Baby powder, then smoke, woods, just enough vanilla to draw you in, melt into your skin. The smell of seasons changing. Anything is possible.
This is historical perfume at its finest.
Originally created in the 1920’s for women to scent their cigarettes, Habanita originally came in a bottle with a glass rod that women used to apply the perfume on the smokes. Eventually, the scent went directly on skin instead and glassmaker Rene Lalique was commissioned to design a bottle.
The frieze design is representative of the kind of work he was doing at that time, and reflected the European fascination with antique Greek art. I’ve been sitting on this decant since May and did a lot of research into it at the time. It’s all just coming out now. I don’t know what year my bottle is but it’s the EDP.
A vintage version is on my wishlist, and I’m wondering if the smoky notes were always there or were they added later to replicate the smell of someone smoking.
People who have smelled the vintage say that the ashy smoky note has always been there, which is interesting.
It’s a very interesting perfume.
I very much enjoyed wearing my decant and it’s half done right now. I might need a full bottle at some point.
