Histoire D`Amour Aubusson for women

Even though I loathe the expression when it comes from the pens of teenagers, I would have to be the first to agree with Sherapop that this perfume defines "OL". This is a classic. To me it is kind of reminiscent of Balenciaga's Rumba, and of that hoary old chestnut Tabu by Dana.

Use with discretion, this is a floral/warm spicy bomb. A wonderful winter perfume. I'm happy to have my little mini, recently acquired from ebay.

This is one old lady who is PROUD to be able to carry this off.

I have to say that I'm surprised to learn that Aubusson HISTOIRE D'AMOUR was launched in 1984. I'd have guessed closer to 1884. Even the bottle looks as though it might well have been blown in the nineteenth century. One thing is clear: this perfume could be used quite effectively to define the expression "old lady perfume" by ostension. HISTOIRE D'AMOUR is the very essence of all that people hate or love about "old lady perfumes." Ponderous, introspective, dusty, even musty. The drydown of this perfume is a joyous old-school chypre to be cherished. But, to be perfectly frank (quoi d'autre?), spraying this stuff on initially evokes in my mind instantaneous images of grandmothers meandering about Walgreens drugstore.

Yes, as is true of all things, finer distinctions can be made within the broader category of "old lady perfumes"—of which, I should clarify, I own quite a few. There are old lady perfumes, and then there are old lady perfumes. CHANEL NO 5, FIRST, CALECHE, WHITE LINEN, among others, stand on one side of the thin white line, while somewhat less noble old ladies are found on the other. Dare I say "YOUTH DEW", the perversely named Platonic Form of "old lady perfume," to which all others can only aspire?

Drugstore cheap chypre is the bottom line here. This is not the perfume of the Carmen Dell'Orefice featured in the doubly embarrassing "Class is forever" ad. (Is she unaware that the advertisers are implying that she is *infinitely* old? Is she unaware that people who talk about "class" are usually those conspicuously devoid of the same?) No, HISTOIRE D'AMOUR is more the speed of the nonagenarian with wrinkles on top of wrinkles who, when asked to reveal her secret to longevity, smiles, baring dark yellow teeth and crinkling the skin around her eyes even more, as she replies: "I've smoked a pack of Camel straights everyday now for sixty years."

Eventually, after drying down, the wafts of "old lady at the drugstore" from the opening of HISTOIRE D'AMOUR (apparently also ironically named...) dissipate considerably, but they still beat their way back now and then, like the woman who obstinately refuses to renounce her Camel straights or the deadwood professor who will not retire before his cold corpse must be pried from his desk.

Yes, lest anyone misinterpret my colorful examples: I respect HISTOIRE D'AMOUR, and I have every intention of holding on to this bottle until death do us part—in spite of the intermittent wisps of old lady whispers in my ears.

What a glorious Fragrance, it's divine, really !

If this is death by ylang-ylang then I'm on my way to heaven. I don't think the patchouli stands out. But then sometimes I wonder if I can pick patchouli anywhere but in patchouli incense. Hmm. I just LOVE this perfume! If this is a chypre then I take back all my thoughts telling me that chypre's just can't be my thing. There might not be many I've found to love, but there are a few.

Re-edit- I get so confused about some of the notes I may or may not be smelling. This reminds me in part of other fragrances but I'm not even going to try to work out what those notes are anymore and just enjoy!

(I reviewed a vintage miniature bottle).

The bottle alone is worth the price I paid for this. When I saw the juice, I thought, "uh-oh this might be too 'old-fashioned' for me". But! I judged too quickly. It is not heavy or too 'dusty' or 'old' smelling. I am still sniffing my wrist over an hour after first spray, and loving it.

What a FABULOUS Fragrance ! I, a " Man " wear this and it smells SUPERB on me ! It's great, it's rich, it's heavy, it's me 100 % ! I just LOVE IT !

I feel challenged in some way after reading these favorable reviews and then trying this perfume. What am I missing? All I smell is stale, ordinary, old-fashioned drugstore quality perfume.

And I consider myself vintage-friendly (after all, my all-time favorite is 40 years old).

I am learning that some types of perfume are not immediately accessible, and in the same way that dry wines are an acquired taste, I'm thinking maybe some perfumes are too. I'm just not motivated to try on this one.

Or maybe I got a bad bottle.

What a masterpiece!!! Very elegant but strong green perfume, goes in the manner of Lancetti Suspense or a VERY strong Silences! The price is UNBELIEVABLE too!!!

It is winter now minus 5 outside and snowing! Right weather for this frag. Still pondering buying a big bottle.

Similar to L`arte di Gucci.A very good perfume for chypre lovers

I wish I was much older, or at least to have winter now to wear this perfume, sommer or not I shall try it tomorrow for the first time and decide to purchase a full bottle or not.
At first glance it is a warm cuddly chypre.

Jasper called it death by ylang-ylang but the opening note on me was a veritable sledgehammer made of patchouli held together by benzoin. My initial thought was to wash my wrist, but the phone rang. So, as I talked to my friend on the phone with the offending wrist held away from me I began to notice a mysterious, rather seductive "enchanted woods" quality. I am going to wait and see what develops next. It feels like being lured into
a forest where you know danger lurks, but, you are going anyway.

I imagine Histoire D'Amour is what the forest's randy little elves and gnomes wear to spark their intendeds' desire to make whoopee in dark, moist bowers lined with oakmoss and rose petal bedding.

The herbal tang of the basil and bergamot opening is sweetened by the juicy syrup of mandarin oranges that leads straight to the incense of galbanum and ylang ylang. On me the patchouli, musk and oak moss start vibrating up from the basenotes almost immediately, lifted by galbanum's resinous liquor.

There's a Grimm's fairy tale wildness to this woody chypre that does truly enchant me.

Histoire D`Amour aka.death by ylang-ylang

The amount of ylang-ylang in this one is enough to put JPG Classique to shame.
Powerful, authoritative and ruthless, I can match the smell with some beautiful bit**es from Jackie Collins's Hollywood stories. Really strong opening but if you go easy on the nozzle and wait til the dry down, it is quite charming. Powdery sweet with rather woodsy base.

Anyone who is beginning to explore Chypres should try this. It was an amazing, wonderful discovery to me when I first tried it, and remains one of my favorite woody fragrances. To me, it has a creamy woodiness, if that makes sense.