Possession

(Long review. Skip if not interested in the serious perfume review. Thank you.) There are many great vintage/timeless fragrances out there still to get. To find. To buy. To own. Like this one. I am just very happy that modern perfume lovers don't like it or know it. More for me. Because this is a hell of a great perfume. It's a seductive potion captured. Very intriguing femme fatale scent. Complex. Perfectly harmonised. Right now, out there, not one floral animalic type of fragrance can stand next to this one. It's special. Unique and witchy dark. Does it Possess? Yes. And I will explain why. Let's go into it with a bit of order. If that is possible?! If you are a serious perfume lover and are intrigued by real parfumery search and buy everything you can from Corday. How could you skip, if you find, the mastery as L'Ardente Nuit? Or Ruse ? I have few. I want more! Possession that I own is from 60's. So they are to get. Still. Search. Buy. Preserve. Because these are masterpieces. Nowadays "perfumes" are not. Corday was/is great quality, mayority of nowadays "perfumes" are not. It's also spirituality. That's why many people don't like it. Serpent cult hates ones having spirit. Corday is unusual parfumery marked by unusual story. "Founder Blanche Arvoy named Corday after Charlotte Corday (1769-1793) who is best known for killing Jean-Paul Marat's with a knife. Marat's death in his bathtub became the subject of a famous painting by Jacques Louis David. Corday's humanitarian gesture led her trial and execution. Refusing the last rites at the guillotine, Corday asked, instead, if she might have her picture painted by a National Guard officer named Hauer. The artist obliged and was rewarded with a lock of her hair. Blance Antoinette Rose Reneaux was born on December 21st, 1892, at Montreuil Sur Mer, near Calis. She married an Englishman, Bertie Istvan Arvoy, and thus became Blanche Arvoy. In addition to Corday, she also established Jovoy, a fragrance house that sold a number of fine perfumes in bottles featuring whimsical animals: Allez hop! (a dalmation dog), Allez Coco! (a parrot), Gardez-mois (a cat), and Severem (a camel and rider). Check them, they are nice. Collectibles. Corday was launched in 1924 and was among the early 20th century perfumers that attracted new customers by launching sample collections. Sample tubes or miniature bottles were distributed, sometimes with matching souvenirs such as bookmarks or illustrated cards. Others using this strategy included Guerlain, Bourjois, Colgate, Roger & Gallet, L.T. Piver, and Coty. Corday's most impressive use of this technique was in their "Rue de la Paix" collection of 1952. The design was a Parisien lamp post with miniature bottles of Corday perfume inside each of the three "lamps". Included in the presentation were Fame, Jet and Tzigane. The name, "Rue de la Paix," was taken from Corday's address at 15 Rue de la Pais, Paris (perfumeryprojects) Perfumes of the house of Corday had a high reputation in the period from the mid-20s to the 50s. Among the most famous fragrances are "Toujours moi", "Tzigane" and "Fame". In 1961, Parfums Corday was sold to the cosmetics company Max Factor. The last researchable Corday fragrance ("Le Coq d'Or") appeared in 1969. Of course renewed company exists but I don't like it so I won't write about it. Sadly way too less is written about these great masterpieces. Vintage ones! So I will try my way to write what I think and observe. Bottles were made by crystal. They are collectibles. "During its debut in 1937, Possession by Corday presented an array of exquisite packaging options that reflected its luxury status. The parfum flacons, considered the pinnacle of elegance, were crafted from deluxe crystal and adorned with a distinctive silver metal label hanging around the neck of the bottle. This label resembled the tags often found on liquor decanters, adding a touch of sophistication and refinement. These exclusive bottles were produced by Baccarat, a renowned French glass manufacturer celebrated for its exceptional craftsmanship and long-standing association with high-end perfumery. " (Corday perfumes) BTW. Original bottles are just amazing and beautiful! Possession was launched in 1937. It is discontinued with the date unknown. Still sold in 1967. Inspiration to complot this perfume was Auguste Rodin sculpture with the name Kiss. Used as motive of commercial poster also. Perfume was sold as whole collection, like powder, body cream and cologne for example. Just imagine how wonderful that was! Again. Soap would be nice! This is such a magnificent scent that I find hard to describe it properly. Of course it has that necessary asoects/allure (in my views), the suitability to femininity. The connection to earth and water. But it has additional what I love. The witch élixir spirit. This is also strongly herbal potion. That is why it is so Possessive. It's a witchcraft. Top notes: aldehydes, galbanum, bergamot, cloves, sage, cacao... "Cloves whisper a spicy intrigue, hinting at hidden depths while sage adds an herbal essence, grounding the composition in earthy wisdom. The faint aroma of cacao lingering subtly, evoking memories of rich, bittersweet chocolate." (cardayparfumes) Let's make something clear here. The opening of the scent is strongly aldehydes! Soap, Vetiver, sunny breeze! Sun penetrating forest ground, water jumping over rocks, while sage's irrésistible smell and magic is floating in the air. Ohh... There is nothing like sage. Particularly wild sage. Probably the first note you'll get when you smell sage is an earthy, herbaceous scent. Undoubtedly warm and woody, sage has a green, piney fragrance that is reminiscent of other herbs. Sage opens the doors to wisdom captured in this perfume bottle. A wisdom how to Possess. Sage is a sacred plant to many Indigenous groups and is used medicinally and spiritually, often for