Victoria Eau de Cologne

I'd get down on my knees daily & beg for this to return to the stores again!!! Back in the day that this was popular, I was a teen & couldn't afford the full size bottles on my baby sitting wages. I managed to acquire a purse spray of this beautiful gem along with the heart shaped purse spray of rapture. To me Victoria was such a mature, confident, boss beautiful lady with a sexy edge. I pictured her in a polished business setting, her long locks tied up in a french twist, real pearl or diamond studs in her ears, wearing a lace edged silky cami peaking out of her button down blouse tucked into her pencil skirt with those classy back seamed stockings & classic heels. Victoria was my absolute fave and I savored it for only the most special occasions (anytime or season). Rapture received my wearing attention far more frequently overall (but especially in cooler weather & nights). By the time I could afford full bottles of either, Victoria had left the stores to never return. My Rapture purse spray still had plenty left & so I commited to investing in their garden line as I really didn't love let alone really like most of their upscale scents that followed soon thereafter. The OG Amber Romance, Vanilla Lace...later... Enchanted Apple, Exotic Bouquet, Tender Embrace, Riviera Sun, Tender Orchid all became my rotation of go to's over the following years. Much later... Mood Succulent, Eau So Sexy, Wicked & Tease became easy reachers for this busy mom. Amber Romance & Tender Embrace were probably the most complex of the later faves. But still didn't hold a candle to OG Vic. Unfortunately, my old Victoria purse spray didn't weather time well. It's a musty version of it's former self. I so long to smell & wear this scent memory again & again. I've never smelled anything even close to it. However, today I was out sampling some new scents at a few shops. I stumbled upon something that made me think of Victoria. Chanel Allure Sensuelle. No, it's not at all the same or even really all that similar in scent notes. What brought me back was the way the scent layers unfolded, the complexity & depth that was executed with such amazing mastery...so balanced & smooth. This is a similar by gone era beauty by scent memory comparison. So if you loved the original Victoria anywhere near as much as I did, you might want to give Chanel Allure Sensuelle a try at the very least. If you're not usually a patchouli lover, please still try it out as I've never met such a smooth & well behaved patchouli before. Even I'm pretty partial to patch frags I really adore the good ones that sing sweetly & don't scream in your face.

So I first stumbled upon this fragrance around 1990. Lerner's, Limited, Victoria's Secret and Express were all owned by the same Columbus based business Tycoon. There was a clothing outlet in Columbus Ohio that sold store returns from all of the aforementioned. I purchased a sweater and on it had the most gorgeous scent. Clearly it was a return and the former owner doused herself in the original Victoria. I finally discovered it was Victoria and went crazy and splurged a huge amount on a new bottle. I think it was $38 or so at the time and in the 1990 that was a lot for a 20 yr old. I also had the body wash and body lotion. I have yet to find anything like it. If anyone has a scent that smells close please let me know. I just remember a sweet yet incredibly sexy scent. I came across a used bottle years ago at a goodwill and it was rancid so these do not hold up unfortunately. Back in the day, Limited, Lerner and Vicky's were great stores. They actually had well made clothing. Limited went bankrupt selling off to another company who is down to a cheesy web site at best, NY and Co. has mediocre clothing and anything I got from VS has shrunk or fallen apart. Shame. Just like the discontinuation of the original Victoria, this chain's quality has gone down the drain. UPDATE: sorry this is such a long review. I just got a vintage bottle in the mail. OMG it was FRESH smelling. This has taken me back almost 3 decades. Here is a description now that I am newly smelling it again: Sweet without being nauseating (this was the first phase of sweet perfumes I believe. It smells sweet like honey. Not a nasty caramel or sugar cookie sweet but beautiful warm honey. Floral yet I am having a hard time explaining the floral notes. I am thinking some honeysuckle type and a faint rose There is a mimosa note in hter as well and the final dry down is sweet powder. Holy Mothter what a creation. Why they stopped it is beyond me. It would be selling off the shelves to this day. It's vintage but not sceaming old or dated. I have over 100 perfumes and smell new ones all the time. I have come across nothing that resembles this at all.

I am reviewing this a second time. I purchased this when it first came out around 1989ish. I forgot all about it until maybe six years ago when I purchased a bottle off of eBay. It was totally rancid and horrible that I could still smell the beautiful smell in the background. Determined to not give up. I finally found a huge bottle and it was perfect. I used it here and there but forgot about it and ended up selling it. What a mistake. Fast forward, over the years I have tried to locate it online and every bottle was celery turned and horribly rancid. I about gave up hope until I located another bottle. I am so happy to say it has not turned. I have no idea how that is possible but it smells just as good as I remember it to. And for a cologne back in the day, this stuff was a powerhouse. I am storing this little Diva in my dark closet and pray she continues to smell great. I can describe it as one of the first to enter into the gourmand territory. I don't know exactly what the notes are, and I am having a hard time finding the right words to describe it other than sweet honey and clean. Why they discontinued it is beyond me. My guess is that it would be due to the ingredients no longer being able to be obtained. To today's standard I feel this would definitely fit in. I mean, we are slowly getting out of gourmand and over the past decade, niche fragrances have been all the rage. This could definitely fit niche fragrance. I honestly feel that if Victoria's Secret brought this back, it would be a hit. I sprayed my arm 4 hours ago and since washed it off, and I can STILL smell it. It was just that good and well made!

