DonJuanDeCat
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DonJuanDeCat
Very helpful Review
7
The Scent of Art Deco Style
When I hear the term Normandie, I often think of the landing of Allied forces in Normandy on June 6, 1944. This is probably because I have recently watched several war films like "Saving Private Ryan," where the opening scene, the landing itself, was filmed very impressively.
However, the name Normandie here actually refers to the luxury liner SS Normandie. The fragrance was created in honor of the ship's launch and, as noted below in the info, was distributed to first-class passengers as a welcome gift (aah, now I’m feeling envious, even if they were just small, but exquisite 15 mL bottles!).
By the way, the art or style movement Art Deco was very famous at that time, so the ship was also furnished in this (in my opinion, great) style, and the design was therefore also adopted for the bottle design, which I think is wonderful.
So… now I will test the fragrance. Here, I would also like to thank a dear perfumista without whom I would not have been able to test this scent. And I must admit that I had never heard of this fragrance before. Let’s see how it smells… oh dear, oh dear, there is no fragrance listing… well, maybe I can find something online :)
The fragrance is also resinous and smoky, which is certainly frankincense or myrrh. I also detect light, powdery notes. I read something about an iris root, but I believe one rather smells an iris, which makes the fragrance more powdery. Oakmoss slowly joins in, which was probably quite common for a fragrance from the 30s.
Overall, the scent remains this way until the end. However, one can still smell a bit of earthy vetiver in the background, as well as musk and typical woods, albeit very faintly.
The longevity for me was about ten to eleven hours, then hardly anything was left on the skin.
Normandie has become a beautiful fragrance, though one can already sense the early period of its creation upon applying the scent. Heavy floral notes, aldehydes, oakmoss, and a gentle scent progression remind very much of fragrances that were famous back then or appeared around that time, such as No5 by Chanel. Additionally, there is the above-average strong sillage.
This may seem a bit too mature for younger people (no, I certainly don’t mean to say that it’s an “old lady scent,” even if your grandmothers might have known the fragrance :DDD), as it is not a cheerful, feel-good scent or something casually sweet and delicious, but rather appears more elegant and mature. However, it is worth testing for everyone if one simply wants to smell a well-composed fragrance. Since the scent is heavy, it is naturally more suitable for autumn and winter and can be used as a daily fragrance or for the evening.
By the way, the fragrance was launched after the ship's maiden voyage, both as Eau de Parfum and as Cologne. The fragrance was also not exactly cheap. It was available (unfortunately, I could not find out in how many mL) in 1936 for 5 dollars, or as a Special Edition with a ship model for 20 dollars. That may sound little now, but if the inflation calculator is correct (or if I, the fool, looked it up correctly :D), then 5 dollars back then were worth about 90 dollars today, and for 20 dollars, we would already be looking at 350 dollars.
Well, it’s worth testing if you like fragrances in the vein of No5 by Chanel.
However, the name Normandie here actually refers to the luxury liner SS Normandie. The fragrance was created in honor of the ship's launch and, as noted below in the info, was distributed to first-class passengers as a welcome gift (aah, now I’m feeling envious, even if they were just small, but exquisite 15 mL bottles!).
By the way, the art or style movement Art Deco was very famous at that time, so the ship was also furnished in this (in my opinion, great) style, and the design was therefore also adopted for the bottle design, which I think is wonderful.
So… now I will test the fragrance. Here, I would also like to thank a dear perfumista without whom I would not have been able to test this scent. And I must admit that I had never heard of this fragrance before. Let’s see how it smells… oh dear, oh dear, there is no fragrance listing… well, maybe I can find something online :)
The Scent:
The scent starts off heavy with ylang-ylang. Additionally, one can smell aldehydes, which had just become modern in the 1930s. In the background, there is a light citrus note; I suspect it’s oranges, which gradually transform into orange blossoms (i.e., neroli). The fragrance is also resinous and smoky, which is certainly frankincense or myrrh. I also detect light, powdery notes. I read something about an iris root, but I believe one rather smells an iris, which makes the fragrance more powdery. Oakmoss slowly joins in, which was probably quite common for a fragrance from the 30s.
Overall, the scent remains this way until the end. However, one can still smell a bit of earthy vetiver in the background, as well as musk and typical woods, albeit very faintly.
The Sillage and Longevity:
The scent is strong, perhaps not quite as strong as other comparable fragrances, but it projects well and is therefore easy to smell on someone. Well dosed, it definitely leaves a scent cloud behind. The longevity for me was about ten to eleven hours, then hardly anything was left on the skin.
The Bottle:
The bottle is rectangular at the bottom and transitions to a hemisphere at the top. In the center, there is a large, round label with the name of the fragrance. The label has been aptly chosen, as its round shape resembles a porthole of a ship. It is topped with a glass, round cap. A beautiful bottle that has also embraced the Art Deco style. Although this was just a bottle description, as there were also differently shaped (but also nicely designed) bottles. Normandie has become a beautiful fragrance, though one can already sense the early period of its creation upon applying the scent. Heavy floral notes, aldehydes, oakmoss, and a gentle scent progression remind very much of fragrances that were famous back then or appeared around that time, such as No5 by Chanel. Additionally, there is the above-average strong sillage.
This may seem a bit too mature for younger people (no, I certainly don’t mean to say that it’s an “old lady scent,” even if your grandmothers might have known the fragrance :DDD), as it is not a cheerful, feel-good scent or something casually sweet and delicious, but rather appears more elegant and mature. However, it is worth testing for everyone if one simply wants to smell a well-composed fragrance. Since the scent is heavy, it is naturally more suitable for autumn and winter and can be used as a daily fragrance or for the evening.
By the way, the fragrance was launched after the ship's maiden voyage, both as Eau de Parfum and as Cologne. The fragrance was also not exactly cheap. It was available (unfortunately, I could not find out in how many mL) in 1936 for 5 dollars, or as a Special Edition with a ship model for 20 dollars. That may sound little now, but if the inflation calculator is correct (or if I, the fool, looked it up correctly :D), then 5 dollars back then were worth about 90 dollars today, and for 20 dollars, we would already be looking at 350 dollars.
Well, it’s worth testing if you like fragrances in the vein of No5 by Chanel.
Yatagan
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