Tabu (1932)
by Dana

This review is under revision.

OMG, this nightmare is one of my mom's favorites from the drugstore. Although I really loathe this smoky, deep, rich stink bomb, my mom wears this well. I picture sulty, aggressive women wearing this, kind of like Miss Scarlet from that board game called Clue that I've always played back in the 80's. Yes, she was sexy, sultry, mysterious, confident. She probably wore this. To me, it smells of dirty sex. In highschool I had the guts to wear it and it was very strong, but it dried down to a dark, smoky musk. And the worst of it was that I couldn't get the stench out of my shirts! Even after repeated washings, it was still there! This should be bottled for chemical warfare-it never goes away! And most hate it! This will surely clear the room out! Warning:Use with caution(a little goes a long way!).

I love this stuff! At 25 I should be too young for it, but maybe because it's not too well known in my country, I have no old lady OR hooker associations with it. It's simply ambery spicey goodness, and I mostly wear it to bed. So comforting and enveloping! I love that I can't pick out any one spice, it's seemless and so smooth. And in fact, I rather like the 'retro' bottle. GREAT value for money, too. All round, absolute winner.

Tabu is a fragrance with history. As calchic mentions, it has been around for over seventy years has to be considered a classic. They say that scent can call up memories, and this one certainly did that to me. I am familiar with it because this was one of the scents my sister wore when I was a toddler — I don’t know if I would remember the aromas of the others, but I certainly remember this one. This was the one I didn’t mind her wearing when she hugged me because it didn’t smell girly and flowery like the other ones she had. Even back then I was beguiled by Tabu and the aromas that I had never smelled before, and I still enjoy it: This is likely the scent that introduced me to both patchouli and civet—two notes that I really enjoy and seek out in fragrances.

Although it’s probably been over fifty years since I last smelled it, I recognized it the second I sniffed it—I would recognize it anywhere. I tested two strengths of Tabu — the EDC and the perfume. The EDC that I tested is stronger, sharper but not as deeply rich or as sensual as the one my sister wore. I have a hard time believing that the EDC is an EDC — it is so potent and long lasting. The perfume is very much like the Tabu I smelled so long ago. Even though the perfume is not nearly as potent as the EDC, the perfume is deeper, richer, and smoother. The perfume is luxurious sensuality while the EDC has an aura of classic streetwalker. Either way it is a thumbs up fragrance. Tabu is a unique and a nostalgic classic.

Ever sit next the the smelly old lady in church? Well, this is it in a nutshell - not even close to being sexy.

I tried Tabu once again after having avoided it for decades....after all I am aware how many do love it and we do change and develop tastes over time.
It is still to me, really something I can not wear. Associations with the hippy era predodminate and I find it loud, unsubtle and rough.