Balahe Leonard for women

Not a review but a request to Fragrantica to please update the fragrance database to also include Black Balahe by Leonard Paris.

من روائع الثمانينات مريح للنفس و يعشق من ابو رشة

I was sent a sample of this and it’s really impressive.

It smells like a much better (and even I’d say updated, though it’s older) Lou Lou.

I finally had to accept that I don’t enjoy Lou Lou. I gave my vintage to my niece.

It was smoky bubblegum and dolls head to me. I had a few moments with it but in the end I mostly ended up being repulsed by it.

There is very little smoke in Balahe nor is there any dollhead, however it’s the exact same plummy fruit note with spices. Far less like Poison than Lou Lou as well (although I do prefer Poison to both of these. It’s an old love of mine)

This also has a lipstick waxy note (subtle). Maybe, the scent of candle wax.

This perfume does not smell dated at all to me. I am really blown away that this came out in 1983.

Girly, but…womanly, too. Romantic. Sexy. All of the above.

I am kinda enchanted by this.

The plum is berry-ish and tart and sweet. I do indeed pick up the pineapple, also.

Projects very well, so far. Can’t comment yet on longevity.

It's exotic, seductive, and sexual. In the winter, it is quite distinctive, powdered, long-lasting, and opera house worthy. Powdery benzoin, a hint of sandalwood, distant ylang ylang, and civet come to mind. Balahe is sweetened by plums, pineapple, and fruits, which are tempered by mandarin and bergamot citrus. It performs best in lower temps but may even work well in warmer spring days. A premium treasure encased in a mysterious black bottle. Outstanding composition. Magical and seductive!

When I learned that the two most outstanding notes in Leonard Balahe were plum and opoponax, I really needed to have a sniff and see if it tickles my fancy. I am well into the point in fragrance discovery where I won't even give it a second thought if a scent had originally been targeted to the female gender, as I have long since learned that scent objectively has no gender and there have been constant cultural, sociological and historical shifts in perception. When I wear a scent like this, it is not out of a desire to feel like the Queen of Sheba (though there would be zero wrong with that I assure you), but I rather have my own personal interpretation of the fragrance. When one puts their nose into a fragrant flower, do they immediately become Mary Mary, quite contrary? Only if the recipient wishes.

Balahe, for those who do have their concerns, can very well be considered 'unisex' in the 21st century, as the amber (formerly 'oriental,' let's just embrace this shift, we are too attached to words) family of fragrances of today are quite popular amongst masculine sensibilities as much as the feminine, as with everywhere in between the spectrum.

The opening is decadent and sharp, like the old wooden doors reveal this palace of dried fruits and roses, dusty and musky with that smoky, luminous, and vaguely toffee-like aroma of opoponax resin filling the atmosphere. Subtle shades of oak and honey are also discerned, and a steamy cauldron of narcotic flowers enveloping the senses; heady tuberose, unctuous ylang ylang. However, there is this aromatic, slightly phenolic sensation underlining the experience into the heart, likely courtesy of clary sage combined with anise.

This heart of Balahe is never rendered too sweet as the anise and coriander reign it in, and when drying down to the base, the civet is a kitten with sharp teeth, but is only playful, not ornery. It's fur matches that of the sepia color of that opoponax, and make the base so alluring as it settles closer to the skin. The point in the development most resembles the legendary Habanita, still voluminous in wafts and its phantom sillage, with a somewhat pensive "I've seen a lot in my life" powdery, dusty sensation.

Balahe is dark, dense, bewitching and sublime.

I'm not that good with notes, but this elegantly straddles the line between Habanita and LouLou. Rich, spicy, powdery but not overpowering (like gtabasso below, I find the longevity a little lacking). If you want to love LouLou but you can't get past the "plastic doll head" note, give Balahe a try.

Plummy opoponax tuberose with pinch of sharp roses.

