Volupté

Review for vintage EDT: This bottle is truly striking in person, very art nouveau, with clean lines and a nice heft. The cap on the 1.7 oz splash bottle is a touch strange, as the angled form needs to be twisted until it sits perfectly flush. However, the seal seems to be quite good once it is fit properly, and I'm not seeing any leaks, despite there being no threads on the stopper. My skin tends to eat florals, and my initial application left me wondering where the famed Volupte power was. A second application, trailing from wrist to elbow brought enlightenment. To my nose, Volupte opens with bitter narcissus very much forward, supported by osmanthus. Where osmanthus frequently has a suede like scent to me, and occasionally smells of plums, this osmanthus reminds me strongly of apricot fruit leather- dense, more tart than sweet, distinctly tangy. The sillage, for some reason, reminds me of buttered toast...served first thing in the morning, with tea, and apricot preserves (osmanthus) eaten sitting in the sunshine. I'm not sure where this accord is coming from, but it is quite distinct, and surprisingly joyous. The heart opens slowly, after more than an hour. Soft, sweet mimosa, faint LoV, the slightest touch of carnation appear. Then jasmine and cyclamen move forward, supported by the fantasy peony note. Throughout this phase the fantasy freesia note is present, but not plasticky, adding a sense of "gloss" to the scent. Eventually a touch of tuberose shows up, demure, almost shy, very unusual for this note. In the dry down heliotrope and melon step forward, supported by sandalwood and a touch of incense. Start to finish, I would classify Volupte as cheerful, surprisingly fresh, and thoroughly unexpected. The very sweet notes are carried by the almost herbal, very green, bitter narcissus base. The fruits are not the sugared versions that have been prevalent for the past decade, but rather tart. The floral elements are blended with a beautifully light touch, and the sweetness they bring is glorious, and never overwhelming. I had expected Volupte to be heavy, a cool weather scent. Instead this is one of the most light filled scents that I have encountered, serenely joyous, energizing, the sort of scent that reminds you to stop and experience the world around you. Volupte, to my mind, is not so much about voluptuousness in the sense of sex appeal, but rather the voluptuousness of fully experiencing the world around us, dwelling in the present, and mindfully engaging with the multitude of stimulation all around. For me, Volupte is a meditation retreat in a bottle, perfect for those times when you can't disappear for a week, but you really need a break. This is a go to scent! On my skin it needs warm weather to really be apparent in all it's glory, but it is wearable year round, and I think it will be a wonderful anodyne to winter blahs. Elegantly casual, effortlessly chic. I feel like this is the perfect scent to wear when one isn't sure what note to hit, but needs to impress. Tremendously versatile, and a joy to experience.

I adore this scent so much it brings a tear to my eye when I am feeling particularly nostalgic and a tad melancholic. I am grateful for it, for, in many ways, this divinely rapturous scent brought me back to life. (Hang with me friends, I will get to it. This one has taken some time to even express.) A dear friend love-gifted a perfume mini to me in the early '90s, several months after suddenly losing my beloved young sister. My friend worked a well-respected perfume counter and Volupte arrived along with a mini of Tresor and several samples of luxe cosmetics. I was in my late 20's at the time and The Bad News of my lifetime made the chilly grey winds of fall and winter unbearably bitter. I think I actually died. Somewhere in my haze of unbeing and being, the daze/days grew a bit longer and the sun began to shine but I could not awaken... though I do recall a short, meaningless sleepwalk to the mailbox. The parcel inside was a curious thing though I was numb and frozen. My emotions were flat as I recall The first choice of sample being the Oscar mini. I chose it because the little bottle seemed smooth and soothing to touch, and it was. It happened with the first dab to my wrist. I cannot recall the time-lapse. It seemed like seconds and years of the strange sensation that suddenly overwhelmed me. Something was happening in my chest, no, my heart; the deepest place in it, the dead part with the big hole bearing my beloved only sister's name. Putting my nose to my wrist with eyes closed, I suddenly began weeping, pouring tears that would not stop as I saw and smelled the golden sun, the purple-blue of violet and heliotrope, velvety pink carnations like that of new birth and skin, the fresh burst of lush green and life itself. Being dead, I thought Heaven had surely come to save me. I still cannot say why I had never felt so loved at that moment but I did. Not only did I love Volupte, Volupte seemed to love me even more. It was a bouquet of pure love, life, laughter, and every wonderful memory of my life. After existing so long as a ghost moving through a black and white void, this liquid gold was a divine arrival. It was everything celestially beautiful, elegant, precious, and soft with the power of a loving hug mixed with laughter on The Best Spring Day one could possibly ever dream of or imagine... and I cried for gratitude... that I was alive. I had somehow survived... as Volupte whispered "Awaken sweet Girl, and live. You are alive... and life is beautiful." :) Volupte is intensely precious and glorious; a gorgeous blend not credited only for breathing life back into my soul, though it absolutely did. I still believe only this scent could have gifted me in the miraculous way it did. Supremely thick with love, life, and color, I prefer it in the cooler months to offset the sometimes too many grey days. Thank you so much Miss Grosjman! If you only knew.)

