Chantecaille Kalimantan Fragrance Review

* The fragrance kicks off with a dry blend of incense and patchouli.

* Kalimantan is the Indonesian name for the island of Borneo which is the third largest island in the world.  The island had the oldest rain forests in the world which have been deforested at a rapid rate.

* Out of nowhere, the scent goes massively and aggressively skank with a strong mix of cedar, cumin and oud.

* When I say massively and aggressively, I mean the volume gets turned up and it projects wildly.   Its the first fragrance I’ve tested that gets louder the longer you wear it (heart notes are stronger than the top notes.)

* After about an hour, the skank starts to tone down and it gets a little sweeter.

* The base notes are a nice vanilla and sandalwood blend which lasts for 8 hours on my skin.

Summary:  Chantecaille is a luxury skincare / cosmetic line for women.  The fragrance bottle is quite pretty with etched/raised glass and a mirrorball like lid.  While this might fit the other fragrances in their collection (Frangipane, Tiare, Petales), it doesn’t make any sense for the beast known as Kalimantan.  I say this with love because I bought a full bottle of this monster just because it is so animalic, aggressive, and almost comically over the top.  This scent would fit better in the line of Serge Lutens or even Etats Libre D’orange line.  I am just imagining a rich lady sitting at the Chantecaille counter in a Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom getting her make up done.  She reaches over and absent mindedly sprays some Kalimantan on her skin.  The first whiff is pleasant but then a few minutes lady, the skunk hits and she starts screaming.  I would love to be there to see this.  Kalimantan is clearly not office friendly and I strongly recommend skin testing it.  Even if you don’t plan to ever buy a bottle, get a sample and experiment with it.  I am not comparing this to the shock value of say Secretions Magnifique, but the skank definitely comes out of nowhere and lets itself be known.