Penhaligon's • Malabah • Fragrances

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LadyPunk on 6/14/2013 10:49:00 PM more reviews by LadyPunk

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This is an oriental that isn't annoying. Love it! This is a nice spicy scent that isn't too sweet or bitter on my skin. It fades to a nice soapy sort of scent that smells very clean and docile. If you are looking for a sort of docile, yet, sensual oriental...here it is.

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petrina_678 on 6/12/2013 9:07:00 AM more reviews by petrina_678

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

First off reminds me ALOT of embalming fluid by bpal, just less citrusy .

By its name and description i was expecting more spice...
it turns out to be more of a citrusy/tea type of scent.
pleasant by not what i was expecting at all.

its very classy and not too loud. well blended , but not unique enough to justify its price. luckily i have testers !

Reminds me of yellowed tea, tea time with upperclass ladies.

I love ginger notes, and this has that feel faintly.
This scent also briefly reminds me of crabtree and evelyn's himalayan blue.
I dont find this scent unique or niche , i expect more of the price and being from niche brand. oh well

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leavingthingsbehind on 9/23/2012 2:48:00 PM more reviews by leavingthingsbehind

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

This product truly shows how a perfume is a very personal choice: I absolutely adore it!
Hands down my favourite scent with Chanel's 'Allure' edt.

I went into Penhaglion's shop in Edinburgh New Town (they have the best shopping windows in the whole of the George Street!) and was 'fragrance-matched' by a lovely lady there.

She was simply brilliant as I am a very difficult customer = I usually research my purchase before I shop so know exactly what I want and any sales-speak simply would not work in my case. I asked if they have something with notes of cinnamon, black (preferably Earl Grey) tea, ginger and sandalwood, that is not too heavy and flowery as I needed an everyday scent and she went down to work pronto. Her choices were simply wonderful, we have narrowed the selection to two scents (I think the other one was Zizonia) and in the end I went home with a generous sample (wow, this simply does not happen in Scotland! A SAMPLE?!) of both of the chosen fragrances and despite the price tag I made a bee line back into the shop the next day to purchase Malabah.

I've got the biggest bottle (100 ml is £95) and it lasted me almost a year with a very generous use. I will need to restock soon but this time I will add an oil form the same line to be able to layer the fragrance as it does not last too long on its own on me.

The perfume itself is simply fabulous, light, very me and chic. If you do not want to smell like all the girls in Boots and you are after an unique blend of your favourite notes go to Penhaglion's to be fragrance matched, you will not be disappointed. You might not end up with MY Malabah haha but you will not be disappointed for sure.

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*TOP REVIEWER* girlndocs on 1/26/2012 10:01:00 PM more reviews by girlndocs

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Other, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Grey    

I found Malabah to be a forgettable mixture of pale musk, fruity floral and camphoraceous woods with maybe some spice. The drydown was musky/woody/fresh and the overall effect read masculine in a way that made me think of aftershave.

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skinnyfooted1 on 10/14/2011 5:14:00 PM more reviews by skinnyfooted1

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

Despite beautiful packaging, this one was truly a scrubber. The Cilantro note completely destroyed what otherwise would have been a pleasant fragrance. It wound up smelling like a pet shop I used to go to when I was a little girl. Not exactly a seductive, pleasant aroma. . . Honestly, I am still amazed at how strong the Cilantro note was. Maybe it wears off but, it was too much for me.

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*TOP REVIEWER* tessture on 3/11/2011 8:08:00 PM more reviews by tessture

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

On me this is a rich tea scent with lemon notes and faint powdered florals without a talc-y feel. Definitely dries to a powdery amber/wood base, making it strongly oriental in mood. I like it for the tea and edge that reminds me of scented old-fashioned make up, but it's not very different from others I already have in mood, like Toujours Moi or Novaya Zarya's Milaya le Soir. Still a nice, rich scent for those who like the dryer form of orientals.

