Gres • Cabaret • Fragrances

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*TOP REVIEWER* highrise on 1/30/2013 11:10:00 AM more reviews by highrise

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other, Fair, Cool   Hair: Other   Eyes: Brown    

As a lover of rose-chypres this was an obvious one, but it lingered on my 'someday' list for years. I finally threw it in with another order, and it's a solid like. The structure is lovely, and there is a pleasant, spiky green-woodiness within the blurred rose and patchouli. It has a soft persistence, similar to Prada Infusion d'Iris, which seems to fade but then magically reappear throughout the day. It's a little too ephemeral for me - I like a little more flesh and oomph in this category - but still, very nice.

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*TOP REVIEWER* takemyhusbandplz on 7/1/2012 8:22:00 PM more reviews by takemyhusbandplz

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

On my skin I get woody rose, gorgeous smoky incense and musk. It smells of mystery and it's sexy in its own right.

I can picture this worn in a smoky moulin rouge type of atmosphere.

I like this one. It has great sillage and it lasts a very long time on the skin.

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*TOP REVIEWER* DecoDolly on 5/15/2012 7:19:00 PM more reviews by DecoDolly

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I once saw this described as something like "dried roses and leather", which is very accurate. It's a dark, sort of dusty scent, but in a good way! I often layer this with a lighter rose scent, just to liven it up a bit, but I enjoy it both on it's own and layered. I found it online pretty cheap.

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ginamused on 5/23/2011 8:49:00 PM more reviews by ginamused

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I purchased Cabaret unsniffed after reading a reviews calling it "the poor woman's Lyric". I was pleasantly surprised by this fragrance. It was the spicy rose that called to mind Lyric, but also the top notes were sheer salty JCE-esque loveliness. My thought when that salty topnote hit was, "This is Eau de Mervielles rosy-cheeked sister.". I see this becoming a staple in my 100+bottle collection.

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*TOP REVIEWER* cocorocha on 4/14/2010 5:14:00 AM more reviews by cocorocha

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Now, this is a veeery pleasant surprise for me....
After testing a few Gres perfume including the harsh-ones like Cabochard (hated it,not for me), Cabotine (hated it also,aldehydes that made me sick), Cabotine Rose (good), I've stumbled on one small sample of Cabaret, not expecting anything special...
and then I tried it...
this is very sophisticated rose....rose with patchouly,lily of the valley,amber,sandal...oh how delightful!!It is a very feminine chypre scent that reminded me of Voleur de Roses, minus the very offensive patchouly part (to my nose that is)..
Gres Cabaret is seductive,woody-rosy chypre almost too god to be worn just so...intensivity is beyond good...staying power is fantastic, as it develops on my skin,never getting overboard, never being too strong or offensive to anyone..
it suits all kinds of women, not an ''old lady'' scent as some like to say...
romantic,light and very pleasant to wear..
it is a winner for me and I'll be using it generously,especialy in my office...fresh and vibrant..
if you like roses and chypre category (also if you like Diva,P.Picasso,Boucheron,Jil Sander No 4), you won't regret trying this one...

a good,good perfume!

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mai1978 on 3/24/2010 5:25:00 PM more reviews by mai1978

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

The bottle I bought doesn't have all of the red coloring it should have. This makes me sad because I think it looks fantastic. The smell is beautiful after the first few minutes. I love to spray this on my night gown. It is not too strong, so I spray it five times. The flowers in this are very mild and well blended. It's really a skin scent. You do have to wait a few minutes after spraying because there is a note there that needs to settle down a bit. Maybe this is why it was discontinued. People gave it that first spray and didn't like that note.

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debrsl on 9/23/2009 9:42:00 AM more reviews by debrsl

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Classical French perfumery. A rose fragrance where the makes a beautiful, but brief appearance at the beginning and then is pretty much gone. The Scented Salamander (mimifroufrou.com, IIRC) has a great review on it, which I believe is very accurate to what I'm smelling. She says it's a chypre. It doesn't go through noticeable changes on my skin, however. It's either more smooth or linear than that, and I'm not sure which. I am sure, however, that this is a great sophisticated fragrance, and I've love to own a bottle of it. It is something I would wear with an expensive necklace. Notes (from Scented Salamander): rose, peony, muguet, pink bay. Heart notes are: violet, blue orris, incense, wood. Base notes are: patchouli, Indian sandalwood, amber, musk.

