O de Lancome

Hi Posse, If you’re in the northern hemisphere then you’re probably starting to cool down a bit. There are still some very warm days though right? I meant to write about O de Lancome all last summer. It turned 50 years old last year, quite an achievement. Then this year it has been on my mind as well for you guys but it just never got done. So here I am, just a week too late, finally writing about this long time love of so many perfumistas. It doesn’t have to be hot to wear it, I love to grab it out anytime the sun is shining. Heat though allows to scent to really shine.

Here’s the 2016 Posse Best Of Summer if you want to have a look back.

O de Lancome 1969

O de Lancome 1969

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon
Heart: Basil, Rosemary, Coriander
Base: Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Vetiver

My bottle is an older variation and I’m not sure what the newest iteration is like but there’s been no major hullabaloo in my memory to say it’s been treated cavalierly. Also, I don’t wear this beauty enough. I’m leaving it on my favourites tray so that when the warmth of spring hits I’ll be ready.

Sweet, tart, fizzy and beautifully fragrant O de Lancome also has a pithy breathiness that stops it being tame or simple. The herbs through the heart are so vibrant and uplifting and even this early the light saltiness that I associate with vetiver gives extra fullness too the fragrance.

Dry down still has a hint of the citrus to but by now the lovely cozy furriness of oak moss has taken over. Everywhere i’ve looked call it a citrus fragrance, and it is, but it also fits the mould of a chypre. None of the straight backed CHANEL No 19, the dry ache of Jacomo Silences or the wild abandon of Niki de Saint Phalle. A light hearted chypre, the easy going friend that everyone loves.

Who else loves O de Lancome? Do you have some stories or memories to share?
Portia xx

  • Anna maria says:

    I love O de Lancome! I pair it with SJP Stash…it feels good to me.

  • Diana says:

    Hi, Portia! I have no opinion on O de Lancome although it does sound like something I’d wear (the vintage, anyway), just wanted to say hi to you and the APJ crowd! Hope you’re all doing great and keeping strong. Air hugs

    • Brigitte says:

      Diana!!!! Oh my goodness!!!! Hello!!! How are you??? We miss you!!! I hope you are well. I am sending you a huge virtual kiss, my much younger perfume sister 🙂 🙂 🙂

      • Diana says:

        Hi, dear Brigitte! I’m okay, thanks for asking! Hope the Marzipan family are doing great despite the pandemic, and smelling as fabulous as ever! I think of you every time I have to thunk a bottle, but the hoarder in me is trying to stop me: “What would Brigitte do?”, that usually does it 🙂
        Sending you a bunch of hugs!!

    • Portia says:

      DIANA! This is so weird. I sent you a postcard yesterday! How freaking serendipitous is that. Maybe you heard my siren song across the ocean.
      So good to see you here and YES! I could definitely imagine you swanning around in O de Lancome.
      Are you well? How’s life?
      Portia xx

      • Diana says:

        Hey, Portia! I love when things like this happen: I’ve been going through the samples you sent me quite often lately thinking of all the good times we had on APJ. Missing you a lot! And I too was going to send you a postcard this week (now it won’t be a surprise, though)!

        Life’s been more or less okay, just busy: we’ve just finished renovating a room which, naturally, was a bit of nightmare, but it was worth it.
        A lot of peeps here think there’ll be another lockdown, or a financial crisis, or some other catastrope soon, so most are trying to enjoy the good things while it’s still possible. I do hope for the best, of course, but I’ve become even more of a recluse since the pandemic started.

        Saw your most recent picture on IG, you look absolutely smashing! Lots of love xx

        • Portia says:

          Yeah, APJ was something so special.
          We have a really good SOTD crew here on Perfume Posse too. I really miss some of the ridiculous banter that went on but maybe it will grow here too.
          Yes, I think we have lived in an extraordinary golden age and things will be a lot less so over the next decade. How lucky we’ve been.
          Are there any favourite samples? Did any of them spark joy?
          Portia xx

          • Diana says:

            Yes, APJ was fun, I do hope that there’s plenty of great things ahead 😉

            Speaking of joy: I bought my first Amouage – Dia (it smells heavenly, but I never realised it until this summer) and Melodie de l’amour (still in love with Parfums Dusita). Tries some new releases (Senyoko, ELDO, Beaufort), but they didn’t work on my skin: I find those pesky woody musks too annoying. As usually, there are quite a few disappointments, but then again, one masterpiece makes up for all the rubbish.

          • Brigitte says:

            Oh my goodness!! Diana, forgot to tell you I tried two Dusitas!! Sillage Blanc and Passlisandra D’Or…. stunning! Now I see why you love this house.

          • Diana says:

            Yay! So glad to hear that! They really do have this vintage vibe. Hope you’ll get to try the rest, I’m really curious on how you’ll like the extraits, Erawan and Siam.