I get dark fruits because of the opoponax. & then the civet. The fruits are resembelled by the plums, tuberose, pineapples, orchids, and sweet red peppers. I do get the ylang as well, but hidden way underneath the dark sweets notes. As much as it calms down i do get the sharp neroli, iris, coriander, anise, and a HUGE BUST of clary sage to calm down the sweetness but remains the roses are quite sharp in here.

It does have the 80s vintage powerhouse mix and kind of reminds me of "Byzance" by Rochas, not similar but has it's vibes somehow. Cute.

Edit (30 minutes in) The calm down shouts anise as loud as it could! creamy dry anise which makes it amazingly alluring and very charming. Superb.

Edit (25th Nov 2019) When i just applied it i got straight on a sweet licorice that i got mistaken it with anise! and as it cools down it turns slowly to sweet anise. Beautiful.

Bought a mini just out of curiosity. There is not much to say about this fragrance. Classy, heavy fragrance with musky undertones. A real treasure. To my opinion is suitable for 30+ women. Sadly that is nowhere to find and quite pricey. But this reminded me at fist sniff immediately of "Musk Aswad" of Al-Faransi (at least 90% similar) and "Musk Aswad" of Alwani. The quality of Al-Faransi's attar is incredible. Do not mourn after Balahe, just buy "Musk Aswad" (6ml 17€!).

This is a sophisticated Frenchie perfume I've had for decades. When you first put it on it is so strong with the aldehydes that is assaults the nose. What Madrona writes is not far off. When the aldehydes evaporate, it dries down to a nice spicy concoction with prominent civet, coriander, cumin and leather as the orchid, iris and orris root slowly develop. It needs about 2 hours to settle nicely into a compositions of spice with a whisper of sweet florals. It's a unique exotic spicy oriental for someone who wants a sophisticated womanly scent. I adore spicy orientals, but today prefer my spice with a healthy side of fresh florals.

I love this scent. To me it’s a mix of Cest LA Vie and Loulou, which are two fragrances that I love. It’s a soft powder and floral mixture with a tad bit of green on me. A very hard fragrance to find now.

Following the purchase of my wedding fragrance - Gucci Bloom - couple of months ago, I realised that tuberose, the sweet, gentle, suave has been in my life all along. Without me knowing!

Balahe was the first perfum I have ever purchased. Now I know why!
Love at first smell, it tip-toed its way back to resurface, kind and soothing, when I tried Bloom. The memories it evoked!
Wonderful perfum, they don't make them like this anymore. Well... possibly Fracas, but that's another story!

nice leather but a little sharp floral with fruit and musk; not as wonderful as Cuir Fetiche, Habanita or Enslaved; dries down a nice leather then to a dusty vanilla; does not last long

I am so happy to find the vintage black bottle design by one of my favorite perfume's bottle designer Serge Mansau.The bottle is a pièce of art,a mini sculpture filled with a great underated perfume. It's so perfectly blend that it's hard to detect all the listed notes.Balayé is a velvelty chic skin scent. Un sans faute.

Can you say aldehydes? Soapy aldehydes with a side of fresh aldehydes and a nice glass of sparkling aldehydes. Served with oakmoss salad inside of old handbag that's been hanging in a closet for 30 years on a mink coat tablecloth.

There's no charge to those words, positive nor negative. It just smells like a different time. They don't make them like they used to, do they. You'll know if this appeals to you or not.

Anyone have idea where to buy quality bottles of this?

I love this perfume. It's exotic and sexy and exotic -- the perfect perfume trifecta. I don't want to smell like a pound cake or cookies or tutti-fruiti. I want to smell like a confident woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it. I spent my career wearing expensive suits, silk blouses, high heels and uniforms -- a weird and interesting combination. I want my perfume to be just as unique. I get powdery benzoin, a little sandalwood, distant ylang ylang, and civet. On me, it's a flash through the upper notes and straight to the base notes. Fortunately, the base notes are long-lasting, even on my older, perfume eating skin. I've already got two bottles for back up but I'm going to get a few more to have on hand so I'm never without it. This one is a definite keeper.

