Penhaligon's • Hammam Bouquet • Fragrances

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bokaba on 12/30/2011 1:05:00 AM more reviews by bokaba

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Is it the best thing ever? Certainly not, but it is good for what it is--a throwback from the Victorian masculine floral. The opening has a sharp blast of bergamot and lavender mottled with rose and jasmine. Stuffy and oily, but bearable. This is a studiedly dandified fragrance in the manner of Mouchoir de Monsieur and Dunhill 1934, though probably not as relevant today. The middle note is a floral jasmine and a darker geranium type rose. The base then dries to sandalwood and musk with lingering florals. This is the type of pre-WWI masculine scent of which Luca Turin speaks "citrus, flowers, musk." Also, I find the opening somewhat discordant, but this is probably due to some synthetic materials being used out of necessity.

Please note HB took a turn for the worst around 2010/2011 and now smells of insect repellant as previously noted. Get an older bottle if possible with the Wellington address on the bottom of the bottle rather than the new Beauchamp Place address. Penhaligons was purchased by a US based investment group recently and some of the fragrances have been reformulated.

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skinnyfooted1 on 10/14/2011 6:04:00 PM more reviews by skinnyfooted1

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Two things:
1.) It burned when I put it on, which was odd.
2.) After the burning went away, I was overwhelmed by this awful scent. I had SUCH high hopes for this scent as the description for it was everything I love in perfumes. But this was a scrubber all the way. It just smelled like Muskol Insect repellant on me. Heavy sharp geranium.

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GardeniaDreamsTuberose on 6/13/2009 3:52:00 AM more reviews by GardeniaDreamsTuberose

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Silver   Eyes: Brown    

Got to love this one. Reminds me of my perfumes from yesteryear. Another reviewer allready mentioned it is somewhat like Royal Bain du Champagne by Caron.which I did use many years a long time ago When I inhaled scent first time I also was reminded of this. The name I dislike. Not for the faint hearted.Exotic scent.Buying it again !

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Kit20 on 12/10/2008 6:39:00 PM more reviews by Kit20

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Unfortunately this scent is one of the very few I've tried that gives me a headache. The bergamot/citrus top dries down very quickly on me and leaves a strong rose geranium scent that is only removed by washing. I wanted to like this scent very much and I like other Penhaligons scents but this is just migraine juice. I cannot imagine any man wanting to wear this as it smells strongly floral and rosy. Very sickly in hot weather. Good lasting power and quite nice bottle . I give it 2 lippies

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elaborate on 5/25/2007 6:02:00 PM more reviews by elaborate

Age: Unknown   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Do you love single malt from Islay? Well if you do inhale deeply right after you've sprayed it. The medicinal smell lasted only for a moment to be replaced by bergamot but I am having a bottle of 100% bergamot essential oil sitting next to me to compare and although they smell similar it is not the same... it also named Lavender as one of its top notes but again I can't spot it and I have a Lavender essential oil to compare against HB so it is not like I have forgotten how Lavender smells like!! After that you get first the strong otto roses and cedar and a just a hint of jasmine. The cedar is what you would encounter if you'd opened up a wardrobe made of solid wood in a furniture store. And there it comes, A LOT of sandalwood. It reminds me of many years ago when I was in Hong Kong there will be ladies fanning themselves with folding fans made of sandalwood. Orris - one the spices used in Bombay Sapphire gin - also stays on. Overall a strong and sweet wood fragrance with a crisp bitterness to balance it, and if you want less sweetness and absolutely no bitterness Opus 1870 would suit you better. Top Notes - Lavender, Bergamot // Middle Notes - Otto of Roses, Cedarwood, Orris, Jasmine // Base Notes - Musk, Amber, Sandalwood.

12th April 2010: Wearing it again today - I think it is rather similar to Fleurs de Bulgarie by Creed, perhaps marginally easier to wear.

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odysseusm on 5/9/2007 2:05:00 PM more reviews by odysseusm

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal   Hair: Red   Eyes: Blue    

Hammam Bouquet is quite an experience! It is a Victorian-era oriental, and seeks to convey all the exotic splendor of that realm to the curious Western world. I think Creed admirers should try this. It shares the qualities of many Creed fragrances; being quite sweet, intense, and luxuriously opulent. It has a spicy and rich opening of bergamot. Then for a while, cedar gives some dry wood notes which provide a breathing space amidst the rich florals in the middle. The cedar is so balsamic it is almost minty. The roses and violets are quite heavy, though. Soapy sandalwood starts to assert itself. Amber resins then give further balsalmic notes, now almost cinnamon or even coconut-like. Finally, the dry-down is very dusky, powdery and sweet. This is not at all my style, but I do admire the history behind this bottle. Out of that respect I will simply register a neutral rating and urge interested parties to try it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* veruska on 8/27/2006 2:41:00 AM more reviews by veruska

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

Lawrence of Arabia dear jjff but me ?This is definitely masculine but that's the least of my problems.this start with a very herbal medicinal bergamot,a bit difficult to like and then it becomes rich and heady,with a kind of dark powder thing on it.I don't know the official notes but at the drydown i smell a nice dose of amber.There's something peculiar in this perfume but i think the name suits it fine.

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dt2003 on 11/16/2003 2:17:00 PM more reviews by dt2003

Age: 44-55   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I hated this purfume when I first tried it, however after wearing it for 10 minutes I fell in love with it. Wonderfully refined and with the right amount of exoticism.

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*TOP REVIEWER* jjff on 1/24/2003 9:30:00 PM more reviews by jjff

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

According to Penhaligon's website, "the original Hammam Bouquet was created by William Penhaligon in 1872. A traditional balsamic scent with a heady blend of Otto of roses, English lavender, French jasmine and sandalwood, it expresses the confidence and worldliness of the late Victorians. It is named after the famous Turkish baths in Jermyn Street, where the nobility would refresh themselves before visiting the luxurious shops of St James'".

A fragrance created for Victorian gentlemen, it is akin to Royal Bain de Champagne by Caron in a sense that it is not for the faint of the heart who are insecure about their own masculinity! :-) I can envision it on a gorgeous, dark type a la Lawrence of Arabia. It is a decadent evening fragrance with definite rich, balsamic rose notes that could also be pulled off by a woman. ;-)

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