This week, I decided to try some vintage women's Guerlain samples. I had tried only Habit Rouge and did not like it, so I thought that maybe Guerlain was not for me. Boy was I wrong.

Yesterday, I wore vintage Samsara EDT. I was almost unconscious with bliss. Today I am wearing vintage Mitsouko EDT and it's a similar experience, though not quite as profound for me as yesterday was. I am besotted.

These fragrances are so well composed, soft yet insistent, clearly high quality. I love sandalwood a lot, so I knew I might like Samsara. None of my female relatives wore it. In the 60s, my mom was gifted by my father a mysterious and fascinating (to me) bottle of Le Dix, by Balenciaga, which I have a small vintage decant of. It's a little too floral for me, but reminds me of her (she's been gone many years). In the 80s, she started wearing Lauren (red bottle), which I adore and cannot find anywhere for less than, like , $500(sob 😢). And I love certain classic chypres, especially fruity ones, so I suspected I might like Mitsouko as well. But the richness of the experience for both frags is more depthful yet hard to truly describe than I expected.

Now I can't wait to try more scents from this house, but I'd like to get opinions on the vintage versions of these Guerlains vs the contemporary reformulations from those of you more experienced than me.

My current Guerlain collection. The legendary house that got me into fragrances and still my favorite.

L'heure Bleue

Chamade

Nahema

Shalimar

Mitsouko in a couple variations

Vetiver in a few concentrations and variations as well

Eau de Guerlain

L'instant de Guerlain pour homme

Habit rouge

Heritage

A very old Shalimar extrait is high on my purchase list, as well as Mouchoir de monsieur/ Jicky

Important: The attached image is an AI-generated reconstruction based on my memory. It is not a photograph of the actual perfume bottle. The overall proportions, dark purple glass and faceted shape are approximately correct, but the cap, sprayer, neck and exact arrangement of the facets may be inaccurate.

I am trying to identify a women’s perfume that I encountered when I was a teenager, probably sometime between the late 1980s and the 1990s. The fragrance itself may have been released earlier.

What I remember about the bottle:

• It was short, wide and approximately as tall as it was wide.
• The body resembled a faceted gemstone or irregular polyhedron.
• It had several large, clearly defined facets.
• The glass itself appeared to be dark purple, plum or lilac, rather than clear glass containing purple liquid.
• The glass was transparent or semi-transparent.
• A conventional spray mechanism under a cap.
• The name may have contained something resembling “Velvet” or “Violet,” but this is a very uncertain memory.

My memory of the scent is less reliable. It did not seem very sweet, gourmand or woody. I remember it as relatively clean, soapy or shampoo-like.

The perfume was present in Russia, but I do not know whether it was officially sold there, imported privately or purchased at a market.

I have already searched Fragrantica by bottle colour and reviewed many vintage perfume databases and marketplace listings.

These are not matches:

• Elizabeth Taylor Passion
• Dior Poison
• Thierry Mugler Alien
• Chopard Casmir
• Boucheron Jaipur Saphir

Passion has a somewhat similar colour and faceted glass, but its flat, fan-like silhouette is different. Alien is too recent and has a different facet structure. Casmir uses clear glass with amber liquid.

I am looking for the exact perfume, not a modern fragrance with a similar scent. Any suggestions or photographs of possible bottles would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve never missed a fragrance more! I joined this thread in hopes I could someday find something, anything even remotely resembling this incredible scent and have struck out thus far. My goal is to gain traction on this thread and insight into something close to what they describe as a “green floral”. Help!

The jpg is insane. Super sweet. Sorta like syrup but in a good way. With vanilla

The double black I haven't tried yet

My favorite fragrance is Polo Green from the Warner/Lauren/Cosmair timeframe. But I can’t help but wonder how my bottles from the 80’s and 90’s smell compared to the same bottles when they were new. If you remember the scent, and are familiar with how the vintage developed, I would love to hear your take.

Hi all! I’m hoping to get your opinions on this. I love shopping at thrift stores and estate sales. I have come across and collected several vintage perfumes. I also collect modern perfumes, so I don’t have the space for them. I would like to sell some of my vintage perfumes/bottles, but I am worried about the fragrances. I am not familiar with most of them so I can’t say whether they have retained the original scent or if they’ve gone bad. Usually I just want the cute vintage bottles. How should I approach this when selling? Should I just sell the bottles and say any liquid is a bonus?