PLEASE BRING THIS BACK?!! This was my first “grown up” fragrance purchase. Victoria is a lacy cami with matching panty under a long houndstooth jacket and a short black skirt. This classic Victoria fragrance defined the luxurious, classy, with a kick of sexy and a subtle but definite promise of something naughty hanging out in the mist somewhere. It was the perfect scent for the elegant experience of going into a (deliciously scented!) Victoria’s Secret back then. Pure class... not the bubblegummy teeny bop...trying way too hard it is today. Unfortunately today it feels like Victoria’s “secret” has been blabbed in every high school hallway everywhere. But, I digress... I’m not the best at sorting out individual notes anyway but this fragrance always boggled me! It felt too complex & well balanced to pin down exactly what’s what in there. The complexity of it is why it felt grown up to me. Maybe that’s what added to the appeal & mystery? All I know for certain is when that hint of raspberry hits, I melt and can’t stop sniffing myself!

Not sure how accurate this is but I saw a post listing the notes as follows: Top Notes: bergamot, raspberry Middle Notes: jasmine, lilac and Bulgarian rose Base notes: vanilla, oak moss, sandalwood and patchouli (Edited to add: Stacia79 also listed these notes in her 2018 review) My husband gave me bottles of this perfume starting in the mid 90's and it will always hold a special place in my heart. On me, the above notes seem to be fairly accurate but in addition I get what I can only describe as a crumbly, butter cookie accord. I don't get any oak moss or sandalwood. The notes that stand out to me are: bergamot, raspberry, jasmine, rose, vanilla, patchouli and crumbly butter cookie. I stopped wearing perfume for awhile when I was pregnant and had small children so I carefully tucked my last gift set away inside of my grandmother's antique linen chest and didn't think about it for years. It is still just as beautiful today - over 20 years later.

I was given a bottle of Victoria Eau de Cologne when VS and I were both young. Over the next few years I used the entire bottle and then another, so crazy about the scent that I wore it AND occasionally used it as a room spray. It was complex, classy, undeniably floral (though not powdery), faintly fruity without being cloying; somehow both rich and fresh. There were hints of nectar and hints of tobacco and hints of black tea. And it dried down to a sort of stately aura on and around you, the scent of a queen's dressing table in your imagination (if not reality, probably). It was, in short, a grown woman's scent. Back then, I wore Victoria with all the abandon of a fifteen-year-old playing dress-up in the closet of her coolest, most sophisticated aunt; I'd give every bottle in my current collection to try it on for size now that I'm (maybe?) grown enough to really carry it.

I could be incorrect, but I believe this came out around 1988-19990, not 1991. Finally received a new bottle of this today, serial number 1497CA, Gryphon Development, LP. I assume the code translates to January 4, 1997. According to my research, Gryphon existed until approximately 2000. I wish so much that I could figure out the notes on this, but I literally cannot. It smells very luxurious and unlike anything else that I have ever worn. Such a far cry from the scents that VS carries now. I miss the days of going into this store, hearing classical music, and seeing the scents and mini soaps that one could purchase. Scents like Tranquil Moments, Azurine, Rosette, Quartz, original Rapture. Those days are sadly gone. Not sure when or how I will wear this one again, but I believe it'll be in the evening, after a hot bath, reading a book, and lying in a satin robe.

Bought a gift set un used for my mom as a Christmas gift. She always told me this was the one perfume out of her collection that got her the most compliments from men and women. It was the perfume that got her into perfumes. It is the perfume she still likes to this day the most out of all. Unfortunately it smelled off a little she said. It was a lot more screechy as it matured and the lotion gone rancid. The only plus to the gift set was that the body wash smelled and performed exactly how she remembered all these years later! Only downside is she is about out of it and hasn't used it all just to keep smelling that beautiful scent she remembers! I personally love the smell and think every women should smell this way but as usual with most brands they cut corners and had to discontinue a GEM

I managed to find a set of two small travel sprays on ebay. One was Rapture and the other was Victoria. I put my bid in and was able to get them both for $32.00. They were used BUT -- the Victoria is glorious! The Rapture is okay but I actually like the newer version better. I will sparingly use the Victoria for as long as I can and enjoy its beauty. It's not one I would spray on as a base. It's a bit strong and old fashioned -- but amazing! If that makes any sense at all. Ladies, I would check ebay often to seen if you can find a deal like this. I am from the old school VS when it was vintage royalty. The stores, the lingerie, and the perfumes. It made a girl feel special to walk inside and get pampered. Oh well -- another life I suppose! :) Happy Saturday!