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emmagreen on 7/16/2009 3:42:00 PM more reviews by emmagreen

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

So I was totally seduced about four years ago, based on the wonderful reviews here to buy this, after only one trial on the wrist at Lord and Taylor. I wanted smokey lily of the valley v. v. badly. As it is, it's pleasant for a while, although i found it not at all smokey or muguet-y (a word?) In fact it's rather soap and peppery, if you can put your arms around that: rather than the fugly bottle which is still sitting in my cabinet and I wish to god someone wanted to swap for it. I'm thinking about giving it to goodwill. Sorry; i sound really down about this here cabaret. It's just more of a clean-living, soaped legs no raunchy stockings doing the leg-kicks, and if the soap note didn't eventually give me a headache, i would gladly keep it. Though, i would never, ever display that bottle, even if i was the type to expose my bottles to sunlight; which i'm not. I have a mini of this, and the body lotion too, b.t.w.

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HolliVomit on 4/17/2009 5:00:00 PM more reviews by HolliVomit

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Blue    

this one is wild! it is very herbal without being fresh. in fact, it feels a little dark. i also get a tangy nose tickling from it (something almost catnip in feel). it is complex but remains the same scent throughout the day. my husband loves it as well and plans to test it on himself. i think it is a different enough perfume that it could be unisex and smell divine on him.

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w5bjm on 2/27/2009 11:28:00 AM more reviews by w5bjm

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Silver   Eyes: Hazel    

All I can say is "ugh"! I received a sample of this fragrance and have tried twice to wear it--kept hoping it would get better. Maybe it is just my body chemistry, but this is surely one of the worst fragrances I have ever tried. It is very strong; so strong that I get the feeling that the sillage probably lays waste to those around me. My favorite fragrances remain Chanel Number 5 and Estee Lauder Private Collection, and even Private Collection's powerful top notes cannot compete with the "power" of Cabaret.

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BlackCat13 on 12/26/2008 8:51:00 PM more reviews by BlackCat13

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I've been on a rose kick lately, and I have to say, this is one of my favorites (as well as the least expensive). It's beautifully blended. I don't get a salty note on my skin; however, I do get a beautiful dark rose note which predominates, along with a slightly "sour/tart" note (in a pleasant way). This tart note keeps it from being cloying or girly and makes it a true chypre, not like most of the modern so-called chypres. The drydown is lovely--a woody rose with only a tiny bit of patchouli (not a patch fan here). Staying power is good, value is excellent. The only down side is I don't get much sillage. Still, definitely worth a try!

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AilaMaurano on 10/8/2008 11:07:00 PM more reviews by AilaMaurano

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Very Oily, Tan   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is a nice, clean woody rose. I'm not smelling the salt, but I'm not sure if this is the same concentration as every other one. I'm smelling the parfum, and I smell rose and saltlyness and sweet woods barely there. It's pretty nice. Not for me though. I won't purchase, but I'll use up the decant I have. :)

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Irene18 on 9/12/2008 9:40:00 AM more reviews by Irene18

Age: Unknown   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

This surprised me, I was expecting more rose from the reviews! To my nose, this is almost equal parts rose, patchouli, and sandalwood, well blended and linear. No one note stands out. It is not a heavy scent, but the notes give it a presence. I would definitely reach for this if I were in a mood for something bohemian or gothic.

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*TOP REVIEWER* fragranceisall on 9/11/2008 4:46:00 PM more reviews by fragranceisall

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

This is one of my very favorite fragrances! I was going through bottles of set-aside frags and coming across this, gave it a try. Sure enough! I could see what first captivated me several years ago; I don't know why I stopped wearing it It smells at once earthy, yet clean and brings me back (in my imagination) to smoky 1920s Parisian cafes, Toulouse Lautrec during his Moulin Rouge days, long-ago beauty and glamour. My daughter loves it because, to her, it smells very clean. A winner I'll keep buying now that I've rediscovered it.

