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Saturday Question: Which 3 Perfumes Would You Like To Experience Again?

Please don’t rush to answer (I know some of you who practice TL;DR). This question has a twist. Please bear with me; I’ll explain below.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #153:

Which 3 Perfumes Would You Like To Experience Again?

This is not a question about which perfume you’d like to be “resurrected.” And not about which vintage perfume in an intact condition you’d like to find one day. Perfumes that fall under this mental exercise are perfumes that 1) you previously smelled; 2) they are now either discontinued or reformulated.

So, if you were offered an opportunity to smell (OK, I’ll be generous – and wear, if you want to) again just once any perfume that fits the criteria listed above – which 3 would you have chosen?

My Answer

I thought of this SQ after exchanging comments in the last week’s post. I would love to be able to smell once again Thierry Mugler’s Angel as it was in 1993-94 (that’s when I first smelled it). My bottle is from around 1999-2000, and I’m not 100% sure that even it was the same as it was initially created. Now it’s more than 2 decades old, so it smells somewhat different from how it was when I bought it. And newer versions are definitely reformulated – even though they are still quite recognizable. But my memory of what it was like in the beginning is so vivid (not the scent but my reaction to it) that I would like to experience that Angel again. Though, I’m not sure if I’d want to wear it.

The second perfume of my choice would be my lifelong love Climat by Lancome. I’d like to smell and wear that perfume in its early 80s version. I have at least 5 different versions of it in my collection, and I love, like or appreciate them. But I remember how I thought that Climat was the most beautiful perfume ever (and couldn’t understand how not everyone felt the same about it). So, I would like to compare my memory to the actual scent.

The last wish is more practical, so to speak. Eight years ago, for the blog’s anniversary, I told the story of a perfume that I owned in my adolescent years and could never find since (due to the inconspicuous name “Paris Paris” and an unknown to me brand name). I would like to smell it again to learn if I still like it and, if yes, with my better understanding of perfumes and experience with thousands of them, to try to find something that smells similar.

Rusty and Paris-Paris Bottle

Which 3 Perfumes Would You Like To Experience Again?

65 thoughts on “Saturday Question: Which 3 Perfumes Would You Like To Experience Again?”

  2. Just once? I would be greedy and want to bottle it for later (pun intended). Calvin Klein Euphoria comes to mind as it made such an impression on me when I first smelled it. I haven’t smelled recent versions, which are widely available, but have heard it’s reformulated and quite different. Gucci Nobile, which is long gone. The Body Shop Amorito, so I can remember more clearly the chocolate/jasmine scent and try to find another one like it. Although it would be easier if they could all be resurrected!

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    • I have an original bottle of Wrappings, purchased in 1992. It was the smell of college in N. Florida (Tallahassee), the holidays, and everything wonderful that came my way at that time in my life. I treasure it.

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    • I would love to smell Murasaki by Shiseido (burgundy bottle), it had such a delicate gardenia note, combined with tender greens, over an incense base – it was one of my first perfume loves way back in H.S.
      I’d also like to revisit Feminite du Bois and the original Angel. I was a fragrance sales associate at Dillard’s when it, and Angel were first released. The popular perfume at the time was Estee Lauder’s Beautiful and Pleasures – it was so enjoyable to watch the confusion on ladie’s faces when they smelled FdB and Angel. I think they were expecting something other than what they smelled.

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    • pjmcbride, about 15 years ago I lived in New Brunswick, and we had a beautiful jewel box of a perfumery. One day they had a lonng table set up, and beautiful cellophane wrapped gifts on it. I asked what they were and was told it’s Mystery. Each was a 100 ml of the EDP, beautifully wrapped. The owner brought it in for a customer and just wanted ebveryone to experience something beautiful-each bottle was $20 can, taxes included. So Mystere reminds me of kindness lol. I did buy a bottle and I still have it.

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  7. I can’t think of anything Undina,
    Most of my “I wish” perfumes are here, many in their original or earlier forms.
    One thing tangentially linked is I really wish both Mona Doi Orio and Grandiflora would go back to their original bottles. The new ones are yuk.
    Portia x

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    • Also tangentially thinking-I’ll wear Grandiflora Michel today :) It’s a beautiful sunny winter day here, after a week of storms. So there’s snow but it’s melting and the sun had some heat.

      Portia, as beautiful as the original Grandiflora bottles were I think there were some design flaws . My bottle will leak if I’m not super careful. When I first got it I could smell it through the mailing wrap-it had leaked before I got it. I never want to complain about it because I won it, and it was so generous of everyone concerned. But maybe it had to be changed. I agree the ombre bottle is beautiful :) And what a scent.

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    • I have to say that I totally agree about the Mona di Orio bottles. With their new release, I once again started mentally complaining about the horrible caps on the current bottles versus the unique, tight fitting ones on the originals. Plus, the original bottles were a total experience that was unto itself. The current bottles are one of many slick cool designs. So I am being old and cranky about change, but it isn’t always for the better.

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  9. I don’t know what TL/DR is, but is that directed at me, after my quick response to the chocolate question (Ha!). (And yes, I do love to eat chocolate). Anyway, going way back in time, when I was first discovering I liked perfumes and would smell my older sisters, I wish I could smell original Charlie, Ciara, and Tabu, and see if I still liked them. Going about a decade forward I would love to have the original Lauren, and also Ralph Lauren Tuxedo. I still have a little of my original Private Collection. I’m afraid to smell the newest version.

