Safari

It's amazing how this perfume has touched the lives of so many. I love reading the stories - here is mine. I was introduced to Safari through one of my mom's best friends. She's a fashionable lady with the money that allowed her to indulge in all the top shelf makeup and perfumes. She's also a generous lady who passed on the stuff she didn't like or grew bored of to my mother and I. Hence how I wound up with two nearly full bottles of the vintage perfumed Safari creams in 1997. I was 14 and somewhat of a tom boy, as well as a huge geek, but I was still becoming a young woman and so I was drawn to some of that lifestyle, despite the fact that I barely wore make up and had not yet taken a set of tweezers to my eyebrows. I had a vanity made of clear glass and cheap brass metal set up in my room contrasting with my Xena, Sailor Moon and dragon posters. Those crystalline jars graced the glass top, more for aesthetics than any appreciation of the scent they contained, next to GAP's Grass, Vanilla Fields, Adidas for Women and CK One. When I was 15 I met a shy boy at high school. My first real crush. I asked him to accompany me to our highschool's Winterfest dance and to my delight he said yes. I picked out a deep blue dress made of crushed velvet, and my mother lent me her white velvet, faux fur collared Winkleman's jacket that she used to wear to attend church as a little girl in the early 1960's. She curled my long auburn hair into loose ringlets. I looked like Kate Winslet from Titanic. I looked, first the first time in my life, like a lady. But what kind of perfume does a lady wear on her first date, with her first crush, at her first school dance? The elegant, romantic bottles of Ralph Lauren's 'Safari' caught my eye on my glass vanity. I went to the dance wearing that deep scented vintage concoction and felt as rich and classy and as beautiful and rebelliously wild as Rose DeWitt Bukater that night. As I slow danced with my date, he leaned in and whispered in my ear, "You smell incredible". My first perfume compliment from a boy. And the boy would soon become my first; my first boyfriend, my first love. And Safari became my first scent as a woman. A rich, creamy scent of grasses and powder and wildflowers. An elegance not afraid to explore. A perfume I wore while sitting in a field near my house in cargo shorts and hiking boots wearing brown eyeline, weaving flower crowns of rushes and dandelion and thistle. The years began to pass, and I slowly used up all the beautiful, richly perfumed lotion in those elegant bottles. And my life went from a young girl's fairy tale to a horror story, with different instances of abuse and trauma and developing PTSD. All the scents that had come to grace that glass vanity over the years tarnished much as the brass that lined the glass did; J'Adore, CK One, all tossed in the trash can because they became connected with abusive, terrible memories of a life I desperately fought to escape and leave behind. All except the empty bottles of Ralph Lauren Safari. As I unscrewed the cap of that crystalline bottle a sense of peace, beauty and innocence washed over me. I was taken back to a time when I believed in love, people and the world. A time when I felt beautiful. A time when I felt loved. A time when I had hope. The empty bottle moved with me to many states in the country. It accompanied me through many experiences. Through many achievements and many losses. When I felt down, or depressed, I unscrewed the silver and brown elegant cap on the empty bottle and sniffed, and was instantly transported to a time of innocent childhood. As I got older I meant to either re-purpose the jar or throw it out. Yet somehow, it just managed to tag along. Three years ago I found the jar again. After many years of forgetting about it and it's magic, I unscrewed the elegant top... and the scent still lingered, still hit my olfactory memories like a wave crashing against the cliffs here on the Pacific Northwest coast. I decided it was finally time to purchase the perfume. To my dismay, I saw it had been discontinued, some vintage bottles of the juice for sale on Ebay for an exorbitant amount of money. Sadly, I accepted it was just to remain what it was, along with all the emotions tied to it - a beautiful memory. Last year, I ended up hooking up again with that first boyfriend. And yesterday, I bought my first bottle of Ralph Laruen's Safari. I will wear it on our next date, and I will never say a thing about it.

