Bassavina

I was 18, he was my first love, he's no longer of this earth, and Night Flower was an instant scent memory of a heedless youth I somehow got through. There's something a little barbershoppy about it, not so much unisex as an intermingling of masculine and feminine. I catch a bit of lavender(he used Yardely English Lavender Soap), even though it is not listed in the notes. That's just one part of the scent memory. Oh, the hell, I'll just say it, Night Flower smells like a weekend in bed. It is powerful and tenacious; I make do with two dabs, one to each wrist, then the wrist to the opposite elbow crook. Any closer to my nose and I wouldn't be able to think straight.

A medicinal tuberose, cumin laden, ripe fruit, sweat, and leather, yet with a light touch. There is something both complex and effortless about this underrated masterpiece. I had not thought of it as related to Shalimar until my daughter noted the similarity, which might be the medicinal/resinous note. This is a the rare oriental I can wear in warm weather. At the moment it is my go-to scent. Recommend highly.

I first wore Aphrodisia as a teen, and since I often splashed it on after swim class in HS, I associated it with a chlorine note! Thanks to ebay and a recently educated nose, I am appreciating this vintage fragrance anew. It is a deep, dark, fruited rosy chypre with tons of oakmoss. Despite it having been an inexpensive fragrance, I swear I smell ambergris, too. The depth and quality of Aphrodisia, as well as of other Fabergés, makes them equals to Chanel, Caron, or Guerlain in my book. And they are scents past recapturing, too, given the current state of IFRA restrictions. Sniffing some vintage Aphrodisia will surely remind you that they don't make them like they used to—because they can't!

My Weil quest continues. The Noir for which I was the sole bidder on ebay has arrived. Like my previous Weil acquisition, Cassandra, it is the work of Jacqueline Fraysse, daughter of Claude Fraysse, he of Zibeline, father and grandfather to notable noses.

The small bottle, about 5/6 full, weight unmarked(seller guessed 3/4 oz which seems about right) had a firmly attached rubber plug under the cap, suggesting it was never opened; this was removed with some effort, intact with no rubber escaping into the juice. Rubber, nonetheless, figures in. My first impression of Noir is VapoRub, old sneakers, smoke, and resin—we are in jolie-laide territory here. That mentholated then rubbery aspect points to tuberose, in the Serge Lutens vein. I poked around for more info and found only this:
http://thevintageperfumevault.blogspot.com/2010/12/back-to-black-noir-part-ii.html
The blogger, Amelia puts it thus: "Noir is a perfectly executed tender-yet-seductive floral leather." That's about right.

Noir(1936) is Cassandra's predecessor by a year; it's contrasting floral/industrial notes are in couterpoint, each in her own corner, whereas Cassandra, using similar notes is more blended and rounded. Both seem to foreshadow the work of Germaine Cellier (Bandit, Miss Balmain and other of Piguet and Balmain) in staking out leather for the feminine repertoire.

I am a sucker for what I call the old-school civet-laden aldehydes, and my vintage Caron Infini parfum is one of the greats in this genre, with a superb floral heart and a lingering base that includes the sort of fine sandalwood that seems past recapturing. So far, Infini can be had for less than an arm and a leg on ebay. If you are an aldehyde fan, I recommend it. Both the mini I acquired and the 1 oz were sealed and in great condition at a price short of thee digits (:

(edited) I neglected to mention the bottle, a stylized angular infinity symbol, one of the most beautiful bottles in perfumery. I am sorry to report that the plastic stopper has separated from the glass portion of the cap, which is quite heavy, twice. I'm planning to decant the juice, fill the bottle with colored water, and epoxy the stopper back on for use as a display piece.