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aquasea2 on 9/6/2008 8:21:00 AM more reviews by aquasea2

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Smoky rose. That's really all there is to it but it's done really well and for me its is such a comfort scent. It doesn't make me think nightclub or 1920s jazz scene, it's serene and soft. Wonderful winter fragrance

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*TOP REVIEWER* dascha on 9/5/2008 8:35:00 AM more reviews by dascha

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This is a very sheer, wonderfully salty (and if you don't know what "salt" smells like, as I didn't, this is a perfect one to really get it), cedar/sandalwoody rose scent that is very modern and clean. The name is really a misnomer. "Cabaret" implies, to me, smoky tobacco and leather. This stuff smells to me like the inside of a fancy stationary shop, as the middle notes are very good-papery. I'd like to have it be called "Escritoire" or something like that. The ultimate drydown is very softly sandalwood, not too heavy or remotely sweet. Perfect if you want to wear something understated. Also, I kind of love the long, deco-y glass bottle with the heavy gold top. Looks perfect on my dresser. ETA: This stuff really grows on you; it's unique and lovely and quite inexpensive for the quality. In fact, I'd put this squarely in the "Stella," "Antoinia's Flowers," "Tiempe Passat" quadrant. My only complaint is that is is so very very sheer it fades away all too fast for me. ETA 2: Oddly, I've found that I like this best as a room spray! The room smells so nice after you spray it in the air. There is also a distinct ginger note in it.

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jemimagold on 8/26/2008 1:03:00 PM more reviews by jemimagold

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Gres Cabaret surprised me with its cheerfully sunny rose smell. I definitely prejudged it having found Gres' Cabochard's dry chypre notes to be a bit austere and thought it might have been some kind of Cabochard flanker. However, Cabaret has an upbeat rosy smell and the drydown features a slight hint of sandalwood and musk for enhancement purposes but at all times, rose remains the dominant note. Speaking to its modern-ness, if someone had told me that Cabaret was by Les Parfums de Rosine (a house noted for its rose scents), I would have believed them. In fact, it reminds me an awful lot of Rosine's Une Zeste de Rose.


On the downside, Cabaret really did not last on me more than 20 minutes so regretfully I would not consider buying it.


Here are the notes for Cabaret, as gleaned on the internet: Rose, Lily Of The Valley, Peony, Incense, Blue Orris, Sandalwood, Amber and Musk.

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*TOP REVIEWER* juad on 7/15/2008 7:01:00 AM more reviews by juad

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

Unique, salty and woody fragrance, roses and new light green birch leaves, a forest in spring, like a lonely amaranth rose blooming in the shade, in a dark virgin forest, at first it smells a bit metallic, like crushed scented geranium leaves + rose + patchouli + incense, after 1 hour it sweeten, I can scent then the oleander flowers, resinous, pitchy, salty (yes, it is as salty as Eau Des Merveilles) melancholic like an abandoned jazz tavern, red carpets, cigarette smoke, has a beautiful musk base reminding a little of Narciso Rodriguez for Her or CK Be.

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eiviz on 5/10/2008 5:41:00 PM more reviews by eiviz

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Oh my god, it's probably one of the worst fragrances ever. I received a tester of 5ml as a gift when I ordered some make-up online.
I'm glad they didn't send a bigger bottle. But happily my granny liked it and was happy even about 5ml of Cabaret! :D

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sardonic_girl on 3/26/2008 5:53:00 PM more reviews by sardonic_girl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal   Hair: Red   Eyes: Other    

Gack! That's all I can say. I am so reluctant to say bad things about a fragrance...because I've seen some of my favorites described in a way that is well.....mean. But seriously, I love unusual scents and particularly love woody smells. But this is just plain weird and nauseating. I can't begin to describe it...but it is very "salty" smelling, and smelled sort of damp (not arrid as I would expect a woody fragrance to smell). In a way, for some reason it conjured up thoughts of a seedy head shop......not that I've been to many. Just smelled gross, strange and well, odd. I've never felt so sick after applying a fragrance! I bought this unsniffed based on what I'd read and the notes listed...big mistake!

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