Catalyst Halston for women

This perfume is a kind of oldfashion scent, but it is very nice and sophisticated as well...I like it

I received a small bottle of the perfume with a purchase on E-bay. The little bottle looks like the small picture above but is frosted. Beautiful! I came immediately online to buy a bottle, just knowing that it would be too expensive or hard to find. NOT!..very inexpensive and readily found.

I was shocked to come here and read the reviews on this fragrance. I smell only beautiful white florals and amber. No peppery or spicy notes,no herb, no green or oakmoss...just sweet and beautiful flowers...definitely no cooking odors! It truly seems as though some of us are smelling an entirely different product than others are. I thought it must be because I have the perfume and maybe others were describing the EDT, but after checking the reviews again I can see that isn't so. Many describing the EDT are smelling exactly what I smell in this little bottle of perfume. Maybe just body chemistry?

Have to say it made me pause before buying as I don't care for green scents at all and have never fancied smelling like kidneys cooking on the stove! Going ahead with the purchase as it is so inexpensive. Will be back to update on this after testing the EDT against the perfume.

Edit: Okay, received my bottle of EDT today and there is definitely a very different smell to this. I get the bitter, mossy smell...and I absolutely smell curry! Not horrible, but not what I smelled in the perfume and not something I would ever really want to wear.

I have found a "fix" for this however...I grabbed my bottle of Ulta Vanilla and spritzed over the top of this after it dried a couple of minutes. Amazingly, in just a few minutes it became the beautiful fragrance I'd smelled earlier....couldn't stop smelling my wrist all night!.

OMG! I have to be honest and say that I bought this because it is so cheap and I can't resist a bargain. It is fabulous. Reminds me of Scherrer which I can no longer afford. The first note for me is black pepper and the a green metalic smell which then goes very oriental and sexy...definately a scent for a confident sexy woman not a girly girl.

Just got this one in today 3/2/13 and it does contain tree moss and oak moss not stated here but on the box. It does smell dated, but you can smell the florals in the mid notes and drydown. A mere $7.49 for 3.4 oz. I've smelled worse. Not bad for the price.
Notes according to Perfume Intelligence are top notes of jonquil, tuberose, rose, jasmine. Heart notes are muguet, cassias, and violet. Base notes are sandalwood, patchouli, musk, and oakmoss.

Like Betty Noir, I bought this blind as well. It is SO very sweet and very strong! I do not detect cumin in it, but rather Lilly of the Valley, and it is very strong Lilly of the Valley. My daughter told me, "Mom, you smell like an old lady, like Grandma".
I wanted to send it right back, but the dry down is OK, I can live with it and if I wear just a tiny spritz and mix it with one of my "Clean or Water" parfums it works. That may sound a bit drastic, but it works for me. I've even gotten compliments on my mixture.

I shall not buy Catalyst again. But I'm open to trying anything that the Halston noses create.

Lara517

It is very strong. I think it is good for men too. No sweets, no tenderness. Hyacinth, carnation,dust, tuberose little bit. I wear in the summer.

I just have to add to my previous review and say I am very surprised that there are supposedly so many floral notes in this. Floral is something I did not get at all.

I usually love hyacinth and lily of the valley notes, but these were not remotely discernible to me with this scent. Maybe sandalwood, but nothing else apart from dry wood and harsh spice.

Oh dear. I bought this blind and ten minutes later I can't get rid of the smell of curry on my wrist. Is there cumin in this? Normally I don't mind spicy but this smells like a Balti dish in the 1970s with a whiff of cheap aftershave over the top of it.

Don't get me wrong, I love spicy food and I love spicy perfumes, but I don't like it when the two smell interchangeable.

This is a real stinker I'm afraid!

At first spray...questionable, quite strong though not totally offensive. Given a very short time (about 10-12 minutes) to settle on my skin (medium fair in tone)...WOW! Glorious...'HEADY' from all the florals...intoxicatingly sensuous...then it's perfectly grounded by bottom notes of musk. If able to acquire this lovely scent for a reasonable price, go for it. Enjoy the adventure...what life is all about...

