Fragrance Reviews by Femme

(AN EDITED VERSION - CORRECTED SOME OF THE TYPOS AND STYLISTIC FAUX-PAS.)

I wasn't even going to review "4711" - but after seeing so many puzzlingly negative reviews I just HAD to.
Frankly, reading some of the those reviews I started to wonder whether those who didn't like it - and some even cited "synthetic" tones (?) - actually smelled the real thing... (I hear there ARE counterfeit "4711" around.)

And what relevance does the price have? A few of the most disgusting concoctions I've ever smelled were listed (quite accurately) among the most expensive perfumes in history.

Speaking of history... Yes, it was made in the 18th century - which to me, a history lover, is a great plus (you're actually accessing that TIME through the limbic system!) - but it's every bit as modern as any perfume today, and MUCH more than any of the fin-de-siecle perfumes ("L'Origan", "Apres l'Ondee" etc. - not to mention the Art Deco-era scents like "Je Reviens" and such).

The reason why it is "modern" is its relatively simple but powerfully uplifting composition of citrus notes, notably bergamot. Which, evidently, is also the reason why it is so short-lived.
But, see, "4711" wasn't meant to be a long-lasting fragrance. It was made at a time when bathing was not a part of everyday (or even every week) toilette, to rub the skin of the body and to revive the spirits after a long night or after a hefty meal - as many times as required.

And that it did. It did it so well that it became the craze even in an era that was in many respects - notably sensorially - much, MUCH more sophisticated than the often sensually depleted everyday of many people living today (and by that I mean people in wealthy countries!). Back then, as today, people simply appreciated the freshness and the immediate uplifting effect of the smell of sundry citrus peel. No flowers, no honey, no (God forbid!) vanilla or musk: just a basket of glorious, freshly peeled citrus fruit.

It's a fresh and clean, elegant but unpretentious smell. On a hot and sticky summer day, nothing will revive your spirits better than this old babe. And - just like a true seductress - it parts company with you much to soon. :)
But you can be sure it'll never overwhelm you with its presence; and you'll never grow tired of it - even if you carry it around in your handbag, as your secret friend and pick-me-up.
(Napoleon - otherwise known as a violet fan - allegedly went through several CASES of it during each of his campaigns. He not only used it on the skin but constantly sucked sugar cubes imbued with it, allegedly to refresh the acuity of his mind. But then, he always was a sucker for scents... :))

If you want to make it last longer, you can try rubbing some on the hairline (on the temples and where the back of the head meets the neck).

Another invaluable use for "4711" is that it can serve as an ideal base for new "fresh" scents. (I have achieved some truly memorable results by adding quantities of certain perfumes - not to mention pure essential oils.)

Finally, if you don't like it, nobody could - or, indeed, should - convince you otherwise.
But it would be a good idea to give it another try, preferably from a different source.

This scent as originally produced by Revlon, the house that was once able to produce very classy and distinctive scents at a very available price (like "Charlie", the original).

It was a lovely, unforgettable, very "Old World" chypre, with a wonderful dry-down. Two of its peculiarities were that the dry-down was practically the same as its initial notes (which is a definite plus in this case) and that it quickly subsided into a very subtle fragrance which then lingered for at least 10-12 hours, sometimes even longer.

At some point "Intimate" was discontinued, but was later resuscitated by the house of Jean Philippe. The smell doesn't seem to have changed, and the bottle is even lovelier now.

This is a definite keeper!

Trite, to say the least.
Slightly "melony" at first sniff, it dried down very quickly, and less than an hour after applying it (on the wrists), it had developed into an intolerable musky/sticky smell that I cannot honestly describe as a "fragrance" . ("Stink" is the right word, in my opinion.)
And, as with most cheap-smelling fragrances, it turned out to be very difficult to remove, even with soap.

Fresh and sweet, very airy, with an "aquatic" whiff, rather unusual for the early 1980s.
All in all... it's nothing much, I am afraid.
And the EDT is extraordinarily short-lived.

Extremely classy - one of the most elegant scents of the 20th century. Sober yet fresh; airy yet substantial, it exudes a VERY feminine elegance.

Unfortunately, it has the life span of a fruit-fly... ;(

For some reason, this delightfully mysterious scent always reminded me of tincture of Valerian. ;) Even so, it is certainly distinctive, and for me nothing is more important than that.

I also find it to be one of the most "treacherous" fragrances there are. By that I mean that its reaction with an individual's skin tends to be even more unpredictable than usually. (Which is actually a good thing, at least in my book, but it does require a lot of patient testing.)

A very (in)famous femme fatale of the olden days used this one: the countess Maria Tarnowska.

Did she wear it mostly because it was fashionable (it came out two years before she was arrested), or did it really complement her apparently irresistible person?

I guess we'll never know... ;)
And I would love to smell it again.