Daniel Moliere, who is also responsible for Eau de Givenchy, Fleur D'Interdit, Givenchy Insense, CSP Eau de Naphe, LaRoche's Clandestine, and Jacomo's Paradox is the mastermind behind Balahe.

It has withstood the test of time as it is a softer presentation than the note pyramid suggests. At the time it was not a iconic powerhouse of the day like Poison or Opium which reveled in an overdose of their identifying notes, but a niche like quality that was so well blended with its complexity, it never became vulgar or too much. Balahe was the quiet man-slayer wrapped up in a feminine powdery, vanillic, opulent floral.

The clary sage, coriander, anaise, civet purr and aldehydes open Balahe, it comes off foreign as a good oriental reminds you of far away places never seen but dreamed of in the night. The plums, pineapple and fruits sweeten Balahe counterbalanced by the mandarin and bergamot citrus.

The magic happens when the heart opens up and the flood of orchids, tuberose and rose are supported by a soft richness of ylang, orris and iris to keep this extravagant, plush and soft upon the fruits receding in the background. Balahe finishes in a powdery vanillic sandalwood, sweet opopponax and animalic warm civet, yet the civet doesnt growl...it purrs seductively.Its best with the cooler temperatures but can perform well in the warmer days of spring. A gem of luxury housed in a black mysterious bottle and red silk Japanese cord holds the stopper intact. Masterful composition and blending by Moliere.

Its beautiful. I keep lucking out and getting the huge 6.8oz bottles for next to nothing..Universe is telling me something about this fragrance....Balahe+Opium Parfum is magic.

Fragrance Review For Balahe By Leonard

Top Notes: Aldehydes Pineapple Coriander Plum Mandarin Orange Clary Sage Anise Bergamot

Middle Notes: Tuberose Iris Orchid Orris Root Jasmine Ylang Ylang Rose Orange Blossom

Base Notes: Sandalwood Musk Opoponax Civet Vanilla Vetiver


Balahe is a fragrance that was/is very dear to me. This was a fragrance I wore on a date with a guy with whom I had a 5 year relationship with at the time my longest relationship. He wanted it to be my signature scent but I'm too much of a fume head to stick to one. This is a rich, full bodied, mature, elegant and very exotic Oriental fragrance. And it lasts forever and has a real perfume body. It's also very unisex. A fragrance that came to mind: Dior Poison, but with heavier musk, and like Jeanne Arthes Cobra. Balahe opens with aldehydes very fresh and perfumy like all the aldehydes in the first blast from perfume department store samples. Then it turns as fruity as Femme by Rochas with a noticeable plum, pineapple and orange. Sweet fruit but also a tad on the concentrated juice side, darker fruit, like fruit champagne (a la Yvresse Champagne Yves Saint Laurent). This is very nice as it opens and gets even better as it progresses. The perfume throws up very nice scents including jasmine and iris and a very noticeable tuberose. These are fragrant and heady flowers with a mature edge. The flowers are very nice. The dry down is an incense in the form of opoponax. There is masculine spicy notes of vetiver and then it becomes pure musk. This has a very gorgeous Oriental flair but it's not quite Middle Eastern enough for me. It's Westernized. But very nice. Recommended for evening wear. If you like exotic florals and Orientals and you're ok with the unisex aspect and the incense and animalic notes check it out. The scent is still selling on Amazon.com as a reformulation. Smells the same. Great.

Very complex scent. Fruit in a dark way, sweet and white florals all very well blended. Even though there are lots of very different notes none overwhelms the others and they all work together well. Lasts long. Good signature scent it is very unique smelling.

This has to be one of the densest perfumes I have ever come across. The Eau de Toilette rivals Parfum concentration in most other scents. Balahe is amazingly busy, and the top notes are as bold as the rest of the composition, but it works! And beautifully...dried fruits, loads of anise, and a real live Civet skank. The classic heart is robust and serves mainly to bolster the top and base notes. There is an amazing incense note here, smoky and deep. The fruits bring to mind Talisman by Balenciaga, but the base is an altogether different beast. Highly recommended for holiday wear. The price is steep, but simply buy the smallest bottle- its potency will outlast all others!

b.n. I would reclassify this as an Oriental Fruity Floral, if such a genre exists.

