Occur!

When I was a teenage boy-early to mid 80s, our neighbor across the street was an Avon rep and divorced mother of two, and she used to give me samples (foil wrapped single use wipes) of colognes and sometimes perfumes (supposedly for Mom, but I would keep some and excitedly sniff them...dreaming of the day when I could buy my own and wear them ). This scent reminds me of those days. I found this overwhelming and old lady like at the time. Now: WOW!!... (Old ladies know what's up!) :-) The bitter bright and expansive opening (complete with aldehydes aplenty) may turn some people off and make them say Eww!, but to me they say "BOY, come here!". The corriander and cardamom are dry and sharp, and the gardenia is creamy and full. As it calms, the heart blends strong flowers and exotic aromatic woods in a way that is at once sweet, warm and earthy. The myrrh and styrax give it a true vintage aura and the patchouli and vetiver give it strength and presence. There really is a lot "Occuring" here! A very animalic musky base, rounded by the gourmand components sweetness (honey, vanilla and coconuts), gives it something that many perfumes, today, don't really have any more: oomph! The smoky leather note and the warm amber make it feel even more exotic and a tad oriental, though it is most definitelty a chypre! After it dries completely it is nowhere near as loud or raucous as it's opening was. In fact, this is something the right guy could pull off with no problem: smoky, earthy and musky, as long as the power flowers were not a problem. This went from an "Eewww" to a "Hmmm?" to a "Yes, oh YES!" for me. My one friend calls this Avon's "No.5"!! Think you did not like it back then? Give this exquisite lady another sniff today (if you can find her, that is!) and maybe you'll find something grand and gorgeous, like I did... Sillage: massive Longevity: great Overall: 3.75/5 Smelling Occur! again today is making me miss my favorite Avon vintage: Moonwind, even more. :-( If there is anyone in the member community who could provide a sample or small decant of Moonwind, you would have my undying appreciation and utmost respect as a collector! Other Avon scents this made me remember: Topaze Cotillion Zany! Pearls and Lace Pink Suede Rare Sapphires Rare Emeralds Bird of Paradise and the mens: Cordovan Weekend Iron Interact ProSport Windswept *Aah, the power of scent on memories...*

If I had to venture a guess as to how many bottles of "Occur!" I have gone through in my lifetime it would probably be at least a dozen---seriously! At least a dozen! This one was my long-time chypre olfactory love affair's favorite from Avon. In looking back on it now that I am much older & reflect on my fragrance preferences throughout my life, this "on the cheap" Avon creation probably spawned my preference for the chypre group over any other. The Avon campaign marketed Occur! as a very modern fragrance for the very modern woman. But in my estimation, it is probably Avon's best homage to the early days of the chypre genre & so eloquently done by the French. May I venture to dare say it is Avon's version of a fine French perfume for a pittance? For that is what it is in reality. And it brings to mind now a segment of classic film footage recently by the great Dame Maggie Smith playing her role of the Dowager Countess Grantham with her granddaughter, Edith, character of "Downton Abbey". They had previously negotiated Edith was to pick up a bottle of civet for her grandmother & upon presenting it to "Granny" in all her splendor, when Edith reports what the bottle cost the Granny exclaims incredulously, "What?! For a bottle of civet?!?" Since those bottles are now gone & not available, this is about the next-best thing for civet & chypre lovers like myself. I never tire of this fragrance & wish I could smell this wonderful all the time. This one reminds me to return to the truly good things & this is one of them. GypsyParfumista brilliantly describes the unfolding of this complex gem for Avon & I could not expound any further as to the magic it unveils. I might add that it is somewhat of an almost "tuff-ladylike" in it's character in impression once the aldehydes have settled after opening brilliantly. Now it seems like ebay is about the best place to find a bottle of this. It is not expensive & sells at practically a give-away. But if you relish the days of yester-years & strong, tuff, ladylike women that hid that toughness housed under the best of the kid leather gloves, then please try this one if you have yet to do so! Probably the best to come out of the house of Avon!

