Kalimantan is such an unexpected addition to the Chantecaille fragrance line. It’s quite a tale of Beauty and the Beast. We have this skanky, dirty amber beast of a fragrance in a middle of a pretty princess luxury beauty line.
Kalimantan opens as this rich amber and delicate spice with barnyard funk (oud). After 10 minutes, I get this green, herbal grassiness that at times reminds me of pot and then when I think of it some more, it’s more like thyme and Mexican oregano. This is all over the rich, amber incense with lots of camphoric patchouli. The middle is when this fragrance becomes the loudest! This is one of those growers…The heart is a sweaty cedar and acrid smoldering resins that fades into a sweet vanilla incense haze.
Kalimantan should have more fans that what it does. BUT, it’s the house. This is more of a masculine fragrance, a fragrance for those that like to smell funky (and it’s absent of florals). How many men know about the line Chantecaille? How many men are going to try a fragrance whose other fragrances have names like Petales and Frangipani? How many men are going to go to a counter that sells lipsticks and animal-stamped eyeshadow palettes? Not many…unless they are already into perfume. So, guys and those that love guys (and everybody else), listen to me. Go to this cosmetic counter and try Kalimantan. Don’t be put off by the makeup counter atmosphere or the disco ball packaging. Just do it and thank me later. if you love oud, amber or incense, you’re going to thank me.
Notes listed include ciste absolute, Indonesian patchouli, thyme, rosemary, bergamot, agarwood (oud), sandalwood, cedar, styrax, and vanillla. Launch date 2010.
Give Kalimantan if you like filthier ambers or creamier ouds. Or if you like perfumes like Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, Tauer L’Air du Desert Marocain, Histoires de Parfums Amber 114, Memo Shams, Mona di Orio Oud and/or Opus Oils Heavy Sugar. Kalimantan is unisex and 100% sexy.
Kalimantan has above average projection and longevity. This stuff lasts forever on my skin.
The 2.5 oz bottle retails for $175 at Beautyhabit and at Harrods (UK). A rollerball is also available for $68. I actually think because of this perfume’s projection and longevity, that it would be rather nice as a rollerball, especially if you want to “tone it down”.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A rich, skanky amber. A beauty and a beast. It’s expensive but to me it smells expensive and “exotic”. It’s one of my favorite ambers. And I rarely say this about perfumes, but I can’t help it. I think Kalimantan smells damn sexy.
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Notable Scents – Ron should thank me.
Ron does thank you for bringing Kalimantan into my life. I think this is the first time that a fragrance behaves the same way on both of us.. we so often get different experiences.
Ron Slomowicz – Notable Scents recently posted..European Trip 2013: Day 9 (London)
You’re welcome 😉
Good point. Things do wear very differently on you than me and this one seems to be about the same.
I’ve have this amazing fragrance for more than a year now and would agree with you about its lack of fanfare. Being a man who loves fragrance, I unwittingly stumbled upon this gem while simply sniffing to improve the mood of an otherwise gloomy day and found it by pure accident as it wasn’t suggested by the SA most likely due to the fact of its lineage. Even though this is clearly a unisex fragrance, or at the very least the accidental masculine in a women’s line, it’s likely the the most natural audience for this scent will never know it exists as it sits squarely on a counter where the intended consumer is of the feminine variety. Either way, I never regret the day I sniffed off the reservation to discover the most hidden of treasures (at least to us men).
I’m happy that you gave it a try!
I hate that it’s marketed the way that it is. I think it’s a fantastic fragrance that could have a much larger cult-following that it has. But, it’s the marketing. It’s shoved over with pretty lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes. It has a disco ball cap. It doesn’t seem like it would be what it is. Oh, well. I guess there’s more for us to love!
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