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Lilac: forgotten?

post #1 of 49
9/6/10 at 12:50pm
Thread Starter 
I have noticed that there must be hundreds upon hundreds of rose, jasmin etc fragrances launched every year and this year we have seen only (according to the directory) the grand total of 4 fragrances -for both men and women- with a note of LILAC (and not even a major note at that), being the new Gucci the latest one.

So, in your opinion what has happened?
the note is not a popular one anymore?
has it ever been popular other than the 30s-40s?


i would also like to know what are your favorite LILAC fragrances.
cheers!
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post #2 of 49
9/6/10 at 1:14pm
I grew up in New England where the smell of fresh lilacs in spring is a sign of winter's demise. In CA where I live now, there is a special variety of lilac I grow (santa maria lilac) which was developed so as not to need the chill factor of the traditional varieties. I still find the scent of a bouquet of home grown lilacs more intense and beguiling than any florist's rose bouquet.

Because lilac was more popular in the past, perhaps lilac is a note associated with "old lady-ness" in today's marketing? According to this blog, it's also difficult to get it exactly right.

http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com/2008/04/after-my-own-heart.html

Strangely, I just a few minutes ago won a bottle of this very Ineke scent on Evil-bay, unsniffed. Fingers crossed I like it.

A lilac scent I already own and admire is: Highland Lilac of Rochester

Edited 9/9 to report the Ineke After My Own Heart arrived and it is a truly great interpretation of a lilac bush in a spring breeze. Lovely, bright and wearable!
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post #3 of 49
9/6/10 at 2:04pm
En Passant has lilac, and Lanvin Eclat d'Arpege, and Alfred Sung Sha. Estee Lauder Pleasures features it. Yves Rocher has a lilac fragrance (which I haven't tried). Aqua Allegoria Angélique-Lilas doesn't smell strongly of lilac to my nose, I get more mandarin and heliotrope. There are quite a few fragrances that supposedly feature lilac, but few that I know of that are built around it as a dominant note. Perhaps it is a difficult component to get just right. Or maybe it's just not as beloved as rose, jasmine, et al. When I think of lilac soliflores, I think of very old fashioned fragrances from days gone by. I agree with knit_at_night that home grown lilacs smell amazing (as do home grown lilies of the valley) - much better than perfumes that try to replicate their scent. I haven't tried Highland Lilac, but I've read that's a nice lilac.
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post #4 of 49
9/6/10 at 2:18pm
I love lilac, but I agree with the others who note that perfume doesn't adequately capture the aroma of the true blossoms.

(At least, none that I have found so far. I look forward to seeing recommendations in this thread.)

I own and love Lanvin Eclat d'Arpege but my nose barely detects it in that scent. Oh, well! It's still beautiful!
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post #5 of 49
9/6/10 at 2:29pm
Time and again, the one and only perfume to virtually nail the scent of real lilacs is Highland Lilac.
I think the reason we don't wear lilac more is maybe because it's not as wearable as one would imagine.
As good as the Highland Lilac is, it's basically a one-note song, and that can get a little boring. I see Highland of Rochester is again offering samples. I recommend spending the $4 to experience this perfume.
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post #6 of 49
9/6/10 at 2:34pm
My mother loves lilac and I bought her After my Own Heart by Ineke a few years ago, which is lovely but only lasts a couple of hours on her.
I've been trying to get Highland Lilac of Rochester for ages for her, but since they do not ship to the UK, I have never managed to buy this. If someone can help on here, I would appreciate it.
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post #7 of 49
9/6/10 at 2:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quarry View Post

I think the reason we don't wear lilac more is maybe because it's not as wearable as one would imagine.
As good as the Highland Lilac is, it's basically a one-note song, and that can get a little boring.


That's a good point, Quarry. You may be onto something there.

Thanks, too, for the tip on the Highland Lilac sample.
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post #8 of 49
9/6/10 at 4:33pm
I have read that lilac is a very dominant note and doesn't blend in well with many other scents. Perhaps that is why it doesn't appear often in perfumes that are not soliflores.

I definitely like Highland Lilac of Rochester the best. It is simply the truest I've found.

