Ylang and gardenia are almost always too much for me and when you add cumin to the mix, this is just a no for me. I am usually fond of oriental, sweet and gourmand fragrances, so I knew I would love this one as well. My first bottle is from 2020 (was produced about a month before I bought it so the bottle was completely fresh), and though it had really grown on me I had read that it wasn't as good as older formulas so I was on the lookout for an old bottle to compare with. I was hoping to win the durability lottery, and I'd read that the original was more sweet and spicy and less sour.

I can’t wait to wear this perfect cold-weather fragrance, rock it at 50, just like I did at 30, albeit in lower-heeled boots. It’s like the kind of scent that would be very different before spicy unisex frags became more mainstream. Note: It didn't irritate my skin at all as another reviewer said (and my skin is pretty sensitive) and I can't imagine it not projecting as someone else claimed.I always found Cinnabar to be spicer than the sweeter, more powdery and vanilla Opium, and this was Cinnabar at the start. My husband really likes this on me as well, he told me I smelled "like a bakery" and I really can't disagree with him there. The longer it develops on my skin the more the vanilla and amber come forward as well, making it softer and softer. It does not blend well with strong food scents, be warned, and too much can knock birds from the trees. You'll either love it or hate it its like Angel by Thierry Mugler not in its fragrance but its nuclear power.

and that hit of spicy cardamom in hot milk, and if someone told me that this is a nutmeg-heavy scent, I’d believe them, even if it’s not an included accord.I still dislike the first 10 mins where the mandarin just clashes with the spices and too much patchouli, but after the mandarin leaves it’s just lovely.

I guess in that way I could see wearing it any time of year and just leaning into different interpretations of clove. Though to me, there’s a different story to tell, I still remember when I smelled this gem the very first time. Well, one tiny dab on my arm filled the entire room with this awful aroma, and after attempting various methods of removal (scrubbing the skin with hot soapy water, rubbing with sweet almond oil and washing, washing with washing up liquid, swarfega, waterproof make up remover) I gave up and just had my arm amputated (I didn't, obviously). It is for a self-assured woman like a literary punk rocker, if that makes sense, though it's not particularly feminine to my nose. I would say it is truly polarising and will be a proper love / hate fragrance, it is utterly enormous and you just can't hide from it anywhere!I don't know if I was sold a duff sample on 2 occasions or if this perfume just really really doesn't suit me. Twelve hours later, I still smell Jungle L'Elephant, although it has calmed down to a lovely warm scent. Don’t get me wrong, it is STRONG, but the fruity, floral and vanilla notes really tone down those pungent spices.