Secret de Vénus
Weil (1933)

One of the best Powdery Ambers ever.

Secret de Vénus was one of Shalimar's babies, but it wasn't just a remake of a classic formula, it had a trick up its sleeve.
As well as an alcoholic perfume it was sold as a body oil, like a pure perfume - but in oil. A few dabs and you are wrapped in your own personal cloud of pot pourri, full of loveliness and nuance.
Creamy-floral, spicy and bitter-sweet, it really is gorgeous; a rare perfume to make you gush.

After the highs come the lows; the drydown is long - and gets a bit tedious.
But despite that, this perfume oil was a winner, and alas - it is no more.
There are alcohol versions too... Yay!

In "lurking" other fragrance sites, it never ceases to amaze me how many people wait for Le Experts to tell them not just what to wear, but how to feel about it. Witness the "cheap thrill" phenomenon. Now and then a capital S Somebody will "discover" a cheap thrill fragrance-- a forgotten classic or a newer celebuscent-- that somehow passes muster and is deemed by said nose to be wearable, and, gasp, even enjoyable. Witness further the "thank you for this great review-- I'll try it now" or "gee, I didn't like this before, but now that YOU like it, I'll give it another go" type comments that follow the review/discovery/rediscovery.

Having said all that (Whew! Good to get THAT off my chest), I do wish that a Somebody would give a pass to this little gem. Yes, I'm talking about the sad-sack-looking reformulation of this classic.

The best way I can describe this scent is the lovechild of Chanel's Allure Sensuelle and Ralph Lauren's long discontinued Monogram (for men). AL is too much on its own. Monogram is too masculine (for me). But together, as represented in this affordable version of Secret de Venus, it's deliciously different and completely irresistible.

Lavender, vanilla, patchouli, a touch of golden amber, bergamot at the top. I thankfully get no peach, grapefruit or cassis. Lasts all day and night

On one hand, I really do wish I were able to smell the original without having to put my put my beloved cat on eBay. On the other hand, though, it might prove to be too much, in the way that Shalimar (any year), Obsession (vintage), and Poison (vintage) are to me.

I love telling people the name of this fragrance when they compliment me and ask what I'm wearing.

Gosh this is beautiful. I have been gifted a vintage Parfum de Toilette and it is simply stunning. This is creamy, rich and elegant. Sillage is soft, it's a scent meant only for those who are close to you to notice. It opens quite sparkly with all those citrus combined with lavender. In fact, you really have no idea in the opening that it will go in the direction of soft and creamy, but that is exactly what it does. The top notes are gone in only a few minutes for me, but since it's vintage, it could just be the age that is the reason for that. I get zero Patchouli, which is good for me as it doesn't agree with me. I also can't pick out the peach. Highly recommended.

From 1933 and named a woody oriental chypre, it is to my nose a candied fruit floral.

Lemon, cassis, peach, bergamot, grapefruit, coriander and tarragon all vie for the initial top note mix. The cassis and peach are standouts, supported by the spice notes of tarragon and coriander.

In the middle we have jasmine, gardenia, rose, freesia, muguet, orris and ylang yang. The muguet wins out.

The base gives us cedar, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver, civet, amber, musk, honey and tonka bean.

Most unusual, quite unique, with a heady, high rising overall scent that is beguiling.

Once .....long ago...I owned a mini of Secret de Venus & it was "right" for me then. But at that time I could wear Tabu unabashed.

I think there was something more going on there than woodsy floral, something alluring..

The fragrance that's available now doesn't hold a candle to the original. I personally wore the oil and it was devine. Had I known it would disappear I wouldn't have used it in my bath water. I truly miss it. Hopefully, someone will duplicate the original and give us Sr. Citizens something that we can identify with and bring back pleasant memories or shall I say bring back the "good old days" in a bottle.

Too strong, too masculine, too chemically.

I wore the original of this fragrance (the Zibeline version) for over 25 years. The reorchestrated version can not even touch the original formulation. I have been trying to find a suitable replacement for this perfume since 1996. I've tried many perfumes and the only ones I've found that last as long as Secret of Venus and wear down to the, for lack of a better word, lushness that was the original, are Mariella Burani and Tom Ford's Black Orchid. While both of these latter are very nice perfumes in their own right, they will never touch the evocative eroticism of the original Secret of Venus.

Very unique, in texture and look, more like an oil than a perfume. But offers the development of a perfume. Notes of spice, animal musk, something vaguely yeasty and bread like. I also thought of candied fruits, nut meats. All combine to create something like a deeply spiced fruit cake, with savory/sweet mincemeat hints. All combine to create a very cozy, comfy and intimate scent. Almost too rare to consider, so it is a shame to grow attached. Perhaps one of the new perfermers out there will create a dube for us.