It's funny - but not really surprising - to find all these reviews of people who "wanted to enjoy it", but simply couldn't...

The very same thing happened to me.
I ordered it for my mom when I was fifteen, mostly out of curiosity - OK, and also out of pure, undiluted teenager snobbery ;).
Anyway, I was already turning into a serious collector, and so I was prepared to sniff the most gorgeous perfume on Earth (or at least the most expensive one).

What a surprise... To me (and to my mom, by the way), it smelled like some hotel soap, made with synthetic flower essences.

And it still does. Many years later, I still don't "get" it.

It must be the chemistry, of course.
(Mine is such that even vinegar would start smelling like heady violets on my skin, after it dried down..:))
But I can't really rate it positively, so I'd rather give it the benefit of doubt and rate it "neutrally".

Oh, where can I get it - the original, I mean?
"Charlie Blue" is simply NOT the same fragrance, no matter what the clerks tell you.

It was the first fragrance I wore in my life. I still remember the day, when I came back to school after the summer break, smelling of "Charlie"... Ah.

It's a wonderful, gorgeous scent: fresh, original, fun and dynamic in a VERY sexy way. (Ask men if you don't trust women's opinions. ;) And there was NOTHING, no other perfume in the world, that could compare to the effect of "Charlie" in the hottest days of summer.

It would have never gotten out of fashion, not really, so there's no need for the recent concoctions. The original "Charlie" was relatively inexpensive, but it was never "cheap". The new editions are just that: cheap.

Love it, love it, LOVE it.
Which is strange because I never really went for "flowery" perfumes (with very few exceptions). But then, this perfume is like nothing else. For all its "floweriness" it is definitely original, one of the kind.

I used to wear it just before the first buds of spring appeared, and occasionally even in the heart of the winter. (Believe me, I always know what I am doing..:))
Which created so unforgettable memories that I cannot use it anymore, lest I destroy those - and the emotional charge of "Paris" itself.

Indeed, a thoroughly late 1970s-1980s fragrance (as a previous reviewer noticed).
I found it way too harsh, and still do.
I used to wear it in winter, because it felt too heady for summer. It didn't help.
It always struck me as a "unisex" fragrance, and I simply don't like those.

A totally unexpected charmer.
I say "unexpected" because I would never have thought that a sweet and powdery perfume could be SO appealing - and so original. Amidst all the sweetness, reminiscent of some heavenly meadows in bloom, there's a a surprising split-second of poignancy - a citrusy whiff of almost-melancholy, of nostalgia.

Indeed, men notice it..;)
But, more importantly, a woman always feels SO warmly feminine and appealing while wearing it, regardless of her age.
(I started wearing it at age twenty-two!)

"L'Air du Temps" is definitely a keeper - one for the ages. An ever-young classic.

This was an off-beat fragrance... Certainly idiosincratic and thereby unforgettable.

If I remember correctly, it was marketed as a "sexy" perfume - but sexy in the 1980s style, which meant feminine with a twist, with a strong edge (i.e. not a late 1990s-early 2000s chocolatey "sexy").

It was one of the first fragrances that introduced a very clearly stated FRUITY scent, with practically no discernible flower additions.
I don't know what its actual ingredients were, but it reminded me of the harsh yet not unpleasant smell characteristic of fresh tangerine / orange peels.

In fact, I think its unabashed fruitness and spiceyness was probably too harsh, perhaps too "unisex", for most women at the time.

And yet, I can still remember its scent, even though I haven't smelled it in more than 15 years.

What is there to say about "Magie Noire" that han't been said already?
It is definitely one of those one-of-the-kind perfumes, impossible to confuse with any other fragrance. (Which is no small feat!)

However, it can be very aggressive, especially after it had dried down. In my experience, the best way to avoid a harsh dry-down is to use a very very small amount - and not directly on the skin, if possible. A drop or two on the hair brush; or a tiny small cotton ball tucked in the brassiere - and that's it.

Gorgeous fun!
Yes, fun, too, can be "gorgeous" - and it's called "Scherrer". ;)

There is nothing like a drop of "Scherrer" on a woman to light up a dull, foggy, late autumn day. To me and others who love it (surprisingly few are really aware of it), it is one of the most powerful "pick-me-up" scents: thorougly modern, cheerful, dynamic, confident - and oh-so feminine.

Love it!

One of my favourite fragrances - albeit not entirely on account of its scent alone, but also because of the memories that go along with it.

It is surprisingly tricky to describe Ivoire, or its effect. Overall, it has a fascinating personality, somewhat reminiscent of a fresh yet discreet and modest "good girl" who goes on to reveal an undercurrent of subtle (and fun) anarchy.
It reminds one (personality-wise) of a typical "English rose", perhaps transplanted to other climates.

It is for women who are "forever young". Subtle fun, feminine freshness, and a soft but unyielding personal dignity are its main decriptors, in my opinion (obviously).