Thick, sweet myrrh. Vintage Shalimar slivers, placed upon an airy lemon meringue. Opulence like it used to be and smell. Bengale Rouge is a lovechild of the past with a nod to the future, and is giving some serious competition to my beloved Salome! The star is the myrrh. Thick, chewy, molten, glazed myrrh, like you rarely smell. Not smoky, incense like, but rather comforting and evocative of La Belle Époque. Airy but rich, served upon a silver platter with the finest honeyed rose petals, a dark brooding bergamot and a helping of lemon meringue that inevitably recalls vintage Shalimar parfum circa 1940. There’s also a silver ray of freshness that recalls the lavender used in Jicky, although I could be just imagining it. The vanilla takes on a smokier approach, rum like but never cloying or sickly sweet. There’s not a trace of gourmandise, just the tease of it, but never materializing. And like every perfume that smells like real perfume, an innate warmth that radiates and pulsates from the skin. Civet traces along Liz’s proprietary musk blend, a slight lick of saltiness (real ambergris perhaps) and a gentle creaminess from sandalwood, that recalls the buttery and salty smell of genuine and long gone Indian Mysore. The enveloping sensation of oakmoss of yore picks through, but never steals the show, firstly because of the limited amounts allowed today, and secondly because this is not its show. If Salome was brooding red blooded seduction, then Bengale Rouge is her (his) younger self; naïve, sensual, smart. Playful and welcoming, just like the inspiration for the perfume: the fuzziness and warmth of a Bengal cat. Liz has given us a wonderful creation, one I was prepared to like but ended up loving. Wonderfully tenacious but never intrusive; instead it shimmers on skin for hours, gently scenting you and those near you. I couldn’t be more excited for what comes next, although my next stop will be the mesmerizing and potently green galbanum queen that is Dryad!
So I have quite an exhausting regime of reviewing obligations now but would never reject Fragrantica over other platforms. I sometimes use the same review here as elsewhere and sometimes I try to find new things to say. In the instance of Bengale rouge, it's not difficult because of how seamlessly brilliant this composition is. Liz Moores has done it again, using the cozy fur of her Bengal cat as inspiration for this perfume. Imagine all the most opulent things you could stick into a perfume? The best of Oriental and Chypre offerings, nods to fantastic vintage perfumes and materials that inherently make you let out an audible, sigh of satisfaction? Yeah you just imagined Bengale Rouge. It's soft and sensual but with underlying power and here's how it develops. For me the opening smells heavily of citrus (maybe bergamot or lemon?) vanilla, benzoin and loads of labdanum, it's almost cruder and more Indy like than the smoother Guerlain's it's compared to and did have me wondering a little to begin with...is this really as refined? Fears are allayed when the heart of rose, earthy and medicinal elements of myrrh and oakmoss temper the sweetness into a smooth sandalwood dominated orris and hay like tonka/coumarin smoothness in the base. It's inspired stuff and reinvigorates the classical genres with clear nods to Jicky and Shalimar, Coty Emaraude but also Chanel Egoiste and Bois des Iles but simultaneously managing to have more Indy personality to it. I love it....It's magic!
Bengale Rouge exemplifies the seriously impressive ingenuity and talent Liz Moores holds as a self-taught perfumer. It’s inspired by the scent of her Bengal cat, whose warm, fuzzy fur is often imbued with the muffled cocktail of Liz’s many perfumes rubbing off as they cuddle. Whilst this is quite a niche and far-fetched idea, there’s something wholesome about it. This is a myrrh scent through and through, if you don’t like myrrh then don’t even bother with this. The myrrh is intensely dry, thick, dense and gummy, like a chewy, spicy wall and warmth complemented by the sharpness of rose. This is beautifully balanced by a smooth base of orris, woods and vanilla. Fragrantica lists honey, but this is not one of the official notes - but I understand where it comes from. It definitely has a sappy, honeyed effect. This is easily the best myrrh scent I’ve ever encountered, it’s so incredibly cosy and comforting. Definitely worth checking out, and easily one of the best from the house, this is a must have for me.