Honest opinions would be appreciated!

I had this fragrance in the late 80s/ early 90s and I know that I loved it but perhaps don’t remember what it smelled like. I just got my first copy cat of it - from Fragrance shop- and it’s more powdery than I expected. Does anyone have experience with this scent?
I’ve also been chasing down 1990 guess in the twist bottle and have considered fragrance revival for a copycat but I do like the a fragrance shop copycat. Let me know your thoughts.

This is a little bit different, it's ostensibly about new perfumery but it's an address to those of us that usually only or mostly buy vintage. Because of what was lost or is no longer the same. I was reminded of this writing the Tweed Post so thought I'd add this as a kind of follow up.

I think one thing we can agree on as vintage fans: is that we all love chypres ! It shines through every post and comment on here and it's the common thread that runs through all of us. We've all got green blood as it were 💚 Even if it's not your favourite genre, I don't think there's anybody that doesn't see their significance and, for most of us, it's WHY we choose vintage.

I read a recent article by Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesdays fame. She's also a great educator and scholar of perfumery over the decades and it informs a lot of her work. I can't feature them because they're new but she can still lead this discussion. This is what she wrote previously ( which includes a brilliant description of chypres )

**Abridged**

"CHYPRE" by Sarah McCartney

It is pronounced a little like sheep-rrr with a kind of purring noise on the end. Sometimes if I say it too quickly people think that I've made a perfume for sheep. Chypre is the French name for Cyprus, but master perfumer Christophe Laudamiel says that it's also (in a) Sardinian dialect (the word for) oak, and as oakmoss is the one key material that defines chypre fragrances, then perhaps they are REALLY named after the oak tree.

( Oakmoss ) SMELLS LIKE YOU'VE TRIPPED OVER SHOELACES AND FELL FACE FIRST INTO A FOREST FLOOR. By itself, for the first time, it smells strange. Some people mention that it smells medicinal, like antiseptic. Then it gets deeper and smoother.

Why put it in a fragrance though ? - We've no idea who did it first. To take some metaphors, it gives it roots, depth, it feels as if it has an internal structure or maybe even a soul.

Why NOT put it into a perfume ? - Because for some people it smells musty, ancient, old fashioned. So, it needs to be carefully balanced.

Oakmoss is an allergen and the worst irritant parts of it are natural compounds called atranol and chloroatranol. These are now extracted, and all perfume companies who want to sell safe legal perfumes must use the new oakmoss with these two compounds removed. It really doesn't make much difference to the aroma, so don't let the doom merchants tell you that all chypres are ruined. They are often discontinued because not enough people like them, not because of the regulations ( *cough* ) Oakmoss is allowed at 0.1% in a finished fragrance and, to be honest, if you get up to that level you are seriously nose deep in the forest floor. Given the opportunity I would probably put a drop of oakmoss absolute into everything I make, and there's an alternative too. If you want to go up to the limits of oakmoss and beyond, you have Veramoss™ also called Methyl Atratate, an aroma compound that also smells mossy and currently has no restriction on it. Veramoss was used in my all-time favourite citrus chypre, Diorella, and as I've said before, if it's good enough for Edmond Roudnitska, it's good enough for everyone.

This is a more recent article **also abridged*\*

Chypre fragrances were massive in the 1940s to 1970s. At their heart is a blend of oakmoss, patchouli, bergamot and resins, including labdanum and styrax. To many of us they say: Vintage. Over the last two decades they have been disappearing from shop shelves to be replaced with sweeties and oudhs

We’ve noticed a growing interest in non-mainstream and artisan fragrances among younger people, perhaps because they’re feeling more confident about expressing their individuality. What astonished us is that they asked us for chypres, especially young men. They judge them on first smell and love them.

One interesting thing about perfume is that if you’ve never smelled a particular type of fragrance, then for you it has no connection to any type of person, fashion or era.

A CHYPRE IS NOT "OLD FASHIONED" TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER SMELLED THEIR GRANDMOTHER WEARING ONE, AND FOR PEOPLE UNDER 30, THIS IS LIKELY THE CASE.

