This one of my oldies that came in a lot but I don't know much about it.
I know that I. Midgin was an old department store or West but apart from that I don't really know when these were made.
Anyone familiar with the manufacturer or the stores?
The scent has faded to almost nothingness.
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I'm currently wearing Eau de My Sin by Lavin.
I was in the mood for more 90s nostalgia and Amber Musks remind me so much of the 90s.
I grabbed two fragrances that are still available and at ridiculously low prices. Sometimes less than $10 on the primary market (Brand new). They are Fire and Ice by Revlon and Black Pearls by Liz Taylor.
As with all current versions of vintage fragrances I think the profile develops beautifully after the bottle did and plays with itself in private for a while. That is true with these two. Especially Fire and Ice. When I got it all I could smell was musks. Its been some time and the juice had matured quite nicely.
Both fragrances are woody, floral Ambers that are heavy on the musks. They were created at a time when heavy base notes like wood and amber were giving way to the lighter musks and aquatics that dominate today. A bridge from the post to the future or vice versa.
Black Pearls isn’t the crisp airy floral that is White Diamonds. As the name infers, Black Pearls is not clear and sparkly. It’s opaque and dark. If you are not a fan of the white musks neither of these might be great for you. But if you like musks but just think musky fragrances lack something, these might be worth a try.
Black Pearls opens with a heavy peach note that is sharply defined by musks. It has a rosy heart and a very nice dry down from a combination of the musks, amber and creamy sandalwood.
Fire and Ice surprised me by how beautiful it develops once it gets out of time -out. The musks sharply defines the tangerine giving a juicy aroma. The citruses blend nicely with tuberose, narcissus and done other white florals. The dry down is also a woody, amber musky dry down that brings back so many memories.
Harken back to another time is very descriptive of these two. Because they occupy that short transition from 80s powerhouses to light and airy, they are easily pigeonholed into an era. But I don’t think these are dated. There’s no date where fragrances can be worn.
Anyone have memories of these two? I vaguely remember my mom having Fire and Ice but the scent memory of both are very powerful
This one can be very polarizing. Lots love it. Lots hate it. I fall in the love it camp. To me it’s an excellent culmination of a 100 year journey.
Obsession smells very similar to Anne Klein 2, which came out the same year, and to Must de Cartier which came out 3 years earlier. But those 2 don’t get anywhere near as much hate as Obsession. I think Obsession was just so much more popular that almost everyone has a strong opinion on it. It was usually in the Giorgio and Poison category where restaurants refused service to anyone wearing any of the the 3. Somehow Poison is still loved but Obsession didn’t hold the popularity it once held. Both Obsession and Poison were reformulated to hell. Both now smell cheap but Coty selling Obsession in pharmacies not only made it smell cheap, it is cheap.
People think of Must and Anne Klein 2 as the more expensive scents because they are not drugstore fragrance, but vintage Obsession is a richer scent to me than the other two.
We can trace Obsession’s journey to the infancy of modern perfumery in the 1880s, with the Aromatic Fougere Jicky. Although there were some amber fragrances that came before, Shalimar is often credited as the first amber. Legend has it that it was created by accidentally overdosing a batch of Jicky with a new synthetic form of vanilla.
Perfumers throughout the last century built on the amber profile by adding more and more spice. There was Tabu in the 30s, Youth Dew in the 50s and Opium in the 70s. All legendary perfumes. By the 80s both mossy and ambery fragrances had hit peak popularity, and obsession gave us an overdose of both.
Obsession starts out with a sharp green iris citrus vanilla amber blend. Unlike Must and Anne Klein 2, Obsession features an overdose of vanilla reminiscent of Shalimar. Rosewood isn’t listed but It is strong in the top
In addition to vanilla, Obsession has quite a bit of oakmoss. Anne Klein 2 has a sharper green opening while Must is the least green of the 3. Must and Anne 2 also rely more on Iris than vanilla in the opening. They are not the vanilla amber bomb that Obsession is in the opening.
Anne Klein 2 is the most powdery of the 3. It’s a really good Iris forward scent. It makes the green notes smell more crisp. However, the sharp green transitions quickly to a more earthy smell. Anne Klein features Patchouli instead of oakmoss so it’s more earthy than mossy.
The amber in Obsession eventually mellows out and the chypre side blends in smoothly. Obsession has a Spicy woody mossy heart similar to youth dew and Opium but with a heavy dose of oakmoss and softened with woody notes.