I forgot about Catalyst! I remember it being very sharp and biting. It reminded me of this cough medicine I used to have to take as a kid. Even with all that, I still kind of liked it. Could never stop sniffing it. Quite unique.

I got this as a gift from my brother. Hmmmm, I got mixed emotions on this one. At first a strong, bitter smell that hits you in the face. I really don't like it; it seems like something has been stored for a really long time. But when time passes, it leaves a woody, spicy, flowery, musky smell. Very elegant and grown up. I agree with Darlingbuds...you should wait to leave the house so that you and the rest of humanity could enjoy this exotic smell. It's really strong...not a fav., but I don't hate it.

It took some two years of learning to like this perfume.First impression-very bitter-mossy and bunch in face of very retro notes(moss,carnation),then after a while,it a little bit softens and dries down as something like wormwood-musky amber cream.
By the way it contains oak moss and tree moss extracts-that are stated on the box of perfume,but not stated here.
Updated: After trying to like some vintages like Miss Dior,my nose got calibrated :)and I'm redy to understand perfumes with retro twist.

I got this today in the post. I really wanted to buy this after reading through the comments about it. thinking it was going to be a beautiful sent as indicated by the beautiful bottle a purchased it. I opened it to take a sniff... I was blown away of how horrible it is it reminds me of something bad for some reason. My mummy loves it though.

Smells like chemicals defo for older people im 18

Unisex this is not....kind of reminds me of an old teacher i had in elementary school....good...but only for women..

Hi.

A delicious magic potion.Though such Floral-Fruity smelling fragrances are usually very young and girlie but in my opinion this one can be worn by "grown-ups" without question of their maturity.CATALYST inspired by succulent fruits and precious flowers contrasted with sensual warm woods.Warm,Irresistible, Lovely,Enjoyable,Fresh,Floral and Expressive scent.

It opens with a blast of peach,bergamot and gardenia.middle notes bloom with a bouquet of rose, orchid,tuberose,jasmine,lily-of-the-valley and carnation.the dry down consist of sensual sandalwood, creamy amber and warm musk that makes you feel cuddly,like snuggling with your kids or your pet,or your loved one.

A day without CATALYST is a day without smelling lovely.It is not harsh,not overpowering,just right. This EDT is great for any time of the year from summer to winter.A perfect gift any ladies will enjoy. however it is hard to find in the perfumery but definitely worth trying.

Sillage?Graceful.

Longevity?Nice on my skin.

7/10

I have this fragrance, at the back of my collection, my husband gave it to me as a gift for no particular reason, which was nice. The fragrance itself was not nice at first, but I wore it as to not seam ungrateful, it settled into something bearable. But. Have to say every second person told me that day I smelt beautiful. So I eventually worked out that less is better and to apply it a good 30min prior to leaving the house, I now have grown to love the sharp peppery notes, celery seed and carnation. And value for money.

It reminds me of the horrid bad oil smell of Passion but for some reason I like Catalyst. And they are selling it everywhere these days for next to nothing.

Sonia & Nyoka really got me curious about this one!! I actually LOVE the Halston house, but do not have that much of this house yet! This just looks like ME ME ME, looking at the notes and everything reading in the reviews! Will be buying this one blind very soon!!

Floral green with a bit of stinky herb's and stuff. A cacophony,yes....but it's fabulous. Most definitely unisex. If you can find it, you must try it.

Like Lizzykay, I also bought a bottle of this at a bargain price and I'm really disappointed! I'd read reviews of it on and off for awhile and thought it sounded interesting, the bottle looked nice and I have Halston Sheer, which is a good perfume, so I was curious to try it.

Imagine my disappointment then to find, when it arrived in the post, that it smells very synthetic and chemical'ish. I can't detect any individual notes at all and it just smells like an artificial, pongy mess! It also smells very "cold" and even astringent. I've smelled perfumes like this before though on older women but they just smell unpleasant and synthetic so I can't understand why anyone would want to wear them.

