Herbessence

Rosesharp: I think I know the exact "leaflet" you're talking about ! It was from a company called Direct Cosmetics ( then based in Leeds, they still exist online in 2022 ! ). They did indeed sell hard-to-find fragrances at incredible prices ( I bought Halston from them when you couldn't find it anywhere else in the UK ) Anyway, back to Herbessence: I did get lucky on eBay and got to own this amazing scent again. The name's a tad misleading, it's not herbal not particularly green (least not in a Alliage or Private Collection way ). It's a powdery, spicy oriental/chypre that does indeed have elements of Youth Dew and Cinnabar. Weirdly, there's even a touch of Gingham by Innoxa ( if anyone remembers that ) in the slight powdery sweetness at the beginning before the spice asserts itself. HR might be better known for Apple Blossom and Blue Grass ( quite rightly ) but this is a lost gem.

This is an OMG fragrance, one that grabs me quickly. It really is special, if not quite AS special as most of the prices on eBay. I found one that was quite reasonable. My treasures usually come in multiples and it can be a while to test. I usually do a quick sniff and that helps to "triage" the testing, so to speak. This one didn't smell like much, at all, so it was a while to get to it. I was afraid it was another weak cheapie, but then I discovered it had the little plastic plug in! Out that came and so did the most beautiful scent, it is very aptly named. It has a bit of that lovely resin quality like Youth Dew and Interlude, some woods, lovely herbs & patchouli. The notes shown here are sadly lacking, this has far more than just that. If I had discovered this in my youth, I would have worn it non-stop!

I only have a little bit in a spray bottle and I love it. If you like chypre types such as Private Collection you'd probably like this one. I don't spray it very often as it's almost gone but it has the gorgeous lush powdery dry down that PC has. It's one I would wear frequently if it were readily available. If I ever saw a bottle of it somewhere for a fair price I'd snatch it up faster than you could say perfume ho! Such a pretty gem that not very many collectors have experienced.

I recall this was my favorite fragrance made by Helena Rubenstein. And the Apple Blossom. I remember it as strong patchouli, some vanilla, some woods, but very much like a very spicy Oriental. I loved this one & probably should get it again since I still love this type of scent. It was strong, had a pungency to it & IMHO was similar to Opium, Youth Dew & Cinnabar on me. My very most fave by HR...

I used to buy this from a leaflet that came around to work every few months in the 80's. They were selling it at a ridiculously low price so I would buy a few bottles at a time. I absolutely loved this fragrance and I'm so sad that Helena Rubinstein have stopped making it as it was one of their most memorable scents. I have tried to purchase this on eBay but it seems only to exist in the USA for some reason. The price is always too high and I'm not sure that I would want to pay too much for an old bottle even if it hadn't been opened as most of them have. I have to add that when I was wearing this fragrance, I seemed to get a lot of male attention which was nice, wish it was still around ! I can't understand why popular scents are withdrawn only to be replaced by something inferior.