My article about historical perfumes got a few comments about classic fragrances smelling likegrandma perfume. I totally get it. After all, when our grams were young, thesewere the fragrances that were readily available. They didn't have 1000 flankers ofGucci Guilty or whatever to choose from, so they stuck with their favorites andwore them every day.
However,the more I get into perfume, the less I buy the whole "grandma"schtick. It's just that our modern palate has been so whitewashed bygenerations of clean/light floral/shampoo-style fragrances thatanything with balls freaks us out a little. We can blame CK One and its early '90s brethren for that, because they became popular as a reactionto the loud perfumes like Poison and Obsession that dominated the '80s.
I'mobsessed with perfume blogs like Now Smell This and Bois de Jasmin. They're written so beautifully and theircontributors are incredibly knowledgable. I have been sniffing my way downtheir "100 Perfumes Every Perfumista Must Try" and came upon Estee Lauder YouthDew,which I've mentioned previously.
Estée Lauder
Youth-Dew Eau de Parfum Spray$34.00
Ah,Youth Dew. It's described as a "spicy, sexy oriental/chypre" withnotes of bergamot, clove, cinnamon and amber. In the winter, I am all about curlingup with a sexy, warm scent since I'm currently not curling up with a sexy, warmdude. So down to Macy's I went.
"Oh,dear, you don't want that!" said the lady behind the counter."That's too old for you."
Ummm,nah. How about not?
"I don't really like the whole fresh and light thing,especially not during the winter," I said.
"Haveyou smelled our new one, Modern Muse?" she asked.
"Yeah,it's OK."
Ispritzed myself with Youth Dew and traipsed away. (Just one spritz! This stuffis powerful.) It smelled incredibly familiar, but I couldn't place it. I askedmy mom and bingo! It was the signature scent of one of the dearest old ladiesof my life, my mom's Aunt Alyce.
I used to visit her often as a small child andYouth Dew was the scent that permeated their home. I loved it instantly. Alycedied last year and I hadn't seen her since I moved to Minneapolis, but it was alovely reminder of a woman I had admired.
Yes,Youth Dew is the perfume of grammies everywhere. But who cares? The longer I woreit, the more I enjoyed it. It opens loudly, with a Coca-Cola brightness and ablast of balsam. It’s intense, but stay put! It dries down to alovely, slightly-woody spicy base and clings to your skin. In short, it feelscozy and warm like a big beige cashmere sweater.
Joan Crawford and GloriaSwanson wore it; can you get more glamorous than that?
BecauseI thought Youth Dew might be a bit heavy for daily wear in a retailenvironment, I went to eBay and purchased a bottle of the now-discontinuedYouth Dew Amber Nude. Tom Ford played around with the original a few years agowhen he was working with Estée, adding magnolia and carnation and playing upthe sandalwood. It's just a bit lighter than its predecessor, which is what bigclassic fragrance companies do when they want to appeal to a younger nose.
YDANwas all well and good, but I couldn't get the OG out of my head. I had read thatmany Youth Dew devotees preferred to wear Estée's bath oil in lieu of theperfume, so I went to Nordstrom to check it out. And helloooo, I'mobsessed with soaking my life away in my giant clawfoot tub, so a product thatcould do double-duty was a product I needed to get my cold little hands on.
"Youwear Youth Dew? How old are you?" asked the woman at the counter. I leanedin so she could smell me. "It smells lovely on you!"
"Iknow!" I said. She handed over the bath oil. "I wear it too,"she said. "It just seems a bit mature for you."
"Iget bored with all those fruity florals," I said. "I wanted somethinga bit more… classic."
Estée Lauder
'Youth-Dew' Bath Oil$40.00
TheYouth Dew Bath Oil stays closer to my skin than the spray, which I like. It'squite strong at first, but it mixes with my body heat and becomes a lovely,classic exotic spice as the day goes on. And two drops in the bath are divine!(No more than that or you'll get a headache.) It feel so luxe and fancy tolounge in a bath of hot, perfumed water, and you know I love to get fancy.
I'vebeen stopped a few times and complimented on my perfume. "It's YouthDew!" I say proudly. "Your mom probably wore it."
Wear a classic fragrance around for a few days and see how it develops. You may fall in love.