Classic vs. Dated?

By March

First off – the winner of the draw of my Christmas music, Jicky etc., chosen by the fickle finger of fate random.org is…. mother courreges!  I’ll shoot you an email.

I got into a discussion recently with some other perfumistas about what perfumes might be considered “dated.”  This was prompted by Luca Turin’s description in The Guide of Chanel Coco as “terribly dated,” although he says lots of nice things about it and gives it four stars in the end.

I love Coco, and I agree with the entire review – except for the “dated” part.  I understand that Coco isn’t the smell du jour, but I’d call it classic, in a grown-up way, along with other spicy Oriental scents like Cinnabar and Opium.  Like those latter two, Coco smells smoothest (and some would say the most beautiful) in extrait, although I’m rather fond of my vintage Coco EDP from eBay.  I like to layer that and the parfum for maximum effect.

You know what smells dated to me?  Mugler’s Angel, which has been haunting us since the early nineties.  I’m still waiting for folks to figure out that choco-vanilla + patch = vomit, but I’m not holding my breath, unless I’m standing next to you in the elevator and you’re wearing this monstrosity.  Another smell that’s dated – anything reeking of laundry musks.  I admit I was charmed when Clean first came out with Fresh Laundry or whatever it’s called.  It was a novel idea, as if Demeter had made a scent called Clean Clothes.  But as the musky border between mass-market perfumes and detergent grows blurrier, it’s a smell that annoys me.  With the wide world of perfumes from which to choose, who the hell wants to go around smelling like a box of Tide, unless it’s emanating from your clothing?  (For the record: I use unscented detergent and vinegar on my clothes.)

Finally, I nominate CK One and anything it inspired in the soapy/fresh/citrus “anti-perfume” category.  Again, if I want perfume, I want perfume.

Okay, your turn!  What smells dated, in terms of scents or scent trends?  Remember, you can’t just hate it because it’s overly popular right now; it has to have been around long enough to be a boring cliché.  (Lots of nominees in the men’s department!)  On the other hand, what do you think is “classic,” particularly if it’s a newer scent?  I’d say Chanel 31 RC and some of those MDCIs, off the top of my head.

image: Coco ad from the mid-1980s, featuring (I think) Ines de la Fressange

 

 

  • Adnan says:

    Nice great i read all comments this is sound interesting if you want

  • Sounds interesting! I may have to go check out their website. Great review!

    eula w

  • Cathleen56 says:

    Chanel No. 5 smells dated to me, regardless of who is wearing it. But I may be prejudiced, because I disike it.

    On the other hand, Opium smells dated to me, too — and I love it.

    I’m sure I’ll figure this out eventually.

    Serious florals rarely seem dated — White shoulders, Fracas, Carolina Herrera, Joy. But I’m thinking that this is because none of these have a heavy/sticky base.

  • Flora says:

    Dated: “Bug spray” masculines, as typified by Cartier Roadster and its unholy ilk.

    Classic: L’Air du Desert Marocain, no need to explain. :-)

  • Elisa says:

    L’Eau d’Issey and Happy smell much more dated and “90s” to me than Angel. But I agree with whoever said it’s only dated if you don’t like it!

  • sunsetsong says:

    Great thread with lots of interesting comments. I find it hard to describe any perfume as “dated”. Each exists on its own merits. Fashion goes round and round – every decade has been referenced/re-presented at some time in the recent past. Surely the huge library of fragrance can link into this, and enhance the fashion experience.

    BTW – Green chypre haters – BOOO! CK One haters – have you tried it recently? My son (14) was given some as a gift and it is remarkably pleasant, and I might spritz some myself. Chanel No 5 – Timeless in all its iterations.

    • mals86 says:

      I said green chypres seem dated to ME, not that I hated them. (Okay, so I’m not a fan.) But I probably like something you think is a total waste of time…

      No. 5 is wonderful.

  • faylene says:

    So many funny posts. :)) I happen to like Coco and don’t consider it dated. At the same time, my BFF, who’s the closest I’ll ever have to a sister, drives me crazy with patchouli – not a particular brand of scent but rather the solid perfume stuff. Admittedly, we’re both “Woodstock generation” but to me she smells like 1969!

    BTW, I used to use Borax for destinkifying laundry, too, but I’ve found that baking soda does a better job. I like vinegar, though, for removing, ahem, feline urine, and also for setting dye instead of using a ton of salt.

