Unlisted Brand • Five Star Fragrance Co. - Royal Secret • Fragrances

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Mandella on 2/19/2012 4:56:00 PM more reviews by Mandella

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

This excerpt taken from 'To Kill A Mockingbird' came to my mind the second I inhaled this scent, "Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum. . . . There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County."
Royal Secret is a simple, pungent,and powdery oriental; it's easy to like and suits anyone who has a soft spot for this type of fragrance, little money, and little patience for fruity-floral horrors on the market today.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Olfactoria on 6/8/2011 10:41:00 AM more reviews by Olfactoria

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

This review is for the original Germaine Monteil formula-- the Five Star one falls flat by comparison. I scored a full bottle of extrait on eBay, and it is one of the best fragrance investments ever. Royal Secret is as close to a signature scent as I can come (I just love fragrance too much to stick to one!). It shares some similarities with Obsession (warm vanilla-tonka base), Shalimar (citrus topnotes and smoky finish) and Youth-Dew (spices), but it seems to take the best of all of them and leave the queasy parts out.

I find this is an Oriental I can even wear in summer. Smooth, rounded, with notes of cola and cinnamon, it is just plain gorgeous and there is no wading through yucky aldehydes or musty jasmine to get to the good part. There is a BIG difference between the original and the Five Star reformulation, so I'd suggest investing in the good stuff if you can.

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*TOP REVIEWER* sunshine824 on 2/5/2009 9:47:00 PM more reviews by sunshine824

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

After going through my recent "Opium" phase which had everything in my apartment reeking of Opium, I decided to try a lighter Oriental that I had in my perfume wardrobe - Royal Secret.


This fragrance lives up to its name. It is indeed an amazing secret. As other have already stated, this shares a lightly spicy, lightly smokey, baby powder effect similar to Shalimar, but it is quite casual and easy to wear for day or evening. It fulfills my nose's need for "complexity" without making me exhausted(Mitsouko), my budget's need for relief(only $10 - $20 per bottle!!!), and my perfume addicted brain's need to feel perfumed as it lasts ALL DAY!!!


The **ONLY** caveat is the initial spray which smells dishearteningly of bitter herbs and rubbing alcohol. But again, as others have stated, give this baby 15 minutes to warm up and you'll be smelling beautiful for at least 8 hours.


Will repurchase and I'm thinking of trying the bath oil. :-)

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lmscully on 10/31/2008 5:51:00 PM more reviews by lmscully

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

I bought a sample of this in the Eau de Cologne. There is an acrid top note that absolutely gacked me. Fortunately, I did not wash it off right away. After it settled down for about 15 minutes, it smells very similar to my beloved Habanita with the smoke and baby powder smell. Royal Secret is definitely sharper than Habanita, and not as wearable straight out of the bottle, but give it a few minutes before making up your mind.

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*TOP REVIEWER* ellizam on 2/10/2008 2:18:00 PM more reviews by ellizam

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

I'm beginning to think there is a fragrance family for this. There's the 'citric-oakmoss' family (diorella, christalle, laura ashley's l'eau, montales aromatic lime); the 'plain vanillas' (l'aromarine, molinard, ligne st. barth); the 'vanillic florals' (maison de la vanille fleurie tahiti, calypso vanille, dior addict...)... Other families include 'pungent jasmine,' 'airy jasmine,' 'Eau de Colognes,' 'Orange blossoms,' 'incense,' 'tea scents'...


To the many one might add 'ambered wood' perhaps, or 'sweetened wood.' The members of this family that I know of so far are of course Shalimar, then Fragonard's Reve Indienne, Bourbon French Tonight, Calvin Klein Obsession, and now, Royal Secret. Royal Secret has that trademark rich, dark color. It also has the sweet wood base, the old-fashioned amber notes. But what distinguishes it, and puts it just slightly more in the Obsession camp than the Shalimar camp is that it has a musk note, a particular musk note very like slightly unwashed human hair. I can see how that note could seem sexy. There are lots of perfumes with that note, and in Royal Secret it's fairly subtle. But much as I love many other parts of Royal Secret (not the least it's lovely, understated packaging and dark, sweet richness) the hair note is not my favorite thing.


Still, it makes a lovely warming base for other fragrances. If I were to have to choose only one from this family, I think it would be Reve Indienne, followed by BF Tonight. But I have a little mini of Royal Secret that I've certainly been enjoying.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Chrisskins on 9/26/2007 12:58:00 PM more reviews by Chrisskins

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

This is very intense stuff. Personally, I hated it. Tried the body lotion and had to wash it immediately. Yowza-bad. The moral of the story: Only your nose knows what you'll like.

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perfumefanatic on 5/28/2006 1:46:00 PM more reviews by perfumefanatic

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I was pleasantly surprised by this fragrance at my last trip to Perfumania. One spritz from the tester, and I was sold! It's sweet,but not too sweet,balsamic,spicy, and rich. Sort of reminds me of Opium, but not as heady as Opium. Like a nice, full bodied wine you'd pair with a good meal, this fragrance should marry with rich fabrics and cool evenings. I bought a 32 oz of the body lotion they were offering on special which should be nice on its' own or even layered under other Oriental fragrances which I also love. A definite best kept secret in the fragrance world. If you like Orientals like Opium, Angel,Prada, Lou Lou, Youth Dew (either one) and such, give Royal Secret a try, you may be pleasantly surprised as well!

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barbie46 on 9/19/2004 1:24:00 AM more reviews by barbie46

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

I agree wholeheartedly with the review below, this is a yummy fragrance but to me it deserves 5 lippies. It's everything I like in a perfume and it's long lasting too. I like that it smells spicy, sexy, and expensive on me and that it's not one of those sickeningly sweet horrors that are so popular today and smell so cheap but cost so much. Overall just a very quiet beautiful fragrance.

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*TOP REVIEWER* takemyhusbandplz on 5/17/2004 4:12:00 PM more reviews by takemyhusbandplz

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I'd give this one a 3 1/2 lippie rating. On me this is warm spicy, yet light & conservative. This really does make you smell like a true blueblood. The bottle is beautiful in its simplicity, It knows it's an aristocrat so there is no need to shout. There is a Royal Secret II which I'd also like to try. I've added some information on this scent below:Originally launched in 1935 by Germaine Monteil, and recently relaunched by Five Star, Royal Secret is a rich and yummy oriental fragrance. A Powerful and Memorable Fragrance, Perfect For Crisp Autumn Days
Royal Secret is an Oriental fragrance.

Top notes: citrus, African orange

Heart notes: Bulgarian rose, jasmine

Base notes: sandalwood, musk, myrrh

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No