Sunday, March 21, 2021

Pierre Vivion

 Pierre Vivion, a French perfume chemist, worked for Lanvin in 1953. He was involved with a prior copycat fragrance co called Sherrell at some point, which went out of business in 1976 after getting involved in some sort of lawsuit. 

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Gingham by Bath and Body Works c1993

  Gingham by Bath and Body Works: launched in 1993.


this photo shows the original line of Gingham


Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Tropiques by Lancome c1935

Lancome Tropiques: launched in 1935. Created by Armand Petitjean. Tropiques was inspired by the tropical port of Bahia in Brazil and the perfume reportedly took four years to be completed. Tropiques was one of the first five Lancome perfumes to be presented at the Universal Exhibition in Brussels, the others were Tendre Nuit, Bocages, ConquĂȘte and Kypre.





Saturday, February 13, 2021

Jean Pax

Jean Pax, was a small time perfumer in Paris that seemed to specialize in perfumes most likely meant for the tourist souvenir trade.

In 1977, Jordan Marsh department store carried some of the Jean Pax Parfum and Parfum de Toilettes (Salambo, Val d'Ete and Ebonia). The store advertised that it had discovered this "secret" perfume company in Paris and wanted to share the perfumes with its customers in America.

Also available was Jean Pax's Talika Cream Conditioner for lengthening and conditioning the eyelashes. The advertisement I saw claimed that the cream has been sold with "extraordinary success for 25 years" and sold in 72 countries. Talika Cream was manufactured in Paris by Danielle Roches for Jean Pax, Inc.




The perfumes of Jean Pax:
  • 1953 Ebonia
  • 1960 Val d'Ete
  • 1960 Salambo
  • 1960 Royal Mink

Salambo was an exotic oriental type perfume, the "very epitome of sensuous Oriental expression. Va d'Ete was "vibrant with the freedom of freshness and youth", suitable for blondes. Ebonia, a spicy, sophisticated perfume, was suggested to be worn by the "poetic and imaginative lover".

These fragrances were available in the following:

  • 1/2 oz Parfum in crystal bottle and handmade box
  • 1 oz Parfum  
  • 1.25 oz Parfum de Toilette
  • 5 oz Parfum de Toilette

The 1/2 oz Parfum was housed in a fancy crystal bottle and a handmade presentation box as sketched in the advertisement shown above, this retailed for $45 in 1977. The 1 oz bottle of Parfum was simple and not as fancy, it retailed for $27. 


These perfumes have been discontinued since the early 1980s I believe.

Lys Bleu by Prince Henri d'Orleans c1982.


In 1984, Jean Pax introduced the perfume Lys Bleu by Prince Henri d'Orleans. It was originally distributed in 1982 by Parfums et Beaute Amerique of Miami, Florida.



It is a generous perfume composed of over 100 separate essences. A head of blackcurrant, verbena and the May rose of Provence, the body of tuberose, apricot and ylang ylang, impressioned by honeysuckle, with clove setting off crocus and hyacinth; and amber and musk.

  • Top notes: blackcurrant, verbena, apricot, plum, aldehydes, bergamot, neroli, apple, galbanum
  • Middle notes: crocus, hyacinth, narcissus, Provencal rose de mai, tuberose, ylang ylang, lily of the valley, honeysuckle
  • Base notes: amber, musk, clove, oakmoss, civet, sandalwood, tobacco, incense, orris
 

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Collecting Perfume Labels

If you are looking for something unusual and perfumery related , then the perfume's label itself would fit the bill nicely. Perfume labels are so varied that one could collect various types from Art Nouveau and Art Deco to particular brands such as Guerlain or Coty. From paper labels to embossed metal labels, there are so many to choose from. Some people like put them into albums, while others enjoy framing and hanging them on the wall. 

Saturday, January 16, 2021

Maxim's de Paris c1984

Maxim's de Paris launched by Maxim's de Paris in 1984. In association with Pierre Cardin Parfums, Jacqueline Cochran and SNDPIM. Created by Dominique Ropion.






Saturday, January 9, 2021

Sotto Voce by Laura Biagiotti c1996

Sotto Voce by Laura Biagiotti: launched in 1996. Sotto Voce means "whisper" in Italian. The perfume was created by Sophia Grojsman.




Welcome!

This is not your average perfume blog. In each post, I present perfumes or companies as encyclopedic entries with as much facts and photos as I can add for easy reading and researching without all the extraneous fluff or puffery.

Please understand that this website is not affiliated with any of the perfume companies written about here, it is only a source of reference. I consider it a repository of vital information for collectors and those who have enjoyed the classic fragrances of days gone by. Updates to posts are conducted whenever I find new information to add or to correct any errors.

One of the goals of this website is to show the present owners of the various perfumes and cologne brands that are featured here how much we miss the discontinued classics and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back these fragrances!

Please leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the fragrance, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or what occasion, any specific memories, what it reminded you of, maybe a relative wore it, or you remembered seeing the bottle on their vanity table, did you like the bottle design), who knows, perhaps someone from the company brand might see it.

Also, if you have any information not seen here, please comment and share with all of us.

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