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Are there any reformulations you actually like?

post #1 of 24
11/12/12 at 2:53am
Thread Starter 
Like most BN'ers, I deplore reformulations because they so often change my favorite frags into travesties or weak shadows of themselves. But there is one exception for me, probably because I'm not familiar with the original, and that's Samsara. My frag was a birthday gift 3 years ago, and while it's not my absolute favorite scent, I do really like it and wear it about once or twice a month when I'm in the mood. It must be a reformulation, as the original came out around 30 years ago. But it's still a good perfume.
Are there any reformulations you actually like, and wear? And are you familiar with the original?
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post #2 of 24
11/12/12 at 4:06am
Tolerate. I tolerate Patchouli 24's reformulation.
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post #3 of 24
11/12/12 at 4:49am
I stay away from vintage, so yes: I like all reformulations I own.
And if I don't like a fragrance that has been changed anymore, I'll find another one.
Enough frags out there imo.
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post #4 of 24
11/12/12 at 9:13am
no.
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post #5 of 24
11/12/12 at 10:46am
I'm lucky- I got into perfume recently enough that I don't know very many vintage perfumes to be disappointed about. And I decided some time ago that I'm not going to chase after vintage fragrances. I don't have lots of money or time to spend worrying about it, so I figure why torture myself.

The upside is that I love Mitsouko, Tabac Blond, Givenchy III, and many others, and can live in blissful ignorance.
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post #6 of 24
11/12/12 at 1:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by redrose View Post

Like most BN'ers, I deplore reformulations because they so often change my favorite frags into travesties or weak shadows of themselves. But there is one exception for me, probably because I'm not familiar with the original, and that's Samsara. My frag was a birthday gift 3 years ago, and while it's not my absolute favorite scent, I do really like it and wear it about once or twice a month when I'm in the mood. It must be a reformulation, as the original came out around 30 years ago. But it's still a good perfume.
Are there any reformulations you actually like, and wear? And are you familiar with the original?

l prefer the current formulation of Samsara, too! ln fact it's the closest thing l have to a signature scent. l have tried the original versions of the EDT & EDP, but neither moved me in the same way.

l also don't tend to chase after vintage perfumes very much; that way lies heartbreak & an overdraft.
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post #7 of 24
11/12/12 at 2:35pm
The new Habanita EDP is lovely.
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post #8 of 24
11/12/12 at 4:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by teardrop View Post

l also don't tend to chase after vintage perfumes very much; that way lies heartbreak & an overdraft.

Lol, I totally agree, Teardrop!
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post #9 of 24
11/12/12 at 4:10pm
- Oscar de la Renta pour lui
- M7 2nd formulation
- Van Cleef & Arpels: Tsar (leaf pattern box aka 2nd reformulation)
- Van Cleef & Arpels: pour homme (leaf pattern box aka 2nd reformulation)
- Giorgio for men
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post #10 of 24
11/12/12 at 4:17pm
I think Chanel's Antaeus survive its re-formulation quite well.
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post #11 of 24
11/12/12 at 4:20pm
Antaeus +1 (forgot that one, while even owning the reformulation)

Excellent, sophisticated stuff though in this case I never smelled the original.
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post #12 of 24
11/12/12 at 7:15pm
Piguet Baghari. I loooooves it! I have some original, and the spirit of the frag is certainly there in the reformulation. Guichard has succeeded in making something so modern and wearable whilst still respecting the original idea.

- - - Updated - - -

and lordy knows how many Shalimar iterations there are over the years, but modern EDT is just fine by me - I do sleep with the scratchy old extrait, but so pleased to waft out into the big world on a breeze of the current one.

and redrose asks whether anyone smelled the original Samsara... a colleague returned from a conference overseas via duty-free splurging when Samsara was newly released and there were several months of that winter of 1989 where I had to excercise restraint so I would not noticably be *sniffing* her. It was intoxicating. I have a couple of minis from that time so that I can have that bliss any time. Thanks, you have prompted me to go smell it in its current form! ;-)
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post #13 of 24
11/12/12 at 7:44pm
IMO, Dior Homme Sport's reformulation was a success.
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post #14 of 24
11/12/12 at 7:47pm
Though it will be looked upon as sacrilege, I really like the reformulated Miss Dior.

After much searching I found a very old pure parfum and was so surprised at how animalic it was. It's hard to believe that I didn't shrink from all that civet in the 70s when I wore the original.
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post #15 of 24
11/12/12 at 10:14pm
Vol de Nuit Extrait is a very well done 'modernization', although I do get the uniqueness of the original.
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post #16 of 24
11/13/12 at 12:24am
Yes (not saying that I like them more than the vintage, but I do like them enough to want a bottle): Rochas Femme, Arpege, Shalimar, Mitsouko, Chergui, L'Heure Bleu.
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post #17 of 24
11/13/12 at 9:27am
I quite like the new "Ivoire" de Balmain- I much prefer it to the previous version (s).
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post #18 of 24
11/14/12 at 2:11am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiliwia View Post

Lol, I totally agree, Teardrop!

Yes, this is the problem, isn't it - it's hard to approach a reformulation when you've sniffed the original, without pre-judging it. There is no other reformulation I like, apart from Samsara, because of this. I don't chase after the vintages, because I totally agree with Teardrop and Kiliwia, that way lies heartbreak and an overdraft!
But the problem for me is the memories I have of the great originals. I'm old enough to remember frags when I first started sampling them, in the 70s, before they'd been messed with too much. And that's what spoils the newer versions for me.
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post #19 of 24
11/14/12 at 3:33pm
I love current Mitsouko EdP and l'heure bleue EdT. Don't know the originals.
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post #20 of 24
11/14/12 at 5:33pm
I prefer the current Vol de Nuit edt to the older version.
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post #21 of 24
11/14/12 at 5:55pm
I tried them a while ago and not both at the same time, but I think I actually prefer the current version of Chanel No. 22 to the vintage.
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post #22 of 24
11/15/12 at 5:17am
Yes - I love and prefer current Rochas Femme over vintage.
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post #23 of 24
11/17/12 at 4:29pm
Although I loved Cabochard original and was initially disappointed with the reformulation. I've since decided I actually quite like the lightness of it. It makes it more acceptably wearable on a daily basis. I still love the former for real perfume appreciation and I like the latter as a sort of ghost reminder.
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post #24 of 24
11/19/12 at 12:42am
I have the preformulation of Dior Hypnotic Poison and the current one. I cannot say I like one over the other; I like them both. Some people say the current one is weak and watered down compared to before, but I still find it strong and lasting 7-8 hours on me. The older one is creamier on me.
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