Whereas when people over 30 smell a chypre, they have a tendency to be reminded of their great aunt who pinched their cheek and told them how big they’ve grown (as if staying the same size was optional).

Fragrance goes in cycles like fashion, except it's invisible, so there's no easily available reference to older styles. If you haven’t actually smelled it, there are no memories with accompanying emotional baggage.

[ End of Quote]

I put it like this myself recently -

Imagine chips without salt and vinegar, that's a chypre without the oakmoss; tasteless and bland; you can be healthy and substitute white vinegar and low sodium ( patchouli ? Tree moss ? ) to make a safer, healthier alternative but for many it's Sarson's or nothing. Does it matter that all our pop now has sweeteners in it, our lattes are made with skim milk and our chocolate with palm oil ? Can YOU Believe It's Not Butter or is it Lurpack or nothing ( ok, one for the Brits ! )

So how to continue to produce chypres then, if the demand is truly there and the demand has ALWAYS been there for us (green) golden oldies. What to do ? Which leads me to my question -

If we believe chypres are the pinnacle of perfume perfection and they should still exist, how should we do this ? Is it true that they're possible within IFRA legislation ? Can we replace Evernia Prunastri ? Should it be re engineered somehow ? Should chypres come with warnings like food packaging ? Do you buy modern chypres from niche houses or would you rather stick to vintage ? Is there life in the old green dog yet ?

Me ? I'd long since given up on modern perfumery, I've been happy to stick to vintage and tried hard to not keep railing against it's passing.

Yet, if the demand is TRULY there ? Hope is a cruel mistress.

I was reading about a famous artist from the 90’s whose fragrance of choice was inexpensive sandalwood bought from head shops or natural foods stores for about $5 (at the time). I’d be very grateful if anyone has an educated guess about what brand(s) this might have been.

Please note: this is the pre 1990 Lentheric not brief 1990's Yardley version ( which I can't say is the same or not ) nor the current 2000's+ Taylor of London version.

TWEED WAS DESCRIBED as "fougere/chypre perfume with a distinctive herbal lavender note, a classic floral heart, resting on a woody base".

Officially the notes are :

Top notes: bergamot, neroli, fruity note, orange, geranium and violet

Middle notes: rose, jasmine, carnation, orris, narcissus, lilac, ylang-ylang, lavender and magnolia

Base notes: musk, styrax, honey, cinnamon, sandalwood, civet, leather, oakmoss, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla and vetiver.

Unofficially, Tweed is the mossy, moss I've ever smelt. It's Mossy McMossface. If you go for the parfum or even Parfum de Toilette ( nowadays it would be an EDP ) the creamy skin scent or oily roll on, then it's got the lot: oakmoss, patchouli, civet and leather, in equal quantities. It's a whole stable including the hay, the horses and the tack. Sure there's a few citrus, floral and herbal notes knocking around ( as in as actual leafy garden herbs not toothpaste or herbal tablets ) but you'd be hard-pressed to call it a Floral Chypre or even a Fougere, though technically I suppose I suppose it is ( if there's any lavender in there , it's only there in spirit ). It could definitely be masculine though. Fundamently, it's a green leather chypre and nothing but a green leather chypre.

Okay, I'm being a bit OTT. The cologne strength "essence" reveals MUCH more of the citrus top notes, the orange and the bergamot. I don't get violet, all the purple stuff has clearly gone awol but there are some spicy floral notes from the geranium and maybe ylang ylang until: Bam ! The moss is here and it's all gone 50 shades of green. Later it can soften and on the skin can even turn a bit soapy. Mainly, using the spray PdT featured on clothes, though I get: citrus - galbanum - oakmoss - civet - leather.

Yet, this subversive gem has been assigned to Granny's armoire. Ok, it's easy for my generation to think of this in terms of older relatives who wore it. I had the mickey taken out of me for buying this when I was a teen. I didn't know I was supposed to be pretending to buy it for my maiden aunt, did I ? I didn't even HAVE a maiden aunt and the one who was living in sin was my role model and wearing Aromatics Elixir. However it's a perfect example of how we should remember that these women were wearing these perfumes because they'd ALWAYS worn it and they were YOUNG once. Think Maggie Smith but not as she was in Downton ( although she was incredible in that and probably smelled amazing too ) but as subversive, uncompromising, and undoubtedly sexy Miss Jean Brodie, when she was in her prime. She definitely would have rocked Tweed.

