Timbuktu opens with a bang. I get tons of frankincense and spice mixed with something dirty underpinning the notes which must be cardamom. The cardamom remains as does the incense, but the scent turns very soapy with some floral accents creating an interesting juxtaposition of dirty and clean. Vetiver joins the party late, adding some mildly smokey and earthy aspects to the scent in its later stages of development. Timbuktu is very unisex, and has great projection and longevity.
I am somewhat torn on Timbuktu... It really is a good scent and one of the best from the house of L'Artisan, but it really is not for me. Not a bad effort at all from one of the best noses on the face of the planet, Bertrand Duchaufour, just not good enough for me to recommend it without reservation. Still, Timbuktu is definitely sniff worthy and even FBW to those that enjoy similar scents. I'll give it a mild thumbs up and a rating of 3 stars out of 5.
Do you know which bottle/batch you’ve experienced? I have now smelled two versions of this fragrance—one with a heavenly sweet smoky mango and wispy incense opening, the other with a woody sour incense and resin. I suspect the former is an older batch, whereas the latter comes from more recent bottles (with gold cap and wave/wind icon label). Any ideas?
PMRP12 7 years ago