Van Cleef

This is the closest I have come in my 7 year search to replace Valentino Vendetta! Thankyou, thankyou to the wise people below who lead me to this by their comparisons to Clandestine (which I have never owned, nor smelled as it is so long gone) but is highly rated as a comparable scent. Initial blast starts out as a thick honeyed face powder, something comparable to Estee Private collection and a spiced rum but this soon flattens out. This contains raspberry instead of plum and these two share 10 similar notes but I am convinced there are others that they share (namely honey, ylang ylang and carnation and maybe perhaps narcissus) that haven't been listed here. This is one of those scents that in essence appears to be horribly dated, a clash of notes not so favourable to the modern nose compiled into a horribly dated bottle. However despite this it is a timeless, soft floral yet sexy powdery naturally sweet dream of a scent which seems to float on my skin creating a cloud of musky incensey goodness overlayed with sultry yet never too sweet honey tinged with fresh green notes which give it crispness. Marigold gives it a natural warm peppery note which I love (one of my fave notes in a scent) perfumes like this seem to bloom on my skin and feel warm and like a big hug, never overwhelming, sinus inducing or giving me a headache but always there, comforting never to spicy nor too sweet, cloying or offensive to anyone and just meant to work with my skintype. I am never not in the mood for a scent like this. For reference my bottle is from what I can tell vintage refillable/rechargeable bottle quite similar to those produced by the likes of Guerlain - a goldtone lamp looking cylindrical holder with a plain refillable 90ml spray held inside. I picked this up still sealed and for a song. Couldn't be happier I have found another signature scent. I will be buying some more as it is still around on the internet and reasonably priced!

We've been having unseasonable cool weather in the north-east US, so I've been wearing a lot of perfumes I normally reserve for cooler weather. Wearing this all day today and I still love this bittersweet fragrance just as much as the first time I wore it. I had to go to the library after work, and the machine screwed up as I was trying to take out a book, so the librarian had to come over to clear it out. Standing next to me she turned and said, "My, you smell beautiful! What perfume are you wearing?" By this time, it was after 5pm and I had it on from 7:30 in the morning, after only using my usual number of sprays. Yet despite that little amount, and how long it was on, I could still smell it clearly around me and so could she. (I can still smell it right now btw.) That great performance was for the later edp version made by Parfums International, which did a terrific job as it smells and performs no differently to me from the vintage. Even though I already left a review for this, I have to sing its praises once more and also express how sad I am that this has been discontinued. That is such a great loss for the perfume world because this is such an unusually, beautiful perfume. Other perfumes may have similar notes, but this is head and shoulders above the rest. There's only one Van Cleef and I am devastated that it will no longer be easily available. Fortunately, I have a backup bottle because I knew from the first time I smelled it that this was one fragrance I never want to be without. Now I am going to be extra careful and treasure every drop.

In the first few minutes I find the bergamot almost green and loud, and the geranium almost screechy, but it somehow doesn’t quite teeter off the edge into overbearing. Rich calendula (the loveliest sort of marigold, in my view) is present from the get-go, and my nose has to do a double-take (sometimes a triple-take) while it all settles. The first time I sprayed it I thought, what the hell? But that seems like a very long time ago. Soon a buttery golden burnished scent comes through like a glow. The scent then gets softer, warmer, spicier over hours, and it’s all the more delightful for being solid and consistent. I get the earlier reviewer’s reference to a bonfire ... but this would be the glowing embers of fragranced woods sprinkled with spices – embers which happen to warm and illuminate the magic of the darkness, without the real-world sequelae of burnt things, ash and smoke. If this is a statement perfume, then it’s a lovely statement to oneself, that it’s a glorious thing to be a human being and to have the opportunity to surround yourself with this very splendid scent. I can understand how it gives some wearers confidence. I don’t believe you need to be properly groomed to wear it though. This could transform your comfy old dressing gown into a regal robe of plush gold velvet, so you can be right royal there on the couch if you want to. Star Wars PJs, velour track suit, motorbike leathers, birthday suit – no outer wear could be unsuitable for a beautiful fragrance that you are really wearing in your heart.

This was gifted to me by a Fragrantican some time ago and it meant a lot to me because it meant a lot to her, however, I recently got this out of my collection and have started wearing it again and it still means a great deal to me now. The notes are difficult, hard to wear and complicated, but this is such a beautiful fragrance that I find I am drawn to its timeless charm again and again. Galbanum, marigold, ceder are just a few notes that can act defiantly, but not in this creation. I get a smoky, woody vibe in this, almost like a bonfire which has a few burning embers remaining. The fragrance is the most calming and restful scent that I own and I find that I am immediately comforted by its strong and reliable aroma which seems to surround me. If I could put a season to this perfume, it would be the end days of Autumn and the beginning of winter. Please do not think that this perfume is shy or retiring, it is a far cry from that, on the contrary, this is a perfume with a soul, a strong character which cannot be ignored. Despite the fact that I have now turned my attention to some stunning niche perfumes, I am compelled to wear this perfume again and again and I crave it on a daily basis. Beautiful and classic, I put it in the same category as Shalimar as this to me is a timeless piece of top class perfumery.

This is a really pretty bittersweet perfume. I struggle w/ galbanum as a note but here it is done w/ a deft hand. I love marigolds and tagetes in perfume and here marigolds give that unique creamy yellow/green smell that I love. I find this leaning feminine, but I would actually like to smell a man wear this. I think the geranium gives a bit of a masculine touch to this fragrance. Softly green, softly aromatic, creamy, softly spicy, slightly bitter, slightly fruity, slightly sweet, yellow, white and pink floral perfume. I wish this had been out back in the 70's when I was in grade school. It would have been a welcome change to the sharply green aldehydes I had to smell on teachers back then. I think the added fruity notes soften green and aromatic fragrances like this and make them more pleasant to be around and to wear. This is going on my want shelf, just went to a love. This is good juice. Edit: 7/25/22 how sad that this has been discontinued. I really want a bottle of this but I probably won't get it. Van Cleef is really beautiful and very different than what I usually go for or own. So damn disappointing!