The dry down of Obsession is almost identical to Must de Cartier and Anne Klein 2 but more classical amber like Shalimar.
Review is for vintage Obsession women’s cologne pictured. The parfum came in the same shaped bottle. Because of the amount of vanilla in this cologne it is insanely strong. Stronger than the current version EDP. Sellers on the gray market often confuse the cologne and the parfum and try to sell the cologne for insane prices.
What is your obsession story?
I have a two sided relationship with the Ms Grojsman. She has created some of my absolute favorite fragrance yet ushered the fragrance world into a direction in not too fond of.
I was captivated by her earlier work. She experimented with a wide variety of material until she settled on her accord which changed the perfume world.
Ms Grojsman’s journey went from the beautiful Floral Aldehyde of White Linen (1978) to the deeply oriental Vanderbilt (1982) to her rose classic Paris (1983) Grojsman was pumping out hits that stood out during the peak of perfumery. Paris is still one of YSL’s biggest hits and has spawned a plethora of flankers.
In Paris you can already smell the beginnings of the accord that Grojsman would later become famous for. These 3 alone would have been a great achievement for any perfumer but she was just getting started.
Grojsman followed up with another Estee Lauder hit; the aptly named Beautiful (1985). Here you see further development of the ‘Hug Me’ accord she is famous for.
Eternity (1987) and Ex’cla-ma’tion (1988) came next, completing her 80s powerhouses. But it’s with her release of Tresor in 1990 that she became the mother of recent perfumery.
Classic perfumery was heavy on rich distinct base nose that grounded the fragrance and made them last longer. Grojsman flipped the formula by overdosing top notes instead. The particular scent of the accord, which mixes musks, jasmine, violet and woody notes isn’t that extraordinary but by inverting the concentrations she got the other ingredients to react in a novel way.
Tresor is still a huge hit, and like Paris it has spawned lots of flankers. So many popular fragrances followed:
SpellBound-Estée Lauder-1991
Nude-Bill Blass-1991
Lalique-Lalique-1992
Volupté-Oscar de la Renta-1992
360°-Perry Ellis -1992
Yvresse (Champagne)-YSL-1993
Diamonds & Rubies- Liz Taylor-1993
Kashaya-Kenzo-1993
Bvlgari Pour Femme-1994
Sun Moon Stars- Karl Lagerfeld-1994
True Love-Elizabeth Arden-1994
Jaipur-Boucheron-1994
Sexual-Michel Germain-1994
Tentations -Paloma Picasso Christian Lacroix-1999
Outrageous!-Frederic Malle-2007
Calyx- Clinique- 2013
and many more.
I can’t remember the exact percentage but more than half of modern perfumery relies on Sophia’s Hug Me accord. Its everywhere. To love modern perfumery is to love Sophia Grojsman. My only issue is I am just not a big fan of fragrances with a light base. Love her early work but just not a huge fan of the Hug Me bombs.
What are your favorites from her. Ms Grojsman? Do you enjoy her accord?
There are certain vintage fragrances that you can already hint at the scent profile just by the look of the bottle. When I see purple (or blue) in perfumery I think of purple or blue.
Oakmoss is to green when Heliotrope is to Purple/blue. And speaking of Oakmoss, natural and synthetic use of both have been restricted so much that classic fragrances containing either Oakmoss or Heliotrope can no longer be made like they used to.
So what does it smell like? Its hard to describe as it’s usually used in the heart of a floral bouquet. Heliotrope conveys a sweet almost vanillic almond floral aroma. It is usually accompanied by Iris, and violet (sometimes Hyacinth and lilacs) all of which helps in projecting the color purple/blue.
Heliotrope is slightly powdery on its own, but in combination with Iris, and Violet it creates a beautiful powdery goodness that makes me swoon.
Early examples:
Quelque Fleurs by Houbigant was released in 1912 and is considered the first floral bouquet perfume. It combines Heliotrope with Violet and Iris and done other floral notes (including Lily of the valley which is powdery itself).
L’Heure Bleue (1912) and Apres L’Ondee by Guerlain are also early examples of fragrances featuring Heliotrope.
Heliotrope added depth and complexity to many of the popular florals throughout the last century. Vintage bottles of Soir de Paris (Evening in Paris) by Bourjois is still sought after.
Towards the middle of the century fragrances like Ambush by Dana still made Heliotrope a popular ingredient in perfumery.