I managed to stumble upon a perfume oil bottle and later a cologne concentration bottle of Occur! What a great classic this is. I decided to wear each on a different hand and report my findings. The oil opened with immediate Avon "O.L." essence...if you follow. The cologne went to bright citrus and aldehydes. It's sort of as if they danced around each other for a bit before settling into more or less the same scent. To my nose, the oil is definitely the skankier of the two (so naturally my favorite), while the cologne is lighter and almost a floral aldehyde of more modern style. Because of the intensity of the oil (I applied essentially the same amount of each), I had to clear my nose with a half dozen deep breaths and put the hand with the oil behind my back before being able to really distinguish the notes in the cologne. Once I did get that whiff, it was heavenly! Powdery, floral, sweet but not sugary, and leathery (yep, I'm sold!) This is elegant class in a bottle. But of course the oil remains. She is much stronger and more "perfumy" with a strong oakmoss note and the gorgeous civet. The oil is not what I would Call elegant class. The oil is confident, sexy, and just a little bit bitchy, but she has enough class to hold her tongue... If she wants. It's the silage that really separates the two. From the tiny half dime size daub I made of each, the cologne gently wafts to my nose while I'm typing this on my phone. But the oil? Same amount and to keep her from overpowering her more reserved sister, I have to keep her behind my back. So what do I prefer? MORE! haha I only regret that I have two small bottles, and hope I might find a larger bottle... Maybe a spray, but only of the cologne. The absolute truth is, this fragrance is every bit as classy and well made as Shalimar or My Sin. Did I really just write that? Durn tootin I did! Please find this perfume. It is heaven scent (see what I did there?) and you will barely need any of the oil to keep you wafting deliciousness all day. The honey is the star of the show, but it only serves as a carrier for the other notes. It's not a honey scent in my opinion. It's a masterpiece. And I'm off to eBay...

Vintage 70's from a rep sampler. This went from "Oh dear god in heaven!" to "Oh my god this is heaven!" in 3 minutes flat! The aldahydes were so sharp that they nearly cut my nose clean off. I was thinking dang and it smelled so nice in the bottle! I was just about to go screaming in to the night when it quite suddenly morphed into the strong animolic chypre I've been trying to find for a long time! You know without going that expensive niche route! Yay! Oh that castoreum is so strong at first it even puts the civet on the back shelf for a while but not forever! ;-) However one can not live off of stank alone and all the spices, resins and creamy white notes give this a certain oriental feel to me. Yes, no? The leather comes later to the party unlike... Shalimar but again this is so not Shalimar! Shalimar is a high class all put together trist with an older man and Occur! is an orgy! Avon should have called this Happening! or Love-In! Speaking of love I love this! So this is comming straght out of the bin and in to my favs! Update: I tried a bottle from the 80's and the animolics are gone! That was REAL castoreum in the 60's and 70's! I should know I have a wonderful tincture of castoreum complements of a friend. Update again: I've obtained another vintage bottle of Occur! from the early 70's and it's shaped like a Butter Churn. Weird! This one is apparently the freshest (vintage) bottle I've found yet. The aldehydes are way gentler and the animolics are still huge but better balanced. Everything else is the same. Occur! is still one of my new (old) favorites! However it would seem Occur! has a hard time aging but I don't care! I love it!

It is my humble opinion that Occur! should be regarded as one of the great classics of perfumery. Let me tell you why: it PREVAILS. It really does OCCUR, and in an expansive, hold-your-horse-because-I'm-gonna-get-ya kind of way. It is this baffling mosaic of a perfume, not merely dawdling in a coquettish manner but giving every concentrated, punchy, delirium-inducing theme that was offered in the mid-century. Bright and sharp aldehydes, bitter and sweet colliding, spicy carnations and a heap of other flowers skipping the light fandango, all in an amber chamber, pouring out into a musky, leathery chypre base. In marches the moss, the powder, the rustling ruffles of foreplay. I would be remiss not to mention the lustful slick of castoreum and the purr of civet—cue that iconic riff from Mickey and Sylvia's "Love is Strange." This is Avon, that of which is often mocked and jested as "cheap" and "every day Middle American"—what folks may perhaps call "normie" these days. There were many a lower-middle class and working class American who smelled divine thanks to Avon, though. Rich and dynamic, Occur! is perfume with a capital P, among the ranks of My Sin, Shocking, Habanita, Bandit—yet it remains in the shadows of these classics as it bears that unwarranted stigma. And to the gents, especially those who enjoy wet shaving, might I suggest Occur! as a smashing finish for your routine before you head out to face the day. As with so many delights of the early-to-mid-20th century that are in no way perceived as inherently gendered. Go forth and occur!

