Favorite Vintage Perfumes

[Laura Chase]

Do any of you know/ use the perfume arpege?
I was browsing the web for some more unusual/mysterious vintage perfumes and came across this one. However, it is rather expensive and I don't normally like buying perfumes without trying them first. The only problem is that there is nowhere near me that sells vintage perfumes, so online stores are my only option.
I was therefore wondering if any of you ladies think it is worth buying? (Or if it smells absolutley vile? lol )

Where in the UK do you live? Lanvin's Arpège is a quite classic, popular scent, I've seen in in most stores here in Copenhagen, so most larger cities in the UK should have a store that carries it. Or are you only looking for the original vintage Arpège?

It's definitely an interesting scent and worth a try. My first impression of it was nice, but I don't own it myself yet. It's difficult to say how it would work on you, you just need to sample it. You can easily order a small samle from The Perfumed Court, that way you can try it out without dishing out too much. You can even buy a sample of the original vintage formula.

Oh, btw, the bottle is simply stunning, reminiscent of greek red-figure pottery. Gold figures on black lacquer background. I'd buy it just for that.

The original vintage bottle, according to Perfume Shrine

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

I've complained before that Chanel #5 turns to baby powder scent on me, but I recently found Prada's Infusion d'Iris and I think it might be my substitute! Smells light, so it's more of a summer scent, but for some reason it isn't flowery. I hate flowery scents! It's nice and complex, not sweet.

 

[Foofoogal]

I have started a new collection of tiny and little glass perfume bottles for one of my grandaughters. I have quite a few already and this thread is inspiring me more.

 

[Lillemor]

Fragrances smell different from person to person and some unfortunate people will experience that the same fragrance (without reformulation - I strongly dislike Tom Ford!fftopic: ) will smell differently on them at different times. What season you wear a fragrance in might make a difference too. So Arpege might work for you but not for me and it may smell like a day fragrance on some but be more of an occassion fragrance on others. Some may be able to wear it year round and others will find that it smells best on them at certain times of the year.

There are several online fragrance shops. I haven't tried any yet but I want to buy some miniature sets so I can shift around more frequently and get a real feel for a fragrance before I buy it.

 

[imported_miss_molly]

Laura Chase and Lillemor, thank you so much for your advice, it has been very helpful. Laura Chase: I live out in the sticks a bit, but I will definitely have a proper look around next time i go shopping! Once again, thank you both!

 

[La Julia]

oh, interesting replies.

I can't have enough perfumes!

 

[Laura Chase]

I tried Narcisse Blanc (Caron) and it was like the Noir, just without the animalic notes. I'm getting used to the animalic notes that my skin brings out of Narcisse Noir, but if you cannot get used to it, Naricsse Blanc is a great alternatice. Very nice scent!

 

[ShrinkingViolet]

I just discovered these solid perfumes from Infiore - they seem really practical yet luxurious to carry around. Neroli and jasmine are two of my favourite notes, but does anyone know what Oud is?

 

[DancingSweetie]

I purchased some Fracas at Sephora and I really like it. It is very gardenia which I love. I wasn't as impressed with the Chanel Gardenia, and Joy is still my favorite.

 

[Laura Chase]

Shrinking Violet, I can't wait to try the scents you got from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab!

I just got my Jicky sample, and oh wow, the civet here is much more flattering on me than the one in Narcisse Noir! My impression is that the civet is more integrated with all the other scents. Jicky is much more citrusy fresh and not as sweet as Narcisse Noir, and I think these things lift the civet up and make it less sickening - on me, anyway. All the woody notes make it very, very unisex, which I really like. Lovely!

 

[ShrinkingViolet]

Dancing Sweetie, how long-wearing is Fracas on you? I have a sample of it, and while I love it to bits it only lasts about 10 minutes on me! Maybe it's a new formula. I was a bit disappointed with Chanel Gardenia, it didn't seem very vintage-y to me. Just sweet fluffiness like many contemporary scents. Did they change the original formula?

Laura Chase, I believe there's a BPAL thread floating around here somewhere. I'll post some reviews there.

 

[Emer]

Sorry if I go a bit fftopic: but does anyone know if you can get samples of some of the more vintage perfumes online? We live in the high desert and the stores near by don't always carry the brands I'm looking for (Macy's of all places, and I'd kill to have a Sephora within 2 hours of me). Call me cheap but I don't want to spend $40 on perfume only to find I don't like it. Plus I'm really bad at figuring out the scents by the "top notes" and such so I'm a bit helpless unless I can sniff it.