Also quite nice (though definitely inferior to the above) is Demeter Lilac cologne. This is linear and gets a bit powdery but lasts longer than many of the other Demeters, I'd say 3-4 hours.
NOTE: Demeter has 2 lilac scents. The one I recommend is the cologne. The other one is Demeter Naturals 100% Natural Lilac eau de toilette -- I recently bought a bottle of the edt to compare it with the cologne. The Naturals Lilac edt smells nothing at all like lilac! I returned it for a refund.

There is also Pacifica French Lilac but I only recommend the body butter-- the scent is very long lasting and diffuses very well. The solid stays very close to the skin, and the spray for some reason doesn't smell so good to me.
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post #9 of 49
9/6/10 at 9:43pm
I agree with all the above mentioned fragrances with lilac. My favorites are probably Eclat D'Arpege and Guilty by Gucci. There are a couple more that I would like to add. Both Tresor by Lancome and Flora Bella by Lanvin have lilac in their top notes. I've worn both, but I especially love Flora Bella, such a beautiful fragrance. There is also a natural lilac called Lilac Solid by Zaja Natural and there's a womans cologne called Antique Garden Green Fleur de Lilac by California Fleurish.
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post #10 of 49
9/6/10 at 10:08pm
Then too there is After My Own Heart by Ineke, a lilac but not soliflore.
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post #11 of 49
9/6/10 at 10:12pm
Editions de parfums Frédéric Malle En Passant
Miller Harris Coeur d'été
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post #12 of 49
9/6/10 at 10:54pm
As a kid growing up I vividly remember the smell of lilacs spring until early summer from a huge overgrown deep purple lilac bush in front of the summer bungalow, this is a very difficult scent to capture in a bottle. When I first smelled Lilac Vegetal (1880) by Pinaud in a barbershop it brought back this smell to me, an amazing lilac body splash if Applied Lightly, otherwise an overbearing powerhouse...
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post #13 of 49
9/6/10 at 11:14pm
I love the smell from our lilac bushes in the garden, but I do not enjoy it as a perfume I think. Anyway, if I was up to it, En Passant would refresh my memory instantly.
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post #14 of 49
9/7/10 at 12:08am
I love Diptyque lilac candles but admit not wearing it in fragrance.
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post #15 of 49
9/7/10 at 1:30am
En Passant is a favorite fragrance of mine; I find it an extremely vivid, dewy lilac on my skin, albeit a somewhat cool and melancholy one. It's lilacs at dawn.
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post #16 of 49
9/7/10 at 1:39am
As for what happened, I don't feel lilacs have a "sexy" image somehow these days. They strike me as having a cooly romantic vibe rather that a sensual vibe like jasmine.
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post #17 of 49
9/7/10 at 2:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sugandaraja View Post

As for what happened, I don't feel lilacs have a "sexy" image somehow these days. They strike me as having a cooly romantic vibe rather that a sensual vibe like jasmine.

Totally agree, no sexiness there. Many other floral perfumes seem to meld with the skin and become part of you, while lilac seems to sit on top, always foreign, always "other."

Maybe this is why, though I love the smell of lilac, I don't seem to actually wear my lilac perfumes as often as my other florals.
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post #18 of 49
9/7/10 at 2:48am
One of most memorable and captivating Lilac fragrance is Private Collection Psychotrope by Parfumerie Generale.

It's very creatively done and reeks of quality.
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post #19 of 49
9/7/10 at 12:51pm
Highland Lilac is probably the truest rendition out there, and it's always been my lilac standby frag when I'm in the mood for that sort of thing.

Best smelled on the flower itself, much like a rose soliflore is.
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post #20 of 49
9/7/10 at 5:16pm
There are two beautiful garden scents that perfumers just do not get right; Lilac and Gardenia. They are so wonderful in nature, but man just has not reproduced the quality of these scents. Perhaps that is why perfumers like to avoid them. I have heard of Highland Lilac, so I guess I will have to try it.
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post #21 of 49
9/8/10 at 7:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig View Post

My mother loves lilac … I've been trying to get Highland Lilac of Rochester for ages for her, but since they do not ship to the UK, I have never managed to buy this. If someone can help on here, I would appreciate it.

Craig, I'd like to figure some way to help you. My brain is over-worked this week, but send me a PM reminder next week, and we'll see what we can work out.
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post #22 of 49
9/8/10 at 7:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quarry View Post

Craig, I'd like to figure some way to help you. My brain is over-worked this week, but send me a PM reminder next week, and we'll see what we can work out.