As with all things perfume related, I think the use of Heliotrope reached its peak in the 80s. Most popular is surely Diors dark witchy brew Poison. There’s also
Panthere Cartier,
Cacharel Loulou,
Byzance by Rochas,
Exclamation by Coty,
Senso by Ungaro, and my favorite
Passion by Elisabeth Taylor.
Heliotrope was still going strong in the 90s with Initiation by Molyneux, Joop! Nuit d’Ete, Casbah by Avon and many others.
Although, IFRA effectively killed natural or synthetic Heliotrope in perfumery in the early 2000s, Heliotrope accords are still created to imitate the effect of Heliotrope. There are some really good ones, but they just don’t do as much heavy lifting as old school Heliotrope did.
So when we pick up a bottle of Poison and wonder what happened, its IFRA again, fudging up perfumery like they did with Oakmoss.
What are your thoughts on these old beauties? Do you smell the color in these fragrances?
Perfume has a tendency of creating lasting memories. I often wonder how early were these fragrance imprints stamped into my head. Today I thought it would be fun to highlight popular fragrances from when I was born.
I chose to start with this one because I have been on a rose kick lately and Nahema is a great example of a multifaceted rose. Nahema is classified as an Oriental Floral. I would call it an amber floral but there isn’t any amber accords in here so to prevent confusion I will just keep it simple.
Nahema opens up with a beautiful fruity rose. The underlying vanilla and Ylang together with aldehydes and green notes create a shockingly beautiful, yet powerful floral aroma. There’s also something else I can’t place my finger on in the top notes. I see passion fruit is listed in the base, but that’s probably what I’m getting in the opening.
Sandalwood and Lily of the valley adds a creamy soothing element to the floral heart bursting with rose, Ylang Ylang and hyacinth. The Lily of the valley adds a touch of powder, but I would consider this to be powdery.
As I mentioned before, this isn’t a classic oriental. Instead of the classic amber created with vanilla, Labdanum and bergamot, this is more of a woody Oriental created with woody vertiver, sandalwood, vanilla and begamot. Vintage Nahema is getting pricier and pricier so get a sniff while you can.
And now to the Chypres. Chypres from this era are my favorite. Two of them, like Nahema features fruit, the other is just one of my favorite chypre ‘s ever.
This is one that I recently fell in love with. As I familiarize myself with different nuances and are able to pick up different smells, things that didn’t intrigue me before are becoming a lot more interesting. From the passion fruit in Nahema we go to the Coconut of Madame de Carven.
Now I am not usually a fan of coconut in fragrances here, but it works here. From the start it gives a creamy textured scent to the white florals, that are also enveloped in green notes. Galbanum can be challenging but the creamy coconut) white floral blend tames the green. The result is a green creamy floral instead of the sunscreen I usually get from coconut.
The heart is a mossy floral bouquet. Apart from the already mentioned white florals (Tuberose and Jasmine) I get hyacinth and a touch of carnation and Iris.
The base in my opinion is the star of the show. This is very mossy but the coconut and the amber gives it a mellow, sweeter character. Vertiver and benzoin grounds the mix, giving it also a woody earthy feel.
Madame de Carven is some potent stuff that lasts quite a while on me. The woody/mossy character leans unisex.
Really really masterful work by one of my favorite perfumers, Jean Guichard. Before he created Lou Lou, before he created Obsessed, he created Madame de Carven.
Wow, this is seductive. This one starts out slightly bitter green, slightly herbal with a fruity note that took me a while to figure out. Ivoire is what I call a Kitchen Sink fragrance. They threw in everything including the kitchen sink. But it works.
Artemisia provides that initial green blast common in fragrances of that era. It quickly transitions into the green from the Galbanum and moss, but the Aldehydes prevents it from being too green and too dry.
Marigold, Chamomile, spices, Rose and Iris combine to give a sort of earthy herbal concoction that induces nostalgic memories for me. If you are not big on herbal scents, this one will surprise you. The hidden fruit is all the way behind the mossy, earthy hearthy goodness, but when it pops out you can’t unsmell it. That fruit is Raspberry. And it works so well with marigold and Chamomile that I want to drink this stuff.
