Hey Crew, Do you ever read a blog post and suddenly your are pressing PayPal on your favourite online perfume store or discounter? Right, well not long ago over at Perfume Posse Musette waxed lyrical about Jean Nate. It’s always been her go to summer spritz after bathing but it had never been talked about so fulfillingly. Suddenly I had to know. So I bought a cheap 8oz after bath splash mist bottle off FragranceNet, seriously it cost about the price of a McDonalds burger. More recently Tom had a swoon over it too.
Jean Nate (now by Revlon) 1935
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon Bergamot Lavender
Heart: Geranium Spicy Notes Rose Jasmine Lily-of-the-Valley
Base: Musk Sandalwood Tonka Bean Virginia Cedar
So, after all this lead up, what does Jean Nate smell like?
A softly refreshing cologne. The spices and lavender give citrus a frosting of elegance. It’s nothing amazing or extraordinary but it is a pleasant, very short lived scent. I’m lucky to be able to smell it an hour later.
I’m not sure what note or accord it is but I get a definite smell of base humanity as an undercurrent. As if after showering you need to get those lived in, slightly feral aspects back onto your body ASAP.
As the northern hemisphere warms up it might be a good additive if your perfume wardrobe is without a bright, sparkling cologne. Much less zingy than 4711. Jean Nate is more sophisticated and deeper.
Have you tried Jean Nate or do you have memories of a wearer?
Portia xx
Undina's Looking Glass 
I have wanted to try this since Marie Barrone mentioned it on ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’’!
LikeLike
Then you definitely should. It’s almost free Sue.
LikeLike
I had never seen or even heard of it in the UK until I joined Basenotes. I still haven’t seen it for sale here either in a real store or online, though I haven’t actually searched for it.
I do like colognes, especially Eau de Missions, all the vanilla in winter & Alvarez Gomez Agua de Colonia, all lemon & orange blossom in spring & summer.
LikeLike
Never heard of this: Alvarez Gomez Agua de Colonia. Sounds nice for summer. I don’t like 4711; so, I wonder how it compares.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agua Colonia is lemon, lemon, lemons & the MORE lemons the fades to orange blossom just before the hour mark. That ending is quiet & musky. If you snuffle for it you catch it for another hour or two after the lemons fade. No real herbal notes at all.
It is cheap as chips & comes in edc & a bath & body line.
A two word Turinesque descriptor? Sherbet lemons $
LikeLike
They both sound heavenly Alityke
LikeLike
I just tried the Alvarez Gomez (Blame Tom) and love it!!
xox
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tom blamed me for him trying it.
Sherbet lemons!
Something just popped in my head. I’m going to try layering Agua Colonia over Mitzi EdT & see if I can make Mitzi smile rather than snarl. Will report back
LikeLike
This is a halfway point Alityke. Not necessary to search hard for it really, just a curiosity that I liked.
Portia x
LikeLike
Jean Nate and 4711 were staples in my home growing up. I should revisit.
LikeLike
You absolutely should, Brigitte! I can’t remember how I came to revisit (like most, it was a staple in my childhood home as well) but I am grateful I did. xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are such an enabler…and I love you lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Portia, when we had our Perfume Posse zoom meeting I was wearing Parfum de Couer Fresh White Musk… it’s an oldie, goody, cheapie in the same vein as Jean Nate….8 oz for $5.98 but smells amazing…you need to get your nose on it….smells better to me and lasts longer than some of the current Uber expensive niche
LikeLike
OOOOHHH! I’ll keep a lookout Brigitte.
LikeLike
OMG! That’s so cool Brigitte. they are so different too. I can see the need for both.
Portia xx
LikeLike
30oz bottles are sold in almost every pharmacy here in NYC. I owned the body powder, the round bar soaps, the perfume and the cologne in the 90’s. I have always kept a splash 30oz bottle in the refrigerator and it gets a good use in the scorching days of summer. I only wear it when I am at home, since I can reapply several times during the day. So refreshing!
LikeLike
Come July that bottle will happily reside in my fridge. It really is refreshing! xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
30ml would be the PERFECT size to have handy but I too have a big one, 8oz.
Yeah, the fun bit is not incredibly long lived and needs refreshing.
Portia xx
LikeLike
Yes, I grew up with it. My mom and I both used it after a bath or shower. I still have a vintage bottle. It’s great to splash on before bed.
LikeLike
it is Summer Wonderful, isn’t it!! xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely!!! xoxoxoxoxoxo
LikeLike
Cool story GinaT.
LikeLike
I also liked it because it kind of had my name in it. In those days, nothing was named Gina.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Portia! So glad I could add to your list of Things to Try! It’s the perfect apres-shower/apres-bain splash and in your Summer heat? Oh, yeah. You’ll love it!
xoxoxo
LikeLike
It felt so naughty writing this.
LikeLike
I had it, as a child lol. I wanted it to be fuller, deeper-I think I was three. I also wanted red nail polish. I was allowed pink or purple, but not red. As an adult-I can’t be without a red manicure :)
Thank you for the nostaligic post!
LikeLike
Whoa! I love a red manicure Carole.
LikeLike
It was a staple in friends’ bathrooms growing up & now I keep a spray bottle in the fridge for summer. I agree, there’s something in there that always makes me think of hair that hasn’t been washed in a few days. Not in a bad way, just “we don’t want to be too clean, do we?”
LikeLike
‘Too clean’ … yah. No. I don’t like Funktastic but I do like the smell of a human. xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey JulieF,
Yeah, that very French ass in the perfume.
LikeLike
I am going to age myself here, but I have not thought about or owned any Jean Nate since about 1988. Now I may have to go hunt some down at the local CVS or Walgreen’s to see if I can find some for nostalgia sake.
LikeLike
Do it Juli and report back.
LikeLike
It’s good on a really hot day. I used to use it in the old days when no one had air conditioning and we were all sweltering in the Southeast USA. It somehow made one feel cooler. Now I get the same effect from my tea fragrances like Nishane Wu Long cha and Nicolai’s Fig Tea.
LikeLike
Hey RR,
Yeah, I get the same refresh from Paris Hilton Siren. It stays in the fridge during summer.
LikeLike
We always had it growing up but I think it’s been 40 years since I’ve smelled it. If I see it I will give it a whiff, but freshies are not my favorite category.
LikeLike
This is a very different look at the freshie genre TaraC. It might just give you a surprise.
LikeLike
This wouldn’t be for me if the lavender was quite prominent, but I am happy for your bargain buy! I am not familiar with the brand, though I feel I should be.
LikeLike
Hey Vanessa,
I’m not sure if the lavender would be too prominent, it’s definitely there in the mix.
I think you probably don’t need this anyway.
Portia xx
LikeLike
I’ve never heard of these products (I just looked up some info about their history), so I don’t have any nostalgic connection to it. I’m mildly curious, but I have absolutely no capacity for it now. Maybe I come over it one day somewhere – then I’ll give it a sniff.
LikeLike
Yeah, I also had no history with it Undina. I’ve never seen it here in Oz.
Portia xx
LikeLike