Avon OCCUR! is my favorite alltime Avon scent. Avon scents, to me, have sometimes seemed a bit infra-dig because their basenotes were never conspicuously luxurious as your *grande maison* French numbers. The "Avonade", if you will, was usually comprised of a blatantly faux and rather banal synthetic amber, and all the Avon scents seemed to dry down to it (Actually I've recently complained that the Tom Ford scents were also guilty of having basenotes not as uncompromisingly luxurious as the promise of their opening unfoldment; There! I said it!). The Avons' takeoff and heart were often lovely, though. OCCUR! is different in that it read as high quality classic perfumery from tête to fond. As others state here, it is probably the skankiest animalic number Avon ever released. To my nose, the grand scent it emulated was not JOY, BAL or BANDIT, but rather ARPÈGE with a nod to MISS DIOR. But to OCCUR's credit, it did add a charming sweetness to the imperious aldehydic/animalic Midcentury glam-bomb: notes of honey, coconut, and what I read as as a subtly sweet red apple note. Thus OCCUR! was not an ice-cold Balmain-clad European aristo... she was more your very pretty second grade teacher at Christmas of 1969. OCCUR! has nothing to apologize for, and indeed, I have swept up a number of flacons of it on eBay over the years.

This is a lovely scent. I have the EDC in a vintage splash "kitten little" bottle, so cute! My grandmother had the same bottle when I was small and I don't know what scent hers had in it, as there were many options, but it was not this. I wanted to have the same bottle as her but it's impossible for me to figure out what scent she had in hers without smelling them all. I picked this one to get the bottle because I really wanted to experience what real castoreum smells like. It's so interesting! I see why people describe it as addicting, I wasn't so sure with some people describing it as "skanky," and I kinda see what they mean a little, it's got a kind of sharpness at first, but to me that implies it smells bad, and it does not. Nothing modern could compare to this scent. The oakmoss, civetta, and castoreum feel like a time capsule, and are so beautifully supported by the other notes, especially the myrrh, amber, coconut, and leather. Great for cold weather. I would definitely describe it as more unisex by today's standards, though many vintage femme scents feel that way to me. Projection is moderate, longevity is ok, around 6 hours, really not bad at all considering it's an EDC from so long ago.

Now what is this... Initially, upon first application, the aldehydes burst out and almost made my eyes water. Yet, very promising. This could turn out either great or a disaster. Shortly after Occur! became very distinctively animalic. Not vulgar-animalic, more a distanced, "executive-type" of animalic. Something just under the professional surface. Later on it went to a mature, lady-like scent, not romantic, but quite sophisticated. Then poof! it was all gone, over just a couple of hours. New application, same development. Now to the interesting point: Late afternoon I applied for the 3rd time, persistant as I am. This time it behaved quite differently. A superfast leap from the aldehydes and bergamot to the animalic part - and now, a different type of animalic. Sweeter, more gentle, and without the predator-like impression from the 2 first applications. It also dried down much sweeter and more cashmere-kitten-purr-ish than before. I'm not sure which of these developments I like the best. That must be depending on mood probably. The only thing that disappointed me here is the longevity. In every other aspect a great perfume.

Wow! What a beauty! Here is a funny story..I tracked this fragrance down on eBay as someone recommended it to layer with Tete-a-Tete to make a good Magie Noire dupe because of the heaviness of the Castoreum. I was fairly uneducated on this ingredient so was excited to try. Lo and behold..at my most recent visit to my mother's house and two dusty old Avon bottles appeared as if by magic by the side of the bathtub : Occur and Timeless! Well it is love at first sniff! We used to all be a little snobby and snigger publicly about Avon yet quietly on my own as a tween, I would devour the catalogue and spend hours looking at the photos and wondering what everything was like in real life. We used to laugh back then about this guilty pleasure but we are not laughing anymore. How was I to know that Avon has made some of the greats in perfume history available for pennies! What a fool I was! If only I had bought them all! Vintage Avon is so great that one of their old but good fragrances doesn't look out of place next to Shalimar or vintage Magie Noire, one of my favourites of all time.. Perle Noire!