            Le Sillage Blanc is my newest obsession: turns out it smells wonderful in summer (who knew? Wearing a leather chypre in summer sounds like a faux-pas, but this one is just perfect). That sample is going to be thunked real soon 🙂

          • Brigitte says:

            Yes!! I wore it a few times in the summer. Saving the rest to test in cold weather.

          • Portia says:

            WOO HOO Diana! Dia is a brilliant masterpiece to add to your collection. I love it too. If ever you see the shower gel and body lotion they are exquisite too.
            Dust gets so much love. I bet they smell gorgeous on you.
            Portia xx

          • Diana says:

            I agree, Dia is a masterpiece. Gotta get me some of their soin de corps, then…Thanks for the tip! xx

      • Diana says:

        Likewise! Hope you’re doing great, Neva!

        • Neva says:

          Hi dear Diana, everything’s okay. There’s a bit of pushing and pulling but in the end I’ve learned to live in the moment not looking too far ahead, especially after the March earthquake we had. Summer has always been my favourite time of the year so I’m enjoying it. Perfumes also keep coming in 😉 yesterday I’ve got a half full 25 ml bottle of the old Bulgari Omnia – yay!

  • March says:

    Hm, this sounds like something I would really like (less severe) and I’ve always loved the bottle. Surely I must have smelled it at some point? I’ve admired various Lancome fragrances, but I don’t get along with any of their classics that I’ve tried; something in the musky base.

    • Portia says:

      Hey March,
      Interesting. Didn’t they use a base called Mousse de Chine or Mousse de Sax that was extremely popular for a while? Maybe the newer stuff and reformulations will work in your favour?
      Portia xx

  • Queen-Cupcake says:

    I had high hopes for Ô , as I am a big fan of green in fragrance. I obtained a small bottle of this, not likely vintage. Sadly for me, it was too sweet–a candied citrus with no green kick. Maybe I’ll find an older version of it some day.

  • Musette says:

    Omg. You (and Patty) are KILLING me with these nearly-painful reflections on the heart (“the dry ache of Jacomo Silences”, indeed!).
    But to return to O de Lancome – I remember this – but just barely – and that’s insane, since it’s completely up my scent alley!

    xoxoxo

    • Portia says:

      Sorry Musette,
      Yeah, I can imagine you popping this bottle in the fridge through summer and using it as a heat regulator. Still very affordable, but not nearly so much as your Jean Nate.
      Portia xx

  • Patty says:

    I cant’ ever remember smelling this. How weird is that? Now I need to poke around and see if I have any!

    • Portia says:

      HA! There’ll be some around there, I’m sure Patty.
      Is your town big enough for a department store with beauty counters?
      Portia x

  • MMKinPA says:

    I have a mini of this, should dig it out. (I have a bottle of the Orangerie flanker which is refreshing but loses the chypre-ness.). Ô is one of the bottles I lost in our last move, had been given to me as a gift from French friends. Definitely wish I had that bottle back.

    • Portia says:

      BUMMER MMKinPA, hate losing stuff in moves. EVERY time I mislabel some box and favourite stuff gets sent to the charity. The bummer is it takes months sometimes to notice the loss.
      Portia xx

  • Cinnamon says:

    Haven’t tried many Lancome fragrances. Actually never been a fan of Lancome makeup either, even the mascaras which get a lot of love. Magie Noir is the only one I’ve sampled and it was fine but not exciting in the context of orientals. I will have to try whatever is the latest iteration of O though.

    • Portia says:

      Hey Cinnamon,
      They market Magie Noir as an ORIENTAL? Wow! I wouldn’t have thought it fit in that box at all. No wonder your expectations weren’t met.
      Portia xx

  • Neva says:

    Ô is definitely a citrus but the herbs and the vetiver make it dryer and it’s exactly the type of green perfumes that I like. I remember getting my first bottle in the early nineties from my business partner. First he bought me Angel and I rolled my eyes so hard that he immediately took the bottle out of my hands and exchanged it for Ô de Lancome the next day 😀

  • Ingrid says:

    I bought a vintage bottle from you, Portia. It’s one of my favorites all year round here in Queensland.

    • Portia says:

      Hey there Ingrid,
      I love that we share a love for O de Lancome. I did go through a stage of buying EVERY bottle of vintage I saw. So happy you have one.
      Portia xx

  • Brigitte says:

    I wore it….decades ago!!!! Back then it had oakmoss!! Yes, a chypre for sure. I also had and thunked three bottles of O de Lancolme Intense before it was discontinued. Surprisingly I love these citruses with backbone in the cold weather.

    • Portia says:

      Hey Brigitte,
      I can so imagine you rocking this.
      Yeah, looks like my bottle was produced around 2010 so it would still have a smidge of oakmoss.
      You’re right, a chypre works in all weathers. This bright citrus open works particularly well in the warmth though. Starts so cooling and refreshing and then the bone dry backbone helps to keep you a bit dehumidified in your brain.
      Portia xx