100 community ratings

Forbidden

Name: Forbidden
Brand: House of Matriarch

Perfumer: Christi Meshell

2012UnisexClassic

Votes lean feminine

7.1/ 10

Community score
100 ratings

See your match

House of Matriarch Forbidden is a unisex scent that puts absinth, papyrus, mushrooms and snake leather together, sitting somewhere between floral and earthy.

Compare

Skunky's take: When coat weather arrives, this bottle comes off the shelf.

How does it perform?

From 86 community ratings, all out of 10.

Longevity

7.9 /10

Holds up through the day and fades gently toward evening.

Sillage

7.2 /10

People close to you notice, nobody gets overwhelmed.

Bottle

7.3 /10

Sits nicely on a shelf.

Value for money

5.2 /10

The price makes you think, so a small size is a smart start.

Blind buy risk

Medium risk

67% of votes are positive, the rest are more reserved.

Notes

They open one after another, from the first spray into the evening.

Top notesfirst 15 minutes

Damiana

Absinth

Heart notesfirst few hours

Papyrus

Mushrooms

Tuberose

Base noteswhat stays into the evening

Snake leather

Terracotta

Precious woods

Accords

From most dominant to most subtle.

Floral
Green
Sweet
Spicy
Woody
Resinous
Earthy
Leathery

What does Forbidden smell like?

Its longevity and sillage are both rated good. Most voters pick autumn and winter, with spring not far behind, and it leans towards leisure time and evenings. Votes split between feminine and masculine, so it doesn't settle on one gender.

It opens with damiana and absinth, green and spicy. In the heart, papyrus, mushrooms and tuberose make a floral, sweet and earthy blend. The base of snake leather, terracotta and precious woods leaves a leathery, woody, resinous finish. Cartier III: L'Heure Vertueuse and Liquides Imaginaires Beauté du Diable have a close profile.