It's You

Fragrance Review For It's You By Elizabeth Arden Top Notes Aldehydes Grapefruit Mandarin Orange Cucumber Middle Notes Linden Blossom Lilac Jasmine Gardenia Lily Of The Valley Base Notes Vanilla Ambergris Patchouli Sandalwood Tonka Benzoin This is the rarest of the rarest vintage perfumes in the house of Elizabeth Arden. Launched in 1938, it was created by none other than Edmond Roudnitska the nose behind such beauties as Femme by Rochas and for Dior he created Diorissimo/Diorama. The fragrance was not the main attraction, because the design of the bottle stole the show. My good friend in London collects vintages and has kept some of her own fragrances dating back to the 30's and 40's. She is the very proud owner of this fragrance. She had 2 of them and she gave me one which dates to 1940. There were several issues between 1938 and 1960, and the two major designs including baccarat crystal and glass bottles. The design of the 1940 bottle was a lady's hand with a ring on one of the fingers holding a torch. The flame atop the torch resembled a rose. A model's actual hand was used for molding and shaping the bottle. When I inhaled this scent, I was welcomed with the scent of cucumber. It smells, no offense to Roudnitska, like the cucumber scent in one of my Glade plug ins. It has a spiciness which instantly matches up with other notes in it including linden blossom or lime blossom, lily of the valley and patchouli. The fragrance smells rather green as it begins. For me it was like the smell of walking inside a botanica, which sells oils, perfumes, sprays, herbs, plants, flowers, candles and folk medicine. Naturally it's a very antique scent and smells like your grandmother's grandmother, but I don't mind that so much because it took me back in time as would a Time Machine. This smells like a woman who took her perfumes very seriously; the same ladies who wore Maja, Emeraude, Shalimar, 20 Carats by Dana, Tabu by Dana. The spicy cucumber is clearly there at the top, like a star, introducing the fragrance with a spicy kick. The scent develops into a flowery bouquet of gardenia, jasmine, lilac and lily of the valley. But again, for me it smells like flowers in a botanica, not so much a florist shop. The flowers are heady and perfumy, with a strong white floral accord courtesy of gardenia and jasmine. The gardenia is probably the real star here, as it does smell exactly like home-grown gardenia. The lily of the valley is also very noticeable. The white floral scents lead into the base notes as the fragrance becomes drier. The gardenia greets a vanilla scent which is actually Tonka bean. The vanilla is powdery, and sweet, but not cloying. The vanilla powder doesn't last very long and it's not a star in the base note formula structure. The real star is the mix of sandalwood and patchouli. This gives the fragrance a distinctive Oriental flair. It smelled like the aroma of a sandalwood in a marketplace in India. The patchouli leaves are releasing their own aroma, and it's a very beautiful patchouli, herbal, aromatic, and spicy. The benzoin here is more of an incense. I would go as far as to call this fragrance an incense although it doesn't start off that way. When it starts to perform it's magic, it's a citrus and cucumber with the latter being the more dominant smell, and then white flower scents of gardenia and jasmine, then sandalwood and patch. Beautiful in the way it progresses and the way it morphs from one note to the other. It's positively feminine and mature. It's got a complexity and mysticism. It's like someone took the ingredients straight off a book of perfume composition from an alchemist in the Renaissance, like a perfume created by Michel de Nostradamus. The fragrance has unbelievable longevity and can last 2 days straight. The sillage fills an entire room. This must have been amazing when it was first released. It seems like one has only to dab on a little bit of it on your neck or wrists and would never suit a spray. Also this is so crazy it can only come from 1938 and cannot be reformulated. Today you cannot find this perfume anywhere as it was last sold in 1960 and thereafter discontinued. Ebay does sell the hand bottles but without any contents. I was so enchanted with this perfume and I'm so lucky to have it. I can never part with it and I will keep it for a long time, deliberately using very little of it so the perfume can be mine forever.

This fragrance has been in my family for years. My mother wore this fragrance during the 1940's. At the time, American cosmetics fascinated her immensely. She loved the Elizabeth Arden line and bought many body powders and make up products from them. She had been to the Red Door salon on Fifth Avenue during trips to New York. This fragrance stands out even among vintage perfume collections. The design of the bottle is exquisite, a work of art. It's a hand holding a torch with a rose on the top. It's quite large and makes a fine ornament for your home. My mother turned it into an ornament. The scent opens with old fashioned aldehydes, lots of fresh brilliant aldehydes, perhaps too much for modern noses to take. They are followed by sweet citruses: grapefruit, bergamot, mandarin and lemon. The citrus is refreshing and delicious, like summer in a bottle. I remember she wore this during the day time and always around Easter time. A grapefruit note always stood out. There was a green herbal note that I could never make out. There was cucumber and linden blossom or lime blossom which smelled like linden tea. It was floral with white flowers of jasmine, gardenia and lilies. The flowers were intoxicating and fragrant, always left an aromatic trail. The dry down was woodsy with sandalwood. I detect other notes down there: a vanilla or Tonka bean note, but not too much of it, a bit of musk and green patchouli leaf. There was also an incense note. This was a beautiful perfume and despite the aldehydes and the floral notes, it was never too heavy or maybe my mother never put too much of it on. I kept the old bottles she had for years and have worn it myself from time to time, always on Easter Sunday as I find it very appropriate as a Church fragrance. In the context of it's time it would have made a very beautiful wedding day perfume. If you're interested in trying this out for yourself, you have to be a vintage lover and dare to buy it on ebay!

I would literally buy this just for the bottle, but I am curious about the scent! Can this still be bought somewhere? Whoever owns an original bottle is a lucky lady!!

Gorgeous bottle. Has anyone actually tested the fragrance? EDIT: Oops, did not notice the perfume is from 1938! Must have been a treat for the rich.

would love to smell this and I am not a bottle collector but wow. this was supposedly inspired by the movie "gone with the wind"