    • (Ms.)Christian says:

      Please forgive me, as I truly and honestly am dyslexic but I read “female urine” for “FELINE urine” and kept wondering why vinegar would be good specifically for that type of juice. Yes, vinegar is great for the eradication of cat moisture and I am going to try baking soda instead of borax next shopping trip.

  • mals86 says:

    Surprising to me that nobody is talking green chypres being dated.

    Guess that makes me odd gal out, since so many fumies love them and find them timeless. But I don’t. They scream 1970s to me, and the one consolation I have for having lived through the 70s is that I was young enough to bear no responsibility for the clothes I was wearing at the time! Aromatics Elixir, Halston, Alliage…

    I know that’s not going to be a popular viewpoint. Nevertheless.

  • Musette says:

    I am wearing Coco today in honor of this post. It’s gorgeous and a classic but I can see how LT could consider it dated (but not in a bad way). Unlike No5, Mitsouko and Shalimar, Coco does have a distinct timeframe to its composition. That’s not a bad thing – it just is.

    And it’s perfect for this chilly weather!!!

    xo >-)

  • FragrantWitch says:

    Dated to me means an immediate mental image of the wearer. For example, Giorgio=Big, Frosted hair, sprayed with Aqua-net, shoulder pads and long red nails ( for me, an estate agent in a blazer) Cool Water= smaller hair, still aqua-net, miniskirt and opaque tights/totally bare legs, with a French manicure. They seem to capture a snap-shot of the trends of a time period, whereas as classic is much harder to mentally classify. No.5 = anyone from a grandma, to a bride, to a prom date, to a professional working woman. Same for Shalimar= anniversary for said grandma, bride’s wedding night etc…

    Dated for me is both New Wests, Polo, Drakkar, Giorgio, Cool Water
    Modern classic: Chaos, Coco, OJ Woman and Pour Monsieur

  • Eldarwen22 says:

    Two weeks ago, I bought a decant of Chanel’s Coco and wore it for two days. While Coco is well made, it has the whole aura of the 1980’s and I do have to agree with LT, it does smell dated. Just like Obsession, it is dated. My definition of classic is when I cannot date a perfume to a certain decade like Chanel no. 5 or Cuir de Russie. My ‘old lady’ definition is when there are old women who don’t or can’t bathe on a regular basis and use tons of perfume in hope that I won’t notice the BO that goes with the over application of perfume.

  • Marle says:

    Such an interesting discussion. I seem to change my “nose” about every 5 years. Stuff that was dated then seems interesting. I even re-sampled Bijan the other day, and it wasn’t all that bad. Didn’t really knock me out like big-shouldered, screetching yellow Giorgio did in the day…

    Right now, Angel and the Angel wannas be’s are very dated to me. Can’t stand ’em. I’ll put them away in a time travel box to be recalled in about 20 years.

    And, in terms of product scenting- don’t get me started on the horrible fake “aquatic” scent of scented cat litter. Worse than Tide x10.

    • March says:

      Ugh, that cat litter sounds awful. I can only imagine.

    • (Ms.)Christian says:

      The “aquatic” scented cat litter had one of my now deceased cats doing his thing on the kitchen floor, as he would not use the litter box when that hideous stuff was in it. And I could not blame him, so I wound up throwing out several pounds of it. I refused to donate it to the shelter as I care too much for felines.

  • Kym says:

    I agree with you about Angel. I’m always stunned when I run into someone wearing this (no, really – stunned right out of my shoes). It’s hard to believe people still wear it.

    • Musette says:

      Baby, you should’ve been with me at SFA awhile back. A woman, wearing enough Angel to stun a rhino, kept wanting to talk to me. It was like a weird, creepy dance, with her advancing, me retreating….oh, it was a painful duet. She won in the end – I faked a meeting and ran out of the store…

      xo >-)

      • Masha says:

        I LOVE Angel when worn in the tiniest dabs. In fact, the only way I wear it is to 1)spray one puff and walk through the cloud after a second or 2, 2)a tiny bit of the body powder, lightly applied, or 3)the lotion, one pea-sized drop, applied to one limb only. Any more than that, and it’s a weapon!

        • March says:

          I have perfume walk-throughs too!

        • karin says:

          I agree!!! I love Angel in small quantities, but loathe it when you can smell someone wearing it a mile away.

        • karin says:

          Oh, and that body lotion is LETHAL if you slather yourself with it. I have to use it like perfume, just a dab here or there; otherwise, it’s napalm city. Kill me, kill me now!

