Topaze

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 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. They 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, to imagine the impossible, to be a sensual, carefree woman. It's a scent to wear a mysterious smile. It's just that good when it's a vintage bottle. 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.

Diving back into the vintage Avons today! Topaze, huh? Another one completely forbidden to me as a child. I got a rather large bottle of this one in my haul and WOW, I can see why they bought such a big bottle. I have worn this for many days (non consecutively) and I love this one. 🥰💖 No droplets with this one, she has a wonderful spray head. Immediately the strong aldehyde opening hits. I can see how this could put some people off, but not me! I don't know what it is with my skin, but aldehydes sort of melt or burn off almost instantly and just allows to rest of the notes to waft off (in a pleasant way) and boy is this one amazing. In the drydown the coriander and florals emanate off of me. This one has decent sillage for a vintage Avon. She's not headache inducing though (at least not to me, everyone varies). The amber, vanilla, and tonka are pleasantly sweet and soothing, and not at all overpowering like modern gourmands. My husband came in for lunch one afternoon and Topaze got a, "Wow, what're you wearing today?" 😍 She does smell pretty familiar too, she's absolutely Chanel No5's sister scent. Sisters, not twins, Topaze is spicier and slightly less soapy. And have I done the absolutely forbidden and worn the classic with the "cheap" knockoff? You better believe I have. And I went out in it too. They garnered more compliments together than I ever got wearing them individually. Together they were like magnets for other people. Even I was impressed. Now, she's a bit "old fashioned" or as I prefer, eternally classic. Did your Grandma wear No5 all the time, and to you it just reminds you of being forced to eat liver and sitting still in Church? You're probably not going to like this one then either. But for me, I'm absolutely going to be visiting this classic frequently. I should mention that she blends with absolutely everything as a marvelous base too. Just incredible. If Charlie Blue is just too stinky for you, try Topaze. But in the meantime, the vintage bottles are still plentiful and you get my absolute endorsement to find them and buy them before I get there.

I love Topaze. My Grandmother wore this, and I recently bought a vintage bottle on the 'bay for the sake of memory. It's worth mentioning that this is widely available, inexpensive, and comes in a hilarious variety of flacons, some traditional, some not, including skunks, dogs, bells, butterflies and hippos. Upon first application, I was stunned. On my skin this scent reminds me of Givenchy Organza, only without the strong sweet-peach jasmine note. Today I tested them side by side, and confirmed the experience. I don't get aldehydes from Topaze. It opens warm, spicy, with a subtle sweetness. This is beautifully balanced, and I'm having a hard time picking out individual notes. Instead, this is a beautifully rounded whole. In the heart, civet shows up slightly, adding an earthy animalistic note, and bringing Topaze into a distinctly sensual scent space. In the dry down, Topaze develops a slight soapy note, as the aldehydes appear. This is super inexpensive, and I think it's worth a try. Longevity is good, sillage could be better, but I have applied this the same way that I usually apply edp, and this is edc. I think that three sprays (as opposed to one) would provide a scent trail. To my nose the dry down of Topaze is almost identical to Organza. Now I know why I had such a strong reaction to Organza- scent memory! Warm, wearable, recommended for day wear in fall or winter, or evening in spring or summer.

A decidedly retro (think Bette Davis / Margo Channing) aldehyde amber that is joyously "Golden", comforting, and very cozy. Topaze is not your typical vanilla based amber. It is an exquisitely powdery, aldehyde based floral amber, whose warmth and depth derive from vintage nitro musks, substances that are no longer allowed in modern perfumery, but which imparted to fragrances a deep, sometimes powdery/sometimes animalic "radiance", which is practically unobtainable in todays perfumery. In Topaze, these retro musks combine with benzoin at the base to create the most delicious "candied" affect. Candied not like candy, but as in "crystalized", as if evoking actual amber resin or a golden gemstone like topaz. When hunting down a bottle, make sure that it is from the 70s or before (for those musks!), as this fragrance (like so many others) has had to conform to IFRA guidelines throughout its history, and in the process has lost some of its depth and comforting beauty. The current formulation is acceptable, but only the vintage offers the heady experience of the original Topaze. This "Gem" is best experienced in the pure perfume or oil form, as Avon colognes tend to be light and somewhat fleeting. A True Delight. One of my all time favorites, and great to sleep in !