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    • I pick the ones on my Mother’s dresser circa 1967: Shalimr edc, Diorissimo, and Je Reviens. Could go with many others mentioned above, but a special shout-out for Charlie, 1975.

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  10. My goodness – I feel like Portia and can’t think of anything, or rather I got so overwhelmed by the number of perfumes I would love to smell again that I can’t fix on just three. Some have been mentioned. But I can tell you that I wore Climat in the 70s and it was even more beautiful then! I hadn’t smelled a fragrance like it, and compared with later formulations I would say it was richer and not exactly sweeter (it was still green) but somehow more floral. I felt wonderful when wearing it – grown up, sophisticated and feminine. So I think I would like to smell that again. Now ….. what other two would I choose?

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  11. The perfumes I wore decades ago, pre-perfumista and pre-reformulation days!
    LouLou Cacharel
    Ysatis Givenchy
    Trésor Lancome
    Paris Yves Saint Laurent
    Y Yves Saint Laurent
    Rive Gauche Yves Saint Laurent

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  13. My response to TL;DR is YL!
    Early versions of Femme, before the sweaty cumin was introduced in 1989. Such a stunning plum chypre, grandmother to both SL FdB & Arabie.
    If I could spend unlimited sums to recreate with all it’s original formula I would have a recreation of Nicky Verfaillie Grain de Sable. Despite my loathing of calone, according to Fragrantica this 1977 creation contains it. According to Victoria of BdJ it was created in 1980. GdS is a ripe melon/papaya fruity floral with ylang & jasmine but is cast in water colour tints. Strongly related to YSL Yvresse, Diorella & La Parfum de Therese. GdS is more beautiful & human than her sisters!
    My third would be Diorella from the late 70’s. As she was when we first met. On the surface all immaculate tailoring & helmet hair, underneath she wears suspenders & silk stockings & is otherwise commando.

    Yep these 3 share a lot of DNA. Stoned fruit & a bit unwashed. I miss these complex & subtle feminine scents that were devastating worn by men

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    • How do I NOT know about that Estee Lauder fragrance? My childhood home was replete with all the Estees(Azuree, Estee, Aliage, Cinnabar, Private Collection, Youth Dew, White Linen…) but I don’t remember that one. I too wore Norell back in the day. I bet your mom smelled amazing.

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    • It’s a green!!! With galbanum!!! So I would have liked it for sure. From my research White Linen, Celadon and Pavilion were released as a trio in 1978 with the idea that you could layer them. I wonder why Celadon and Pavilion were discontinued but White Linen lives on? I am also wondering if Celadon was a cousin to Aliage Sports Spray which was released in 1972? Another gorgeous green I think you would have loved.

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  15. I always love the SQ! Here are my thoughts:

    1. Arpege as it was around 1983 when I first smelled it, as a ten year old. It had more flowers and more vetiver in the base, as I recall. I do like the version we can buy now, and I love the fact that it’s in a great bottle and very reasonably priced. But I’d love to smell the 1983 version again.

    2. I was in Saint Pierre when I was 16. Had a terrible cold and couldn’t smell anything. Bought my mom a small bath gel, which I couldn’t smell but the other girls could. they said it smelled amazing. Got home, gave it to my mom, got over my cold, and they were right-it smelled amazing! I think it was called Lys Tys, and it was delicate and subtle and so French. Saint Pierre is a part of France right off the coast of Newfoundland-it’s a very special place. Difficult to fly in and out cause of the fog-that’s what you get when you’re in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, I guess:)

    3. I had to move once back in 1995 and I’m not good at moving. Accidentally lost a bottle of Shalimar EDC and matching body cream-such a beautiful cream! Bother versions smelled amazing, full off depth and spice-I’m still sore at myself for that mistake. I’d like to have that version back in my collection :)

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  16. Gosh, what a great question…off the bat I’d go with Jean Patou Vacances (vintage), Agent Provocateur Strip, and L’Artisan Safran Troublant, about which I was waxing wistful only yesterday. I am sure I could think of a few more by and by. I’d also like to add a couple of the earlier Ajnes I fell hard for but couldn’t afford (eg Printemps).

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  17. I forgot to answer the question before. I would be intrigued to smell Royal Secret circa mid 1960’s. My first fragrance. Also, Dioressence from the same time frame. I had quite the taste in perfume for being so young at the time.

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  18. Unsurprisingly, this must be my designer and mainstream loves from the early days of my perfume journey. I am lucky enough to still own some that belong to this category of biographical significance, e. g. the original Rive gauche p. H. and Silver (Aigner), the latter unjustly totally forgotten by many. But there are many that are long gone and that I would love to smell again for the sake of old memories. And I think I would wear them again even today:

    First formulation Egoiste (the current one is not bad, but not quite the same)
    First formulation Carolina Herrera for Men (the current one is terrible)
    And Shiseido’s Basala (gone entirely)

    Oh, those were the days when designer perfumes reigned, and they were SO much better than most of today’s niche stuff.

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    • I had originally Rive Gauche but finished it decades ago. Gorgeous fragrance. Herrera for Men in the box with the dots was amazing. I would love to smell it again too.

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  19. I would love to re- smell the original Dune, Fidji and Burberry’s Society. They all made such an impression on me when I was young. I’d like to recapture that and determine what it was that I loved so much.

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