    • karin says:

      I wear it and am proud to! Though I’m like March is with Poison if I wear it out in public – no drenching.

  • jen says:

    I think of perfume as a mean to time travel. Put on some Opium, poof, its 1985. Chantilly, just graduated from high school. Chinatown, its now. Like that.

    • March says:

      It is a means of time travel, which is I think what some of us older folks love about it. And/but we all have different time frames to work with. So it’s fun trying to kick around a different standard for what’s classic vs. dated, because classic/dated perfume lists would likely be very different for a 30 year old vs. a 60-year old.

      • jen says:

        It is funny what some younger than me people think is a classic, sometimes its something I havent gotten around to trying it yet and think its new!

  • Mrs.Honey says:

    Well, I am the minority who loves Drakkar. Several people I loved wore it and it has only pleasant associations. Still, I do think it is dated.

    Giorgio is extremely dated.

    I truly believe Angel is a classic.

    I think what separates the dated from the classic is the dated ones tended to be things that everybody wore then, but that are worn much less now. So, some of the niche things would have a hard time feeling dated but the big sellers of their times would be most at risk. That said, Chanel No. 5 is a textbook classic because it STILL sells heavily. Obsession, however, does not sell like it once did.

    • March says:

      It surprises me how well Chanel No. 5 still sells, it seems antithetical to current trends in perfumery, you know? I haven’t smelled Giorgio on anyone in years, for which I am grateful. 🙂

      • Musette says:

        I think it lives in its own Universe, Chanel No 5, and as such can never be antithetical to anything. I mean that. Of course, I’m talking about the parfum. The EDP has a different vibe that is a bit dated, imo.

        xo >-)

  • monkeytoe says:

    My definition of dated is something that has been trendy, but has been passed by the newest thing. Those scents that return (say chypres) become classics–I am sure that chypres smelled very dated in the 80s. Within that rubric I would say that the clean laundry scents are dated–they have been passed by the fruity florals and fuitchoulis–I just don’t smell them very much anymore. We may be entering into a period when the sugar-sweet scents become dated as I sense the beginnings of mainstream releases drying out a bit. And though I may be tired of them, the fruitchoulis and fruity florals are still omnipresent enough to not be dated, just tiresome. (And you folks are nuts, Drakkar is a classic fougere.)

    • March says:

      Probably my Drakkar issue is like the Poison issue — whenever I smelled it, men were DRENCHED in it. So it’s hard for me to come around to liking it. And you’re right, actually I think chypres (true chypres) smell dated to lots of folks, that “old lady” smell they can’t quite identify.

    • mals86 says:

      I remember being all swoony over Drakkar Noir back in the day. My college housemate’s annoying jocky boyfriend wore it, and I didn’t even LIKE him but thought he smelled wonderful. The front door would open and I’d get a little waft of DN and think, “Oh, Andrew’s here. Think I’ll stay up here and avoid the irritating for a while…”

      It doesn’t smell like it used to: it’s thinner, as you might expect.

      • March says:

        It doesn’t surprise me to hear it’s thinner. I smelled Lauren (remember that?) awhile back and it doesn’t smell like I remember.

  • Sherri M. says:

    What an interesting discussion! It seems to me that any perfume with a strong character and mass appeal has the potential of becoming “dated” in a few years. My picks for the next decade “dated” list are: Angel, Aquolina Pink Sugar, Viva La Juicy, Flower Bomb and even Coco Mademoiselle and J’Adore. To be fair, I also think each of these can be considered “classics” of their particular period of time, and each has a strong, easily identifiable character.

    One fragrance that has always struck me as dated for whatever reason is Amarige and most of the Givenchy line (except the harvest series; some of those are really pretty classic florals).

    Modern classics (so many beautiful ones): Jubilation 25, Lyric, Ormonde Jayne Woman, The Party in Manhattan, Odalisque, most of the Goutals…

    • March says:

      Thanks, I love your lists and your line of thinking. You’ve also named some of my favorite scents in your modern classics.

  • Louise says:

    Those 80s heavy-hitters (Poison, Ima looking at you) In theory smell “dated”, and I adore them. Obsession screams out-of-fashion, but smells great on a colleague. Same with Dune. Slap me with some Guess in the twisty bottle, too-though I think it’s a little newer, it’s got the big shoulders that I adore. So, no, I can’t call anything in particular “dated” in a bad way, except maybe my mom’s White Shoulders-just by association.

