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Weekly Scent Discussion #4: Caron, your thoughts

Weekly Scent Discussion #4: Caron, your thoughts 9 years ago
I haven't delved into this house very deeply and all my experiences have been with the vintage formulations. So far all the scents I have tried have really blown my mind. Some of the things I like best about this house:

1. Their mastery of the rose. Somehow they can transform the rose into the most luxurious and creamy note ever or a rich and full exotic beauty. The best roses I have experienced have all been vintage Caron.

2. They take forever to settle. I really like how the notes dance around, sometimes for hours before they settle down in to a more predicable heart. It's wonderful to constantly catch snatches of all these beautiful notes as they dance around, until finally, they all settle on a magical song. Truly beautiful.

3. They last forever. The longevity can't be beat.

4. I feel like I am wearing and experiencing art. The mastery of the art of scent is so apparent in the vintage Carons that it is impossible to wear one and not take notice and feel a bit awed. Even if you don't like the scent you have to recognize the talent that went into blending and perfecting it. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to wear something so amazing and to really be able to appreciate and experience someone else's love and mastery of their work.

How about you? What do you get from Caron? Do you have any experiences with the more contemporary formulations?
The masculine perspective 9 years ago
From the male side, I love all I have: Le 3eme Homme, which I pair with Insensé from Givenchy as the best ever androgynous for men, Pour Un Homme, the benchmark for a lavender-vanilla combo inspiring the gorgeous A Taste of Heaven from By Kilian, and Yatagan, dark forest in a bottle, so close to nature, precursor of so many modern niches. The former is my preferred and in my top ten. I bought all 2 years ago, so I never smelled the vintages, but that is an advantage, so I can enjoy them all with no regrets.
There is nothing like those: smelling expensive although being so cheap nowadays.
I concur on all your points about the house of Caron mentioned above.
Last edited by Insense on 27.03.2015, 16:16; edited 1 time in total
9 years ago
I love Caron. Their stuff is so long-lasting, as you said. My favorites are of course Tabac Blond and Poivre. Parfum Sacree and Nuit de Noel are good but there is something in them that does not come out well on me. From the more recent releases, their Oud is too medicinal for me and Delire de Roses was just nice.
9 years ago
A dear friend and member, Cybernoir, turned me on to Caron. I've been hooked ever since. My first Caron was Bellodgia. My love of carnations was cemented with Bellodgia. I've since picked up a few more and would love to continue acquiring Carons.

I've not tried any vintage formulations. I don't know what happened but prices have skyrocketed for most femme Carons. So I suppose finding an affordable vintage at this time is unlikely. I'm kicking myself for not biting the bullet and buying a vintage Bellodgia on eBay for $14 three years ago.

My current Caron love is Aimez Moi. I don't care for mint in perfumery but it boosts the freshness factor in the opening. It takes slow, measured steps, revealing something new and beautiful along the way. The big payoff is in the drydown, which is full of the most glorious powder. I love it!
9 years ago
Totally in love with Caron. I did a sniff fest of them in my early perfumista days and Bellodgia, of course, was my first buy. I have a vintage and a later version upstairs and I'll compare them for you, Exciter76 before I turn in.

I also have Accord 119, En Avion, Infini (adore it), Nocturnes, and Pour Une Femme de Caron, which I just reviewed. It's the weakest, but still nice.

I love Acasiosa and keep meaning to hunt for a vintage bottle. Your review of Fleurs de Rocaille intrigued me, Briarthorn. What I don't understand is why they came out with a Fleur de Rocaille (notice the missing s) in 1993. It's the first Caron I haven't liked at all. Another case of Lily-of-the-Valley gone wrong. Can't wait to try the original or a modern version of Fleurs.
9 years ago
@Insense, I have been toying with buying Pour Un Homme for some time. Now that I know it inspired Taste of Heaven (on of my all time favorites) I think I need to move it to the top of my buy list. I'm also relieved that you like the modern versions. Hunting for vintages can be tiresome. It'll be nice to just pick a bottle up when I am off my no buy. Thank you for making the decision for me Laughing

@ScentedSalon, I need to revisit Tabac Blond. I took her for a test run very early on in my scent journey and I wonder how much more I can get out of her now that my nose is a bit more trained.

@Exicter76, I am now wondering if my sample of Amiez Moi was off or something. My experience with it was very different from yours. Perhaps I need to seek out a new sample and put it in an atomizer. Some scents just shouldn't be "dabbed" perhaps this is one. I'll definitely revisit now. I'm also relieved to see that you enjoy the newer formulations.

@ScentFan, I would love to read a comparison between the vintage and contemporary formulations. I haven't tried Fleur de Rocaille. I'm glad I didn't bid on a bottle now after reading how you didn't like it. I'll be sure to sample it first.

Reading everyone's comments has me itching for a sampler set of all the Caron's I have yet to try. I'll have to add putting together a sampler to try out to my to do list. I love getting excited about perfume Smile
Carons 9 years ago
Yes, Carons have skyrocketed in price. I have Pour un Homme, Yatagan and Aimez Moi at the present time but I have had a couple of the old timers in the past. Victoria Frolova has a comparative piece at Bois de Jasmin that is unmissable for anyone interested in pre and post reformulations. I layer Pour un Homme with Burberry Brit Rhythym, a combo that gives me great pleasure, but of course is heresy to the purists out there
9 years ago
Comparing vintage Bellodgia to the current formulation on test strips. If I'd never smelled the vintage, I'd think the reformulation was a good perfume. What it lacks is the signature Caron creaminess--at least at first. It does grow more beautiful during the dry down. Moreso on paper than skin. The vintage of course is wondrous and deeply involving.

I have an apparently hard-to-come-by Caron brochure. In a section called The Secret to Caron Fragrances, it says: "The Caron olfactory consciousness has been taking shape for over a century now. Each new creation bears the mark of the previous one; yet without being impeded. Luxurious scents emanate from Bulgarian roses, jasmine and mimosa, orange blossom and ylang ylang--fragrances so fine and varied, which give birth to the perfumer's imagination."

I wondered if they're actually telling us the secret signature! Pulling out my perfumery kit. Started this before, but didn’t have all the notes, now I do. Here goes: 5 fragrance oils, five pipettes, an empty vial. Two drops of each oil.

This is later. Less ylang ylang (even no ylang ylang) and the result does resemble the creamy Caron accord.
Last edited by ScentFan on 30.03.2015, 14:49; edited 1 time in total
9 years ago
@ScentFan: That's awesome! Thank you so much for sharing that. Yes, there is certainly a "Caronade" that I'm noticing. Or I'm insane. Either scenario is possible. Laughing
9 years ago
@scentfan. Thank you for doing that comparison for me. Ohh, and that bit from the brochure is really interesting.
9 years ago
My first experience with Caron was with their Parfum Sacré, back in my teenage days when I owned a miniature bottle *walkingdownmemorylane*. Very spicy and quite straightforward. I sort of liked it and still did not dare wear it.
Years passed and when I was in my 30s I retried Parfum Sacré. Although I enjoy peppery notes a lot I could not become real friends with PS. Something was just not right (on my skin)....to be continued. I might dare another try a few years from now. It is definitely a very well done oriental fragrance.

Currently I own Tabac Blonde. Now this one is more up my alley. There is quite a bit of aldehyde in the beginning but that soon changes into tobacco and a woody (sandalwood ?) scent. TB smells pure vintage to me although my bottle surely isn´t. This is what I imagine the great old Hollywood stars to smell like.

Well, whenever I will visit Paris again then stopping by their boutique (Avenue Montaigne if I am not mistaken ?) is a must.
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