Thanks to the wonderful Kafkaesque, I have been led down another obsessional and dangerous path….that of vintage perfumes. A few months back, Kafkaesque sent me a wonderful selection of perfumes to include some great vintage scents. Of course that led me to want to try more…and then more…and then soon enough I’m trolling eBay for the next great buy. The great thing about finding some of these vintage fragrances is that you can typically find some of the more common, unopened and in the box. And you typically can find a smaller size so while you are blind buying… or taking a chance on whether the juice is still good, you don’t have to break the bank. As these fragrances are vintage, I hope I can tell if the fragrance is still good… but so far I have not been disappointed. Also, since the fragrance are vintage, I’m not going to modify my review format a bit and won’t be giving them a bone rating. Why? If I did that, then everyone would be hunting down these jewels and the next time I go on eBay I wont’ be able to find them. 🙂
YSATIS – Vintage Parfum
This is the one that started it all…
WHAT I SMELL: Ysatis isn’t shy. When the juice hits your skin it’s like opening a big waxy honeyed floral bouquet. It’s thick and over the top and for me, mixed so beautifully that I can’t really pick apart the notes besides the heady ylang-ylang. The flower power never wains, but it increasingly becomes warmer and creamier as it radiates off your skin. About 15 minutes there is a slight civit note added to a bit of spice which gives the fragrance a bit of sex. Yes, I think this is a very sexy fragrance. I don’t just love smelling it, I want to consume it. I bought 2 5ml bottles a few weeks ago and one is almost drained. I will be buying more without question.
Ysatis Notes from Fragrantica:
The top notes are citrus, ylang-ylang, galbanum, coconut, rose wood, and aldehydes. The heart notes are jasmine, rose, iris, tuberose and narcissus. The base notes are musk, amber, vanilla, vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood and civet.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A giant flower bomb!
GIVENCHY III – Vintage Parfum
WHAT I SMELL: A blast of aldehydes and oak moss give this a bright, green and mossy opening. It’s citrus, bergamot and head spinningly sparkly without being sweet. The oakmoss almost has an incense quality in the background, but it’s more dusty than pure incense. There are so many floral notes that are mixed together in harmony, but it’s not overtly floral, but instead when sniffed it breathes a green and floral stem like life to a beautiful and warm flower arrangement. As it develops it takes on more patchouli and amber and it remains intoxicatingly beautiful. Fragrantica classifies Givenchy III as a Chypre Floral. I get the chypre and the floral, but if I would have read that without trying this I would have thought this to be sweeter. Instead it never blasts off from its initial sparkle, but then winds down to a warm and cozy hug. My one regret is that Givenchy III doesn’t last as long as I would like it to and eventually after a couple hours it all but disappears but for a little soapy ending. No problem though, I’ll just apply more.
Givenchy III notes from Fragrantica:
The perfume opens with aldehydes with bergamot, mandarin, galbanum, peach and gardenia. The heart includes lily of the valley, hyacinth, rose, jasmine and iris root, while the base carries patchouli, oakmoss, amber and sandalwood
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: 1978
WHAT I SMELL: No. 3 had the harshest and most odd opening I have experienced in a long time. It didn’t last but for a few seconds, but it smelled like rubbing iodine. Thankfully, very quickly No. 3 turns into magnolia sweetened by sunshiny lemons. Eventually, this bright and lemony sweet magnolia starts blending with the peony and musk which gives it a bit more of a warmer feel. This isn’t great, but it’s not horribly bad either. However, I think it could become headache inducing. The smell of magnolia can go a long way.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Lemon Pledge …no, make that Parfum Lemon Pledge because it’s just slightly better that regular Lemon Pledge!
The Scented Hound 