Many thanks for the kind offer, but another lovely Basenote member lilybelle in the USA has been amazing. I'll have a bottle of Highland Lilac to give to my mother soon
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post #23 of 49
9/8/10 at 7:32am
Thread Starter 
Great to read all the comments, hope to read even more!

There are a bunch of scents that i really like that have lilac like the light Guerlain's AA Angelique Lilas and another one that has a very nice lilac note (under all that powdery rose) is YSL's Paris Jardins Romantiques.

Of the oldies i liked Lilas by Soubise Baccarat (it had a very animalic component which i thought interesting); Lilas de France by Pinaud very soft, i feel the scent had toned down over the years; Le Lilas de Rigaud, which was, as a common trait of yore, paired out with violets; and of course the very elegant Worth Lilas.

cheers
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post #24 of 49
9/8/10 at 7:40am
There is also a lilac note in Aqua Allegoria Lilia Bella, and I'd forgotten about the lilac in Paris Jardins Romantiques-- good catch, castorpollux!
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post #25 of 49
9/8/10 at 8:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig View Post

lovely Basenote member lilybelle in the USA has been amazing.

Lilybelle, lovely? You got that right! Happy for you and Mum.
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post #26 of 49
9/9/10 at 3:01am
Lilac isn't popular because, like several other aromas, it's been victim to character assassination through over-employment in other consumer products. Cosmetic chemists know there's no market for a 'glamorous' lilac fragrance because to the market, lilac isn't glamorous. It's air-freshener. In just the same way, mint translates to toothpaste, and pine means toilet cleaner. The associations are difficult to shake.
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post #27 of 49
9/9/10 at 3:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hide & Reason View Post

Lilac isn't popular because, like several other aromas, it's been victim to character assassination through over-employment in other consumer products. Cosmetic chemists know there's no market for a 'glamorous' lilac fragrance because to the market, lilac isn't glamorous. It's air-freshener. In just the same way, mint translates to toothpaste, and pine means toilet cleaner. The associations are difficult to shake.

Interesting! I don't buy air freshener so have not been aware of lilac scent being used for that or other household products. I'll have to check out that aisle at the supermarket.
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post #28 of 49
9/9/10 at 5:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quarry View Post

Lilybelle, lovely? You got that right! Happy for you and Mum.

(blush!)
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post #29 of 49
9/11/10 at 9:25am
I agree with all the aboves reasons mentioned about the limited use of lilac note in fragrances.My favourite lilac perfume is Ophelia by Heeley,it captures the real aroma of lilac.
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post #30 of 49
9/11/10 at 9:44am
double
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post #31 of 49
9/11/10 at 12:23pm
En Passante is unbeatable, that's truly the most beautiful interpretation of lilac scent, the smell of lilac blooms after the rain .
Another lilac scent, I highly appreciate, is Un Lys by Serge Lutens, as for me the lily and lilac note are both equally dominating. Wonderful powdery lilac with soft vanilla base.
Third favorite of mine is Jardin Clos by Diptyque. Although mixed with other flowers, lilac note is pretty prominent on my skin. Soft lilac blooms along with grassy scent of broken twigs.
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post #32 of 49
9/12/10 at 1:05am
Definately En Passant

and I'm just waiting for it to arrive here because of the huge postage cost from France :x
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post #33 of 49
9/20/10 at 3:14pm
+one for Diptyque Jardin Clos! I just got mine and it is a lovely, slightly green lilac.
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post #34 of 49
4/22/12 at 6:21pm
Bumping this old thread - its a good read for spring.
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post #35 of 49
4/22/12 at 6:48pm
My lilac preferences have changed, and now I actually wear lilac often.

JM White Lilac & Rhubarb ought to have been made a part of JM's regular line rather than a limited edition-- it is eminently wearable.

I also like wearing the recently discontinued Côté Bastide Lilas, a lilac with a touch of carnation, as well as the long-discontinued Mary Chess White Lilac still to be found on eBay.

