Nonchalance Mäurer & Wirtz 1960 Eau de Toilette

My grandmother was a dutiful, modest, hardworking, and God-fearing woman. Attending mass every Sunday was a must, not least because her sister was a nun. My father sometimes joked that his mother lived more piously and strictly than her sister in the convent. Since she visited us every other Sunday, this also meant attending mass for me. She would arrive by train just before 11 o'clock, and I would pick her up at the church and go with her to the last mass. I didn't mind; I simply sat next to her and let my fantasies wander. Occasionally, I would get a gentle nudge from her, signaling it was time to kneel or stand up. My older sister was different; she didn't make it to mass on time "because of the duties at home" and supposedly stayed in the last pew out of consideration for the other churchgoers. That was, of course, a lie; she slept in and only came shortly before the end of the mass so she would know who had officiated. Our grandmother wasn't foolish; she occasionally asked about the sermon topic. Then my sister was in trouble, and I had to help out.

Our grandmother loved us and treated all her grandchildren equally, but she found it hard to show her feelings. She was a rather prudish person who struggled to express joy. Sometimes it felt as if she had forbidden herself to be happy. She lived through two world wars, the first as a young woman, the second as a wife and mother of three sons. From the first world war, her brother and many friends did not return, and the second world war took her middle son, who remained missing. I can only guess how deeply this affected her; she never spoke about it. But she made sure that my father did not have to join the Hitler Youth and also that he was not conscripted at the age of 15 in the last year of the war.

Buying a perfume would have seemed like a waste to her; she lived on a modest pension and did not indulge in luxury. Therefore, we bought her unnecessary things for Christmas, like expensive chocolates, a nice soap, or a fragrance. The fragrance she mostly wore, but only on Sundays and holidays, was Nonchalance.

When I see a tester of Nonchalance in the city today, I often spray a bit on my wrist. This fragrance starts off strong, intensely floral, although I can't name individual flowers. Nonchalance is rather dry, not sweet. After a short time, the scent becomes a bit more pleasant, spicy, and slightly powdery. A light freshness remains, which becomes a bit warmer with musk and amber. Nonchalance is old-fashioned, but also charming. I find this fragrance has something clean and clear about it, no frills, which is probably why my grandmother liked it. The sillage and longevity are weak to moderate; the scent is rather close to the skin. In my opinion, Nonchalance is a year-round fragrance, but it feels a bit weak in frosty temperatures.

I feel a bit sad about the poor reviews here; a fragrance that has been produced for over 50 years can't be that bad. I don't wear it myself, but I enjoy its scent and think it has something special.