Catalyst Halston for women

It took some time of learning to like this perfume.First impression-very bitter-mossy and bunch in face of old granpaa-masculine notes,then after a while,it a little bit softens and dries down as something like hazelnuty-musky amber cream.I do not use this perfume on myself,but 1 or 2 days in the month I like to smell this aroma in the air of my home.
By the way it contains oak moss and tree moss extracts-that are stated on the box of perfume,may be therefore I keep it and do not give away.

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 (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 ;)