What I'm reviewing is vintage. To me this smells like you took the current version of Chanel no 5 and mixed it with a bit of Coco Chanel because of the spice and the peach. And some elements of the other fragrances mentioned above. It's so pretty and I don't understand why perfumes like this have gone out of fashion for all the sacarinne sweet gourmands. A Classy, elegant aldehydic spicy floral with a soft peach skin sexiness. This is the fragrance of elegant women. Very refined and beautiful. No one would think you were wearing Avon they would think it was a Chanel, it's that good. Edit: 3/2/25 I was talking to my mom today and she said Avon Topaz was my Great grandmother (paternal) signature. She used to give me Avon perfumes (so did my maternal grandmother) when I was a child. I remember smelling this perfume on her all the time. It was her favorite. My maternal grandmother wore Occur! Love them both.

My god, Topaze is the perfume for a goddess! My mother purchased a vintage perfume rolette of it for me at a flea market not long ago. The liquid had turned to a syrup and is amber colored. At 23, I love vintage perfumes. The classics are classics for a reason and I wish people my age thought the same. Topaze makes me feel sophisticated and seductive. The notes are blended to perfection. I smell a burst of sandalwood, Bergamot and Ylang-Ylang in the opening. As it drys down, Jasmine comes out sweetly and softly. After notes are Civet and Amber with a waxy, deliciously warm beauty. Honestly, It's divine. I do wonder if they've re-formulated it. I havn't had the chance to try a new bottle but I can only hope that they havn't. Avon outdid itself.

I managed to find a nearly-new little pot of Avon cream perfume at a bargain price. A small amount on the wrist took me right back to the late 60s early 1970s. It smells EXACTLY as it used to: sweet, fresh, and very, very fragrant. Superb lasting power. Somehow, the cream (or even solid) version of Topaze always smelt superior to the spray version because, when sprayed, the aldehydes would be upfront and evaporate very quickly leaving behind a very soapy trail. However, with the cream or solid, that creamy white petal effect is much more prominent. How I wish Topaze could be manufactured again. The few vintage bottles and tubs doing the international shipping rounds will soon run out. (sigh!)

My wonderful friend Cat picked me up a beautifully preserved bottle of Topaze cologne from 1982, still in its original box and seemingly never opened. It smells wonderful--more like Chanel No. 5 than Youth-Dew, to my nose--a rich amber floral with a strong aldehyde opening and animalic notes--but even better is the bottle that it's in: Autumn Scurry design, basically a very cute little glass squirrel with an acorn hat that serves as the perfume's top. It's the cutest thing for the sexiest vintage fragrance! Love, love, love this one! Update: My mom told me that she used to wear this fragrance back in the 1970s. No wonder I have so many positive associations with it.

With the advent of new creations, especially gourmands, the great classics Floral Aldehydes are becoming in the past! Sad! Topaze is this case. No longer in the catalog Avon, but I was fortunate to acquire many bottles at a cosmetics store for a real bargain! I love my expensive perfumes, but also admire these genuine treasures of incomparable quality and price. Topaze reminds me of one of my favorite perfume, Arpege, many similar notes, only more arid and not as delicate as Lanvin. Topaze leaves a delightful trail wherever he goes. Notes explosive output constrast with delicate background mist that emanates from this great little gem of Avon.

