Joy Collector Edition Eau de Parfum

I have loved Joy since the '70s. For me it was an aspirational fragrance, I had just turned 20 and although it was a little heavy for someone of my age, and in a warm climate, I longed for it. I was dating (friendly, not amorous necessarily) three different gentlemen in 1980 and received three bottles of Joy for Christmas, two parfums in a small glass rounded bottle with a gold top, and one in the black bottle. To me, wearing Joy was like gilding oneself with liquid gold. Huge sillage, deep dark amber of tuberose and heady rose attar (Bulgarian rose). There's nothing like it. The newer versions of the original Joy are still lovely, without the intensity of the original, and one can never say "this perfume reminds me of....". Joy is a stand alone, other fragrances may remind one of an element of Joy, but Joy is the first, the original, the mother lode.

To me, this is a dark, sexy ugly kind of perfume. If this fragrance were to evoke any sentiment of joy, it's a frenzied, destructive kind of joy. Like an illegal rave at a dilapidated Art Deco warehouse in an industrial estate south of the river. Everyone seems nicely dressed, yet the vinyl floor (chequered? It's hard to see in this lighting) seems a little grimy. Everyone is smoking, and there's a queue of people waiting for the bathroom. In terms of songs, I actually think of two: 'Jade Stones' by System Olympia, and 'Snake' by Acid Washed (feat Barbara Panther). I like white florals, and I think Joy is spectacular. In terms of wearability, I think that this is a little too heavy for the day. I would, however, wear this out in the evening. By today's standards, definitely unisex.

I bought this on eBay and was imagining it would be fake. But for $50 I gave it a try. I was delighted that it was delivered in about 2 weeks. And even more delighted when I opened it and realized it's exactly as I remember Joy Perfume from many decades ago. One of my favorites when I was a young woman - and lovely now to have the fragrance take me back to those long lost years...scents do that, you know.

I got the black bottle mini edp after already loving the edt version and now I have them both on at once and love them both! They are the same fragrance, the edp is just stronger. As it should be.

I saw this perfume on the set of Le Dîner de Cons (1998) and I had to buy it. So feminine, very Christine Brochant.