24 Faubourg

It smells like the most luxurious soap only the rich could afford. It is old money in a bottle. Dated and yet somehow timeless, because it doesn't need to keep up with the trends. It smells like generations of family inherited wealth and sophistication. Coco Mademoiselle, Flowerbomb, La Vie Est Belle- these are all scents that will come and go. And 24 Faubourg will outlive them all in her gold filigree. She is sure of herself and has never needed to seek the approval of others, especially not the mass market. I could never wear this. At least not where I'm at yet in life. But I want a bottle anyways, just to admire it and smell it and be transported into a different lifetime. I smelled this and went "Now that is a Woman." I mean, I'm a woman too, but dang. This is the boss lady of fragrances. This is what you want for an interview, a promotion, to wear for a birth in the family or wedding, or even funeral. This is signature scent material. No question about it. This is the one that Woman would go to for any major occasion in life. A fragrance to last a lifetime. And she'd have an endless supply of every single product available of this scent, with not a single worry about cost. Now it's not worn to make any bold or controversial statements. A confident lady never needs to shout to be heard, and this perfume doesn't either. It dances on the skin and in the air of the wearer. It's the kind of fragrance that lends itself well to being sprayed on a silk scarf or cashmere sweater, letting its scent effortlessly waft in and out of the wearer's atmosphere. I smell a myriad of floral notes, but all of their animalic* (that naturalistic smell in their wild habitat that flowers take on) or offensive compounds have been eliminated. The orange blossom is clean, the hyacinth and gardenia (rather I detected lily) are green and crisp, the amber is as clear cut as the crystal bottle its fragrance rests in. Don't let the amber color of its aged liquid fool you. There's nothing "oriental" or even hinting at "erotic" about this scent. A woman who wore this scent while committing seduction would never need to put on an elaborate show to attract her mate, she is just unapologetically true to herself and in touch with every aspect of her body and mind, and she knows how to use it for what she wants. I've heard so many people describe scents as ones that they can't wear, but "admire", and I never understood that until now. I wondered how one could appreciate something that doesn't work on their skin as a good perfume. What smells good to me had to smell good on me and for me. This has changed my outlook on perfumery: It's my Shalimar! Although it does smells too rich for me- I'd feel like a lowly commoner dressed in royalty's clothes for the day. And the people I live around and currently work with just wouldn't get this scent. They'd probably accuse it of being that "O" word and I couldn't bear myself to allow such disrespect for a timeless glamour. A small bottle or mini size would ensure I can always admire and appreciate this fragrance whenever I please. I'm thrilled that I've discovered this not-so-hidden gem.

So I was 17 when this came out. My mom just left the mall and brought this home to me and says.. Princess Diana wears this!!! It came with a beautiful sheer orange sachet with the hermes logo on the bottom of it. When I first smelled it I really liked it ,it was different then the scents I had on my dresser. Fragrances like poison, anais, anais. Samsara, beautiful, ralph lauren purple square bottle with gold cap. Colors by Benetton , paris ysl etc.. It wasnt just because it was so beautiful in its presentation the etched bottle with the brushed gold cap. It wasn't even that a princess wore it. I just really liked it. I wore it everyday to school till i graduated and bought another bottle a few mos later. I didn't know about perfumes like I do now. But I did know I didnt like loud florals. Faubourg was floral but loved what ever was in it tamming it down from becomming heady. I believe its the orange blossom. I still have my 2nd bottle and it smells just as good as it did in the 90s I get compliments on it all the time and ironically enough by young girls. So much for the old lady comments. I can honestly say ive never had anyone come to me and say you smell like a rich old lady from the 90s. These girls complimenting me weren't even born yet to think they knew what vintage even smelled like.haha I'll tell you the modern scents that smell vintage and old lady now any narcisso Rodriguez and chloe fragrances. Not bashing them I like alot if them, there nostalgic to me and hugs from my grandma's. Chloe love story to much for me that gets in my eyes and mouth very sharp to me. But explain why some florals are sharp and others don't bother me. Hubigant Quelque le fleurs !! love that one too my great grandmother wore that and I still rock it today first niche fragrance I ever had before niche was even a thing that is the strongest perfume ever!! Another floral that does not bother me. It's all in your chemistry. I will always have this fragrance its a special scent and I feel good that I get it. I hope you will get it too.

