A perfume to grow old with; Smells like '89

August 5, 2013 9:35 AM

Can you help this perfume amateur find a perfume to wear from her birth year?

I don't know how I got this into my head but I'd really like to find a perfume (or several, even better!) to wear that was released in my birth year. I'm in the DC area so I've got plenty of the usual department/cosmetic stores to go to for samples/sniffs but I'm also very much willing to order some samples online (Perfumed Court is popular for this I think).

Right now, I buy and wear: I Love Love Moschino, Oh Lola Marc Jacobs.

I used to wear: Bath&Body Works Tropical Passionfruit (still love it but a little embarrassed to wear something SO wonderfully sweet but now on second thought I might bust it out occasionally except I'm hanging onto this last bottle because I can't find it any more) Bath&Body Works Dancing Water (bought and used it up) and Perry Ellis Portfolio (some days it just smells too masculine/strong/powdery for me). I was also gifted a set of Burberry Brit body lotion and shower gel and I really liked the scent of the lotion on me (have not tried the shower gel yet).

In the past I've sniffed and disliked (didn't wear/try on):
Viktor&Wolf's Flowerbomb I would wear it but its kind of just meh for the price. Versace Bright Crystal...didn't like at all at first sniff. Clinique Happy I have a friend who loves this and I have tried and tried but I truly dislike this one. The last time I tried sniffing Chanel No 5 (tried and tried) it smelled like roach spray to me. I also wasn't taken with the Hanae Mori for women scent when I sniffed it. Also, I hate sugary/dessert type scents/perfume.

I have sniffed and enjoyed:
Lolavie Jennifer Aniston, a no name White Tea Bubble Bath thing I got at Big Lots, Gucci Flora, VS Everything Refresher Spray with Citrus. My friend gave me a small hand cream from Crabtree&Evelyn Citron Honey & Coriando that I LOVE sniffing. And I will be trying the Alfred Sung Sung perfume just for the heck of it (when I get around to it).

I did some googling to find this list of perfumes released in 1989. I don't know how accurate it is but this list is HUGE and it seems a few of the scents are discontinued? And then I found this list but it seems so short! Can you perfume experts make recommendations for me from the year 1989? Fingers crossed, hopefully I'm not asking for something that's impossible. I think I'm also going to get a sample of the Samsara Guerlain just based on the name alone...

posted by driedmango to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (11 answers total)

Samsara is a classic, very recognizable. It has been part of Guerlain's offerings forever.
posted by Teakettle at 9:45 AM on August 5, 2013

I was going to say Samsara. It's a lot like Cinabar or Dior Poison or Opium. Deep and woodsy. It's good for fall, but it's heavy.

I might be inclined to recommend the Pour Monsieur by Chanel. A lot of Chanel fragrances are light and citrusy. So just because it's technically for dudes, it may turn your nose on.

For grins, the Patchouli one might be good. It would give me a flashback to 1970, but whatever floats your boat.

I've been wearing Chanel 19 for 30 years. I love it, but it went from being available in soap, powder, cream and lotion to me only being able to buy at the holidays.

Perfumes come and go. Very few stay throughout the decades.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Samsara.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:47 AM on August 5, 2013

Parfumo.net is a pretty reputable source, as is Basenotes. Out of the things on that list, the ones I am familiar with are Rochas Femme (a classic chypre, may come across as dated to you since you seem to be more comfortable with the modern "clean" style of fragrance), Guerlain Samsara (a very rich oriental), New York by Nicolai (a classic masculine), Odalisque by Nicolai (a nice feminine floral oriental, I'd suggest you check that one out), Gardenia Passion by Annick Goutal (not sure if this is still in production but a nice floral), Madame Rochas (another chypre). I have not sniffed Number one by Nicolai or any of the Etros but I know they are all still in production and probably good candidates to sample. You can get samples at Surrender to Chance.
posted by matildaben at 9:49 AM on August 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

I recommend you try Paradise by Lili of Bermuda.

I wear their products every day! (Mainly Pink, Coral, or Lily, although I have more from a sample collection.)

This is a cool idea!
posted by jgirl at 9:51 AM on August 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

Samsara is a gorgeous, rich, heady Oriental. It doesn't have much in common with the lighter fragrances you mention. It's more of an evening or cold weather fragrance unless you can apply it with a very, very, very light hand. One thing Samsara does have going for it is that it's unlikely to be discontinued (although it has already been reformulated several times, so a bottle you buy today will not smell the same as a bottle released in 1989).
posted by payoto at 9:58 AM on August 5, 2013

I'm going to throw out Byblos as a candidate. It has the floral and citrus notes you seem to like, including honeysuckle which may recall the Crabtree & Evelyn hand cream you like, cut with some spice. The only trouble is I am reading conflicting reports as to whether it was released in 1989 or 1990.
posted by payoto at 10:14 AM on August 5, 2013

If you have access to a library with old magazines, I'd do a browse through Glamour, Seventeen, Vogue, etc.. from that time period to see if anything appeals to you. (plus, you can laugh at the horrible/awesome fashions of the time!)

I tried doing a google books search but the picking were slim.
posted by vespabelle at 10:57 AM on August 5, 2013

273 is big and fruity, possibly too sweet, but with enough sandalwood to keep it warm. And if your body chemistry likes it, it can be mouthwatering, or so I've heard. A little (mostly under the clothes) goes far.
posted by grar at 10:57 AM on August 5, 2013

I thought of Samsara as soon as I read your question, so one more vote for that! Another I loved from your list was Elizabeth Taylor's Passion for Men (I am a woman, by the way).
posted by goo at 12:57 PM on August 5, 2013

Basenotes.net will give you a comprehensive list of what was released then, what's still available, and how the community (who know their scents) rate it.

I'm not an expert, but fashions in perfumes have changed a lot since then - Angel came along in 1994, was a massive success, and since then many mainstream offerings have been trying to do the sweet/fruit/patchouli thing. So if you've grown up with 'fruitchoulis', a lot of older perfumes might smell weird or old-fashioned. (I'm not much older than you but I don't get on with a lot of the classics like Diorissimo or Chanel No.5 for the same reason - chypres feel old-fashioned to me in a bad way. Looks like you have the same experience with No.5) Samsara is a lovely fragrance, but it might need time to grow on you as it's quite different to the things you say you like.

I notice Comptoir Sud Pacifique have a few scents on there - Rose Vanille and Vanille Tiare. I can't get this line where I live, but I've heard that they are quite sweet and you might like them if you like Oh Lola.
posted by mippy at 4:20 AM on August 6, 2013

Response by poster: You guys are great! =] Had a wonderful time looking through all your suggestions and I'll be ordering my samples soon!
posted by driedmango at 9:31 AM on August 6, 2013