I find that there are to many things going on in Balahe, the worst of which, for me, is that note of too sweet pineapple that seems to take over on my skin and doesn't allow for anything else to happen. I've attempeted to try this scent once in a while over the past few years, just to see if my opinion of it changes, but it never does and I always end up scrubbing it off. interestingly it has been compared to both Lou Lou and Ocscar de La Renta, two scents that I also don't find appealing at all. I'm not saying that it's the perfume, its just that these three share something similar in their structure that doesn't work for me.

I tried Balahe EdT today. Very, very nice. Lots of Civet, soft Civet, Plum, Vanilla and Aldehydes. Very mature, very sexy, very womanish scent indeed. Love it!

Jag provade Balahe EdT idag. Otroligt fin. Mycket Civet, mjuk Civet, Plommon, Vanilj och Aldehyder. Väldigt vuxen, väldigt sexig, väldigt kvinnlig oxå. gillar'n!

Balahe reminds me of both Poison and LouLou. All three feature fleshy, green-ish tuberose and plum. I think where I'm getting the LouLou vibe from is the powdery aspect (orris, iris) of Balahe and the anise.
I've always been intrigued by the over the top bottle and ad campaigns, but it hasn't been until recently that I've been able to sample Balahe and I was a bit wary of some of the notes so I didn't want to blind buy.
I'm happy to say that I rather like this scent. However, since I own Lou Lou and Balahe seems to be a bit more rare, I don't think I'll be buying it any time soon. No sense in snatching it away from someone else who needs it more than I do.

Mad sexy! A medicinal tuberose, cumin laden, ripe fruit, sweat, and leather, yet with a light touch. There is something both complex and effortless about this underrated masterpiece. I had not thought of it as related to Shalimar until my daughter noted the similarity, which might be the medicinal/resinous note. Think of Balahé as a more complex Habanita, with the heliotrope toned down. This is that rare oriental I can wear in warm weather. At the moment it is my go-to scent. Recommend highly.

read the reviews and rushed to my closet to find this old forgotten bottle of eau the toilette still waiting there half used. my husband brought it to me from abroad more then 20 years ago. did'nt like it then and still don't appreciate it very much today. at the beginning it's too sweet and heavy . does'nt have a bit of freshness to lighten up the juice. then after about half an hour it softens a bit and stays close to the skin. longevity good sillage moderate. the bottle is interesting and special .nice

Balahe used to be the One for five years of my life. I was wearing it, my best friends were wearing it, it was like a seductive protective bulb, or better to say PLUM in civet. Ha! Totally unique it will always stay in my memory since all my favourites now cost a fortune and you just can't chase them all.
Being definitely sexy and intriguing it manages to stay very soft and gentle. Opoponax, anise and sage create such unusual spiciness that you would hardly meet in other oriental fragrances, - it has that charming woman's fruity smokiness
..I made myself completely nostalgic now...

Initally powdery and sweet, but not to the extreme. On my skin this doesn't smell as fruity as the list of notes would indicate...what I get is raisins, cinnamon and a little pinapple and some floral notes. No animal notes at all on me to round the scent out. This doesn't knock my socks off, but it is a pleasant fragrance. Nice for spring.

This perfume is like the superthick version Oscar! Gorgeous!!

I am no expert ... but I have had LOTS of fragrances in my 55 years. This is one of my top 10. I first bought it in my late 20's, and then again about 3 years ago, and just bought another bottle to stash for later. My 11 year old granddaughter (who thinks she is mature, modern and into 'SCENE' absolutely loves this one, along with Casmir. At first it comes on a bit strong, but it settles into a soft, sweet lovely fragrance that makes me want more! I am going to put some on now! :-) I also love Hanae Mori pink butterfly and Anne Pliska. These all tend to be on the sweeter side. It isn't like so many of the 'celebraty actress' aromas. It's comfortable!