Wow! The two reviews below this couldn't be more different. That sounds like the mark of an interesting fragrance - and so it proves to be. I'm currently trying to get my head round the "Yellow flower / white flower" thing. White flowers are - jasmine, lily, tuberose, lily of the valley and so forth ... yellow flowers are - mimosa. linden, narcissus, ylang-ylang, etc. As I understand it. So this is a blend of white and yellow, actually. Yellow flower fragrances seem on the whole to attract fewer fans than white flowered ones. Perhaps the flowers themselves are more distinct from one another, or blend less well together? Incidentally I like the colour scheme here - the juice is very yellow and the cap (though plastic and ill-fitting, which isn't ideal) is very green. Kind of sets you up for what is to come. Anyway I digress. Volupte is an absolute powerhouse in what seems increasingly to be called "the 80s style". The opening is a big blast of various things - I see other people have detected melon, violet, lily of the valley, carnation and all sorts. Once this passes the mimosa comes to the fore and works its usual softening effects. This counterbalances an ongoing slight bitterness (the narcissus perhaps?) in what I find to be a most interesting and exciting way. Wafts of fragrance hit my nose as I move and I feel myself to be sophisticated, intriguing and a little exotic. Sillage and longevity are great, and the drydown continues in a similar way but more muted. Nothing stands out particularly for me but perhaps the incense contributes a mysterious effect. The thing is, they REALLY don't make then like this any more outside niche houses. This was what sophisticated women used to smell like as a matter of course. They used fragrances that were bitter, smokey, leathery, powdery, green and so forth, because they were interesting and beautiful and there wasn't a one-size-fits-all approach to perfume. Now your choices, even as a mature woman, are - do you want to smell sweet and fruity, or sweet and floral? Unless you are very avant-garde of course, in which case you may put on something by Tauer or Lutens and smell - well, like this perhaps. Anyway, thank goodness for the internet, which allows anyone to find lost gems like this for a song on ebay and then read all about them here on Fragrantica. Three cheers! I love Volupte. It couldn't be my signature because there's just too much going on and I can't see myself in it while shopping at the supermarket. Nevertheless if you want your fragrance to be interesting, exciting and different, give it a try.

