Sorceress

I love perfumes, I really do. All types. High-end, middle-of-the-road, indie, niche, drugstore, body oils. Fragrance is a key to nirvana. And Topaze is one of those fragrances that takes me there. I own a variety of bottles of this juice, dating from its inception in 1959 up to the 1980's, and the older bottles are like a fine wine. If you can get your hands on the older Topaze, go for it. Believe me when I tell you, as it ages, it becomes a glorious perfume that has mellowed with age and ripened deliciously into a pure aldehyde and civet delight. When I lavish myself in my vintage Topaze, I cannot get enough of this fragrance.
The inclusion of ylang-ylang amidst other florals is just enough to keep this pleasant for me. I barely consider this a floral. I immediately sense the presence of tonka bean, benzoin and sandalwood in this wonderful creation, while amber mellows it to a smooth creamy texture with just a hint of spice added to the pot with the coriander mixed in. There are many notes in Topaze that blend beautifully to create an unbelievably unique fragrance.
I, too, was an Avon snob about their fragrances for years, I'll admit to this. I didn't give them a chance. But I believe that's because I never had a chance to truly smell the originals, the true fragrances of Avon when I was growing up as a child. I only knew the later ones of more recent times as an adult. Now, I am actively pursuing their vintage scents to educate myself in the beginning stages of Avon's perfume. I've found they had some truly quality gems at low prices that smelled divine. Smell is associated with memories, and when I read many reviews about Avon, that's what I hear others talking about. Their pleasant memories with that particular perfume. So Avon had a win-win situation going; great prices, delivered to your door for free, you shopped from a catalog at your leisure, no-hassle returns and quality products. Their perfumes became a popular gifting item, also, and thus, from all points their perfume end of the business was destined to become a success.
Except they would later discontinue their very popular fragrances, for various internal reasons, much to the dismay of many customers. The good news is that you can find these vintages on Ebay, Etsy, garage sales or at flea markets for very good prices.
The vintage parfum lasts longer than the cologne, obviously. This is a scent for confidence, for empowerment, for uplifting spirits, for feeling good about yourself in an earthy way. It reminds me very much of Chanel no. 5. I wear it to bed often because it's a soothing scent that allows you to dream your wildest dreams. It's a scent to wear a mysterious smile. It's just that good when it's a vintage bottle.
I'm always complimented when I wear Topaze. It's confused many times with Chanel No. 5. I've tricked many a friend with scent tests. They're that similar. I know it's not Chanel, but it smells so very good.
I've read that Bette Davis always had a bottle of Topaze on her dressing tables in her Hollywood trailers. Now that's an interesting piece of perfume nostalgia.
Yep, I love those vintage Avon classic scents now. They hold a special place amongst my perfume shelves, standing next to my other vintages of yesteryear with pride. Perfume snobbery doesn't belong there.

This review is for Lolita Lempicka La Premiur Parfum EDT (the bottle with the little bite out of it). A very surprising Lolita for me. I liberally doused myself with this particular Lolita, expecting another wonderful experience, such as I had with Lolita Lempicka L. As I was dousing myself, I dropped the little bottle on my carpet. It rolled. I quickly picked it up, but some of the perfume had gone into my carpet. But I digress with my review.
This little bottle is adorable, and it's that darn little bite out of it that made me drop it. It's unwieldy. It slipped right out of my hands. I digress again.
So I waited to see what notes would appear. This Lolita smelled of almonds, surrounded by violet leaf and licorice. In the background I sensed incense. It boiled down to powdery nuttiness on me that lasted perhaps an hour and then disappeared. It's a very pretty fragrance, very light and unassuming. It's sillage on my body was not very strong at all. If I wanted it to last longer, I'd have to re-apply more often, which is ok, albeit this is a very light, summertime fragrance. Pretty, but not outstanding.
The bottle is more outstanding than the fragrance. The idea of a bite out of the bottle is a cute marketing idea. But this is one Lolita that doesn't take a bite out its victims. It just didn't work for me. Having to re-apply a fragrance constantly is not something I like to do. Especially an Eau de Parfum, which should have more lasting power. Unfortunately, this Lolita did not stay with me or leave a lasting impression.
Here's the ending to where I digressed before. A few hours later, I returned to my bedroom where I had spilled the perfume earlier. Phew! Even tho the A/C was on, I could still smell this Lolita pretty strongly in the room. Apparently it stays on inanimate objects longer than me. My room smelled beautiful for a few hours, but that's not what I bought the perfume to do. It's not a room freshener.

I remember this as a summertime fragrance when I was a younger teen. One of my Aunts would gift me the splash every year for my birthday. Funny thing was that I never was particularly fond of citrusy scents back then. But the scent didn't really linger, it was just a cool, refreshing splash for a young girl and it was what I was given so I used it. This was the beginning of body splashes as we know them today. It was a very popular drugstore fragrance when I was a teen. I recently purchased one as a memory, but it's the vintage from Lanvin, Charles of The Ritz, not Revlon. It's a bath and body perfume of Jean Nate. So I decided to revisit this old classic and to my surprise, found it just as light, refreshing, citrusy and airy. The perfume is more on the oily side, but still light. It's not a feeling like the splash, but the scent is still reminiscent and brings back fond memories. Jean Nate bath and body perfume is a clean scent, a hint of spice, a tad of muskiness that's not overpowering at all. I noticed it does get stronger in the heat. It's a daytime scent that's good for all ages, especially in the warmer weather. I get lemon, mixed with bergamot, sandalwood and spices in the musky perfume blend that sits close to the skin for a few hours. Good for the gym, poolside, hiking, sunny days, anywhere or anytime in the hot summertime. A perfect clean scent. I'm glad to spend time with this old memory again.