healing and purifying. In traditional Celtic lore, sage is a symbol of wisdom and immortality. It not only promotes physical health but also provides spiritual protection and is believed to ward off evil spirits. Possession is not negative in this case. With this scent. It means real woman protection. Go ahead meditate over that sentence. Possession is the highest form of the protection. Woman is an anchor and a shield. Possessor. Executor of gods. Yet the opening is not completed. We have complex Galbanum with its very green and quite sharp — green peppers, cut grass — and becomes balsamic in the dry down. This jump dry down from opening to base will stay till the end and that end is endless because silage and longevity is very serious Possession with the Possession. Yes read that again. All this is wrapped into Bergamot layers of beauty, cloves (we know how spicy complex they are right) and and interesting cacao whuch is sultry, earthy and intriguing, with dominant notes of chocolate, blood orange and jasmine. Imagine that! That's how the opening of this scent is! With modern perfumes in mayority this would be all. And not complex like this. You get much much less. Meditate on that also. Because that's just the entrance. The testing ground. Middle notes: violet, carnation, iris, heliotrope, magnolia, rose, ylang-ylang, lily, and jasmine... "middle notes emerged like a bouquet of flowers blooming in the lovers' hearts. Violet and iris, delicate and powdery, mingled with carnation's spicy sweetness. Heliotrope and magnolia contributed a creamy softness, while rose and jasmine infused the air with their intoxicating floral embrace. Ylang ylang and lily added a touch of exotic allure, their presence like whispered promises." (Cordayperfumes) So here we go. Take a look at this! We have 9 flowers! Did you count all notes in general? Ohh yes! Serious fragrance! There is certain speciality of this scent. Fact that you will smell all of these flowers while violet is floating in between like a magical spell. Parfumer obviously did this with purpose. Violet is known for Floral accords! Powdery violet blends well with other floral notes such as rose, jasmine, lily of the valley or iris, bringing a floral, powdery sweetness to fragrances. We have that in this scent don't we? Powdery accords : Violet scent is often used in powdery accords alongside notes of talc, iris or musk, creating elegant, soft fragrances (also this). Gourmand accords: Combined with gourmand notes such as vanilla, cocoa or caramel, violets bring a sweet, gourmand touch to fragrant compositions (we have that also). Chypre accords : Violet scent can be used in chypre accords, alongside notes of oakmoss and patchouli, to create sophisticated, elegant fragrances (this also). Woody accords: In combination with woody notes such as sandalwood or cedar, violet scents add a subtle floral dimension to woody fragrances (and this also). Do you understand why Violet rules this scent and floats the way I described? The magic of good parfumer. Violet is the spiritual connector of all notes! It Possesses them. "Then her people, enraged at their foe for his daring, and at the maiden because she had deserted her tribe, killed them both, and left their bodies lying where they fell. And from this spot in the forest sprang up the first Blue Violets. And the winds and the birds carried the seeds of the flowers and scattered them over all the Earth. So they did, that in the Springtime youths and maidens might pluck the little blue flower that breathes of constant love." Iroquis tribe myth. Little Possession story in between. One that killed... Base notes: elemi, vetiver, vanilla, benzoin, oakmoss, ambergris, sandalwood, gentian, orris, cedar, patchouli, Tonka, Musk... " Elemi and vetiver provided a woody backdrop, intertwined with the sweet warmth of vanilla and benzoin. Oakmoss and ambergris lent a touch of mossy earthiness and salty sea breeze, echoing the eternal embrace. Sandalwood and cedar added a smooth, woody depth, while patchouli and tonka bean wrapped the fragrance in a subtle hint of darkness and mystery. Musk, lingering softly on the skin, mirrored the lovers' shared breaths, a silent echo of intimacy. In this museum of art and emotion, the perfume's aldehydic floral oriental composition unfolded like a love story told through scent. Each ingredient, carefully chosen and blended, captured the essence of the lovers' journey, from the first glance to the timeless embrace immortalized... " (Cardayparfumes) Here i will choose, pick out, more unusual ones. I wanna give more attention to the Elemi as it is a complex fragrance itself, often described as a blend of lemon, honey and smoke. More specifically, there are notes of mandarin water, floral, resinous, lemongrass, citron and zesty. Also pink pepper and herbal. You really must turn your senses on and try to imagine this Base! It's unbelievable and very very strong. Like Possession is. Real Possession never ends. Ever. And it's rare! Like Gentian in the parfumery world. A Rare and Distinctive Ingredient. Although gentian is infrequently used in perfumes, it imparts a sense of originality and multifaceted character to the fragrances it graces. Gentian essential oil is valued by perfumers for its floral aroma and a touch of bitterness, offering musky or honeyed nuances. Bitterness. Did you read that? Possession of someone is bitter to feel but honey like to execute. There you go. Parfumery is art. It can imitate anything. Living or dead. Dead? Till death? It is till death and beyond. Both the gentian plant and the liqueurs have a distinct dusty, bittersweet scent and flavor which could be described as fresh soil. Till death. Do you understand now this mastery called Possession? If I was parfumer I would also choose to honour Possession. The vampire like eternity without selfreflection. That's Possession. Task of gods.