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*TOP REVIEWER* zeynepd on 12/31/2010 11:12:00 AM more reviews by zeynepd

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

Malabah is a sheer oriental leaning toward ground spices rather than thick, jammy concoctions referring to the Middle East. It has one of the most mesmerizing combination of top notes I have ever smellt. This is a dark but zingy opening that brings to mind the deepest shadows of a lush cottage garden with more herbs and greens than flowers. The lemon sparkles like gold, coriander is airy like a breeze in highlands, and tea is ever so natural. Add the ginger and you get something like a high quality earl gray tea infused in bergamot and then placed in a lovely silk bag. These notes have a demure, emerald-like shine on my skin. Soon comes a small but charismatic dark red rose, perhaps a firm bud with velvety petals and a sensation of clove that adds a bit of bite to the whole composition. It almost smells like Eau de Verveine plus a dark rose with thorns, I am in my olfactory heaven. Unfortunately, on my skin, Malabah reaches its drydown too soon and things start to go downhill for me -with cinnamon and some light amber dominating. I love the top notes and the heart but am not impressed with the drydown at all. Also, the fragrance has minimal sillage on me. I tried to layer it with Fleurs de Bulgarie but was not very happy with the result –too rosy sweet and spicy. 3.5

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*TOP REVIEWER* fpih on 10/26/2009 5:12:00 AM more reviews by fpih

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

The saleswoman on the counter suggested this and Elixir when I said I prefer oriental perfumes. Although this one started nice, the citrus soon overwhelmed the spice so much that it was rendered unwearable for me. Elixir, which I see is not as appreciated here, was much better on me.

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RosesscentfromHeaven on 4/6/2009 2:05:00 PM more reviews by RosesscentfromHeaven

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Silver   Eyes: Green    

One of Penhaligon's finest alongside it's big brother Hamman Bouquet. A spicy rose that has great lasting power and one I like to layer with Elisabethan Rose to up the rose content.

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*TOP REVIEWER* pennypencil on 1/11/2009 6:23:00 AM more reviews by pennypencil

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Kinky, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

Malabah is a beautiful, transparent oriental, with an Earl Grey and ginger beer heart. It manages to cover many bases at once – rich, ambery and autumnal; sunny, tranquil and refreshing; sophisticated and unusual; citrusy and gourmand. A few years ago I fell in love with a Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab fragrance called Dorian, which boasted dark tea, sugared lemon, creamy vanilla, and, I believe, ginger biscuits. Malabah strikes me as Dorian’s more sophisticated counterpart. The nutmeg and cardamom seasoning the rose petals makes for intriguing sillage, not unlike a colourful silk scarf fluttering out behind you as you walk.
Malabah’s citrus notes over amber and rose are reminiscent of citrus, rose and bourbon vanilla in Chanel’s Allure. Unexpectedly, I find these fragrances to be olfactory cousins. Closer to Malabah, is the discontinued YSL Nu, but Malabah is far superior.

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*TOP REVIEWER* IrisNobile on 1/10/2009 3:56:00 PM more reviews by IrisNobile

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

My favorite kind of tea is Earl Grey so I couln't resist and had to get my hands on a sample of this. I also like Demeter's Earl Grey (and there's not too many good Earl Grey fragrances out there) and I still have my little bottle of it, but it doesn't even last for an hour. I always said that I wish Demeter's Earl Grey would last for a little longer, and it could also use a spicy finish in it's base too. Now I tried this and I am amazed by how beautiful Malabah is! It is the perfect earl grey fragrance! It has a very frefreshing/bergamot opening, a spicy-tea heart and a smooth long-lasting finish. Absolutely gorgeous and I have decided to get a bottle of this for sure. By the way, Penhaligon's bottles are masterpieces.

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*TOP REVIEWER* condesadepitimini on 1/7/2009 9:07:00 AM more reviews by condesadepitimini

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

I would define it a "ready-to wear", clean cologne.
I like citrus and this is a blast of citruses that melt into a spicy pot.
Cinnamon, clove and woods, yes, and a lot of cedar in it.... and some balsamic notes, like juniper or pine. Indeed, very fresh in its spiceness!
I see it very well on a winter morning - for the summer the spices in it could be a bit too warm.
It does not smell like after shave to me (oh I wish all aftershaves would be that good!) and is not masculine to my nose. Fresh warm and modernly feminine at a time.
Yet, it is a classic cologne for the day, clear, comforting, clean and with a lovely staying power.
I will not buy a FB, but I certianly recommend to test it!

