Catalyst (1993)
by Halston

this is for pure perfume. Sweet cloying and nostalgic with violet Jasmine sandalwood and oakmoss. I do not anything green. I do not prefer to wear these old style, old lady scents but this one is better than many.

Potent to be sure: Catalyst has an impressive list of florals—jonquil, tuberose, rose, jasmine, lily of the valley, violet; but it is also well represented green notes—galbanum, chamomile, and herbs. I get a tiny bit of dissonance at first but it is rather hard to pursue because the power of the opening overwhelms the individual combinations. After that collision of the notes in the opening, things settle down to a catching floral / green accord that holds on through the heart notes into the drydown. The jasmine is the star of this fragrance as far as I’m concerned: I usually get strong indole notes during and immediately after the opening. For the base I get a solid oakmoss and musk made lighter by a clean patchouli. Catalyst starts out potently, but quickly moves to a normal strength. It is an excellent scent, it has great longevity, and it is very reasonably priced.

oo I like it! It's in between the super potent & hard to wear Narcisse Noir, and the oh so sweet vavoom ones like Boucheron. I like both of those, but not for everyday wear. Opening clear orangey sandalwood, heart is yummy complex but so smooth chypre, comfy.. not overly sweet or girly, base is a little softer. Not too overpowering sillage. All the notes get to play in this beautiful blend, and I like how the orangey smell keeps peeking out. What does Jonquil smell like?! It comes in a nice swirly blossom bottle, easy on the wallet too.