Ivoire has quite a blend of spices, but it’s not spicy. Both Orris and Iris is listed, in addition to lily of the valley and violet. This should be a powder bomb but it’s not very powdery. It has Oakmoss, Patchouli, Bergamot and Galbanum so it is definitely a chypre. However, it also has Amber, Labdanum, and vanilla, the key building blocks of classic Orientals. A true kitchen sink fragrance, this could have gone either way, but the perfumers decided to go both ways.
Finally, my favorite from that year. He perfumer, Josette Ramisse must have known I was coming and made this one just for me because I don’t see any other perfume in the database for her.
This thing is blended like a good smoothie. Crisp green notes, against sweet mossy florals. Hyacinth, violet and carnation are prominent in this one. So it’s the rose and white florals. All made sparkly by aldehydes.
I can see either a smartly dressed woman or a well put together man wearing this to work. Yes it’s a floral explosion but there’s cedar in the base that significantly grounds this as a unisex fragrance. Sandalwood and vertiver also adds to the woody, more masculine feel.
If I was a pharaoh and had to be mummified for 5,000 years, this is what I should be wrapped in.
There we have it. 4 of my favorite fragrances from when I came into being. I considered a variety of scents, from Chaps by Ralph Lauren to Paul Sebastian Fine Cologne, but settled on these 4. I hope you like them.
What are some of your favorites from when you were born?
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So we have been mentioning it a lot lately so why not? When discussing classic Ambers two must haves should be Shalimar and Coco.
Coco was created in 1984, by perfumer Jacques Polge. I mentioned him in my post about Diva from Ungaro and Antaeus. He was in the in-house perfumer at Chanel for almost 40 years before his son, current in-house perfumer, Oliver Polge took over.
I mentioned in the other thread about Diva how you can track the progression from the animalic heavy Antaeus to the mossy Diva to the ambery Coco.
Despite its complexity Coco to me is the lightest of the 3.
It opens with a beautiful blend of Peach, Rose and Jasmine. For a second there's something sharp and slightly bitter. Its not a very green bitter so I think it's the opoponax. Opoponax, like Oakmoss is a fixative that help fragrances last longer. It's a very challenging note for me. In high volumes, such as in Madame Rochas it can get a bit much. In Coco, however, the sharpness lasts an instant and adds drama to the opening like an exclamation mark.
Keeping in line with his prior work, Polges's use of Coriander and Cloves balances the rose and keeps the fragrance timeless. Took me a while to even figure out what I was smelling was rose. It's well blended in here.
Later the beautiful notes of vanilla-amber drifts in and blends nicely with the rose and spices. Mimosa and orange blossom brighten the heart preventing the darker elements of the amber and vanilla from making this too heavy.
Most Oriental dry downs make me swoon, and Coco is no exception. There's that classic Orange, vanilla and amber combination present in classic orientals from Shalimar through Opium to Obsession. It is slightly dirtied by the animalics (civet) and by Labdanum but balanced by the soothing aroma of sandalwood and Tonka bean
Its a must have for amber lovers. Fragrantica lists this as an Oriental Spicy fragrances, but I would list it as a spicy floral amber (Oriental). This is not as spicy as Opium, Cinnabar, Youth Dew or even obsession. How much do I like it? Well you can see how much is left in the bottle 😁
Where are the Coco lovers?
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Sorry for the bad photos 😂 I was still outside having my coffee.
Anyway,, I was looking for possible run dates on this beautiful concoction.
This one is called Breathless by Charbert. The reason why I think it may be my oldest is because of the short production period.
I'm having difficulty even finding information on when this was released.
I seem to see 1943 as the most common release date but have also seen generalized ones that say late 30s.
Although it's a possibility but I also see dates as early as 1933. More than likely though, the date 1933 may refer to when Charbert first started releasing fragrances and not when this particular perfume was released.
I also know that the fragrance in this form was discontinued over half a century ago but I do not know exactly when.
I do know that circa 1956 this was modernized as the lighter Breathless Mist which is still readily found today. I do not know, however, if this was still being made alongside Breathless Mist.
So what does this smell like? It smells like it looks 😂
Very dark spicy oriental. If you like things like Tabu, Youth dew or Bal a Versailles then this is in the same family. But darker. There's light citruses, white florals, amber, vanilla, spice, lily of the valley, and a kitchen sink of other scents.
To me is very balsamic, but slightly sweet with incense. Its heavier than most of my Orientals. The dry down is a a sweet (maybe orange blossom) vanilla amber reminiscent of Shalimar but not as powdery. To my nose this gets its powder more from Lily of the valley than Iris so it's not as powder forward but I do still get iris. There are no aldehydes, I don't detect any oakmoss but there may be a few drops for fixative purposes.