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*TOP REVIEWER* 52pigtails on 7/15/2008 5:29:00 AM more reviews by 52pigtails

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

To my ingenuous nose this is much like Etra by Etro or a lighter version of SL Chergui. The notes are far from representing India to me: the spices are just clove and some little ginger, all the rest is a good citrus and cedar wood. A good oriental with little courage and much charme. Also, as a previous reviewer mentioned, versatile enough to be worn all year long. The packaging has got better lately, too bad I still have the old version

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*TOP REVIEWER* darkharbour on 4/3/2008 8:46:00 AM more reviews by darkharbour

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

Do you like YSL Nu? Or perhaps Feminite du Bois? This will appeal to you. It is quite woodsy and has a clean soupcon of citrus to keep it from being too murky. There is a whisper of spice. Think about a mountain forest, at dusk, in late autumn, after a bit of rain. Deep, comforting, primeval, and a bit mysterious.

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Popinki on 9/18/2007 7:10:00 AM more reviews by Popinki

Age: Unknown   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Other    

For the notes of Malabah:

http://www.osmoz.com/encyclo/marques/parfums_fiche.asp?ID=2597&CATEGORIE=PARFUM_AUTRELANGUE&LANGUE=FR

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elaborate on 4/24/2007 10:44:00 AM more reviews by elaborate

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

This is quite lovely. I picked up a 1.5ml trial size from a store. Funny thing is that the top notes remind me of drinking chilled Coca Cola on a hot summer day, and the heavy base notes remind me of Christmas, tartan, and cold winter nights and smells like a lighter version of Safari by Ralph Lauren. I guess for these reasons some reviewers have said that it can be worn throughout the year. A fragrance with such broad appeal in terms of seasons is rather unique and is desirable for this reason alone. I like it and I'll buy a bottle pretty soon. Like other Penhaligon's scents released in the last few years, there is no info on the breakdown of top/middle/base notes.

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*TOP REVIEWER* dinahad on 11/3/2006 8:10:00 AM more reviews by dinahad

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

While this scent is lovely to start, it ends up smelling like a rather generic woodsy, floral. The opening notes were like a dark steeped tea to me and they were wonderful. But, they fade away to a generic scent that I would never reach for if this were part of my collection.

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*TOP REVIEWER* veruska on 8/26/2006 5:28:00 AM more reviews by veruska

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

I can clearly see that this is a very aristocratic perfume and a bit old-worldy and maybe more french-accented that british-accented.It starts with a fresh citrus and slowly it goes in the indian spice and ginger and heady flower combo.I love this part a lot but to me this part stays true for 5 min.max.and it goes from then on in a warm vanilla base.Something does'nt sells...

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*TOP REVIEWER* Funkly on 8/1/2006 12:01:00 PM more reviews by Funkly

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Agree with the previous reviewers: it has been wrongly described by the manufacturer and therefore it might disappoints those who seek "the Indies in a bottle". However it is a gorgeous clear citrusy-woody-spicey scent, have been wearing it all summer and I love it. The word transparent was used in one of the earlier reviews: it conveys perfectly its crispness and purity. I like the fact that it manages to remain very feminine and classy. Staying power is fenomenal.

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cullyflight on 7/14/2006 7:24:00 AM more reviews by cullyflight

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is rather a woodsy citrus on me than a spicy oriental. Those biological insectrepellant oils smell a bit like it: Citrus, Cedar, and clove, I think.
Malabah is not even near to represent India in a bottle. It is much too light and not at all spicy enough.
If you try it without wrong expectations and search for something elegant and easy to wear, this might do very well though.
If you want warmth and mystical exotic spicyness, do not travel to Malabah.

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