Calyx

I can't help but bow before Calyx, and this is already a contradiction. Because Calyx is not an austere or exacting scent that makes you wanna pay your dues to its cachet or eminence. "Then why?" one could ask. Well, those of you who have not lived the magnitude of the '80s try to imagine this. In an era of dominating femme-fatale heavy-hitters, like Poison in 1985 and Loulou in 1987, which were huge successes and still are, Calyx came flying under the radar in 1986, dropping a mega bomb loaded with bliss and joy of life. Oh, and inventing a whole new genre too. I'm not sure if it's the fruity-floral, the floral-green or the fruity-floral-green one, but Calyx is made in Heaven! So my bow pays respect to a pioneer that happens to be an unbelievably good perfume too. What now seems to be the rule, was the exception back then. The rule was that fruits were shot on sight without further explanation. How many grande dames of the '80s could claim they had any prominent fruity notes, other than the occasional apricot or plum, included in their prima-donna vocal ranges? But while most of them were the distant divas frequenting the opera houses, Calyx was the dish from next door playing merry songs on her guitar in a subway station. And while the vamps, bedecked with diamonds and pearls, are sipping champagne and picking at salmon in the foyer, the imp is happy with a slice of pizza and a beer, whose pull tab wears as a ring after opening it. To cut a long story short, there are only two scents which put a big silly smile on my face every single time I sniff them. And maybe because of my preference for subway stations over opera houses, Calyx is one of them. It's the happy girl hopping around and giving you a flirty kiss on your cheek, among a bunch of aloof ladies, who demand a contract signed with your blood to just deign having their eyes laid upon you. It's a silvery sexy giggle among a clamor of elaborate erotic sighs. The lovely brat that every august matron looks daggers at and shoos. But only to move just a couple of steps aside, before she returns with her dulcet laughter filling the room. Don't get me wrong, I find all these '80s perfumes simply stunning and Bastet knows how much I love them, but it's like Calyx outshines them all because of being so different and daring. And just because these two traits are not always considered merits, maybe this was the reason that Calyx never got the fame it deserved; not back in the days, and to an even lesser degree now. But you know what? Who cares? This cunning tart surely doesn't, since I think I can see her winking at our direction, while singing tunefully "Who needs fame when she's happy?..."

I clearly remember smelling Calyx for the first time in the late 80s. My jaw dropped - it was the first time I had smelt a perfume that actually made me want to drink it! I didn't have the language to describe what I was smelling, and couldn't tell you if a fragrance was a chypre, or a white floral, or a fruity floral or whatever. I only knew what I liked, disliked, and loved. And I LOVED Calyx. It was so different from anything else I had ever experienced, as I gravitated more to classics from Chanel and Patou, Orientals like Opium and Cinnabar, and of course, the ubiquitous, true flower bomb Poison. Of course I had to purchase it. Looking back now, I think that the tropical fruit notes are what captivated me the most - the mango, the guava, and the papaya - and created that edible effect. As much as I loved it, I only owned one bottle before moving on to the next scent to attract my attention, as I was wont to do at that time. But the memory of this aroma is planted deep in my brain, and if I think about it hard enough, I can conjure it up. I must own this again. There are vintage bottles of the Prescriptives version on the Bay and I will try my luck with one of those. I don't know how the most recent Clinique version measures up,so I am going for the gold!

OH FOND MEMORIES! I was at McGill University and my best friend would wear this daily. It was her signature scent. I hunted it down back then but kind of forgot about how great it smelled! I wanted that frag. so bad but did not want to steal her frag... no copy cat for me. So i got Juba by The body Shop instead which reminded me so of this lovely scent. Little did I know that my favorite nose : Sophia Grojsman made this chef d' oeuvre! : a fruity, wet green, lily of the valley fragrance that lasts all day and makes my mouth water for some reason. It is so well rounded and luscious: tropical to me. Apricot seems to be a theme with Sophia and I love it. Mingled with all these: passionfruit, mint, mandarin orange, cassia, peach, mango and bergamot) it makes for a pick-me up cocktail of fruity freshness. the middle notes are lovely and durable if my memory serves me well. I mostly remember the rose, the muguet and the melon. yum. While I enjoy the ' aromatherapeutic qualities of this scent, what enchants me most is the base:; mossy, woddsy rasperry that reminds me of Hot Couture. I would happily get me one now! Shall see!

I fell in love with this scent waaaaay back in the late 80s in high school. It just so happened that I met my husband around the same time and he loves the scent as much as I do - every spritz brings back for the both of us those carefree, first love moments. I find that other fragrances I wear must have the same notes that make Calyx by Prescriptives my signature scent: clean, crisp, floral, soft, feminine. The base notes are musk, oakmoss, raspberry and cedar. However, I must say that, on my skin, the base notes are not very prominent as I abhor any musky, raspberry, cedar-like scents. However Calyx was mixed, it has created the perfect balance of sexy with sublime without being cloying. (This scent is not for those looking for Oriental-woody-amber notes. It's so very delicate and light.) If you're wanting a fragrance that puts you in the mood for summer, warmth, action, and sensuality, I would highly recommend trying Calyx. For me, it's an experience I have yet to duplicate in any other perfumes I have tried.

I acquired a vintage "Shimmering Mist" and cannot wait to try it! I'll update later once I test. Update: as expected, very 90s! Pungent grapefruit opening, VERY bitter. I dislike cantaloupe in perfume & unfortunately it overtakes any other fruit notes for me, here. The oakmoss is nice. I wonder if I'd like the Clinique. I'll test that first before buying & report back. P.S. the shimmer in this is truly awesome, looks great on skin and swirls around magically inside the bottle. Another update: I like this more after giving it a few more tries. The musk and oakmoss are more prominent and the fruitiness is more rounded--it smells less intensely of melon. Final thoughts: this has grown on me completely and now I love it. I barely smell melon, maybe I was imagining it before? It's a perfect summer scent, rain or shine. Fruity but grown-up. I'm still planning on buying a Clinique bottle as a backup, and to compare.