    Modern classics-I am with you on the MDCIs-and am wearing Enlevement today. Some of the Divines really hit the classic spot, too-especially L’Ame Soeur, the aldehyde bomb.

    • March says:

      The Divines should definitely be on the “new classics” list. And you make a valid point, which is many of us can come up with one person who wears something “dated” and smells fabulous. After all, Angel (body butter?) smells wonderful on you!

      I had a roommate who drenched herself in White Shoulders and I’ve disliked it ever since.

    • ggperfume says:

      Aldehyde bomb, you say? I must try it. . .

  • Jayne58 says:

    It’s Christmas so, inevitably, I’ve had a lot of wrists shoved under my nose these last few days, some of them solicited. The dullest and most dated”been there, smelled that” was Caroline Herrera 212 Pop. Fruity-floral with slight trace of nail-varnish remover. On the other hand (on the other wrist?), I was overcome by nostalgia and hunted down some original Fendi on eBay. Now that’s a classic! Let the obligatory wailing at discontinued status commence.

    • March says:

      CH has really lost their mind/brand direction. That one in the red leather bottle from a year or two ago is ghastly. When I think of the elegance of CH herself, they are even more cringe-worthy. Oooh, original Fendi, good for you.

  • evilpeony says:

    First off, hi to everybody! I haven’t posted in a whole while… but I’m gonna jump in the melee.

    You guys ticked off most of the perfumes on my mental “dated” list (we must all be looking at the same list.. wink wink.)

    My 2 cents:

    Aquatic/ozonic perfumes= terribly dated
    Aquolina pink sugar and all that ilk = terribly dated
    Fruity raspberry bath body works-esque sprays = so 90’s early 2000’s
    The latest iteration of Diorrisimo smells dated to me, unfortunately. Now the old vintage early 60’s version I have… that smells oh so heavenly classic.

    Coco and Paloma Picasso and Carolina Herrera= very classic 80’s.
    CD Poison sprayed lightly at EDT concentration feels classic to me for some strange odd reason.
    And don’t get me started on Bandit (swoon!) and Joy and 1000 Patou

    • March says:

      Thank God there’s at least one other Poison fan on here. I don’t spray but I dab veeeeery lightly. The latest version of Diorissimo sounded so depressing I don’t think I ever tried it.

      • karin says:

        I just bought a bottle of Poison! Haven’t owned it since my obsession with it in the 80’s. What a blast from the past. Haven’t actually spritzed it yet (sorta scared to), but just sniffing the sprayer made me swoon. Used to love this stuff, but I realize the potency. And to think I’d wear 5 spritzes. Oooeee. Sorry to anyone who crossed my path in those days – ha!

        • (Ms.)Christian says:

          I wore Poison for the first-and last-time to an office holiday party when I lived in L.A. No one would sit with me and I am not exaggerating.

          I was a new employee and thought it was *me* they didn’t like until one of the kind secretaries discreetly asked what perfume I was wearing and when I told her, she very nicely suggested “maybe take a few alcohol swabs to the restroom and wipe off as much as you can?” I did, left the party early because I still smelled over the top, and never ever went near it again.

  • annemariec says:

    Estee Lauder’s Beautiful smells dated to me because it is so loaded with flowers. These days new releases tend to be simpler, more airy, although usually sweeter too. I do love Beuatiful tho’.

  • Violette says:

    Ok, so hang on:
    Very Popular + I Like It = Classic, while
    Very Popular + I Dislike It = Dated.

    If that’s so, then I’d mostly agree with Madea’s and your assessments, and add Eternity as Dated. I’d also suggest that Gucci Rush and Chanel Jersey (laundry, anyone?) will soon be on the Dated list if they aren’t already.

    • Louise says:

      I love this response! It sums up how I feel to a tee : )

    • March says:

      Yup. I like your thinking. Gucci Rush I own and wear occasionally, but it has to be exactly the right occasion or I regret I put it on. Good luck getting rid of Rush once it’s on you.

  • Madea says:

    Generally speaking, I think classics are things that speak to some element of the human condition, and dated things speak to a particular moment in time that, once passed, retains very little meaning to those who didn’t directly experience it.