I don't even see an entry for this on the major fragrance of sites like Fragrantica. Does anyone know the years that Chambert made this beauty?
Caution: I see opened bottles of this available for purchase all the time. I'm usually good with opened bottles from the 70s or later but I would be cautious with buying an open bottle of this one. I have heard many stories of this one being turned.
Full bottles are still available, and they come in 6 ounces bottles so you do get a lot.
Caution II: the cap is bakelite and it may break if you are too rough with it. The bakelite piece slides of easily on mine and underneath theres a metal screw cap that you can be rough with 😁
I have been on an Oakmoss kick most of the year but I decided to review something completely different on the fragrance wheel.
The fragrance I am obsessed with right now is the Floral Amber Scherrer 2 by Jean-Louis Scherrer.
Released in 1986 when Orientals were leaning heavily on either spice (as with Obsession and Opium) or tuberose (as in Poison). Scherrer 2 is different in that there’s no oakmoss, hardly any spice and the florals are subtle.
I can’t think of many fragrances of that time that doesn’t have an overdose of those 3. A modern reference for this type of Oriental would be Grand Soir by MFK or even better on the wallet – Eternal Oud.
Scherrer 2 opens up instead with tart pineapple over honeyed amber. It is very sweet in the opening but theres a dash of anise in the background that balances out the sweetness. Just a little.
There’s also a little bit of citrus in the opening, but it’s like just a splash. Scherrer 2's opening is all fruity, honey, vanilla amber with just a tiny citrus and spice.
The heart is a nice blend of rose, white florals and Lily of the valley which gives the only hint of green in this. The honeyed amber, however, is still ever present. The pineapple though disappears by then.
The dry down is more woodsy and musky (sweet musks) than the opening. The honey amber that fought for prominence in the top and heart blends in nicely in the dry down. Sandalwood and benzoin is barely noticeable. They combine to give a sort of incensy aroma. Heliotrope and Lily of the valley provide some powder but it’s not very powdery and neither of those are very strong in this.
Overall, for a fragrance with no oakmoss or spice I give it a 9.8 out of 10. I like it almost as much as I love Sherrer which is an exquisite chypre.
Review is based on a 90s EDP. I would say this one is fairly unisex. Grand Soir is marketed as Unisex and it leans more feminine than this. The tart pineapple in Sherrer 2 are reminiscent of pineapple used in top male fragrances today. The touch of anise also adds that touch of masculinity without taking it out of that unisex realm. For clarification though I don’t think Sherrer 2 and Grand Soir smell very similar, I was just using Grand Soir as a reference to what the amber in Sherrer 2 smells like. Sherrer 2 is a lot more complex and much smoother.
Anyone else a fan of Sherrer 2? Can anyone think of any other vintage ambers that focus on the amber instead of spice, Oakmoss or heavy florals?
Hey everyone, I thought it would be fun to discuss our favorite fragrances that uses a particular note. One of the oldest in perfumery is sandalwood.
For this one I tried to select fragrances that span various categories and decades. I wanted perfumes with a strong and distinct sandalwood note without being mainly sandalwood.
Samsara is in the foreground here as a reference. Some people think fragrances lovers are just blowing smoke when we say we can detect notes in perfume. It’s the same folks who struggle to describe fragrances because to them everything vintage is either powdery or grandma. The way I familiarize myself with notes I get something that is known as a bomb for that note and I see what other fragrances share that note. So Samsara is the reference for me.
First up is the Spicy Oriental Queen Opium. I was familiar with this one for decades before I noticed how prominent the sandalwood is here. Opium is a gem because it’s so well blending that everything is prominent. For Spicy Woods Opium his the spot.
Next up is L’aiment de Coty. Some say this reminds people of Chanel N°5 but I don’t see it. Probably a little more like Arpege but still distant. L’aiment was released in 1927 and is a beautiful rendition of aldehydic orientals popular at that time. It’s my choice for Ethereal Flowery Woods.
For Desert Woods what else can I choose but Dune? It uses sandalwood so differently from any other fragrance I have smelled. Excellent interpretation of desert sands in a bottle. Released in 1991, when everyone were diving into aquatics, Dominique Ropions opted to do the opposite and went for desert dryness.