Bittersweet & Voluptuous Elixir with a Vintage Vibe... Floral Green scent by Nicholas Calderone & Sophia Grojsman was released the same year as the film, Death Becomes Her (1992), a dark comedy film-noir starring Meryl Streep, Isabella Rossellini, Bruce Willis & Goldie Hawn. This film is something of a reinterpretation of Sunset Boulevard (1950) featuring an aging starlet searching for the promise of eternal youth. Like the small vial of dangerous & magical elixir, wielded by Lisle (played by Isabella Rossellini), this scent has a bittersweet & dangerous quality. In addition to the bittersweet quality, there's a voluptuous quality to this scent, and I could imagine Isabella Rossellini wearing this on set, or the eternal youth elixir smelling like this. In the same way the film searches for eternal youth, Volupté searches for the glimmer of peachy promise, and the comparisons to Trésor Lancôme are justified with a major caveat: over the Trésor-like base is a layer of sharp & bitter florals combined with incense with a vintage flair. Again, like the film, there's a dark side to what we wish for, but the resulting scent here is complex, darkly nuanced & maturely beautiful. Alternatively, my one complaint with the film is that in the end it should have been a women who learned from the mistakes of others to age gracefully. This isn't for the faint of heart. Opens with a burst of fruity-florals including mimosa & melon, and already narcissus & incense are swelling through with bittersweet tones. The effect here in the opening is bittersweet & vintage florals, and I get vague reminders of Jardins de Bagatelle Guerlain. As it transitions to the heart, softer & sweeter florals come through with powdery heliotrope & ylang leading the way. The base has a faintly creamy sweetness from sandalwood & tuberose. This has excellent performance for year-round wear, but spray with caution as it could quickly become too much in warmer weather. Vintage scent lovers, enjoy! Update 07/29/24: Sprayed this on this morning in search of melon. It's aged really nicely and the everything is seeming more well blended and less sharp than I remember, with the sandalwood & vanilla more forward now. Although the vanilla has aged, it's still somewhat sharp if I put my nose up close to where I sprayed on my wrist, but in the air it's a beautiful, soft blend of white & yellow florals with a peachy melon tilt, backed up by sandalwood & vanilla. After aging, it smells more like Trésor Lancôme to me. More beautiful than I remember.

I finally found the perfume DNA in the 90s that i was looking for a long time. I purchased 20+ 90s perfume looking for this DNA and i tried Lancome Tresor but it's too peachy. When I was young in the Philippines growing up i smelt this at my foster parent's house. She own loads of perfume from Brunei and I remember I used to smell her perfume bottles. It was soo luxurious all of her perfume. Out of all this is the DNA that captured my heart. When I was 13 they sent us back in the orphanage because we're about to get adopted. I remember i was in High School in the Philippines and in the orphanage I gotten my very first allowance and it was 100 Philippines Pesos. I have to make that last for a whole month. I save up 3 months worth of this perfume from Sarah Lee catalog (Philippines version of Avon) and i bought this perfume. It smells hust like Oscar Dela Renta Volupté. A week after I gotten it one of the next neighbor orphans stole it and when I report it she broke it. She actually figure if she can't use it she'll just broke the bottle and mix it with the mop water. I have 400+ perfume now and nothing really compared to this perfume. The memory, my first hard earn money, the very first allowance, and my very first perfume. Although I didn't get the chance to enjoy it back then I can finally enjoy it now. The coincidence is that 2004 our orphanage was hosting a program where they'll send orphans kids like my siblings and I to USA to visit a family for summer. The summer we visit USA the host family took us to garage sale and I found a lotion that smells like it called Moonlight Path by Bath & Body Works and it was use. They gave us $10 and I literally spent it on that halfway use lotion. While we were here in Louisiana it has so many memory because we got adopted by the same host family. This DNA scent reminds me of so many memories of 2003-2007.

I hope this helps anyone looking for a vintage bottle, which I had to hunt down because I'm not loving the new version. New bottles are made in the USA and distributed by Inter Parfums. The vintage is made in France by Parfums Stern and distributed by Sanofi Beauty Products. The bottle and box look the same but there are some differences in design. Please keep in mind I can only describe the ones I have now or have seen and there might be other iterations out there. The new bottle is plain with only an oval sticker on the bottom with the usual information and a batch code and says made in USA. The sticker on the vintage is round with no batch code and it states its made in France. The vintage has Volupte written in large gold letters in front of the bottle under the sweep and Oscar de la Renta at the bottom above the thick glass base. On the old bottles the glass base is even on both sides, but in the vintage bottle it sweeps upwards on the right to match the sweep on top. A vintage tester bottle will also have a sticker on the back of the bottle saying so with a list of ingredients. The sprayer on the vintage bottles is large! About 1.5 times higher than in new bottles and also a bit bigger in diameter. The juice is a dark gold colour but it's pale in newer bottles. Now the box! The 'Volupte' stays the same. All other information in front of the new boxes is neatly aligned, flush on both sides. On old boxes the alignment is centered and therefore uneven on the sides. The back of new boxes has the ingredients list neatly aligned as well with their website address. Vintages have neat paragraphs of composition and ingredients, then made in France, logo, address and distribution with central alignment which gives it a busier feel. Okay, too much information! But hopefully this helps someone.