Meanwhile, Highland Lilac went to a new home, my travel size of Demeter Lilac has been relegated to use as an air freshener, and my solid of Pacifica French Lilac is entirely neglected.
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post #36 of 49
4/22/12 at 8:59pm
Speaking of lilacs, CLeveland's winter was so mild they are a month early! This has been a week of experiencing the smells actual flowers—a potted Easter lily, crabapples lining the street, lilac, hyacinth, daffodils. No lily-of-the valley yet, but they grow like weeds at the side of my house, and three stems will fill a room.

As a teen, I wore some body splash that was lilac, and I detect lilac in Guerlain Champs-Elysées. It is THE smell of springtime.
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post #37 of 49
4/23/12 at 3:50am
Agree with 30R.: that new-ish Jo Malone White Lilac & Rhubarb is a real treat for all lilac lovers. Please do yourselves a favor and test it.
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post #38 of 49
4/23/12 at 4:34am
I wanna do myself a favor...the rhubarb note..that's what makes me take a step back from trying this one yet. I hope it's not a sour-y, tart rhubarb. Also wondering if the heliotrope distracts from the lilac. When I first started in scents..I thought BVL Amethyste smelled of lilac..but now I know it's heliotrope that I smelled and it's doesn't smell of lilac any more to me. It's more green smelling than lilac to me and now yes, I am sort of looking for a true lilac. I may have to give that Jo Malone a sniff sometime.

I have been so wanting a sampler of the Ineke. I had the opportunity to sniff a few not too long ago and really liked An Evening Edged in Gold. But now I want to sniff that After My Own Heart as I don't recall trying that one and if I did, I don't remember it, so I must give it a sniff soon!

Oh and I think E likes the saffron note if I recall..An Evening Edged in Gold may be a recommendation for her.

Seems like lilac was a bigger note in the 80's? I don't know. Sadly, I have noticed that note fizzling out a bit.
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post #39 of 49
4/23/12 at 4:45am
I bought the Jo Malone, which is a surprise as I expected to want the iris.

No the rhubarb is actually more like a earth/dirt smell. The lilac does take centre stage, I love heliotrope and don't really notice it in this one.
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post #40 of 49
4/23/12 at 4:45am
kalli,

The rhubarb is very fleeting and to be honest, I would not have recognized it as rhubarb if it were not stated to be so (unlike CDG Rhubarb, which is photorealistic.) And much as I like heliotrope, I didn't pick up the heliotrope in this one.
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post #41 of 49
4/23/12 at 4:45am
I bought the Jo Malone, which is a surprise as I expected to want the iris.

No the rhubarb is actually more like a earth/dirt smell. The lilac does take centre stage, I love heliotrope and don't really notice it in this one.
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post #42 of 49
4/23/12 at 4:50am
Ok I am sold..I must try it! Earth, dirt, lilac, not too much helio...sold. Need a sample!. Thanks guys!
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post #43 of 49
4/23/12 at 4:55am
Drat, sorry double post..I couldn't find my last post, it wasn't showing, then it appeared. Must be a few people on here as BN is running slow for me right now.
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post #44 of 49
4/23/12 at 5:22am
I have a vintage bottle of Avon Lilac Perfume Oil. I have been using it as a room oil on a burner. If anyone would like it, I can live without it for sure. It probably has about 14ml left in a 15ml bottle.
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post #45 of 49
4/23/12 at 11:06am
I tried JM WL&R recently as there was a single bottle left in Leeds. I so wanted to like it but like many JMs on me it was thin and sour. The rhubarb was very prominent on my fine dry skin and lasted into the heart. How disappointed I was
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post #46 of 49
4/23/12 at 11:48am
kalli, all this time and a sniff together, and I have not got your address yet! A very kind BNer sent me the whole London Blooms collection samples -- let me know where to send it after I am through sniffing, OK?
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post #47 of 49
4/23/12 at 1:17pm
You are so sweet Twolf! I wasn't asking for anyone to give me a sample though! I will return the favor, for sure! I know I have an Exultat sample from Maria Candida if you haven't sniffed it yet and want to, let me know.

DD, so nice of you to offer that up, hope it finds a good home.
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post #48 of 49
4/24/12 at 9:42am
I'm glad this thread got some action, Lilacs have been blooming early in NYC along with a recent rain. It's beautiful... must go try some of these suggestions... Jo Malone, Ineke are the ones I'm most curious about.
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post #49 of 49
4/24/12 at 10:39am
I found Ineke to be almost invisible. It is nice for about 30 seconds-then gone. WAH!
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