This is a heavy mature scent that is quite off putting when first sprayed [when I first smelled it on my skin it smelled like the horrible Cobra perfume which I hate and totally reeks!] BUT after a few minutes it becomes something quite endearing and powdery! I don't think the scent is very special and considering what I paid for it I'm not sure if I can justify the quality of the item with its price tag. Also, the staying power is weak compared to the other perfumes that I have [and I love heavy dark scents so I'm somewhat disappointed that I couldn't add this one to my all time faves :(]...hmmm...glad to have tried it but I'll probably have to give this one to my mum!

I was so excited to find a bottle or the original formula - it sounds like my kind of fragrance, and it is good, and I can appreciate it's quality and complexity. Unfortunately there is some feature-not just a single note, but some quality in it that is just "not me". That sounds odd I know- it's "just not me".
I don't know if you've ever felt this about a fragrance, as if it doesn't honestly reflect any aspect of my personality and I feel as if it is misleading to wear it. Not like putting on a fun costume or playing "dres-up" but just like it it dishonest. Maybe it does reflect something I'm not in touch with or more likely it reminds me of something or someone but I can't recall what or who. I don't care to just stash it away in my collection and never wear it as the cost of this boxed vintage item would be worth it to me only if I really enjoyed using it. Although I'm glad I had the chance to experience it, I'd rather not keep it. If anyone who would truly enjoy using this wants to swap something with me for this, please pm me!

I find this floral oriental totally accessible which is fantastic, because I still think it's my favourite style of perfume but there just aren't that many I enjoy wearing. The aldehydes don't dominate and it never overpowers. Some spicy florals with the powder in the background. A great find amongst a collection of miniatures I purchased, with another on the way. Not giving this one away, sorry Mum and Aunty Kath! One to be happy about finally finding.

(Reviewing a vintage miniature).

Tonights great discovery! Amouage copied 80% of "Balahe" when making "The Library Collection Opus III" !! "Opus III" is an almost exact (but sweeter/more" rounded") copy of "Balahe" edt (by LEONARD), which is discontinued. But "Balahe" can still be found for a good price on the internet !! AND best of all = you can get "Balahe" for a *MUCH* better price. And the black Balahe-bottle, with a silk red string is such a beautiful piece of art itself!! Oh, good I saved me some money by already owning this scent in Balahe! :)

Now that i have also a huge bottle of EDT version in original formulation and "newer"version i can compare both pure parfum and EDT versions. To me they smell a bit different: EDT is more sharp,but parfum is more softer. But i like them both. Really. Very much.
EDT review in original formulation 100ml bottle:
At first it is sharp and very much like Ungaro´s "Desnuda" to me but much more spicier and it might even scare you off. While Desnuda is more sharp and sopay in the opening Balahe is much softer and creamier and powdery.
But then it settles down and fruit notes come through with a powder note. It is so pleasantly spicy that i can´t stop enjoying it and the more you wait it indeed gets better. Just give it a chance to settle down and you will love it even more! I am loving it all the way: top-middle-drydown.
The lasting power is very-very good.
Try this at colder time of the year and you will feel yourself very outstanding from the rest of the crowd. Truly remarkable and very unique scent.
My precious!(indeed) :)
I can´t really tell the difference between original formula nad re-release, i have both of them in different sizes (2x100ml and 50ml), to my nose they smell both amazing and the same. Maybe the later formula is not as much intense as the first one, but still this is a powerful fragrance with great projection.
My collection of Balahe bottles is growing and it makes me feel soooo good. It is definitly in my top favorites of all time!! Never want to run out of it.

Just got a bottle of pure perfume today!
It was a blind buy
I am totally loving this one!!!
I thought it would be very sharp and dark fragrance but it is surprisingly fresh and light! I don´t feel the plum, but i do feel orchid and pineapple! This has all the chances to become one of my most beloved fragrances now. Very yummy!
At the drydown it reminds me a lot of Paloma Picasso´s "Tentantions" spices.