    My classics: Tabu, Habanita, Chanel No 5, DSH Madina Musk and Robe de Zibeline, Aromatics Elixer (yes, I went there:))Chergui, Bal a Versailles, Joy, Jean Nate, Violet Blonde, Toujours Moi, Eleftorea,and my Arabian perfumes.

    My dated perfumes: Windsong, most of the stuff Avon produces–I found a whole mess of 70s vintage Avon at garage sales, much of which is very nice, but definitely dated–and anything that smells ‘clean’ or like sweets (think that line of cosmetics Jessica Simpson put out circa 2002).

    Generally, I find anything that smells super-sweet to smell dated. As a child of the nineties, I came of age with classmates who bathed in Eau de Froot-Loop.

    There are some really good, well done fruity florals and gourmands, but these were not it. This was choking, throat burning, SWEET body sprays. My eyes are burning just to remember it.

  • dianawr says:

    Joop! for Men. Davidoff Cool Water. Opium. (I love the last one and wear it, but admit it smells of the 80s even to me.)

    • March says:

      Hehe Cool Water’s getting no love on here today. And Joop! just makes me laugh, along with the men’s scent in those phallic bottles, the name escapes me at the moment.

  • Suzy Q says:

    Great topic, March. That “dated” comment in PTG puzzled me, too. Does Chanel No. 5 smell dated? And what, exactly, makes something a classic?

    I nominate Enlevement au Serail as a “modern classic”. It smells like it’s been around for decades and yet, it doesn’t smell old-fashioned.

  • Erica says:

    Oh boy. I’d like to nominate Drakkar and Halston Z14 for the dated list, along with Giorgio Beverly Hills and CD Poison. These frags, to me, aren’t classic – they just smell like every college party from 1987 to about 1990. So overdone, and when I smell them now I smell someone who started wearing them in college and just got ‘stuck’ in their ‘peak’ period, like women who never change the hairstyle they had when they were 25. (I realize the perception may not be accurate, but it is my suspicion just the same when I smell these.)

  • Musette says:

    I hate Polo like a mongoose hates a snake. I think it’s because every guy who wore it wore a LOT of it! Soooo much of it. It hurt.

    I’m intrigued by the vinegar in the laundry. Whazzup with that? Inquiring minds and all… I use 20Mule Team Borax, bless its heart. But I’m 😕 by the vinegar.

    I, too, loved the Clean concept – for the first nanosecond it came out, because of its novelty. That wore off in the second nanosecond. b-(

    xo >-)

    • (Ms.)Christian says:

      Hey Musette.

      We have to stop meeting this way.

      I use borax, too, but vinegar is a powerhouse. It cuts alkalaies from detergent and it’s an all around good thing. Here is a link for you.

      http://laundry.about.com/od/vinegarinthelaundr1/tp/vinegarhub.htm

      • March says:

        Maybe it’s my stupid front-loading washer, which has enormous capacity but is irritating in other ways. I never had the sour-smell problem until we got that washer. But I detest the smell of bleach and don’t use it on anything if there’s another choice. Vinegar is the perfect solution to everything!

        I also used vinegar to miraculously get rid of a bad toenail fungus, after everything else had failed, but I won’t add any other details since folks are reading this at breakfast. :d

      • Musette says:

        thanks! I love vinegar for everything from cleaning humidifiers to unclogging arteries (it’s supposedly one of the placque-reducers, which is why folks who eat a lot of pickles are in good-ish stead (as long as said pickles aren’t on top of a Whopper but where’s the fun in that?) but I digress…

        I try to drink a small glass of it every day – b-( ..but then you get used to it! But still b-(

        Madea makes her own vinegars (where is she, anyway…:-? ) hers probably taste better.

        xo >-)

        I just clued March into NancyBoy, which does non-clogging soaps. They are in your neck of the woods.

        • (Ms.)Christian says:

          Oh my word-Nancy Boy’s SF store IS right down the street from the office and just a few steps from my favorite sushi/ramen place. I just read their Yelp write ups and I’ll be visiting and buying from them in the next few days. Can’t wait. I’ll (ahem) “need” at least 2 of the scented eco laundry soaps and a few bars of their body soap and…

          I’m a vinegar lover from way back. One of my favorite things to do in the cupboard as a pre-schooler was drinking vinegar right out of the bottle. I still love it as well as the juie from pickled onions and all pickled stuff in general. A jar of kimchee is always in my fridge.

        • Madea says:

          Youuu raaaannng? *Best Lurch voice*

          Vinegar is also excellent for cleaning up sticky spills on hard surfaces, like honey or dried simple syrup.