I have a micro mini bottle and it smells so different to me than it does to others apparently that I borderline wonder if my bottle was somehow filled with something else, but that would be quite a feat with the tiny opening for these minis. It smells very similar to No 5 eau de cologne to me, except somehow less floral. I am not getting iris or powder oe jasmine at all really. Tremendous aldehydes and most of the same warm florals in No 5. It's hard to pick out a singular note, but compared to No 5 edc this is less sweet or lush in a way, which is saying something since the edc is really not sweet. Certainly very well-blended. I probably need to blow my nose and try this again.

I collect vintage perfumes, and bought this blind,perfume essence from France. The bottle was full and I almost hated opening it. I haven't really used it enough to really say whether I like it a lot. But it isn't bad. This smell was very strong soapy violet and carnation and then settled to more of a vanilla, cedar and sandalwood scent. Almost has a peppery scent to the dry down. Sillage isn't very strong on me, so I'm sure I could really soak myself with it but don't think I would want that much of a scent that tends to smell more like a cedar chest and it also gives me somewhat of a headache.

Corday Posession (1939) is a gorgeous perfume. What do I get from my well preserved vintage bottle of Possession extrait, which probably dates from 1950's or 60's? The immediate, overall impression is of a rich, complex, and beautifully crafted floral perfume..a queenly peer to my 1950-60's vintage No. 5 and Joy extraits. Gorgeous jasmine is front and center, with other floral notes playing counterpoint (ylang-ylang, lily), some spices (cloves, yes) and a subtle, slightly sweet woody base (sandalwood, orris, moss). "The Unicorn in Captivity" is a lovely trademark for this perfume. In the 1960's, Possession was available in pretty perfume compact rings and lockets that depicted the unicorn.I haven't purchased any of these tempting items (one has to draw the line somewhere) but I've come close!

I enjoyed reading grayspoole review. This was one of my favorite perfumes in the late 60s when I was in high school. There was a lovely perfumed lotion-like version that was lovely. It wasn't really lotion, but wasn't clear cologne either. I have a tiny bottle that still smells amazing. The carnation always bothered my nose, but the opening is gorgeous. Not very woody on me, but more of a spicy floral with depth. This and Toujours Moi were glorious. Liquid gold and so lovely.