I acquired this beauty from a lovely Fragrantica member <3 It was among bottles of other fragrances , but this green and gold capped , unusual voluptuous shaped bottle caught my eye right away, and was in my hand "Oooo!" I have worn Volupte a few times now - The first spritz was very powerful with that fantastic note of heliotrope, melon, and ylang ylang. I am not a big melon fan, and the note of it worried me , it can come off as rotten on me - but this time it blends well,and calms just after a few minutes. I also expected severe powerhouse , high strung screechy, and was surprised that this does not have aldehydes (per the designer,and decade ) I cannot believe how fast the first blast softens into a mellow but fresh and cooling , incensy yellow floral and fruit, and a fleshiness of bubble gummy tuberose ,and jasmine. Another reviewer commented on an oily type note - I do get that on the drydown, mixed with creamy sandalwood, a tinge of juicy sweetness, and a balsamic nature. Carnation can be my enemy , a sharp note on me, but I had not picked up on that note at all. I find myself drawn to this when the weather is warmer/hot, and the cool rainy wet days I have had here in Michigan this spring. The sillage on me is soft to moderate , I am not blowing anyone away. The longevity is fair - it grows softer and more undetectable through the day. I will keep this as a spring summer staple .

My chemistry works well with the Oscar de la Renta scents I’ve tried, in addition to Sophia Grojsman being one of the creators of Volupte, so I thought it would be a pretty safe blind buy. Yes it is! It’s even better than I hoped. It really is like a beautiful blend of Esprit d’Oscar and Tresor, even though EdO didn’t exist when Volupte was released. Some of my favorite flower notes - mimosa, heliotrope, freesia, and peony - are discernible, and so is peach, even though it’s not listed. Maybe the melons are coming across to me as peach. They add freshness to the heavy, warm amber, patchouli, sandalwood base. Very light sweet vanilla backs it all up, enhancing but not dominating. I’m not a fan of lily of the valley, lotus, or narcissus as they can be so sharp, but restraint and masterful blending balance this gorgeous composition throughout. The longevity and sillage are excellent. I don’t find Volupte to be dated except in the way that nineties perfumes were strong, long-lasting, and had structure and presence. Other than that, it’s appropriate for anyone of any age who enjoys it. I wear what makes me happy regardless of season or time of day. VERY lightly applied, this can be office-friendly. Volupte is stunning in the hot Southern summer and I am looking forward to fall and winter with it as well. It’s a big love for me - I’m ordering a backup.

Oh my, I lOVE it. And it is a real power house. I kind of underestimated its power yesterday. I am trigger friendly by nature, and this needs to be applied really, REALLY carefully. Strangely when I originally got it 6 months ago I was not too impressed and put it to the side for all this time. Yesterday I thought: "I don't really remember what this smells like. I know I was not over the moon, but let's just get the memory cells working here and try it again." And oh my GOSH, yesterday I went crazy over this juice. I am not sure if my body chemistry changed during these 6 months, or maybe it's just because the weather is different, but now I cannot even fathom why it was not instant love. It is truly feminine, interesting, not too warm, but also not harsh. Peppy, with enough sweetness and freshness, somewhat ladylike but with a very young vibe. It makes me feel younger than my real age, but begs to be worn with full blown, 60's style, sultry makeup, the Brigitte Bardot kind of makeup style, with nude lipstick that plumps up your lips and dramatic eye shadows (smoky eyes with purple, green or gray eye shadow and black smudged eyeliner. If you have the eyes for it, even winged.) Volupte is superb. It's the kind of perfume I envision a sexy Bond girl would have worn during those Roger Moore and Sean Connery James-Bond-days.