          Take a slightly damp (NOT wet) rag and sprinkle the vinegar on it. Buff at the stain–the acidity should make it come right up.

          I also like sweet mint vinegar for when I’m getting a cold or sore throat– Mix a tablespoon of the vinegar into a mug of hot water with the juice of half a lemon and honey to taste.

          It’s absolutely foul, but it helps with minor sniffles.

    • March says:

      Polo! You’re right, it may in fact be a classic, but I never want to smell it again, for the same reason… although for all I know it smells completely different now. 🙂

      Okay, the laundry: because I use unscented eco-correct detergent, eventually the clothes just smell sour (hard to articulate any other way.) I discovered that filling the teeny bleach dispenser in my washing machine with a capful of white vinegar actually leaves the clothes smelling fresh (not like vinegar!) I just keep one of those big plastic bottles from the grocery store right next to the washer.

      • March says:

        I have a steady enough hand from decanting I can pour straight from the big vinegar jug into the bleach dispenser without spilling, but you could use a little cup or leftover laundry cap or whatever. I more or less fill the dispenser, it’s not an exact science.

        • Musette says:

          March,

          I’m hoping Joanna sees this comment – over by her, in Mason City, I bought this phenomenal laundry soap at a Farmer’s Market – she had folks LINED UP to get this stuff because it didn’t gunk up their front loaders (I am ogling a top-loader that does what fronts do now, without the drama. You are the zillionth person to complain of that) – anyhoo, she formulates for this site but also sells on her own – I’mo try to find the info (I also used her lip balm…:x

          http://www.nancyboy.com/Eco-Laundry-Soap-38p87.htm

          xo >-)

          • March says:

            Thanks. I remember hearing about this soap … maybe they’ve improved the front loaders since they first came out, but if you google “front loaders mildew” you’ll see what I’m talking about. They all grow mildew on the inside, particularly on the rubber seal around the door. The manufacturers tell us to leave the front door open, which is stupid and annoying and doesn’t solve it anyway. My top loaders never had this problem.

          • Joanna says:

            I’m reading and will check it out. Anything that prevents that front load funk is worth a look!

          • March says:

            HEY SHOULD I GET THE LAVENDER OR THE LEMON VERBENA?

            They both sound delicious.

            It’s not like I won’t use it all up. With five of us I do a lot of laundry. Opinions, anyone?

          • Musette says:

            Found the lady who makes the soap that NancyBoy sells – she’s the one I found at the MCFarmer’s Market – for WestCoasters, it makes sense to go via NBoy – for folks like me and Joanna, IA is the way to go –

            http://www.soyphisticatedcandles.com/laundry.html

            for you…. here’s a link to her retail locations (wow! they jump around – a LOT) but I sent her an email asking about where else she provides for private label. Shipping on that stuff is 😮

            xo >-)

          • Camille says:

            Hello, I am the person in Mason City. My laundry soap and the laundry soap at NB are different, I do not formulate theirs. I make their candles with their proprietary essential oil combinations, only available there. Our laundry products are different, theirs is great and so is mine, so feel free to buy what works for you!

          • Musette says:

            Camille! HI!!!!

            Hey, everybody, this is Camille in Mason City – SO cool that you dropped by (I told her we were yarking about laundry stuff). I still have 1/100th of one of your lip balms! I am parsing it out until I can get more.

            So…once again Musette Gets It Wrong. I, too, have used both (I bought some of your laundry soap at the market)…and both are grand!

            xoxo >-)

          • Joanna says:

            Hey Camille,
            I’m in Albert Lea and would love to find out how to get your laundry soap.
            Also, my sister and brother-in-law own The Little Green Cupboard store in Forest City. They specialize in locally grown/made products and organic items. I don’t know if you’re looking for new venues to sell from but they would probably be interested in your products.

          • Camille says:

            Hey there- an account there would be great, as most of what I do is wholesale and private label. I do have the laundry soap on my website at http://www.soyphisticatedcandles.com. I am making more this week! This is a neat blog forum, I do a bit of perfumery. Thanks!

          • Joanna says:

            I love that you have a candle scent called OKOBOJI BEACH BABE!

          • Camille says:

            I do want to reiterate that I do not formulate laundry soap for another company, nor do I make a similar blend. I have made laundry bricks and sticks for years, and was asked for a powder version so many times that I finally acquiesced. Due to my son’s allergies to many things laundry-wise, this is why it exists in the first place. I just want to make sure this is all clear.

