Halston Classic (Women) and Clinique Aromatics Elixir

Well, it’s still quite warm but not insane. No rain for weeks but a half hour this morning. Like Mother Nature having a bit of a laugh. We’ve yet to come under a hosepipe ban but we’ll see.

The tuberose inside bloomed and the throw from three little flowers was insane. Whole of the back of the house for two full days. Needed door and window open. Beautiful but … a lot. I mistakenly cut the wrong lily so have had that in a vase outside. It’s too strong for the house.

The cucumber is making cucumbers. It’s twining its runners with the jasmine. The tomato isn’t yet performing. Waiting on the dahlias.

Did spot painting maintenance inside the house. Feeling virtuous.

For unknown reasons Facebook and Google decided to show me numerous ads for Halston Classic (the women’s scent) over the past couple of weeks.

I took it as a sign, given it and the glorious Clinique Aromatics Elixir are both by the nose Bernard Chant and I’d been thinking about AE a lot recently as a cheap bottle sits in my work area and if I can’t make up my mind about perfume on a given day AE is an easy decision.

I didn’t realise till I started looking at Halston (even though Tom wrote about it here) that Chant was the nose.

Anyway, there’s enough that is if not similar in the two perfumes but is on the same track that I figured we wouldn’t go wrong with a side by side post.

Halston Classic from 1975. Notes include green leaves, mint, peach, melon, bergamot, marigold, carnation, dedar, orris root, ylang-ylang, jasmine, rose, oakmoss, vetiver, amber, incense, patchouli, sandalwood and musk.

Clinique Aromatics Elixir from 1971. Notes include chamomile, aldehydes, clary sage, coriander, geranium, lemon verbena, Brazilian rosewood, bergamot, carnation, rose, ylang-ylang, orris root, jasmine, tuberose, orange blossom, oakmoss, patchouli, incense, vetiver, sandalwood and musk.

Not much overlap in the opening notes, but, boy, look at the middle and base notes. Almost twins?

Fragrantica labels both floral chypre. Fine.

Halston opens easier, a bit more powdery, and there’s that peach and mint thing. More of a Mitsouko-lite feel. No one I knew wore this in the 1980s, when I really started to be aware of perfume. And certainly not in the ‘70s, when the people I knew wore Head Shop patchouli or musk mostly.

AE opens herbal, that clary sage plus the weird smell of chamomile. Darker, a bit gooey. No sweetness at all.

Halston feels sunnier; AE, as noted numerous times here, witchier, stranger. And that Halston bottle is just so fetching whereas my small bottle of AE is just a nice bottle. Nothing special.

As they warm up and open I can see the similarities. Halston, understandably, is still lighter, easier. But, yeah: orris, rose, jasmine, ylang.

In the drydown, Halston is gentler, a sort of elevated skin musk – a really really great skin musk (note to Portia: if Jin hasn’t tried this, he should). AE has a strange burnt caramel overtone but there’s still that skin musk.

My 25ml bottle of AE cost around £16. The box says perfume spray. This is vs the Halston 100ml of eau de cologne for £20. It’s a good, strong EdC though, with longevity.

I have to say I am very pleased to have both. Do I prefer one over the other? Well, no, as even with the markedly similar middle and drydown the Halston is much easier to wear. Not a bit of a challenge like AE.

I think people around you would probably prefer you wore Halston in very hot weather. I think if it’s still this warm in early August when I’ve got an orthodontic appointment, I might test that out.

Do you own either or both? Done a side by side? If yes, preference? Do you own any other Chant perfumes? I looked up his oeuvre and it’s good stuff.

Pics: mine, pexels