Midnight by Tussy: launched in 1949 and was sold at drugstores, marketed as a glam, refreshing, magical and romantic perfume. It was as popular as Evening in Paris in the 1950s-1960s.
Midnight by Tussy was available in cologne, perfume, body powder, talc, hand & body lotion, lipsticks, bath powder mitt full of powder, cream perfume, bubble bath, and perfumed soap.
Dorothy Gray also came out with a Midnight fragrance, but this was a completely different perfume. Both companies were owned by Playtex at the time.
Click HERE to find Midnight by Tussy
Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? It is classified as an aldehydic floral fragrance for women. There are no published notes on this composition, but I have a bottle of cologne that I can use for this review. I just applied some of the cologne and it smells very honeyed, rich, the florals are buried inside somewhere, underneath that spiced honey. Reminds me of Sweet Honesty by Avon. A fragrant fantasy of Pacific island flora heightened and touched with musky woods and warm spices.
- Top notes: aldehydes, bergamot
- Middle notes: spices, honey, rose, ylang ylang, jasmine
- Base notes: musk, sandalwood, spices, oakmoss, vanilla, benzoin, amber, patchouli
Ladies Home Journal, 1953:
"Don't leave romance to chance...wear Midnight by Tussy. A fragrance can be as potent as a come hither smile. And Midnight by Tussy is a scent that appeals to a gentleman‘s senses. This fabulous fragrance scents a whole series of beauty aids from perfume to lipstick to dusting powder. Try them and see if they don’t make you feel romantic and make men feel romantic towards you.”
An ad from 1952 read:
“If you are amorous, and she is glamorous, give Midnight by Tussy, the Scent of the Century."
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 1952:
“Midnight is the fabulous fragrance that scents a whole series of beauty aids. Give a set or a “single” for a lady fair at Christmas.
Midnight Lipstick and Perfume Combinations: Lipstick in one end of the blue and gold case...Midnight perfume in the other, 3 lipstick shades, Midnight, Midnight Pink, Contraband. Only $1.
Midnight up to the minute gifts: silken mitt filled with Midnight powder, $1.25, Scented dusting powder with puff, $1.25, Midnight sachet for fragrant lingerie, sheets, $1.
Lovely Notion, Midnight Lotion! A 6 oz bottle of exquisite hand & body lotion, plus a purse dispenser. She’ll refill from big bottle. Both for only $2.
Midnight bubble bath, sixteen packets for fragrant bubble baths. Romantic Midnight scent. $1.
Blue ice cologne stick, non -spill. To scent her with Midnight wherever she goes. So refreshing! $1.25.
Midnight Glamour Set, Exotic Midnight Cologne and soothing, smoothing Midnight Hand & Body Lotion, 2 oz of each. Both for only $1.00."
Bottles:
The cologne could be found in various sizes from 1 ½ oz, 2 oz, 4 oz and a large 8 oz size. It also came as a Cologne Concentrate in an unbreakable bottle with a push button spray.
The 2 oz vintage bottle I have has a blue plastic screw cap with embedded confetti. The bottle is marked “Midnight Cologne Tussy Lehn & Fink Products Corp, Bloomfield, NJ.”
In 1958, Tussy introduced the Midnight Fabulous Spray Mist in a blue bottle. In 1964, the Midnight Enchante Mist was introduced with the tagline “Mother doesn't have to be a part of the Jet Set to enjoy this exciting perfume in its blue mist version, but she’ll feel like one.”
Fate of the Fragrance:
Discontinued, date unknown.
As of 2006, www.TimelessPerfumes.com owns the trademark for the perfume name. Today the so called “original” scent is now made by Henri Garceau of Timeless Perfumes after being discontinued by Tussy Cosmetics.
Vermont Country Store sold a trademarked version of Midnight in the last 3-5 years but has also stopped and there is no web result records of it ever being recreated. It was an eau de perfum and in addition to being luxury that lasted, it was how I discovered this antique fragrance. Wished someone would bring it back! Thanks for the info on who last owned the trademark.
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