  • Joanna says:

    Davidoff Cool Water and Gucci Envy. Actually to be honest I’m not a big fan of any Gucci colognes but this one especially…the moment is over.
    I recently spritzed some Anais Anais, an old bottle I’ve had since college and found thought it might smell dated but put it back in the collection out of respect.
    I love Coco and Opium. I think of them as classics. I shall be happily outdated as I wear them I suppose.

    • March says:

      I should retry Anais Anais, I can’t even remember what it smells like … Cool Water I’m totally sick of.

      Lots of Coco/Opium fans on here today!

      • Joanna says:

        Can I nominate my MIL and her Forever Krystle? LOL And when she can’t find any of that on Ebay she wears Emeraude. Heaven help us.

        • March says:

          Man, I’d think there would be a lifetime supply of Forever Krystle on eBay. My condolences. :d

        • Musette says:

          You don’t like Emeraude? Vintage Emeraude is a thing of beauty!

          xo >-)

          • Joanna says:

            I didn’t mind Emeraude until I met my MIL. She’s of the More Is Better school of thought. Like, douse yourself until your socks are soggy and then add a few more squirts just in case. Now the faintest whiff of Emeraude or Forever Krystle makes me quiver. Also she is a crazy cat lady so there’s always a faint smell of cat urine about her.
            March, check FK out on Ebay sometime. It’s insane how much they get for a bottle. You could buy a bottle of Chanel for the same amount.

          • March says:

            Joanna, I did. But the pursuit of a beloved fragrance, no matter the price, is something I can relate to, even if it’s FK.

  • (Ms.)Christian says:

    I’m with you on the “clean” stuff, March. It makes me want to run screaming.

    Being an old woman, I grew up in a time when housewives usually hung clothing on the line to dry and I still adore that scent-sun, fresh air, clean cotton. Back then (1950s), there were not entire aisles in the grocery store devoted to wash day miracle workers and what was available was not highly perfumed and I don’t even think there was fabric softener (other than borax or vinegar in the rinse cycle). Whatever chemical or chemicals (I think it’s a musk) that is now used in detergents and fabric softeners has wormed its ugly smell into perfume and to me-that smell is the antithesis of perfume.

    I’m queer but I’m a femme and I want to smell like a woman, not a box of Tide or a Snuggle “bunny”. Give me Chanel No. 5, L’Heure Bleue, Narcisse Noir-hell, even White Shoulders, and keep that laundry stuff far away from me and in the basement.

    • annemariec says:

      Oh lord, I still hang my washing on the line and only use the drier as a last resort. Yes, clean cotton off the line is wonderful, especially if it’s bed sheets. Laundry detergent is often highly fragranced tho. hard to avoid.

      • March says:

        I would love to do this, and used to do it, but where we live now the air is too dirty and my kids’ allergies are too bad. 🙁 I pretty much have to machine-dry them.

      • Musette says:

        me, too, on the line-dry (in the warmer months. It’s 24F here right now. I don’t think I could stand it! 😮 . Nothing better than line-dried sheets and towels. I bump the towels in the dryer for a few minutes, to get the ‘crunch’ off them, then on the line they go! If it’s blazing-hot out, forgo the dryer and crunch be hanged!

        xo >-)

        • mals86 says:

          Me too. (Well, it’s 36F at the moment, not 24, but I ain’t hangin’ the clothes out today. Probably won’t until spring.)

      • pam says:

        Can you believe–our subdivision has a covenant that says we canNOT have clotheslines! Clothes smell so wonderful when they are hung outside to dry. And wouldn’t that be “greener”?

    • March says:

      Going into the detergent aisle in a modern supermarket LITERALLY makes me gag. The smell is overpowering. I love your list of fragrances.

  • Sunduri says:

    Even though it’s not that old, D&G Light Blue seems dated. It was worn by so many that me thinks my nose tired of it. Seems very “been there, done that”.

    • karin says:

      Yes! I was thinking Light Blue…and Acqua di Gio. These have been on the best seller lists for WAY too long now. Come on people, switch it up a bit!

    • March says:

      My oldest girl wore Light Blue for awhile, and I’m glad she stopped, because I was getting sick of it. It hangs around on clothes forever.

  • ggperfume says:

    You hit the nail on the head with Angel, CK One and all the clean clones: DATED.