Both my no1 and no2 perfume were discontinued in the same year, my beloved Westwood boudoir then this beauty, I was completely gutted, anyway, the relaunched it and and I’m so glad it’s still The same, exactly like I remember, sometimes they change the original version and you can be disappointed I don’t know where I found this perfume. Maybe I found it when I was when I was doing babysitting around 2002, I was given a little bit that was left in a bottle and the person I was doing babysitting for gave me some, I was captured 25 years later and after a relaunch this is still a dream for me and I’m so glad to have one of my originals back This perfume is so yellow. There is a slight peachy undertone, with a mild spice, most of my perfume have a spicy hit, which I love, but this is mild in comparison to my usual fragrance, at the moment I have been using fakkah Rose and Khamrah, and the coco intense, which doesn’t have the usual amount of spice I like Regarding the 24 F, It definitely is a perfume for an older woman, at least a woman in her 40s, it has the smell of establishment and experience so I feel this is not a younger woman’s fragrance I’m 54 and I have been wearing it since I was in my early 30s, maybe this is a younger woman’s scent after all, let all woman of all ages experience this scent on the body This was love at first sniff. Unfortunately this was discontinued for a couple of years or so ago, back in around 2020-ish and I was devastated, but now it’s back again and I’ve just purchased my first bottle since I found it has been re-released and I am definitely still besotted It is everything I remembered. This is for a woman who is strong and independent, I feel she is a single woman, living her best life and beholden to no one, this perfume is me and I am she.

This is how you do an old money floral with personality, in a way that is enjoyable and intriguing without needing to be the main character. This is the character who everyone knows, but nobody realizes is running the show until the series finale. This is Lucille Bluth in her greatest moments. Though this fragrance is not one of my 6 or so signature scents which express who I am in different contexts, it is such a well crafted classic that I will return to it every now and then. I discovered this around 2000, and have delightful memories of the grandmothers of my Dad's small working class town sniffing me out at the post mass, Italian food extended family dinners and complimenting me, all of us embraced in a cloud of Coco, Angel, Spellbound, furniture made from actual wood, and rich red Sunday sauce with pecorino romano. The standout notes are hyacinth, iris, a truly well played touch of gardenia, ylang ylang, amber, and sandalwood. In true Hermes fashion, I always sense at least a whisper of leather. I didn't even recognize the hyacinth because it's so well balanced and does not at all smell like an Easter bouquet. But this scent isn't really about the individual notes so much as how they all come together. It's a warm sophisticated floral with good sillage, but not a hot one, so it *can* be worn in summer but just a light mist. In my mind there is no greater, more comforting symphony of scent than a grandmother perfume. The only reason to ever avoid them in my mind is in situations where people might be sensitive, like work, school, medical, etc. I could not be more thrilled from the time I was as young as I can remember, to be told or even just know that my scent imbues that feeling to those around me. In a world where anyone can be sexy, be a nonna.

Today’s SOTD is Hermes 24 Faubourg EDP. Does it contrast pretty stunningly with my decidedly casual beat up jeans and a tee for working at home? You bet. Did I suffocate a Lyft driver this morning when I didn’t expect to have to use a car service? Possibly. For the record, I believe that my bottle hails from 2002, before the bigger IFRA regulations. Hermes recycles the numbers so it could theoretically be from 2012 (it was purchased as “vintage” in 2017ish), but given that the big reformulations started in 2010/2011, and my bottle is relatively dark in color compared to the lighter reformulations 2002 is my best guess. If someone has a 2012 bottle of edp and can send me a photo for comparison, I would appreciate it! 24 opens on me with creamy white florals - gardenia and orange blossom, mainly. In the first half hour or so, I also get green stems and it is honestly, just so so lovely. About two hours in now and while I get a whiff of the creamy white florals, the oak moss and patchouli come in and gives the fragrance both a bit of heft and lightness and you get a drier chypre-floriental thing going on. I’m on four hours now and it’s mostly the same - but I do catch maybe a little vanilla and/or amber. I’ve seen comparisons to vintage Ysatis and that seems right. Do check the Kafkaesqueblog’s two part blog post for a gorgeous review of both the vintage (edp and edt) and modern 24 Faubourgs - and bottle dating advice to boot. Despite being released in 1995, 24 Faubourg feels like a big shouldered powerhouse 80s white floral. I’m sure most consider it very feminine, but I think it would be absolutely stunning on a man.