Two, not Malabah. I like strong, in-your-face kind of fragrances, and this Penhaligon's offering is far too lady-like and quiet for my personal tastes. I find it very British.

The lasting strength is pretty poor, struggling to last half the day on my skin. It was far too discreet and lacked serious warmth and distinction. It's pleasant, I'll say that much, but exotic is not a word that comes to mind when describing Malabah unfortunately.

Malabha is a wonderful concoction of lemon and deep spicies, i do not perceive rose at all. On my skin it begins to warm around this juicy lemon tea that mixes beautifully with nutmeg,ginger an dcardamom.the basenotes confer a creamy landscape to this oriental portrayed of far indian country.it makes me think of the placid flow of Gange on witch impressive temples raise near its banks.the parfume is soft and fold you in a comforting, warm, orintal cluod of mysterious communion.it is wonderful in that selfish, intim moments of consideration on yourself.

Oh man this is perfect perfume!!!
At first it is more masculine. I actually thought it is male perfume, but the way he changes it is like a little miracle. I wish I could make this kind od perfume...
Base notes are pure gold. You can feel middle notes in them (like a gentle touch). I am sooo impressed.

The sales assistant at Penhaligon's store in Edinburgh told me that this one was an absolute bestseller in their Paris store. And I am not surprised! I think that if I still lived over there, I would probably get a bottle for myself. Its elegance fits is a perfect match for Parisian boulevards!
I would probably also get myself a wide brimmed velvet hat, a black dress and sipping a glass of wine (or a coffee, depending on the time of day) in Cafe Odeon I would enjoy Malabah all around me.

The fragrance is an outburst of spices and woods and echnanting jasmine (not my favourite here, but for vintage jasmine lovers should be a splendid surprise), something I imagine Marlene Dietrich in Shainghai Express wearing. Very strong, might be overpowering, so I dont think it is something I would like to wear during summer. It slightly reminds me of Opium, maybe because they are similar in character, and have the same vibe around them.

Very warm, oriental,spicy, but not overhelming. Probably It is good for winter. From my skin it disappears in a moment.

Penhaligon MALABAH opens ever-so-briefly with a touch of lemony tea, but the spices emerge nearly immediately to dominate this truly spicy oriental edp. Yet the spiciness does not have the dwarfing effect of making me feel as though I have shrunk to but a fraction of my former self and am now locked in my spice drawer, clawing and fighting to get out, screaming in my tiny, barely audible voice against forces much greater than me.

Instead, MALABAH blends its very strong spices together into a pleasantly gentle complex: ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg circulate about the roses and slowly diminish in strength until the drydown, which is a delightful, only lightly sweetened sandalwood anchored in amber and musk.

MALABAH may be too much for the hottest days of the summer months but is just perfect for the fall and winter. Or a bit of Christmas in July, should the temperature unexpectedly drop!

this is a fabulous fragrance: floral, a bit spicy, slightly sweet; i get lemon at the beginning, cardamon and tea. This is one of the best orientals I've encountered so far, fresh but not very light, men can try it too =)

I bought this in a small bottle from ebay & upon arrival my teenage daughter quickly tried it out, she adores it...so do i. Not as much as i love 'ARTERMISIA' though.

This one doesnt seem to grow on my skin like Artemisia does but its still an absolute dream to wear. I am going to treasure these two small bottles of liquid gold until i can get a larger bottle of each.

As it was said, lemon candies first, sweet and not nasty. Then the green tea appears. After the lemon candies dry down it becomes a mix of a tea with a little bitter spices. As in most Penhaligon's scents it is not overwhelming and not too light. Not too long lasting.

Fantastic citrus opening (almost lemoncandy) but not in a harsh oldstyle cologne way. Maybe it´s the tea & ginger that gives it o more modern feel.
I don´t get much of the roses. On me it´s all about spices and lemon.
Penhaligon has some fabulous scents and this is definately in my top 3.
Lasting power is average but this is a must-try if you are into spicy and unique fragrances.

I agree with both previous reviews and how I wish Malabah came in pure perfume. It's a favourite.

It opens with a burst of citrus, but it isn't at all sharp - jeca's right about the lemonade. The tea joins in soon, then the lovely, light rose appears. Unfortunately, I don't get a lot of spices but I do get a wonderful drydown of sandalwood and amber. Incredibly pleasant is perhaps the best way to describe this fragrance. Also, it's refreshingly non-synthetic to my nose. It could easily have been my ideal scent for summer but sadly, it's extremely light and I wish it lasted longer on my skin.

It opens with juicy fresh notes, like lemonade, then I smell a beautiful oriental rose arranged with spices. The rose is the queen here.