Skip to main content

First by Van Cleef & Arpels

By

When I started my fragrance journey, I got a bunch of these from Target to give as gifts. I liked the shape of bottle and its name. It smelled decent though a bit old school.

With time, as I tried more fragrances, I thought this is a knock off of other aldehydic florals. Stopped caring for.

A few years ago I came across vintage version on eBay for cheap and snapped it up. And I am glad I did cause this version is simply amazing. 

You can smell the whole floral symphony with 3D effect. But that is not even the best part. The drydown is where you see its beauty in full. Soft, powdery sandalwood.

It is hard to describe how good this is. I have Arpege, No. 5 and Joy in vintage formulation and I find First to be superior. Arpege is too indolic, First goes low on indoles and uses civet to add the funk. Arpege and No. 5, both blind with aldehydes while First uses it for a shimmering glow. Joy is a great white floral but it is overpowered by Jasmine. Lacks the evolution First has. 

All I can say is that this is Ellena's best work and he should have stuck to this style.

A word on vintage vs current version - Current version has lost the balance that vintage had. Too much aldehyde. It just does not work. As it dries down it gets better but the lack of real sandalwood and nitromusk does take a toll. The florals are muted too. It is not bad but I think of it as a 2D picture of a 3D sculpture.

Top Notes:

aldehydes || mandarin || blackcurrant || peach || raspberry || hyacinth

Heart Notes:

turkish rose || narcissus || jasmine || lily of the valley || carnation || orchid || tuberose|| orris

Base Notes: 

amber || tonka || oakmoss || sandalwood || vetiver || musk || honey || civet

Labels:

Comments

  1. JeffDecember 30, 2021 at 8:50 AM

    Sounds tempting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. epapsiouJanuary 3, 2022 at 7:39 AM

      Oh but it is :). The development is something you will appreciate.

      Delete
  2. GrayspooleJanuary 2, 2022 at 5:41 AM

    Completely agree that the vintage is a masterpiece, and the modern forms are shadows of it only. The modern EDP was very harsh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. epapsiouJanuary 3, 2022 at 7:41 AM

      Yes I agree and the harshness is mostly because of bad blending and balance. As it dries down you can smell more than the shadows of original. I realize that many of the original ingredients are not available but they could have made something decent with what they have. A shame really.

      Delete
    2. John VickMarch 15, 2022 at 1:15 AM

      I really like it the most. You have really done a great job by sharing the beautiful post. Thanks lot for the informative post. Learn to read more about Fragrant Perfume Boxes

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oriental Lounge by The Different Company

By
Bergamot, Curry Leaf, Pepper, Red Rose, Tonka Bean, Labdanum, Satinwood. I suppose the first thing I noticed about Oriental Lounge is that as a man, this is a bit of a stretch to pull off. Since the core of Oriental Lounge is a powdery tonka and amber duo, it really does lean a bit too far feminine for me to wear. However, it would smell just as lovely on a woman and more appropriate as well. I bring this up simply because it's marketed as shared. I was wondering about the curry leaf. Actually, this "note" brought nothing to the table with the exception of possibly enhancing the pepper note just a bit. Even so, the pepper note itself was low key ( at least on me ) and both blended nicely with the citrus opening. From the onset of Oriental Lounge, it's unmistakable that this fragrance is.......well.....an oriental. From other opinions, I read some gripes about longevity, but it lasts on me quite awhile. This fragrance is uncomplicated and without much movemen...
4 comments
Read more

Black Suede by Avon

By
Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...
1 comment
Read more

Paco Rabanne Pour Homme

By
I am reviewing the original Paco Rabanne Pour Homme ( circa 1973 ) thanks to a generous basenoter who sent it to me recently in a swap. He also sent me the current formulation in order for me to do a side by side comparison. The side by side resulted in what I had already imagined would be the case. Not that the newer formula is terrible by any means. The original version simply is better by being deeper and a bit more masculine. No......you shouldn't go to ebay searching for the vintage formula and paying stupid prices. It's simply a notch or two better than the current and noticeable by comparing the two in real time. Rabanne Pour Homme opens with a slight shimmer in conjunction with lavender, spices and a subtle woodiness. It's an old school introduction, however a good one. The lavender takes about 5 minutes to raise its volume and evolve into a soapy rendition. I dislike when a boatload of soapy lavender takes over a composition, but here it doesn't go over t...
2 comments
Read more