Cabaret (2003)
by Grès

This was the first perfume from Gres that I tried. It smelled very rose-y and I found it kind of off-putting as sniffed from the bottle, but this is one that definitely must be tried on the body for the full effect. The incense and peony notes really blossom on my skin and nicely balance the rose. Very beautiful and feminine perfume and very well-crafted, considering the affordability. I even like the red and gold bottle.

I was able to buy a huge bottle of this for very little, unsniffed, and I am pleased. It is extremely sheer and clean. I do not get any sweetness at all, just rose and wood. The drydown, to my nose, is quite paper-y. Perfect for work and other occasions that require something nice and subtle. Funny, but the name "Cabaret" would lead someone to expect something smoky and leather-y, no? But rather this reminds me of an expensive stationary shop. Also, it is very unisex. I'd like it to be called "Escritoire." But I really kind of like the fun, 1920's bottle.

Gres Cabaret surprised me with its cheerfully sunny rose smell. I definitely prejudged it having found Gres' Cabochard's dry chypre notes to be a bit austere and thought Cabaret might have been some kind of Cabochard flanker. However, Cabaret has an upbeat rosy smell and the drydown features a slight hint of sandalwood and musk for enhancement purposes but at all times, rose remains the dominant note. Speaking to its modern-ness, if someone had told me that Cabaret was by Les Parfums de Rosine (a house noted for its rose scents), I would have believed them. In fact, it reminds me an awful lot of Rosine's Une Zeste de Rose. On the downside, Cabaret really did not last on me more than 20 minutes so regretfully I would not consider buying it.

Here are the notes for Cabaret, as gleaned on the internet: Rose, Lily Of The Valley, Peony, Incense, Blue Orris, Sandalwood, Amber and Musk.

I am very selective on fragrance - and I love this!! feminine, unique, layered

So often I have sampled a wood fragrance and wished there were some flowers to enhance it. Then I would try a floral and realize that I wanted more wood to balance it out. I especially have been hunting for rose-based fragrances where rose is the part of a wonderful whole. Cabaret is it! It blends so perfectly into my skin that I am not aware of it as something I'm wearing, but it is there. The woods in Cabaret remind me of a sandalwood fan I once had. The scent would fade and I would run fine sandpaper over it to release the fragrance again. It was a fragrance I had never experienced in a bottle before and, although I have sampled many sandalwood fragrances, haven't found it until Cabaret. It is a smooth scent, comforting, sexy in a womanly way and one you need to get close to appreciate. My husband, well, he certainly appreciates it...

The opening has a rose, lily of the valley, and peony projecting a potent mixed floral accord for a minute or two, and there’s a bit of powder shadowing in the background, probably orris or maybe it’s the peony — peony often smells powdery to me. Then comes a smooth mixed floral middle in which I cannot identify individual notes. But it is an attractive, neutral floral accord with nothing edgy to it. The drydown retains some of the floral elements of the first levels while adding a relatively rich wood / musk / amber base, complete with wisps of incense: All of these accords are balanced and quite good. Both on paper and on my skin the notes come through cleanly and crispy, but on paper, the fragrance is nicely delicate and airy. On my skin Cabaret by Grès is loud and boisterous and going into overdrive — it is sweetly floral to the point of being cloying. It must be that chemistry thing.