Joop! Berlin

I cannot resist comparing this discontinued gem to Champs-Elysees, both in composition and in the mood they create - the happy carefree feel. Certainly there are differences: Berlin is powderier, fruitier, and not as sparkling BUT the Champs-Elysees has that melon note, which on some days comes out rotten on me, and Berlin doesn't have that (phew!). Berlin feels like the only slightly more mature and not as giggly older sister of Champs-Elysees - but certainly not old enough to be born in the '80s, imo. There's nothing '80s-attention-dominating or aldehydic about it, on me at least, which is what I think of when I think of that perfume era. I would rather wear Berlin on any day when I feel like wearing Champs-Elysees to avoid the potential melon disaster. Alas, Berlin has become really hard for me to track down in a reasonable price:size ratio... I guess I'll just have to keep gambling with the Guerlain.

Lots of people have already described it adequately, so I'll just say that it's lovely enough, but, for my particular needs, not worth the current sky-high prices its discontinued status is commanding. For any tuberose fanatics considering a blind-buy, I would put the tuberose note much, much further down on the pyramid. Seriously, if I hadn't seen tuberose listed in the notes, I might not have guessed it was there. Update: After wearing Berlin a few times and during different weather, I have to agree that it's pretty special. It reminds me of original Donna Karan (black swan) *after* the leather top notes have faded. Berlin is fruitier (there are some subtle banana molecules in there, right?) than the Karan, but they share an elegant, understated, sweet femininity with just the right amount of subtle musk. I would also put lime much higher up on the notes pyramid.

The fruity floral is perhaps the toughest of genres to convince gents that there is unisex potential. There is seldom anything aromatic, woody, mossy, or dry to contrast with or underpin the fruits, flowers, and sweet resins. That said, there is something to be said for the way plum and peach mingles with tuberose and other florals, almost like thickly laid brushstrokes, an olfactory impasto. Joop! Berlin, long discontinued, is one that is a bit more softened courtesy of heliotrope, vanilla, and tonka, making it feel like a dreamy cloud. As a result, this is not the wild ride that comes from wearing Cacharel LouLou or Ungaro Senso. It trades a head shop incense feel for a mild, cushiony, musky sandalwood. It's a realm of nuance that would predict concepts that flourished into the 90s.

This is Berlin for me, even more Potsdam (where Wolfgang Joop has a lovely villa overlooking a lake). You might think "Prussian" means harsh and tough but there is a whole Prussian tradition that meanders between French Rocoo, Arcadia and Romantic ideals. The Berlin of Queen Louise. In my head, I associate this perfume with my personal discovery of Berlin in the 90s, when I took the time to dive into this city's history. The perfume is light and elegant, not too sweet, and it lasts. Yes, it's a typical 80s and 90s scent, fruity-floral, but it has lots of character. Its base note is for me the most charming part of this perfume. It felt like a part of me. I'll have to check what's up with my old bottle - and maybe buy a new one. Especially before I go to Berlin next month!

Joop Berlin is a discontinued gem, that should never had been discontinued. I had a bottle many years ago, and among the tuberose fragrances I have tried, Berlin is truly one of the most unique and beautiful that.Trying to describe it so many years later is hard, but the tuberose was surrounded by notes that lifted the scent to another level, it was distinctly unique and stunning. If I could choose to bring back fragrances from the the past , Berlin would surely be one of them.