This admitted vintage/niche lover can hardly believe that she's placed Avon Occur! on her "favorites" shelf here on Fragrantica. I mean, seriously.... an old Avon? Yep. Muscs Kublai Khan,Bal a Versailles, and Shocking have nothing on Avon Occur! MKK is prettier, softer, more floral. BaV is more powdery, sweeter, more opulent. Shocking is way more honey. They all share that certain deep growling voice, impossible to resist. Occur! has beautiful Myrrh in it. I do believe the old versions have real civet and castoreum. All the notes here are splendid, not a whiff of anything synthetic around. To my mind, this is Avon's pinnacle of success. The Oakmoss and Patchouli are not very prominent in my bottle. That is o.k. they need not be. I do get some underlying creamy Gardenia and Coconut. Everything here plays together nicely. If you love niche animalics, do your wallet a big favor and find yourself a nice old bottle of Occur! You can thank me later. ;)

197? avon 1.oz bear bottle from ebay vintage Instantly blasted with a dark murky powdery sweet medicinal urine smell the smell of great grandmothers old leather purses my senses were ecstatic this opens sweet coconut honey amber musk dark ripe full bergamot cardamon leather that's been baking under a hot sun while heavy aldehydes dance with murky dark greens think of very old mossy vase full of roses and vanilla beans that's been left outside and used by nature Incredible fragrance for animalic chypre lovers and those who want to challenge the nose every note pops and the power of these vintage musk add a underworld dark murky urine like sweetness that I find very addictive this is a challenging fragrance and if disrespected will blast the senses into overdrive like most avon's this suffers from poor silage so douse yourself and prepare for the sensory onslaught. Unisex by today's standards 9.6 out of 10

I love this fragrance. I found a 5 OZ bottle on eBay. The seller is located in Alaska, so I knew it would take awhile to get to me...I purchased it on Nov 3rd...it arrived today in perfect condition in spite of the recently settled postal strike here in Canada. The Partridge milk glass decanter came full, and in the original box. The fragrance still smells amazing after all these years. I think the milk glass decanters/bottles were popular in the early 1970's. I prefer vintage fragrances...I wish Avon still offered this fragrance for sale.

I admit, I've been a perfume snob and Avon was always avoided and snubbed. I got a vintage 1970s perfume mini and am astonished at the quality. And reading the ingredients list, well, who knew? It's not cheap and it stands the test of time for Big Girl Perfumes. No fruit or candy, just big, rich, real perfume smell. Old Black and White movie kind of glamour. Fits right in an old fashioned bar with cigarettes and bourbon. I think a man can wear it also.It smells 1940s to me. In a good way. Would be good in the winter.

Testing this evening, a lay down vintage (1970 ́s), 1 Dram of perfume. I am very surprized by this. Testing a few vintage Avon perfumes now and I am pretty impressed. Occur is dry. It has a Chanel No 5 type of powder quality but softer. There are some floral notes, but nothing sweet, benzoin and a little pathchouli also. I really really like this. I am now on the look out for the lay down bottles of Avon vintage.

You certainly do not see a set of notes like this in modern perfumes. This is a potent mixture, it speaks to the subconscious of wild animal sexuality, while outwardly appearing to be for respectable ladies and humble housewives. This is an undercover dirty, musky, raunchy sex bomb of a fragrance. This is the polar opposite of popular current scents like Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker.

I loathe chypres but this is a chypre haters chypre. On me, it goes on tobacco. I just get huge tobacco and some musky animal then it fades very fast. Then, it rises from the dead and goes on and on. Ohhhh. I get civet and musk on this dry down similar to but not quite as complex as Habanita or Enslaved. This is lovely.