Oh, I have so much to say about this one. There's so much going on here, from the era, to the bottle, to the perfume itself. Safari was released in 1990. It was not a shadow of things to come, as it bears no resemblance to the light as water, soapy, sheer floral, or citrus perfumes that were really popular at that time (EL Pleasures, Issey Miyake, CK One, EA Green Tea, Gap perfumes, you know what I'm talking about!) Safari seems to span several decades--you have your huge florals, 80s style--there are tons of flowers in here--the aldehydes that have been popular since forever, but in a nod, again, to the 80's the aldehydes are pleasantly reminiscent of hairspray. The aldehydes and hairspray make Safari smell decidedly 'perfumey' for a few hours (certainly a verboten style in the 21st century:) Then you have the green notes--the galbanum, moss, vetiver, that reminds me of a great green 70s perfume. And the other florals, pungent marigold, hyacinth, lily, so unusual. Yet the perfume is so beautiful and lovely that it reminds me of a perfume even older, maybe like a 40s Dior, or L'Air du Temps or something. The bottle itself is also classic in structure, a cut glass jewel, made to be put on your perfume tray that sits on your vanity. And the quality--this perfume will last all day with several sprays. And I have no desire for a touch up spray, because it has such a progression--there are like 10 stages Safari goes through before drying down into the base. The advertising is almost funny in retrospect. This is not a 'wide open air, grassy flowers on a desert wind' type of perfume. Safari is a veritable kitchen-sink 10 styles in one complicated perfume. And the notes are STRONG--the flowers are huge, this isn't some, oh, I think I smell a rose about 5 miles away. The drydown is definitely earthy-very woody & mossy for sure. But otherwise, who's wearing hairspray on Safari?? If I had to put Safari in a category it would be Green Floral Chypre Aldehyde. You really, really need to like green perfumes in order to appreciate Safari. And florals. Lots of flowers--hyacinth, daffodil, marigold, rose, jasmine, a compelling mix. So Safari isn't really of its time at all. But that's okay. And--the vintage is easy to find. Admittedly the topnotes are a little off on my bottle--I don't smell any citrus notes at all, and there is a definite nail-varnish smell to everything for a few mintues. But the vintage bottles can be found for even cheaper than the new stuff--I've never smelled the new bottles, but I would like to.

Oh well, I guess anyone has their own story about certain perfumes.... It’s the essence of it, as perfumes are so much linked to a period of our lives or to an occasion, or remind us of a person. Safari, besides being a drop dead gorgeous fragrance, reminds me of a romantic moment back in the early 90’s. I first encountered this fragrance thanks to a friend who was a miniature collector – we shared the same passion (I no longer collect mini bottles, but full bottles Lol). She got a wonderful miniature bottle of the recently launched Safari while travelling in the US, in Europe it was yet to be released. I fell in love at first sniff: what a majestic scent! I had to have it and I was desperate to have it released in Europe. Also the hype of something “non available” in Europe played its part, making it immediately hype and posh – in those years Ralph Lauren was the hypest brand. Then there was this boyfriend I had; it was really a cute romance, you know those first loves that leave a sign and sweet memories. Well, that very spring he was meant to go on a trip to NYC with his parents, and he asked me what I wanted as a present from that trip. I answered ”Nothing”, as I did not want to bother him with any requests. When he came back, one week later, I got my present anyway. Guess what? In a cute Bloomies Little Brown bag, there was a HUGE 125 ml gorgeous bottle of Safari.... I was overwhelmed. How could he possibly know it was the one and only thing I wanted from the US? I asked him how could he know I love that perfume (since my collector friend and him didn't know each other). He just said ”I thought you might like it, it smells like you”. I was impressed and really moved, as I grasped this young man knew me much deeper than I thought, having guessed exactly what kind of perfume would suit me. Safari is really a unique fragrance, bold, a little screaming once sprayed, so you need a light hand. Spicy and warm, but starts green... huge on the hyacinth and narcissus, for a moment you could think of Ysatis (but it's not the same). Huge on florals, goes down being warm and spicy, ambery patchouli with sandalwood. Lots of warmth in the drydown. Like being on a safari night camp, besides the fire. Surely it has loads personality and depth, it’s sensual and very feminine. It suits better winter times. Sadly it got discontinued, years ago. I still have a bottle and I will keep it and smell it, from time to time, just for a reminder of those fabulous days when I was young, in love and happy.