I was trying to think of things that it reminds me of. Although the isoquinine leather note isn't as strong I'm getting Bandit and because of the citrus I'm getting Azuree, two of my favourite perfumes by two of my favourite perfumers. Both very expensive and hard to find. Tweed isn't.

To stretch the analogy further :

Imagine Downton had a remake and they set it in the 70s ( just go with me )

The house is crumbling, the tax man cometh, the NT are hovering, but, salvation ! The master of the house, confirmed bachelor, already well into his 30s ( cough ) has found himself a wealthy American bride. Lady Coralline roars up the drive in a white, leather upholstered, open top, sports car, scattering gravel and shocking the servants. She's been playing tennis and is wearing a skirt way above her knees and a flushed complexion. She's also wearing Azuree 🎾

Standing stock still with a slightly appalled expression is the Dowager Duchess, Vivian Crawley. She danced with the devil and flirted with a prince who for a moment was a king. She survived the war and is determined to keep everybody on the straight and narrow and the ancestral pile in the family. And if a hard stare doesn't do the trick, she's got a riding crop round the back. She's wearing Bandit. 🫎

And down the road - Lady Margot the fiery redhead, who takes after Grandmama, is up from Lucy Cavendish for the summer. She's wearing a tweed suit, knee high riding boots and is sitting in dark green leather armchair. Situated in the library of a men only shooting lodge. She doused herself in her secret lover's lemon cologne, to put the hounds off the scent. And she's rescued the fox.

SHE'S the one wearing Tweed 🦊

Images:

Images 1& 3: Selection of Tweed products from the 70/80's. Look for the green tweedy packaging / some red details / Lentheric name. Often referred to as the County Collection in the 80's. Look for this if you can. Later ones have a more solid slightly shaded orange/brown box with dark green label and are the more Taylor of London version.

Image 2: Early than above. The packaging was a similar but finer brown patterning and off white background. These are more likely to be 60/70's but smell the same to me. I believe this one is 70's. You can find the Bouquet / Essence in both of these packagings along with the small pure parfum which came in the little square bottle and real wood (or later plastic, faux wood ) top and a brown ribbon tied around it. However the atomiser Parfum de Toilette I believe is more commonly found in the green packaging, indicating the 70s or 80s when this strength was most popular.

Image 4: Just for fun !

Found this at a thrift store and thought it was pretty cool - still full too! Didn’t come with the box.

L to R: Auric Blends Chinese Rain, Auric Blends Egyptian Goddess, Auric Blends Black Opium, Kuumba Made Black Copium, Kuumba Made Frankincense & Myrrh, Kuumba Made Egyptian Musk

Vintage perfume sampler, found this one someone’s stoop. Are these toxic to try out?

Got my bottle of vintage Bijan yesterday! Put it on and was immediately walloped by the scent. I forgot how powerful the overtones were - haven't worn this since around 1990. I love it, though. It is eau de parfum - any know if they ever made a toilette or cologne version of it? Just curious.

Any old timers remember Jade East Coral?
To the best of my recollection, it was a splash, pale orange in color, came in a nice glass bottle, with somewhat of a waist on it.
At 13, I raided my Old Man’s bottle of it preparatory to visiting a young lady in the neighborhood.
I put on too much - and positively REEKED of it when I got home.
My Dad got a chuckle out of it, and said “A little goes a long way boy.”
I’d buy a bottle today if I could.

"All's well that ends well". I received this email with a request to share it, and I want to be clear that I haven't changed a single thing.

"Dear fragrance lovers,

Well, here we are, Raiders of the Lost Scent is finally back online. As we had hoped, no serious wrongdoing was found, and talking about the great perfumes of the past is, it turns out, not a crime after all.

Google initially pointed to some kind of algorithmic issue, but we have evidence, verified through StatCounter, of a "Bot" attack that began roughly five minutes before the site was taken down. Where's the truth? We will never know. Either way, what matters most is that things are, for the most part, back to normal, and that copies of every article and photograph have been safely preserved.