It is strictly for grown up women!

You young tutty-frutty lovers
do not dare purchase it before trying!

Very
French,
powdery,
long lasting,
opera house worthy in the
winter.

This reminds me so much of Bal a Versailles. So much going on. Its got a good bit of civet in there and makes the scent mature and sort of dressed up. But unlike BAV, Balahe has noticable fruity notes like plum making it a bit sweeter. It gets fruitier as the scent lingers on.

It has an old school vibe about it. A Classic feeling.

Verdict: Its not really my style.

This behaves more like an oriental spicy on my skin. The anise is so dominant on my chemistry that it doesn't really let up, not even through the dry-down. The florals are sweet and the base is very deep. It's a beautiful, heavier fragrance that requires the right chemistry to carry it properly.

It feels like a rich fragrance from a by-gone era.

I have the original formulation, but haven't smelled the more recent one. Think of Tabu from 30 or 40 years ago, when the formulation was still good, and then smooth it out/soften it up significantly. That's what Balahe reminds me of, though as has been said, you need to give it time to settle down. It's a complex blend, but you get a sense of this or that note now and then, so it never gets boring. I would also say this is at least borderline unisex, especially if you are used to niche florals marketed as unisex). The prices seem high for the vintage ones I saw on ebay, so you might want to sample first to make sure it is worth the price to you. Note that the tuberose is a bit strong (at least to me) for a while, but after an hour or so the whole fragrance smooths out very nicely.

I finally understand this perfume!! It is a thick buttery floral perfume, for those longing back to the roaring twenties!!!
:-)

I didn't have high expectations for Balahe and, indeed, the first spritz almost scared me off with its heavy aldehydes. Overcoming the initial impulse to immediately wash it off, I continued sniffing my wrist again and again. Around 30 minutes after application I started to recognize something really familiar. I sniffed and sniffed and sniffed and wondered what it could be ... and finally it hit me! What the drydown of Balahe reminds me of is the good old lady LouLou by Cacharel! What I did next was go and check the composition of both frags and I was shocked to discover that they actually have 11 matching notes - iris, plum, jasmine, anise, tuberose, orange blossom, orris root, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, musk and vanilla! So if you manage to survive the overwhelming retro opening and if you like LouLou, there is a pretty good chance that you would appreciate the oriental beauty of Balahe, too.

very heavy aldehydes,very heavy!!!!I would fall down the chair when i sniffed it and i got dizzy.I am sorry to say it but it is too nasty to be worn by normal human beiing

Despite the serious looking bottle, Balahe is as soft as a kitten`s paw.What a beautiful and unique scent!It has a bit of a sharp start, but is tamed really easily.Don`t pay attention to the first fruity burst - it will go away very soon, leaving you sniffing your wrist in ecstasy! It`s creamy, powdery...almost baby-powder-like...But with a definite sensual twist. I found the dry down slightly resembling original Poison (100 times diluted)....A great oriental.

Back in 80's the hair were big, the shoulders were wide, and the perfumes were bold and strong, like this darling Balahe. This scent is deep and dark like black velvet, oriental, mysterious and warm. As a teenager I was using this often. I wouldn't use this anymore as for me this connects so strongly to 80's.

Chat Lunatique described this scent very well. I just happen not to like it. It's a bit on the heavy side, and it does have the vintage air about it. I find it spicy and a bit boring, as it smells very similar to many other older fragrances.

My all time favourite perfume. Subtle, elegant, long lasting, sexy and unique. I remember when I first smelled it, I was very unsure of the top notes, but it settles into pure glory. Always hard to find where I live (Australia)its rarity adds to its preciousness.

I have it receveid today. At the beginn I have thought that was a medicine. Now, after two hours, I think I have a new jewel in my parfum collection. I cannot stop to sniff my wrist.

I did use this sometime in my teens, little different and intresting scent, maybe towards more to the chyprefamily. Odly I can't remember how this excatly smell? Maybe need to get small bottle of it, just for old times sake.