Nonchalance Mäurer & Wirtz 1960 Eau de Toilette

"Nuschelansch" was what my grandma always called it, Tosca my old aunt, who felt like my grandma. Today I tested "Nuschelansch" while shopping at Müller, purely out of nostalgia. And I was somehow positively surprised. The EdT starts off quite intense. The aldehydes flew around my ears together with the flowers (a warm greeting to Medusa at this point ;-) !). It then develops beautifully soft and powdery, the cedar does its job here quite excellently. Tonka, amber, and sandalwood also seem to contribute their part. Everything is nicely balanced here.

The EdC is lighter and not quite as rich. And yet: For an EdC, it smells like a whole lot. So it’s not just a refreshing splash. To my nose, it could easily pass as an EdT. I actually find it almost more pleasant than the EdT, as you can still smell the aldehydes well here, but not quite as intensely. The longevity is really good for an EdC: 4 hours is about the maximum. When you look at the ingredients, it’s not really surprising: There is pleasantly little chemistry in it. And EdCs don’t last that long anyway.

Actually, it unjustly lives in the shadow of the grandma corner. It reminds me a bit of "Clea". You can’t deny certain similarities to "Chanel No.5" either. After all, they all strongly resemble each other in the fragrance pyramid. So why is it "just Nonchalance"? Well, I think the price played a big role back then. Not everyone could afford a Chanel 50 years ago, but "Nonchalance" for Christmas was more feasible. "No.5" has remained the classic par excellence, "Nonchalance" actually smells quite similar, but is very affordable and was worn by our grandmas in the 60s. They would still wear it today, and that’s probably why "Nonchalance" is simply uninteresting for most women under 60. And aldehydes smell unusual to young noses and are often rejected. They are, after all, the exact opposite of fruity-sweet vanilla. *gg* It is often claimed that "No.5" is a typical grandma scent. But it’s from Chanel, which for many is the epitome of luxury. That’s something different ;-) . By the way, my husband likes it very much on me, just like "Clea". And I’m only 41 ;-) . In general, I have received many compliments with this fragrance. How nice.

It’s no coincidence that "Nonchalance" has been around for 51 years. It really doesn’t need to hide, not even behind any trendy waters that all smell alike.

Edit: I took the advice of Duftsticks to heart and just treated myself to a 15-ml spray bottle of EdC for €3.99 at Schlecker ;-) . I couldn’t find it anywhere. When I asked the Schlecker lady, I got the answer: "No, we actually don’t have that in the perfumes...". Two small cartons thus lived their sad existence in a dark corner. Yeah, right ;-) . The mentioned perfumes in this branch are limited to Varens, La Rive, and a few Ardens that are being sold off. Hey, "Nonchalance" can easily compete with that....

Edit in January 2013: Last weekend I actually won a 100ml bottle of "Nonchalance" EdC in a tombola - of all people, me. :-))) I was as happy as a clam, transferred some into a travel spray, as it was the bottle, not the sprayer. And now I keep realizing how beautiful it is. And I don’t care about the grandma image. Because what’s in this bottle is definitely better than many modern mainstream waters... And what is very positive for me: In the EdC version, there is hardly any chemistry in it. I tolerate this EdC without any problems, it smells relatively long and is a nice alternative to my natural fragrances.