Chimere (1980)
by Prince Matchabelli

I used up a small bottle of this 'drugstore cheapie' in my late teens. While I couldn't recall the fragrance itself, the mere sight of Chimere's distinctive bottle sparked yearnings to smell it again.

So, I was very excited to get, as part of a job lot, a couple of mls of EDC in the original bottle! The scent was still fresh and instantly recognisable (but no particular memories from the '80s came flooding back, unfortunately).

Tourmaline was spot-on in her note description of Chimere, but my assessment of this fragrance is not so harsh. I don't mind that there's some sweetness to take the edge off the chypre accord. Chimere smells a little plasticky at first, but when that settles, the citrus notes come to the fore and are actually very nice against a background of patchouli and perhaps a touch of incense.

Overall, this is a subtle and quite pleasant fragrance which shouldn't embarrass you in public.

24th September, 2011.

This is a chypre from 1980, and it really straddles the line between the dry, bitter, classic chypres of the 70s and before, and the fruity-florals of the 80s; there is a chypre citrus note up top, but it is slighly sweet (as if there is some grapefruit or sweet mandarin among the bergamot), and off-puttingly so for this classic chypre lover. Composed of a cheap floral heart and dying down to a dusty, nondescript moss/woods base, this is a fairly bland, mediocre scent and it's no wonder that it did not succeed.

10th February, 2011. (Last Edited: 2nd December, 2011.)

This smells like the epitome of musty-old-lady perfume.

13rd January, 2007.