I can’t seem to make these without hitting on the 80s. Just like Opium it took me a while to notice the sandalwood in this next one but once I smelled it I can’t unsmell it. 2 years after he created his monster hit Obsession, Jean Guichard knocked it out of the park again in 1987 with Lou Lou. My choice for dark floral woods is Lou Lou. I’m a guy who proudly wears Lou Lou.
The final fragrance on my list is Chantilly. Very similar to Emeraude or Shalimar, Chantilly tones down the iris and amps up the sandalwood. Very nice take on the classic oriental, Chantilly was released in 1941 as a modern (for the time) update. Chantilly is my choice for classic oriental woods.
There we have it. What is your favorite fragrances containing sandalwood? Its a note that gives me headaches if I use to much, but it is also so comforting.
As vintage fragrance loves we morn over the great 70s and 80s fragrances that were rendered impotent by the restrictions on Oakmoss. We all know the great loves of the time geared to women. But this one post is about the ones geared to the guys.
Oakmoss has been used in perfumery for over 100 years. It’s a fixative. What it does is it binds to the more volatile ingredients in the formula so that those ingredients don’t quickly evaporate. I’m simple terms of makes the perfume last longer by holding on the scent.
Oakmoss has a deep, earthy, and mysterious scent that smells like damp forest floors, cool shaded woods, and mossy bark. When we say a vintage fragrance smells green or mossy is usually because of the oakmoss.
Oakmoss was the key ingredient in Chypres. Classic Chypres combined Bergamot or other citruses in the top, Labdanum in the heart , and Oakmoss and/or Patchouli in the base to create a scent perfumers thought embodied how Cyprus smelled. But enough of the introduction. Let’s get on to the fragrances.
Leonard by Leonard is one of my 80s Holy Grails. It has the elements of a classic Chypre (Bergamot, Labdanum and Oakmoss) but also a heavy dose of leather. Leonard opens up with an aromatic blast that quickly transitions into a woody, leathery, mossy scent. Leonard isn’t for the faint of heart. Released in 1980 Leonard is as bold as the big female fragrances popular at the time. Leonard is very reminiscent of Van Cleef and Arpels Pour Homme which is another Leather Aromatic Chypre but a bit more spicy than Leonard.
Sticking with the Leather Chypres let’s look at a more budget friendly Gem, Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui. Like the previous ones mentioned Pour Lui opens very green, aromatic and a little spicy and aldehydic. The Cinnamon and Cloves first for more attention in the heart and the green, leather and woody notes make for that comforting base. Pour Lui was also released in 1980 and discontinued in 2016. Newer versions are dirt cheap but heavily neutered.
Jules is another beautiful trip down memory lane. It tones down the leather in exchange for aromatics and woody notes. It was released in 1980 and modern versions are completely different.
Next up is the highly controversial Antaeus. Released in 1981 by one of my favorite perfumers Jacques Polge for the house of Chanel, Antaeus takes a different direction. It has the chypre base structure (Bergamot, Labdanum, oakmoss) but unlike the previous ones mentioned, the formula is butched up by an overdose of animalics instead of leather. Antaeus leans more Aromatic than fougere in the top replacing the lavender in Leonard with clary sage, thyme and basil.
Trussardi Uomo is another powerhouse chypre marketed to men. Released in 1983, this one is another favorite. It is huge well blended Aromatic leather Chypre. The key now for me here is the honey which ties everything together. Please don’t but this one. Leave it all for me 😁. Trussardi was discontinued in 2003 so it’s becoming harder to find. Trussardi Uomo is reminiscent of Fendi Uomo, but that one relies more on Patchouli than oakmoss.
I have been rambling so I think I will give one more then close. Save the rest for another time. I opened with a Holy Grail in Leonard and will close with one in Derby. My gosh this one is so nostalgic to me. Beautiful minty green citrus opening the heart is what I would describe as mellow spicy. Its not listed in the notes but I get creamy carnation. The blending of Derby is done so we’ll that I’m not hot over the head by the leather. It doesn’t get as much notoriety as other Guerlains but it should.
I know the tide had already shifted in favor of aquatics by the time restrictions were placed on Oakmoss, but the ban still had a disastrous effect on male classics like it did with the female powerhouses.
Who remembers these fragrances? Anyone still used them? Are there any women in here remember their guy friends wearing these?
Before there was Estee Lauder Knowing; before there was Paloma Picasso; Even before Jacques Polge created Chanel's Coco, he created Diva for Ungaro.