The first thing I'm going to say is God bless Fragrantica.com reviewers. I can safely conclude that amidst the mixed opinions lies the most intelligent, constructive voices. A lover of Oscar (the original) by Oscar de la renta, I proceeded to purchase Volupte based on reviews here. Am I disappointed? Absolutely not. On first spray of Volupte on my left wrist, I went "Dear Lord, what have I gotten myself into? eeek". Then I sprayed So de la renta on my right wrist. Had my sister smell both wrists and she picked the right wrist as the better smelling. But then 10-15 mins passed and the most beautiful thing happened. Volupte made sure I kept raising my left wrist to my nose as I couldn't resist the lovely aroma coming from that wrist. It was so so powdery. Went back to my sister to smell both wrists again and guess what? she picked the left wrist. Haha, told her that was the rejected stone now becoming the chief cornerstone. Bottom line, I love the dry down so well this might just become my signature scent. I need to add that I sprayed this at night when it was warm and not hot. I'll have to try this in an entirely diff climate. Don't let the EDT fool you. It lasts longer than some EDP I've used.

Sophia Grojsman called "Picasso" in a Perfumery World, for her ability to create something unique from seemingly simple notes. I remember years I was running away from all her peaches after Tresor, ha! Those times long gone. Now I am religiously gathering all her babies, loving every single one and can't stop to be amazed by her talent. I applied Volupte with head deep down in my shoulders and holding eyes closed tightly, as I hate melons/watermelons in fragrances, but it was Grojsman after all, so I thought "whatever, let it be!", and oh YES, that was it, HUGE yellow mimosa flowers, tickly, zesty, elevating and shining. It is like mimosa with all greenery of brunches and leaves, you leaving trails after yourself, like wearing bright yellow scarf behind your shoulders, the smell is flowing, circling, surrounding you and makes people wonder. It has this floating green layers of mimosa, bitter spicy one from narcisse and carnation, velvety from lotus and peony and something really ozonic-fresh, so even if you will not stand outside with fresh wind in your face, you will still FEEL that wind, even in dark room with blinds shut. Amazing!

Volupte', My Love. You never shine brighter than the grey days of winter's chill. You are warm and golden like a hug under the sun on a spring day. Your carnations envelop me in hope of spring to come. You awakened me from the dead so many years ago when my soul did truly die. You kissed me alive on a dead day of winter, brown and grey. You loved me like no other. You kissed my sad tears away and gave me happy ones in return. You were sent as a gift and came bearing gifts of love, hope, joy, and spring eternal. I will never forget the kindness and beauty of you dressed in your tiny glass bottle, smooth as an ancient, polished pebble with your imperial green hat. You are all that is good and lovely as you share your wealth of riches with me. You are precious....and I will always feel alive and beautiful with you. You make lovely whatever I wear and walk along with me whispering, "Love and spring are eternal regardless of the season. I will always love you." Et je t'aimerai toujours aussi, ma belle Volupté'.

my mom had a mini of this when I was little and I was obsessed with both the smell and the bottle shape with the green jewel top. I am beyond thrilled to be able to buy the current bottle affordably from a discounter and finally have a big supply of this nostalgic beauty. I think the current formulation is a bit more powdery and less juicy fruity than I remember, or else my adult skin chemistry pulls more to the mimosa-freesia compared with the melon-orange top i remember from my kindergarten days lol. But it's such a soft, creamy, fuzzy Grojsman powder that makes me wonderfully nostalgic (in the 90s my mom wore YSL Paris powder and my grandma wore Tresor). Honestly, there's a lot of depth to this scent despite its sweetness and powder, it's both nostalgic and advanced enough to feel timeless. The ambery warmth and slight spiciness of the drydown along with the sweet powder make for a great cozy autumn/winter scent, especially if you appreciate the complex vintage greats

I wore this years ago when it first came out, and recently got myself a sample size to review it again. It's as lovely as I remembered-the top notes remind me of a sweet called Parma Violets. Initially it is sweet and fruity-the heliotrope comes through strongly with a sweet almond and vanilla note. Despite the mandarin there is no citrus note-its all smooth and rounded rather than sharp. It settles down to a warm, slightly spicy sandalwood. The spice of carnation in this is understated, but this works with the fruity melon, with the melon softening the spice, and the spice stopping the melon from being too sweet. This is a very feminine fragrance without being girly. I think its more suited to Winter, as it has a warmth to it, and a slight powdery note rather than a refreshing zingyness. Its a cosy fragrance to me-despite being a very distinctive fragrance, the sillage is minimal (unless its my skin eating it up!). Definitely a scent for wearing on a date.