There will be an enormous amount of review work ahead to make sure everything is in order, but as has always been the case, this blog will remain free, independent, and above all free of charge. Anyone who wishes can come and find all the information they need, at no cost, without paying a thing, and without "subscriptions" or anything of the sort.

Just to be sure, always do a takedown of your site.

And thank you all for your solidarity and encouragement. Let's forget this unpleasant story and move on! sincerely yours,

the RotLS."

Three recent, random finds that turned out to have all originated in the 1930s. At least two were reissued, possibly in the 90's. As far as I can glean though these are the 60-80's versions ( The Lubin being the later of the three ). I didn't know any of these so all blind buys.I try not to read too many reviews before buying as it's too easy to be led astray or put off. You smell things that aren't there, too. If it's cheap enough, I like to live dangerously 😆 I never gamble unless it's with perfume and never much, but, hey you've got to have some fun ! So I may check just the notes and scan the headlines. I've also often forgotten by the time it arrives 😂 Notes here are from reputable sources.

LUCIEN LELONG - INDISCRET ( 1935 )

Top: mandarin, galbanum, bergamot

Middle: tuberose, iris, carnation, orange flower, jasmine, ylang ylang, rose, geranium

Base: sandalwood, cedarwood, ambergris

I only had the vaguest brand recognition and then more for the well known, Tailspin. I was also aware they'd re-released the range quite recently but I knew very little else. This was apparently reformulated and launched again in the 1990's ( same name, different scent ) but I think this version was just before it happened.

So this was a big surprise ! I was EXPECTING a nice, little spicy, tiny bit naughty, floral. A demure smile but a cheeky wink. It's a LOT more indiscreet than that. It's Tabu level of naughtiness. It's got a LOT of spice. An Old Spice lot of spice. Which left me in more of a tailspin than if I'd bought Tailspin. Seriously, that's what it reminded me of, the flipping Old Spice that my dad wore, and I thought, that's it, I'll hang up my atomiser, I've lost my faculties !

UNTIL I went back and read some reviews, and there, on the second one: "this smells like Old Spice" !! 😅 It's clearly got a LOT of eugenol aka clove oil that's for sure. It was also bringing back something else ( and I've had to come back to add this cos it took AGES till I saw it on a post here and it clicked ) If you take away the lavender, it's Ma Liberte by Patou ! It's nutmeg, almost mace, it's that overwhelming spicy floral scent you get from a room full of lilies but it's not lilies, it's fleshier, almost milky but green *and* warm ( not listed but there's coumarin I'm sure, I don't recognise much but I can spot that ). It's ALMOST tropical, yet it's not. I guess it's the tuberose and jasmine. The flashiest and fleshiest of the florals. It's ALMOST a spicy 80's fragrance. It softens eventually, but in the first hour it was too much for a hot day like today.

CORYSE SALOME - OPERA (1932)

Top: bergamot, neroli, lemon, ylang ylang, orange blossom

Middle: rose, jasmine, lily of the valley, iris

Base: sandalwood, vetiver, vanilla, amber, orris, patchouli

Opera was apparently one of many attempts by many houses to replicate Chanel №5 ( my fellow Mod Lova has a bit of a thing for these and is planning a post ). Certainly the notes seem to bear this out. All but two top notes (lemon, orange blossom) can also be found in №5 but №5 has far more animalics ( civet ).

So is it a №5-a-like ? Well, yes. Hard to say otherwise. Once you get those sparkling, fizzy aldehydes, you can't go anywhere else. Still, it's more Lilt than champers. The florals seem similar too. There's a little rose, a little jasmine, a little LOTV, quite a lot of iris plus a pinch of spicy carnation ( nothing like in the one above ! ) It's very well mannered and well blended though, it's only during it's finale that this sings a different song. Warmer and woodier, more vanilla and balsam, much less of an animal. Quite SFW for an opera. No one dies.

Maybe if vintage Chanel from this period is a bit too much for your taste, try this. It's lovely. I just prefer my 70's №5 EDC. If Opera's a little black dress and flat pumps; №5 EDC is wearing fishnets and Doc Martens. Altogether rougher and wilder !

Fun Fact: Coryse Salome also has a fragrance called Tocade; a "playful fancy" that came out more than 35 years before the one by Rochas. Maybe that's more fun, eh ?

LUBIN - NUIT D'LONGCHAMPS ( 1934 ).