In fact, I disliked the smell of this perfume so much I couldn't even bear to spray it on myself so I just sprayed it in the air, which was bad enough! Tragically, the smell lingered too and wouldn't disappear for ages so I wouldn't even use it as an air freshener!!

This actually reminds me of Kouros, the men's fragrance, which I also dislike intensely!

I've just recieved Catalyst (pure perfume). To my nose it's extremaly similar to Metal by Paco Rabanne but not so strong at the beginning (maybe because it's PP and they smell mildly and close-to-skin on me).
I can't detect any peaches.

THis is a delicious fruity floral!The sweet,juicy fruit melds beautifully with the gardenia and orchid.YUM! I love this part but what I love most is the warm,smooth,velvety amber drydown.So cozy,like a warm cashmire shawl.U can almost hear the wind blowing outside and see the dry leaves scurry by.Anyone could wear.

Oh my God, I love this scent!!!! Nice creamy Amber scent when the dry down occurs. I love a full bodied strong scent and this fits the bill as far as good hearty scent goes. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS! Passed the eight hour test for strength, a good sign of a good perfume in my opinion. I like to know I get my money's worth but this is beyond that for me.

I tested Catalyst today and found it an overwhelming spice and herb assault! I got cumin, curry leaves and something like celery seed. If it was cooking in a pan in the kitchen it might be very interesting - maybe as the base of a creole type dish - but on my wrist it was just horrible. A total scrubber - and as is the way with scrubbers when I added water it only got stronger.

I bought Catalyst at a bargain price from a reputable shop and though well impressed by the bottle I don't think much of the fragrance. Looking at the notes it is meant to have, maybe I got something else entirely. I don't get floral. Just chemicals and a rather sharp herbal. It is slightly better in warmer weather as the sharpness is nearly a citrus tang. But there's no sweetness to it and it just is not pretty at all.

I too dont detect any vanilla at all but i really like this perfume.

Its very very strong at first but i dont mind that because i know it will settle into a warm 'ambery' hue.

It is very flowery but the amber makes it less girl & more womanly.

I totally agree with Barbiot in that it does smell a great deal like first by van cleef & as its a fraction of the price of First i shall be popping back to the perfume counter to buy another one whilst they have it on offer of £4.99 in a clearance.

Bargain or what.

If anyone can find a perfume thats smells just like D&G BY please please please tell me, not that im begging or anything, Lol.

Not for young people! This is a li'l bit old stylish one...Yes, full of flowers but in a really heavy way:( Its smell should be classified as floral aldehyde, not fruity and it's similar to First by VCA, if you like it, you will love this too...

Oh, I wanted to like this so badly because I really love that bottle! Sadly, this fragrance is NOT for me.

I completely agree with darlingbuds...for the first 15 minutes or so, the top notes are extremely sour and rancid. I can't even explain how it smells to my nose, it's just so awful...

Then, all I get is carnation. Maybe just a touch of tuberose. Then the musk...sandalwood, and some cedar. Where are all those other lovely floral notes listed? Not on my arm!

This carnation is not a pretty one...it is warm, yes, but warm in a sickening, rotting way. Not a fresh floral way at all. I honestly can't recommend this to anyone, unless you love carnations...and even then, you've been warned! :)

When I was a kid we had this neighbor who would fry up kidneys for his breakfast on Sunday mornings. On first spray of Halston's Catalyst, the immediate and inescapable onslaught is that of the sizzling kidneys:acute, somewhat rancid, ureaic. Seriously, it's that bad. Wavering, however, underneath that initial drastic note was something appealing. I waited. Approximately 14 minutes later, the reek had made its exit and a warm, steady stream of carnation and some musk lay on my arm. I don't exactly know where to lay the blame for the abysmal first act (the peach? but it's so animalic...), but if you can wait it out (or not leave the house) for around 14 minutes, you'll have something worth the price of admission. Perhaps here the wearer, not the juice, is the true catalyst. My only other complaint is that the guys' version gets the cool little test tube bottle and holder.

I like it, it brings reminiscence about my childhood, when my grandma was using a similar perfume. Makes me feel comfortable and safe. Luckily, i don't smell any vanilla in this perfume ;)