This was my signature for a while when I was selling Avon back in the early 1990's - wow how time flies when you are having fun. This was a great scent for a night out on the town, wonderful parties and good times. It brings back pleasant memories. I have not worn it for ages, but it remains one of my favorites.

First and foremost this is a spicy carnation perfume. Next comes some coriander and aldehydes. Then well-blended supporting players of rose, styrax, myrrh and a touch of civet, oakmoss and amber. This is not a skanky civet bomb. Lovely.

One of the Avon classics which I hope they never discontinue - like they did "Moonwind" and the lovely "Hana Gasa."

I purchased two vintage bottles of this from eBay earlier this year: One, a tall, 2 oz "cologne mist" with a constant stream spray and a box featuring ice skaters on a lake; the other, a 1.5 oz iridescent butterfly splash bottle, with a small cap with tiny antennae and the word "Avon" nearly rubbed off. Sellers stated that the first bottle was from the late 1970s and the second was from the mid 1960s. Occur! is a wild scent that many of my peers have noted was worn by their elders, like many of my favorites. Being that it was perhaps even more accessible than the already-omnipresent Youth-Dew and Tabu, it's no surprise that this scent seems to unlock memories in people around me. There's definitely a difference between the two bottles I use, even though both claim to have their original perfumes in them. The 2 oz cologne mist's opening is more distinctly alcoholic and gives the impression of aerosol hairspray for a brief moment, before sweetened, urinous civet takes over. Tussled bed sheets and oakmoss, but this bottle is dominated by the aldehydes, even after decades, and even after dry down; it remains indolic even as it transitions from cleaning supplies to a feline den. There's a slight floral spice to the opening, but it would hardly qualify this scent as being "spicy". I enjoy, but I find myself wearing it at home as if to constantly try test-running it rather than wearing it out in the world as I do with many of my other brazen powerhouse scents. The constant stream from the spray (a product of its time, clearly) also makes it much harder to properly apply, and I find much of the product is wasted through overapplication and there's hardly much that can be done to limit it. This one lasts roughly 4-5 hours; final traces are an attractive but faint musk, much gentler than the punching opening. I consider this version generally more wearable to others than the second bottle, but that doesn't make it right for me. The butterfly splash is superior in my opinion, and much easier to apply through either measured or reckless amounts. This version is more offensive to others than I ever intend (even if I am notoriously insensitive to others' noses with my typical overapplication and loud scents); the aldehydic opening is certainly more camphoraceous yet warm than the spray, and this opening is distinctly less chemical smelling. This stage still turns noses from others; I've pulled out the bottle to apply a dab to my wrists and triggered gag reflexes. However, this opening fades rather quickly, and though the aldehydes are somewhat overpowering, it does not take long for this version to sink into a ravishing affair of animalic raunch, made more playful and wearable (not that I mind) by honey and coconut, and plenty of oakmoss. Though I am not a personal fan of coconut, it plays a very important role here in how the civet plays out. I adore this version, though the opening does carry a certain frumpiness to it that I wish to remove my associations with, as I do love perfumes of the past more than anything that's come out in the last decade. Tragedy struck this week when the antenna'd head cap of the butterfly splash bottle broke off and spilled a majority of the contents into my purse. The top notes remained for days, even as I tried to dry out and clean the purse; I tried to keep the bag in rotation for another day, but multiple parties around me complained of the smell and I've had to switch purses. However, today, maybe five days after the spill, I've returned to the bag, and the fading scent is absolutely divine: Caramelized patchouli and roses, coconut and honey and a gentle purr of civet that doesn't veer on the side of salacious as much as I had thought this scent would based on reviews. Occur! does not remind me of the scents it is compared to, least of all the simultaneously debaucherous and regal monstrosity that is Bal a Versailles; I can barely see how they are considered related, even though many say Occur! may be Avon's attempt at creating a BaV flanker. Occur! is incredibly sensual to me, and while I purchased it looking for a skanky animalic scent, I wound up with something surprisingly both sultry and charming. It does have a certain heavy stuffiness to it at times, but I don't mind; Occur! provides a pleasant surprise with each wear.