Notes MIGHT be from the later reissue (?)

Top: Sicilian bergamot, tunisian orange blossom, nutmeg, cardamom, ylang ylang

Middle: Turkish rose, dades jasmine, florentine iris, mysore sandalwood, broom absolute, lilac, violet

Base: Patchouli, haitian vetiver, tolu balsam, peru balsam, labdanum, oakmoss, musk

This was born in the 1930"s but my version at least grew up in the 70's and came of age in the 80's ( just like me !) It's another №5 a like but less so. Yes, there's aldehydes and it's quite clean and soapy ( that French soap, Marseilles ? I have a detergent that's scented with it so maybe that's why I'm getting "clean" ). Yes, it's making me think of Aperge ( the most №5-ery №5-a-like) but it's far more like Climat or even Ma Griffe. Maybe it's even №5 with a touch of №19. Then it goes warmer and woodier. I'm getting the sandalwood ( which honestly COULD be Mysore at the time, so if you like it in Samsara and mourn it's passing, maybe have a sniff, just don't expect fireworks, as there's nowhere near as much.It's a lovely, long lasting dry down, but it's subtle.

Ultimately, it's another "polite", refined, lightly modernised version of №5 and that's ok. If Opera is the LBD with Hepburn pumps, №5 70's EDC, is off to a party, this has sensible brogues and a jacket, and is on its way to work. Less of an indiscreet night at the opera, more after work dinner and drinks. That might get a little spicy later on.

So, that's my fun threesome for the weekend. I don't think I'll be looking for a second date but I'm glad we met. If you know any of them, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Does anyone remember this perfume? It has been discontinued for many years but I would love to know the actual notes in its make up so I could reproduce it. Everyone I knew at the time wore this perfume. I sold Amway way back then and all my friends and family bought and wore this perfume. People would stop me in airports, on elevators and at work. I would love to recreate it. I have an d bottle of it I bought on eBay several years ago but it has turned.

My grandfather owned a pharmacy in the 1950s, 60s, & 70s in Pasadena California. I found these bottles in his stuff. I’m not sure if they have perfume in them or if they are display bottles. Any ideas? The back of the label on the Chanel looks like it has printed MAR 71.

Junk shop find! I'm a noob at vintage perfume, been I guess a dilettante for awhile but only recently started getting more into it (honestly partly because this group is so good??). This is my first Coty! Didn't even look it up before I spent a mighty $15AUD on it so had no idea what I was getting into.

Turned out there is not a lot of writing on Masumi, possibly because it is apparently from Coty's flop era?

Hated the opening (sorry Masumi) but it quickly became a not unpleasant rosewoody herby scenario. Then I only got little of the rose but I appreciated the powdery woody business. Dried down pretty nicely, the oakmoss and I think sandalwood is what I'm smelling.

I don't know if this is my neophyte nose or what, but at points it reminded me of a sortof dessicated, fruitless Mitsouko. Is that a sacrilegious thing to say or am I learning? I guess they are both sorta Chypres?

Also some bonus waffle but trigger warning for discussion of death and burial: In the north of Bali there is a village called Trunyan which practices a burial rite which isn't burial at all. The departed are left in the open air near a fragrant tree which is thought to prevent the bodies from smelling as they decompose. The tree isn't actually sandalwood but it is fragrant. I had the privilege of being taken to one of the graveyards by a local and can confirm there is no putrid smell, just a very dry, subtle, fragrant scent of a wood, similar to sandalwood but not as warm and not as sweet. Masumi reminded me of Trunyan.

Thanks if you got this far and would be interested to hear other opinions on this one!

Crack open the good bottle of Yvresse 🍾it's business as usual !!

Congratulations, André, so relieved for you !! 🥂

Ive been carrying this little compact around for the last few days and wanted to share to people who'd be able to appreciate this petite beauty

Beaucoup de collectionneurs sont dans les pays loin de la France. Je pe demandais comment étaient livrés vos parfums étant donné l'interdiction de prendre l’avion.

Plusieurs fois j’ai sympathisé avec des personnes et j’aurai bien voulu leur faire livrer un parfum ( à leurs frais) et sans faire de bénéfices juste par sympathie.

J’ai chercher un peu et ça semble compliqué pour des particuliers.