WHAT I SMELL: Civet opens with a warmed spiced orange and bergamot which reminds me of clove filled orange pomanders that you see during the winter holidays. The warmth begins to lighten quickly as the perfume beams soft and pretty with a lovely and light tuberose coming to the center. But very quickly, the perfume becomes highly radiant and makes its presence known. After a bit, a soured citrus comes forward which then melds into a light civet. The perfume moves from a pretty floral luminosity to a slightly rebellious feel. Still pretty, there’s a light bite that gives the perfume a more interesting presence and depth. As it continuous to develop, a hay like flatness keeps the perfume grounded. At the same time, the projected radiance dissipates and the perfume dances around the floral heart, along with a musky and slightly urinous interplay with hints of coffee and leather. Civet is wonderfully complex, yet so smooth and easy to wear.
From the Zoologist Perfumes website:
Zoologist Civet pays homage to the age-old ingredient, civet, as well as chypre perfumes of bygone days – perfumes that refused to be intimidated by raw, alluring, animalistic musks. Civet is a moody and complex brew entwined in mystery. It opens with a spicy floral accord, threaded through with dark coffee tones. Slowly it prowls forward, unraveling base notes of leather, moss and vanilla that combines with distinctive civet musk to create a bewildering, sophisticated scent with the promise of a sultry nighttime rendezvous.
Top Notes: Bergamot, Black Pepper, Lemon, Orange, Spices, Tarragon
Heart Notes: Carnation, Frangipani, Heliotrope, Hyacinth, Linden-blossom, Tuberose, Ylang
Base Notes: Balsams, Civet, Coffee, Incense, Labdanum, Musks, Oakmoss, Resins, Russian Leather, Vanilla, Vetiver, Woods
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Nancy Spungen of Sid and Nancy fame…a little pretty, a little dirty, a little punk.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE CIVET: careworn, enigmatic, nuanced
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CIVET: AustralianPerfumeJunkies, Cafleurebon
BOTTOM LINE: Perfumer Shelley Waddington has created a complex beauty that blends seamlessly to reveal many nuances throughout the wear. With the name Civet, I was worried that this would be a perfume would be rather funky. Instead, she added just the right amount of civet to enhance the subdued florals. Civet is a really lovely perfume.
- Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Aromatic
- Nose: Shelley Waddington
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $125 for 60 ml eau de parfum
January 9, 2017 at 7:52 am
I am so anxious to try this one. Happy New Year, Handsome!😘
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January 9, 2017 at 7:31 pm
Hi darlin…you’ll like this…pretty with a little edge of dirty… don’t we all like to be a little dirty?? 🙂
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January 9, 2017 at 10:50 am
You had me at Nancy Spungen. This sounds wonderful! I’ve still not tried anything from Zoologist so I think I need to order some samples soon…
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January 9, 2017 at 7:31 pm
I am aging myself with that reference. Would love to know what you think of it when you have a chance to check it out.
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January 9, 2017 at 11:24 pm
Thank you for your review! Shelley and I are very proud of this collaboration.
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January 10, 2017 at 8:40 pm
You’re welcome Victor… and you both should be proud, your collaboration has really created a beautiful perfume. Congratulations!
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January 10, 2017 at 9:40 am
Have I mentioned that tuberose is my nemesis? I believe I may have. 😀
Anyway, how adorable is that bottle? A civet dandy. I love the Zoologist packaging and the fact that samples and travel sprays of the line are available.
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January 11, 2017 at 12:41 am
I’m not exactly Mr animalic but you got me with the cloved pomander. This sounds quite nice.
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January 11, 2017 at 5:37 am
I love cloved pomanders…and I always forget to make them at Christmas. Actually, this is much more vintage civet floral than animalic.
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January 14, 2017 at 9:31 pm
Love your review, sounds great. I am way behind with everything
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January 15, 2017 at 8:04 am
Ricky…you’re in good company with being behind. I am always 10 steps behind. Civet is getting great buzz as it should. I hope you get a chance to check it out.
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January 15, 2017 at 8:19 pm
As always with this type of comments I tried to wait for several days for most of your regular readers to be done with the post 😉
I plan to get to try this line eventually – just to be fair, but I’m not sure how great should perfume called Macaque or Bat (or even Civet) be for me to want to wear it. I know that perfume itself is the most important part but for me names and bottles (the quality, not so much the general esthetics) also matter. I realize how hard it is nowadays to find a name for the line and for perfumes but this idea just doesn’t work for me: it’s not a proper name for the luxury item, in my opinion.
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January 16, 2017 at 7:39 am
Undina…I completely understand. Some brands speak to us and others do not. Civet is the best in the line thus far, and Victor has done a great job of marketing the brand, etc. From my point of view, Zoologist is more niche vs. luxury as the two aren’t necessary always hand in hand. I hope you get a chance to try this. Give Rusty a big kiss for me! oxoxox
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March 30, 2017 at 12:14 pm
HI Scented Hound, I bought a bottle of Civet and a bottle of Bat. They both smell wonderful on me and on my boyfriend.
The only one we don’t like is rhinoceros!
Thank you to Victor Wong for all these great perfumes that i just discovered.
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March 30, 2017 at 8:19 pm
Hi Louise! I love Civet…it harkens back to old school perfumery…you picked a great perfume. As for Bat…it was a bit too earthy for me. Maybe I need to give it another chance?! Thanks for stopping by.
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April 3, 2017 at 10:38 am
Scented Hound ,you have a very nice blog about perfume and it’s here that i first read on Zoologist. You are the one that introduced me to that brand! Thank’s so much. I like to read about perfume that i have never smelled so that way i know what and what not to buy.
Civet and Bat were excellent buy. Keep on your blog, wee need places like your about perfume.
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April 3, 2017 at 5:50 pm
My dear Louise… you are so sweet. You must made my day with your comments. Thank you! 🙂
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