LadyDi80

This fragrance is the opposite of what I had imagined. And that doesn't necessarily have to be something negative.
At first, when I smelled the fragrance, I thought, oh no, exactly the kind of resinous, herbal scent that I don't like. I had expected something sweet, slightly spicy, floral. But then I waited for 3 minutes, closed my eyes, and smelled it again, and thousands of memory images flew shimmering and sparkling through my mind, transporting me to a feeling of security from childhood during Christmas time, which was associated with so much magic and sensory experiences. Not the kind of Christmas memories of gingerbread and chocolate. But this kind of Christmas memory, as often portrayed in old films and on old photos. Soft Christmas carols play in the background, sung by choirs, I lie on the warm carpet next to the Christmas tree, very close to the resinous-scented needles and the sometimes still resinous trunk, beside me all the beautifully wrapped gifts, within me this lovely anticipation and excitement for what beautiful things await me inside. The scent of spices wafts over from the kitchen, a smoking figure emits the fragrance of a small scent pyramid, and the Advent wreath adorned with cinnamon sticks decorates the living room table sprinkled with sweets.
My belly feels pleasantly warm when I smell this fragrance.

It’s 1995, I’m 14 years old and excited. Soon I will have the house to myself. My mom had me young and is still wild. She’s in her mid-30s and I’m old enough to stay home alone. She wants to go out on the piste, as she calls it. From our big kitchen comes loud laughter. She’s taking photos with her friends, all styled with tons of hairspray in their blow-dried hairstyles, wearing cropped leather jackets with golden jewelry buttons, tight stretch jeans and studded belts, smoking and drinking Bacardi Cola. I think it’s great, I want to go out on the piste like that too someday (and oohhhh yes I did, with less hairspray and a different style but with full enjoyment). It’s been a long time, what remains are a few snapshots in memory. It’s 2022, I’m shopping with my mom, she’s over 60, fit in herself, but noticeably aged and unfortunately almost completely blind. She’s still outdoors a lot, but hasn’t been on the piste for decades. We’ve arranged to go fragrance shopping and we sniff our way through the shelves for hours and suddenly she says, “Oh man, smell this, doesn’t it smell exactly like I used to?” I smell, and in a fraction of a second she stands before me, my mom, ready to go out on the piste, in a short leather jacket, super tight jeans, smelling of vanilla, totally styled and excited, laughing with her friends in the kitchen. I bought the fragrance here in the souk, nothing smells as good as memories.

I am on vacation, in the sun, the sun shines on my skin all day long. I jump into the sea, taste the salt, dry in the sun on the beach. My skin smells tanned, is tanned. After a wonderful day in the sun, I head back to the hotel in the afternoon. A little rest, reliving the day in my thoughts. Then I take a shower. The salt and sand are washed away, what remains is a wonderfully refreshed, fresh feeling and warm, tanned skin with bikini lines. I put on a long summer dress, adorn myself with jewelry, and apply my perfume. Bois doré. For an evening with warm summer breeze, good food, good wine, and a nighttime beach walk. That is the most beautiful feeling, these relaxed summer evenings on vacation. When I smell this fragrance, I feel exactly that, I remember exactly that. This scent transports feelings. For me, the greatest discovery since fragrances exist. It is so much more than a perfume. It is a feeling to smell. The most beautiful feeling to smell.

I stand in front of these huge rows of shelves in an elegant perfume house. I know what I want, Van Cleef & Arpels Santal Blanc. I have thought about it so often since I tested it. The way it develops, so gentle and soft, I was in love and wanted to own it. The saleswoman says, “If you like how delicately it develops and how soft it is, then please try Orchidee Vanille as well.” My “No, thank you” came out like a shot, and I explain to her that I find vanilla heavy and unpleasant, that it’s too oriental for me and gives me headaches, and while I’m still talking, I already have the test strip under my nose and OH MY GOD, what are you, a delicate chocolate butterfly with wings made of powdered sugar?! I am delighted, this can’t be true. I wait, wait for it to become heavy, for me to be able to say, “Well, I did say vanilla isn’t my thing,” but it doesn’t happen. On the contrary. My decision is firm, if I ever get a vanilla scent, it will be this one. I happily go home with my white, gentle, calm Santal Blanc. And yes, what happened before with Santal Blanc happens again, I can’t stop thinking about Orchidee Vanille. What can I say, now we are sitting here at the makeup table, the three of us, and we are happy together. Something so gourmand, without any heaviness, without any stickiness. Every vanilla skeptic should test this scent, it is a true masterpiece.

As I already mentioned in my little statement, after the first spray and sniff, I immediately smelled the original scent of the Clynol pump hairspray, which we used to empty and sell in droves at the salon because old ladies swore by it. The scent was also very popular. I always found it unpleasant, as it simply represented the image of white hair on old ladies for me. A heavy musk cloud. But after the drydown, I must say, the fragrance develops into something sweeter than the aforementioned hairspray. A powdery sweetness emerges, like cotton balls dipped in powdered sugar. Fine and fluffy, not sticky or heavy. Quite pretty actually. Like a perfumed body powder in a lovely antique jar sitting on a vanity from days gone by. A nostalgic scent of body care and cosmetic products.