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After the wild success of Antaeus Polge went in a different direction and created this bright chypre for Ungaro. For lovers of Knowing and Paloma Picasso, this smells very similar. It opens more similar to knowing with that mossy green Aldehydic rose. Its not as dirty as knowing, but dirtier than Paloma Picasso. Very beautiful opening. The dry down of all three are similar but I think Knowing has that overdose of Patchouli that gives it an earthier, woodsier feel.
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The current version of Diva is actually not bad and is not that expensive. I would say give Diva a shot if you like Paloma Picasso and Knowing. I know those two are a lot harder to find.
Growing up in the 90s there are fragrances that I distinctly remember using. I remember the bold fresh scent of Eternity men, or the crisp women's version my mom wore. I even have earlier memories of all the Drakkar Noir, Obsession, Antaeus, Kouros, etc that was prevalent in the 80s.
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I was looking up another scent and saw a picture that took me back to a prepubescent me. It was startling how crisp the memory of the bottle was. I remembered it was mine and that I treasured it. The problem was I had no idea what it smelled like. I quickly looked up the ingredients and what perfumes smelled similar, but was still drawing a blank.
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The fragrance in question was Black Suede by Avon. I had no memory of it until I saw the picture and All of a sudden memories of an approximately 8yo me standing in my bedroom running my fingers along the shape of the bottle. I'm my mind two things prevail. It was creamy and it was comforting but nothing in the ingredients suggest creamy and I'm not sure what would be comforting.
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I know my adult nose, having processed Giorgio, Lou Lou, Poison, Amarige... and all the Grand Dames that came after them, my adult nose would probably find Black Suede weak and cheap, but I'm still interested in completing the memory of what is best contender for my first fragrance.
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Does anyone remember Black Suede? Anyone tried the current version? Does anyone know how bad reformulations have affected current formulas?
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What was everyone's first fragrance? Do you still use it? Does it still smell as good?
I love the Guerlain Montre bottles because I think for a cologne they don't age as poorly as other Eau de Cologne concentrations. Sure top notes don't cling as they used to, but they are still beautiful scents. And very wearable every day scents.
The Chantilly pictured on the other had has not held up as well. The citrus top, as is usual with vintage colognes have gone off.
Summer is here and lighter fragrances do well this time of year. Apart from Guerlain, what other Vintage EDC's hold up with age?
Sorry for the Creation and Modern Shalimar in the pic. They are definitely not EDC strength 😁
Is it the same as Ombre Blue l'Original?
I know when they tack on Original to something that means they ruined something.
I'm familiar with Rose but not Blue.
l'Original looks like it has aquatic notes and came out in 2023. Is 1980s Ombre Blue aquatic? Or Blue in the traditional sense?
Not exactly a perfume, but it is a scented oil people sometimes use instead of perfume.
Mosquito season is here and I remembered this was supposed to help so it's time to whip it out.
Does anyone remember this one?
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I remember wearing this in high school and bought this replacement bottle a few years ago. I can't remember the difference so I'm thinking of trying to obtain a vintage. I once came across a good resource for dating Calvin Klein but can't seem to find it. Does anyone know a good place to research Obsession? Both men and womens.
Any women into this version of Obsession or men into the women's version.
I think if this was repackaged in a more attractive bottle and given some old school sexy CK marketing it would give big names of today a run for its money. Even in its current version. I bought Spicebomb Extreme and it is so much less spicy than this and so much more nauseating. Obsession gets a ton of hate in the main sub but it smells like a lot of popular scents.
Why do you think Obsession gets more hate than other 80s powerhouses?
Not sure if this one is considered vintage or not. Some say 10+ years, some say 20+.
CK beauty to me is the last big CK fragrance. CK lost its charm after they were sold to Coty.
Due to IFRA regulations and changes in popular tastes, CK hasn't been as competitive as they were in the 80s and 90s.
Beauty to me smells like a throw back to the past. It came out in 2010 at the height of the white musk popularity and it is an overdose of that, but it is also reminiscent of big white florals from the past. Very reminiscent of First by Van Cleef and Arpels but with a musk base instead of Aldehydes.
Beauty is something I didn't try until a decade after it was released. It's not ground breaking or close to being the most popular frag of it's day, but it is comforting in a way that makes me think it is perfect for Vintage Frags.
Anyone else familiar with this one?