 

[Lareesie Ladavi]

Sorry if I go a bit fftopic: but does anyone know if you can get samples of some of the more vintage perfumes online? We live in the high desert and the stores near by don't always carry the brands I'm looking for (Macy's of all places, and I'd kill to have a Sephora within 2 hours of me). Call me cheap but I don't want to spend $40 on perfume only to find I don't like it. Plus I'm really bad at figuring out the scents by the "top notes" and such so I'm a bit helpless unless I can sniff it.

I don't blame you. I wouldn't put anything on that I haven't smelled first. I find most old perfmes stink...just me maybe. They are just too strong.

My mom use to wear Chantilly and Emeraude and I never liked them, I felt they made her smell older than she is. Monroe may have liked Chanel, but I can't hack it. With that said, everyones' smeller is different. I know that Emeraude and Chantilly can be found in any drug store.

Where in San Bernardino are you? I'm in Riverside.

 

[Laura Chase]

Sorry if I go a bit fftopic: but does anyone know if you can get samples of some of the more vintage perfumes online? We live in the high desert and the stores near by don't always carry the brands I'm looking for (Macy's of all places, and I'd kill to have a Sephora within 2 hours of me). Call me cheap but I don't want to spend $40 on perfume only to find I don't like it. Plus I'm really bad at figuring out the scents by the "top notes" and such so I'm a bit helpless unless I can sniff it.

Try http://theperfumedcourt.com/

 

[Tourbillion]

I just discovered these solid perfumes from Infiore - they seem really practical yet luxurious to carry around. Neroli and jasmine are two of my favourite notes, but does anyone know what Oud is?

Yes, I have an oud perfume from another perfumer. It is an expensive oil from India, but popular in the Arab world. Here's the Wikipedia on it:

Agarwood (or just Agar) is the resinous heartwood from Aquilaria trees, large evergreens native to southeast Asia. The trees occasionally become infected with mold and begin to produce an aromatic resin in response to this attack. As the infection grows, it results in a very rich, dark resin within the heartwood.

The resin is commonly called gaharu, jinko, aloeswood, agarwood, or oud (not to be confused with 'Bakhoor') and is valued in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, and thus is used for incense and perfumes.

It isn't a scent for everyone. It is a woody scent, similar to sandalwood or patchouli, but honestly, it is less pleasant and more masculine. To me, it is almost medicinal, but once I've worn it for a hour or so, it is okay and I like it. I have "oudh roses" or something like that, and it is feminine enough, but if you are looking for a nice floral, keep looking.

 

[MissAmelina]

Ouds are YUMMY....I know the rose one you are talking about.
They work really well with my body chemistry. But I like anything with incense. My favorite right now is Chanel....Bois Des Iles. On me, it is all temple spice incense with a hint of powder.
I know that is a simple description, but I find it intoxicating. I do like the Arpege too, but it can be a bit much on me. I need to be careful with application. But that Chanel! Oh! I could bathe in it.

 

[ShrinkingViolet]

I love all the wordings in this thread, so evocative and sensual!

Thanks for your honest opinion, Tourbillon. While Oud sounds alluring, especially paired with neroli, I'm not big on woody notes (yet). I might have to get one of those get-to-know kits from the Perfumed Court website.

 

[SassyLindaB]

I also recently saw L'Air Du Temps by Nina Ricci at TJ Maxx. I remember my grandmother having the empty bottle from that on her dresser, so I know it would be at least from the 1960's, maybe older.
I would love to hear what your favorits are and also a description of the sent.

I wear L'Air Du Temps, I have done for about 20 years after being given a sample package when I promoted it in a department store.
I also wear Byzance and have worn Oscar De La Renta and Opium...LDT is a long time fave though

 

[Miss RM]

Oh, I wish I could wear the vintage fragrances! My mother wears *only* Chanel No. 5, but every time she does I have to flee the room. To my nose, it's always smelled like gasoline and makes me violently ill. I was able to smell it properly only once. I commented on how nice Mom's perfume was, and she looked at me like I was mental! I have some sort of allergy to vintagy perfume ingredients, but that one day, I was able to see why No. 5 is appealing! I must've taken my Sudafed because it smelled quite lovely!

I have these two bottles of perfume from Grandma's house. They smell terrific for about 30 seconds, and then I have to go lie down. Even just taking them out of storage to take this photo gave me a migraine :-/

My favourite perfume is Perry Ellis 360, originally released in 1994. Soooo vintage

 

[zaphiromoda]

I'm new around here but have been reading with interest. I actually wear Emeraude all day, every day and layer other scents over the top depending on my mood. It is my understanding that the original Emeraude scent was reformulated at a later date (around the 50's) but I do like it. It is a vile green color though. I use a vintage bohemian glass atomizer. This means that I need to break the top of the bottle sometimes if I can't release the crimp.