I just asked when this would be added to the database. This is one of the most beautiful fragrances ever. Seriously. I can't even tell what notes are in it. I usually like heavy fragrances, but this is just one of those scents that you'll never forget once you've sniffed it. I remember they used to have candles in the stores and laundry detergent that had the same scent. I wore the men's Very Sexy at one time. Their stores look cheap and tacky now from what I've seen when I've browsed their lotions and body sprays. Everything is watered down and fruity or overly sweet. Where did you go, early 1990s? Why did I have to become a fragrance addict after all the IFRA crackdown, age of reformulations and watery, sugar water perfumes? Sad

Isn't it strange how this fragrance completely vanished, as though it never existed? It must have been a casuality of cruel corporate takeover. I know it belonged to the original Victoria's Secret "theme", when the marketing focused on "elegant and mysterious", rather than "teeny-bopper & youtube". The store's background music used to be Bach and Mozart symphonies, and there was an emphasis on affordable luxury. The store changed drastically when L Brands decided to create a fashion show of grown women wearing jeweled underwear and wings strapped to their backs. Victoria's Secret went from the classically influenced Victoria edt, to Bombshell. I guess they made a lot of money. Not my money.

I might be crazy, but I don't think so. I think I have found a fragrance similar to Victoria. It is Black Cherry Merlot by Bath and Body Works. After the initially cherry part wears off and dries down, this fragrance smells wonderful and so much like Victoria to me. I have searched and can't find anyone else talking about this. If anyone tries it, let me know. So curious to know if others agree. On me, it took like 15+ minutes before the similarity came out.

Victoria by Victoria's Secret; launched in 1988. from Elle Magazine, 1989: "This month, Victoria's Secret debuts Victoria, a frankly romantic scent with nostalgic notes of Bulgarian rose and raspberry blended with patchouli and sandalwood. The bottle was inspired by the architecture of 17th-century England." Top notes: bergamot, raspberry Middle notes: jasmine, lilac, and Bulgarian rose Base notes: vanilla, patchouli, oakmoss, sandalwood

Top note is Violet Leaf; middle note is Lily-of-the-Valley; base note is Musk. I worked in the lotion room at VS in 1993. Everyone who smelled it on me, bought it. I would get stopped constantly walking through the mall after leaving work. It seemed like the women who liked it also wore (back then) Tresor, White Diamonds, Oscar and Vanderbilt. One of the longest lasting perfumes I've ever worn. I was disappointed they discontinued it.

I adored this perfume! How I miss it today! It's wonderful to see so many are in agreement with me. If this were reissued today, it would be a bestseller. Whenever and wherever I wore this scent, people complimented me and asked me what I was wearing. Crabtree and Evelyn's Nantucket Briar was in the same genre, but it is also discontinued. Current owners of Victoria's Secret take note! Meanwhile, does anyone know of any dupes?

My mom wore this when I was a child. It is so memorable and I haven't smelt anything else like it since. It combined perfectly with her skin and gave off a powdery scent. It was so rich and you could smell it all the way down the hallway. Such a comforting yet assertive scent. She never found another one since. She went in a completely opposite direction because I guess she figured it was irreplaceable lol, and it was.

Ladies, I too used to own this one and still have just a bit of the original left. I have been trying for years to recreate this one. I launched my online custom fragrance business on Etsy about 10 years ago. I have a Near perfect dupe it is still missing something, can't quite figure out what it is but if you are interested, Let me know and I will give you the link. I can mail out a free sample to try as well.

This was my signature scent before it was discontinued - pobably my all-time favorite. Everyone always wanted to know what I was wearing. I smelled as good when I came home as I left for work. Instead of all the treacly sweet, teenybopper fragrances Victoria's Secret pushes, they should bring back this popular standard. Until they do, I guess I will forever chase the scent of Victoria.

Has anyone had better luck with the PERFUME not being turned? I haven’t had any luck with getting vintages of the eau de cologne. All have turned in the top notes, middle notes are so-so, and base notes are ok enough. THEY NEED TO RE-RELEASE THIS!! I would honestly buy 10 of the biggest bottles and sell all the rest of my fragrance collection (around 350 bottles). I would!

BRING IT BACK! PLEASE! Is there anything else like it in the world? I miss this classic scent so very much. It was elegantly unique & sweet with champagne & rose. I remember smelling blueberry on the mid & dry down. I guess that must've been the rasperry note. Someone please bring it back again as new but NOT reformulated!. Can anyone recommend something similar to it?