Joy by Jean Patou, 1930

After I had used all of the perfume, i went to the department store for more. I was told by the clerk that the black bottle was used for the 1/4 oz perfume, and the 1oz. that I was inquiring about came in the crystal bottle with crystal dauber and gold thread. I didn't buy the perfume then because as much as I loved the fragrance I couldn't justify in my mind paying that much on myself I believe the 1 oz. was $600, as close as I can remember, and the 1/4 oz. black bottle was over $200. The next bottle of Joy that I got was a gift from my husband in 1976, and again the next two years for anniversary gifts, (he loved Joy on me too!!LOL). The scent would last all day, and you could still get a light whiff after a shower. I did notice that the EDP and EDT both had an oily texture to the liquid, that it no longer has.t There was a long period of time between bottles of Joy. Somewhere around 2005, I believe, my hubby again bought Joy perfume for me, and although I liked the fragrance alright, it was not the Joy I loved. Not only was the smell different, it did not last even close to the time it used too. I had mixed feelings after reading the articles in Basenotes after joining. I was relieved to hear others say Joy was different and,that I hadn't imagined that it had changed, to depressed that the Joy I loved so much was no longer available to me.

It was Joy by Jean Patou's allure and greatness that urged me to accept a very generous sample from Catbiscuit when it was so kindly offered to me. Being the scent of choice for almost 80 years to various celebrities and members of the royal family, Queen Elizabeth II herself, I was expecting to be blown away by this fragrance's luxuriousness. The first time this fragrance touched my skin, let's just say it was a nightmare. Could I honestly smell a child's bedroom after they had wet the bed? I was absolutely horrified to say the least. After a few minutes, Joy dried down to something very metallic and harsh on my skin, like rusted metal or the scent of steel wool rusting ever so slowly on the side of the kitchen sink. It then rounded off into a hay stack type smell. Very country, but nothing like the described notes. I was game enough to test again, however this time on a piece of card, rather than on my skin. I now understand why so many like this fragrance. Joy is rich and floral, (as you would expect from 10600 flowers and dozens of roses in the composition). I'll agree that the scent is mature, but certainly not old lady. The opening is a strong dose of powdered roses. Very much like the classic English Rose scented talcum powder by Yardley. Tuberose and jasmine do feature quite a bit, however the rose and aldehydes like to dominate the composition. Joy is very extravagant to my nose. I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing this unless I was surrounded by gold and red velvet fashioned chairs and wearing a heavily jewelled crown on my head. This is indeed a fragrance fit for a queen, but not really suited to a plain, old, Aussie girl like myself. In terms of sillage, Joy is a big one. More than 3 sprays and I think everyone in a close vicinity would be gasping for air. Take that as a warning. Joy isn't a scent to mess with. This is a straight-up conservative floral with a touch of royalty.