Je Reviens (1932)
by Worth

Top notes are aldehydes, orange blossom, jasmine, ylang-ylang, bergamot and lemon; middle notes are narcissus, lilac, orris root, hiacynth, cloves, ylang-ylang, rose and narcissus; base notes are sandalwood, tonka bean, amber, musk, violet, oakmoss, vetiver and incense.

It does seem that the best ideas in life are the simplest. Je Reviens seems to confirm this theory, with its simple concept of creating an aldehydic, floral accord then providing the momentum to maintain it through to the end. The additional notes merely bolster what has already been achieved, and if anything, this gets richer and smoother with every passing hour. I am lead to believe by people who have been using this for decades that this is significantly inferior to the version sold until the late sixties, and if that is true, I can only imagine what a wonderful treasure that vintage fragrance must be,

I bought a .5 oz. bottle of Je Reviens parfum blind. There was no place to test it around here. Too bad because I wouldn't have bought it if I'd tried it first. It's made in England now, by the way, or that's what the box says. I was a bit disappointed because I wore this in the 70's when it was still nice. This bottle is ok - I don't know which year's reformulated version it is, that all gets so confusing. I don't smell violet, but maybe I do, violets tricky for me. I get the spicy, sweet, narcotic narcissus and the vetiver, the rest is all a jumble to my nose (as I'm not good at picking out notes). I will use this bottle up eventually. It isn't awful. It's just not as nice as it once was, like comparing grocery store tomatoes in winter to the memory of home grown heritage ones last summer. It's pleasant but thin, something lacking in base where it should spread out. I'll probably try the more recent Couture version. If I don't like that one, then I'll give up. I might as well have gone for the $12 edt and put it in the fridge as recommended below!

This is the only perfume that I opened it and used the entire bottle without a break. Perfectly balanced for me. Wore it everywhere, without hesitation.

this is in fact clean and crisp, and well done, but to me, it reminds me of furniture polish (in fact it is a bot woody, but not in a dark way, plus some powder and flowers). I understand it is a classic but i can't wear it, no matter what.

Aldehydic / floral opening which carries a lot of presence: This is certainly not a modern fragrance — but it’s a classic. I agree that for a while it is reminiscent of Channel No. 5, but that feeling didn’t last long in me. Because of the strong violet (which I dislike) the fragrance seems more simplistic and linear than it probably is. Within twenty minutes, the stronger original accords subsided, along with the intensity of the aldehydes; the fragrance has become an extremely pleasant floral bouquet. There’s lots of powder in the drydown along with a well-done sandalwood and a substantial moss. The drydown is delicate and refined and quite long lasting. Je Reviens has all the characteristics of a classic. It is a well-made fragrance but my dislike of violet makes my vote a neutral.

I bought this as a cologne when I was 15 and hoped that the quality of the light, etheral and certainly not corporal scent would signify that I was a young woman of quality myself.

The opening notes faded quickly but the base scent held true for hours.

I would wear it again if I wanted to remember but not necesarily to be remembered. The competition these days wields a heavier blow than little Je Reviens.