Topaze is a gorgeous bright floral aldehyde. It opens with the type of soapy vintage glamour that I adore and expect from a 1950's era aldehyde. The middle phase brings on the florals, especially a strong carnation note that carries through to the drydown, where it is met with soft sandalwood. I barely detect the civet in this at all. Topaze was introduced in the 1950's but was still being made into the 1990's, a sad reminder of how beautiful scents were once made for decades without reformulation. I wish Avon would bring this beauty back. I would surely stock up.

This perfume had an awesome violet bottle back in the 90s and I used to adore it. But as a kid, it was too much and unapproachable for me. Then, Avon stopped producing it. They obviously didn't care that I lived with the hope of using this perfume when I get older :D I have a small sample bottle of Topaze and still it smells divine. A self-confident, classy, sophisticated, chic woman walks into a high-ceilinged, white ballroom; dressed in a simple yet striking gown, smiling serenely... That's the image Topaze form in my mind. I love it!

Topaze is such a sunny, happy fragrance for me every time I wear it. It reminds me of the original Caress soap when Caress was first on the market. Topaze is such a retro feeling fragrance for me because it recalls the fun of first discovering how much I loved perfumes. I only have the older Topaze formulations. Some are the little demi bottles and then I have the tall yellow one with the plastic topaz facsimile on top of the cap. Someday I will try the newer re-issue but one way or another I will always wear it.

Testing a vintage Cologne. Mmm appears in good shape..Very nice indeed. Reminds me of going out to dinner with my parents in our Buick Le Sabre...Nothing is wrong with this perfume, humble as it may be. It is quite agreeable indeed. From the era, it is a solid example of a ladies perfume. I am positive that millions of regular housewives, like myself, were cheered up by putting this on. I like Avon. It is a reputable company even today. You can pick up the vintages on ebay for a song.

I got this recently. I was expecting to hate Topaze but grew to love this soft,clean floral. The aldehydes and roses are the more dominating notes. This fragrance does not overpower. If this is what women smelled like in 1959,a definite plus. To me this is a lady fragrance. Very potent and straight forward feminine. I have the rerelease. There are similarities between Topaze and Lady Stetson but Topaze is the winner with me. Every woman should experience a classic scent from Avon.

I still have a bottle of this from so many years ago, I no longer can remember. It smells as fresh as it did when I first bought it. I have it in the tall yellow bottle with the square topaz em on it's top. I wore this in High School and in my 20's right up until the time it was discontinued. I do wish Avon would bring this back for old time sake. This has always been a favorite even when I did not look for notes. Topaz really is as classic as a '67 Mustang convertible!

I love Topaze. I already have three vintage versions of Topaze from various years but I still went ahead and got the current re-issue. I was not disappointed. Clean, soapy, and floral, this is something I could never tire of. To me, the new version smells pretty true to vintage. I am happy to see Avon relaunching this classic affordable beauty and I hope the rumours are true that there are more relaunches to come. Count me in.

I purchased the current formula for the Chanel N°5 similarities. This definitely smells nice and similar to N°5, but longevity is unfortunately awful. This is gone without a trace within a couple hours at most. There are other affordable fragrances similar to N°5 that last much longer than this and have better projection. Save your money and buy something like Coty L'aimant or Lanvin Arpége. Updated 6/27/24

I was so curious about the Avon Classy Collection , so I purchased several. Topaz is a real winner , it’s half Chanel #5 & half Jovan Musk ( the original with orange lid). I really like it a lot & find it clean , fresh & easy to wear & it reminds me of daffodils in Spring. The lasting power isn’t all that but it’s so affordable I can spray lots ....

Update:Received a vintage bottle via eBay and I am overjoyed! I unsealed it immediately and just admired the bottle for a minute. That was a year ago. I have yet to spray it. I will eventually, but I am determined to save this beautiful scent for as long as possible. :)

I would love to have it again -- if I can find it! I first sampled it as a teenager in 1968 or so, and it was from a small pot of "solid" perfume. A little dab on the wrist scented the entire room. Where can I find it? Do Avon still do it?