Honestly, in my heart? Forsaking all other fragrances, for me it's Diva by Ungaro (vintage, of course) and Safari, cologne concentration, 1989 version, my mom's bottle (and I definitely mean 1989, that is the year listed on the sticker label on the bottom, along with a legit 3-digit batch code. Hashtag EARLY!!) I can make this very bold statement, with over 60 perfumes on my dresser, including an ever-increasing vintage classic collection - and I love Halston, and I love Passion by Liz Taylor - having just re-smelled Safari *this evening*, after maybe two decades. In an overwhelming frenzy to collect and try, vintage vs. reformulated, I am so at peace with this scent. I keep smelling my wrist: can this be true? -- Was it really just as beautiful as I thought I'd sensed, 7 seconds ago? I must make sure -- Suddenly 98% of what I have...doesn't matter. Is this what it feels like to be able to "settle down"? I have next to zero literacy when it comes to notes. All I can vouch for are feeling and thought. Aristocratic. Serene. Approachable. Intimate. Grand. Majestic. Warm. Sunny. Viable. Heated. Relaxed. Soothing. Lovely. Embracing. Captivating. Heartwarming. Elegant. The height of femininity arcing over something timeless, primal, foundational. Incarnate, this is the woman who, from afar, is so exquisite as to render you petrified by reputation and appearance, and when you meet her, you wonder how you were ever intimidated, as she is the loveliest, most inviting creature on earth. I had thought Nombre Noir, never having smelled it, the finest, most rare delicacy in fragrance in existence. After thinking this bottle of my mother's Safari perfume had been thrown out years back, and disovering only three hours ago it has been here, in her house, all along, tucked away, covered in dust, in a corner of her cosmetics bin, and is not only half full but gorgeous and smells exactly the same as I didn't remember that I didn't remember (and no, that's not a typo), and I can cradle it in my hands? A huge, round, cut glass flacon. And it smells like...a type of sanctuary? You can keep your N squared. I'll take my Safari miracle any day of the week.

This is a bright, sunny fragrance and I really enjoy wearing it. I was first introduced to Safari as one of my mom's handful of fragrances; she wore this in the 90's, alongside Beautiful and, later, Amarige. When her bottle ran out, she never replaced it, but I missed seeing the cut-glass disk and the tortoiseshell in the stopper. I finally ordered a sample vial years after she passed to see if it held up to my memory of it. I'd been going through her perfume collection and realized that, as it happened, my tastes were developing to be closer and closer to hers. I sometimes have trouble with fragrances turning on me and, wouldn't you know it, so many of her picks work with my chemistry. Imagine my surprise when Safari smelled so much sweeter on my skin than it did on hers. I remember it being sharp and grassy on her; on me, it's round and sweet, like sweetgrass or hay. I broke down and ordered a bottle after wearing out my little decant.I actually like that it smells different on me; I love the fragrance (and the bottle!) and like being able to wear it without smelling like my mother, even though I originally revisited it out of a sense of nostalgia. So, about the fragrance itself: I get a lot of galbanum, that's the main note I detect. As I mentioned before, it smells sweet on me, but the way hay smells sweet, it isn't a candied or gourmand note. I honestly don't feel like I can speak to the other individual notes, as this is one of those multi-faceted fragrances where the various notes all seem to blend together. I love that each time I catch a whiff of this, it will smell subtly different throughout the day. The sillage on this is great; it unfurls throughout the day, and it's one of the few fragrances that has any projection at all on me. I have to be careful about how much I spray. It may be an older scent, but I think it can hold its own today; it doesn't smell dated to me, though it is definitely a departure from what dominates department store fragrance counters. If you're ready for something a little bit different, this may be the perfect fragrance to revisit.