Cristobal by Balenciaga

Why does a fragrance as wonderful as Cristobal go unnoticed? It is seriously undervalued. I tried it on a tester while looking for a gift for a woman and stumbled upon this gem. I tested it on my own skin—mind you I’m a man—and it felt just as good from start to finish. To me it is totally unisex; a man can wear it with total confidence. It has a woody touch with a fine vanilla nuance nothing ostentatious or effeminate; on the contrary it is so lovely that you want to sniff it all the time. In the end I bought it for myself. It feels unisex elegant and refined. It is a work of art.

Cristobal is the epitome of the 90s: a luxury fragrance with contrasting nuances thanks to flowers and patchouli on a bed of vanilla. I detect a certain boozy note that I find enchanting and intoxicating at first. Although it is feminine on a man’s skin it looks quite unisex with floral and woody bursts that emerge throughout the trail (6-7 hours). I wore it to the office and while walking in the sun (around 28 degrees) the scent turned balsamic and herbal always over the vanilla base. An excellent perfumery masterpiece that is no longer seen.

I have always loved this fragrance. Cristobal is one of those perfumes doomed to die for being born in the wrong era. In a time dominated by aquatic and solar florals of the 90s it found no place especially considering that modern formulas of the 2000s were just around the corner. Cristobal smelled fantastic no need for further explanation. It was a woody sweetness in the style of Dolce Vita or Very Valentino. It was sophisticated and sumptuous but it had something in its development that made you think of a ‘veiled’ fragrance as if it arrived with the breeze moving a silk curtain with a strange luminosity that it shares with Very Valentino or Givenchy’s Hot Couture. It is each of their parents but with that opulent essence as if their bodies had been removed by successive distillations. Cristobal smells of luxury that 90s luxury that I relived opening a glass box with hundreds of saved journeys. That abstract smell of mixed perfumes is similar to Cristobal a sweet swarm with woody afternotes and a sweetness lightyears away from gourmand. It was a luminous vanilla and zero cloying sublimated by a playful note of carnation with its sparkling aroma; the fig leaf gave it creamy roughness that lowered the sweetness until the patchouli and sandalwood made it serene even masculine. Was it the eighth wonder? No need to say I don’t understand how being discontinued allows it to reach astronomical prices on the black market with the risk of being corrupted. However it had personality and above all smelled very very good so it is worth trying just for that. If I find it at a bargain price I would buy it without hesitation. Totally recommended for women who love perfumes like Tresor Poeme 5th Avenue or Champs Elysees; Cristobal is an evolved offspring of those retaining the luxurious and feminine nature of an opera perfume but they have lowered its potency by a couple of degrees to turn it into a pleasant accompaniment not the protagonist.

This week I found a bargain on perfumes in a shop where fragrances that are no longer seen appear from time to time. I bought two and the first was Cristobal. It is a stately regal perfume pure gold! I wore it in the evening and my husband said he felt a festive chocolatey scent on my shoulders with a touch of citrus between my breasts. Personally I also detect a superb carnation and a generous patchouli. My relationship with the family of spicy oriental fragrances began with this classic fascinating and imposing aroma.