Recommendation: this perfume is a solid win if you're a fan of cantaloupe & watermelon. If those notes tend to give you a headache, perhaps steer clear of this one. Today I'm wearing two sprays from my new bottle. This is pretty and feminine! The most prominent notes are the melons: juicy sweet cantaloupe & watermelon. Next is a bouquet of well blended florals, sweetened by the melons and a little bit powdery (perhaps from the combination of incense & amber?). Finally I get vanilla in the background. The powderiness is subtle, keeping the flowers from becoming screechy. This smell stays linear, softening over time. I get faint whiffs of it the next morning. Strangely I don't get any sandalwood or patchouli, which are notes I enjoy. Perhaps they will appear later once my bottle has macerated for a bit. However I'm not sad that they seem to be missing: the current blend of melons, florals & powderiness is intoxicating.

so wanted to wear a throw back today & chose this & omg how i love this scent !!! what an amazing blend of florals.....it is strong but yet soft..........its one of those delicious floral blends u just cant stop sniffing (well at least on me lol ) now if u are not into heavy florals then this may be too much for u........and if u dislike tresor by lancome then this may not be for u (its kinda similar to tresor ) or if u were a fan of giorgio scents of the 80's then this may be up your alley :) i cant pick out specific notes - im not as great as some of u super nose fragranticans lol - but i can say its beautifully crafted & its what a heady soft floral should be :) and yes its very 90's lol and u can get it on the fragrance discount sites really cheap yeah !!!! i give this classic gem 5 stars !!! 5 being highest of coarse :)

The Short: I love this scent. True flower power. The Long: This is a huge big bundle of flowers! Wowser!-- power in these petals. It does have a melon note in it but, the mimosa and heliotrope and all the supporting floral cast in this are remarkable. It kind of blows my mind today. Lots of sandalwood and amber in there too. I didn't think I would love this after so many years of not sniffing it. But, it is so much nicer than I remember it. @seamagik thanks for the notes on bottles. I wasn't sure which version I had in my cabinet. But, now I am so glad that I do (vintage)! I want to try the current version still. Your notes definitely helped me! This is a statement floral fragrance. Be prepared to be noticed. Projection and duration are really great. Very quality product. LOVE IT! Will always have this in my vanity.

EDP vintage review (my review of the EDT is below): The EDP opens with a strong melon note. Not watermelon, or any identifiable melon, but a clear, juicy note. I typically dislike melon, but this is pretty, although somewhat reminiscent of candy flavoring. The melon remains through the heart, when narcissus appears, and the same progression of notes takes place as with the EDT. In general, the EDP is stronger than the EDT. However, the primary difference in scent is due to the melon note, which remains throughout the life of the perfume. On my skin, this note makes the evolution of the scent, the appearance of the other notes, harder to detect. For intensity, I prefer the EDP. For actual scent, I prefer the EDT, which is more varied, and has a more complex presentation.

I totally agree with Mereltje's observation concerning fragrances that don't work well with our chemistry. Sometimes waiting and trying them again in warmer weather can give us a whole new perspective. Volupte is a perfect example of this. In the winter it is meek and mild and longevity is nonexistent. But try it on a hot spring day as I did a couple weeks ago, and my opinion has taken a 360. Volupte becomes sultry and sweet, with a powdery trail that builds through the drydown. It's as comforting and warm as summertime around your shoulders. Reminds me of days around the 4th of July spent in and out of swimming pools, eating fruit salad and inhaling the flowers blooming everywhere! To think I had listed Volupte on EBAY back in early spring!

Volupte by Oscar de la Renta is a very sweet floral summery fragrance almost tropical, light and airy. Reminds me very much of the original Paris but richer and sensual. The first blast is very strong, whoosh straight up your nose but the dry down is gorgeous. Needs time to appreciate the full beauty of this fragrance. A favourite and worn by HRH Princess Margaret, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II sister. For anyone enjoying Peter Jackson Netflix Drama "The Crown" this is the fragrance she was wearing. Princess Margaret was friends with Oscar de la Renta. High quality, smells expensive but can be purchased for a very reasonable price online. Another fabulous addition to my perfume collection. I love it. ❤️