Blue Grass (1934)
by Elizabeth Arden

This is a very simple and pleasurable creation, only marred by a brief but unpleasant phase in the opening, and an uninspired base. The aldehyde presence is not pronounced, yet it gives the top notes a cleansed, somewhat astringent feel. Some minutes in, an excessively dry and bitter note is discernable, that is slightly jarring and out of place. This strident accord seems to be a combination of rose and carnation, but it is only at the peak of its intensity that it feels excessive. Thereafter, Blue Grass softens considerably, and the emergent tuberose is allowed to provide a slightly sweet,almond hue. I would have preferred a more robust and woody base, but the notes beyond the heart offer very little of interest. For me, this is on the cusp of thumbs up and neutral, but the weak finish ensures that I should probably mark it down.

Aww, I WANT to love it, the whole package is so charming. It opens with lots of powder and aldehydes and jasmine, and pretty much continues in this vein, minus all the aldehydes, and growing all the more powdery. I get only jasmine, and I suppose tuberose, no other flowery notes. The first 15 minutes are too powerful, then there's a grace period of minutes where it's charming, then it's too powdery all the way. It is in the Je Reviens style, but Je Reviens is WAY more successful and refined. This one seems... hmm... well, 'cheap' in the sense that I'd prefer it diluted as a refreshing spray. But diluted a LOT.

My guesses as to the notes were- jasmine, gardenia, tuberose and powder. It is quite sweet and powdery and smells like my 80+ year old granny's White Shoulders. I like it on her, but could never pull it off. It actually has a pleasant drydown, clean skin. Still, its quite old fashioned and the first sniff may knock your socks off.

I used Blue Grass in college, but not much. I bought it again at Marshall's this past fall and remembered why it wasn't worn much. It makes my throat sore and my nose itch and burn. It might smell good, but I can't get past the allergic reaction. Don't know what aldehyde or tonka are, so maybe one of those is the culprit! All of the Elizabeth Arden scents bother my nose and throat. It would be interesting to see if they share a common base.

I did love blue Grass a few yrs ago, but one winter I had a respiratory infection and wore perfume a little too soon, yes, it was this one. I couldn't wear it again. Was at a college orientation in january and all the people in the room... me being sick... Blue grass perfume permeating my breathing space.... just couldn't wear it again although it was a pretty scent.

With Blue Grass I get a herbal / floral opening with lots of aldehydes. I enjoy the aldehydes and the growing indoles. There already is a strong powder in the opening accord. It’s quite nice in rather an old fashioned way. The jasmine and tuberose from the heart accord come rather strongly – a bit too strongly for me. It is probably the tuberose that I find gets rather cloying – I never have trouble with jasmine. Between these two florals, there is certainly some serious indole action happening. I don’t smell the rose or the carnation at all, just the white florals. After the aldehydes and indoles wear off and the white florals settle down, I become aware of why the fragrance was named as it is: The drydown is quite grassy and a bit floral with some sweetness, wood, and a lot of musk. The grassiness would contribute a very nice rustic, herbalness to the floral drydown if it weren’t for the continuing presence of the powder. The powder is extreme, and while I didn’t mind it at first, it eventually gets disproportionate. I enjoy this fragrance except for the powder – I don’t always have a problem with powder, but in Blue Grass it gets too much for me.