Norell Norell for women

Smells like soap, perfumed hairspray, shampoo, air freshener, flea powder, and somehow -- cactus. Complicated yet unsophisticated all at the same time.

BIG mistake! I added two sprays to my usual two or three of Norell. Norell reminds me of " NOEL," thus I was celebrating the season. Never, never has my husband referred to my fragrances with anything but positive comments. He uttered the disrespectful, "uuuugh, smell like an old lady's perfume." I'm waiting for the floral to emerge before I decide to swab some of it off. Happy Holidays, all.

As far back as I can remember my mother wore Norell as her signature and periodically Estee and Bal a Versailles. She was a force of nature, an amazing saleswoman, loved world travel and always dressed a little "over the top". I have a few of her vintage things: angora beaded beret, beaded/spangled evening bags, scarves. Ok, folks this is DECADES later and there is still an echo of Norell where there's a small stain in one purse, a scarf I never wore, but couldn't part with...you get the idea. This chypre has some serious staying power. I had a Mother's Day bottle stashed for her before she passed away. Awhile ago I opened it and sprayed a scarf. It wasn't the same and now I know why...reformulation. It wasn't as "rich" and full, just an echo of the original, a more shallow scent. I love scents with "presence" like Aromatics and Eau de Star, but I can't carry this newer addition, nor the vintage. It smelled gorgeous on my mother, maybe you have to be a Diva, or have been royalty in another life. I curtsey to those who can carry off this forest-vetiver cloud, queen of all you survey :) enjoy and definitely wear some spangles and satin!

I have to say, that I like green, but I am not really a fan of green. Maybe I am biased because of that.

Norell is boring in the bottle. I'm sorry, I am only honest.

:/

I tried NORELL at a perfume counter in a local Drug Store recently. First reaction...no...does not work for me. Not even a possibility. This was the reformulated version, mind you. I was so disappointed!! I would imagine the original smells so much better, based on all the reviews I've read. I love so many of the vintage perfumes and so wanted to love this one. Maybe one day I'll happen upon the vintage version and I will then understand what everyone is raving about. :o)

A haiku for Norell:

Cosmopolitan
An elegant extrovert
Class in a bottle

Being a huge fan of classic old -timer fragrances, I couldn't overlook this cheapie, because it definitely fits within the category.

I had the same reaction from Norell as from L'air du Temps: the first spray made me recoil as it was sharp, pungent and obnoxious. But just like Nina Ricchi it settles into a complex, smooth old-school carnation-dominant floral with huge projection.Maybe a bit sharper than L'air because of galbanum. Together with L'air du Temps, I find Norell more of a comfort scent than something exquisite and statement making. I like to put it on before bedtime and drift off to sleep lulled by the wafts of carnation, cinnamon and daffodil.

Norell turned the perfume worlds attention to NYC. It is as glamorous as the NYC skyline. Indeed, the bottle itself remind me of one of those towers from the 1930s. Its stands as strong and as bold as any.

The composition itself is powerful and pushes the envelope of the chyphe class with lots of spice and powerhouse florals. The oakmoss and vetiver hold everything up quite well. Imagine waking up on a cold April morning and hyacinth and narcissus envelope you!

It is a feminist signature without being overwhelming. Strong, yet refined. One drop of the EDP project far and last for hours. Fortunately, the original formula is still in tact. A must for vintage lovers!

I just got this in the mail, due to the great reviews I read here and being a HUGE fan of anything falling into the chypre family. My go-to is typically scents like Ciara and Aromatics Elixir. Norell did not disappoint. From it's "in your face" opening to the lovely drydown, it's definitely in my top 10 spots. Will be wearing this in heavy rotation among my other scented friends.

If it's good enough for Faye Dunaway, it's good enough for me!

I consider the original Norell as one of the greatest and most sophisticated compositions ever. I was always very intrigued by Norell II (red) but was unable to get it anywhere. Finally, I got a large, 1 ounce bottle of the pure perfume on Ebay. Is it nice? Yes. Is it as nice as the original? No. I am sure rose lovers will love this one. For me the original Norell is irreplacable.

This is an elegant, captivating perfume. It makes me sing that old song, "sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey" cos that's what I get. Honeyed, enduring warmth and sweetness with a great balance of depth. Goes on nice and strong, and mellows slowly from the green, flowered opening through the beautifully balanced middle notes (loving the carnations!!!), into the final, lasting depth that for me really makes a perfume matter and endure as a stayer.

Very female, in a refined and classy way. Filled with that classic 60's vibe, both in the notes and the balance. No screeching here, just mellow, enticing moments.

10/10 for this one...already getting another bottle.

I want to say something about J Catapano, but let me think about it first. (I think she could hold her own against E Daltroff, the Guerlain family, and E Beaux; but that might be sacrilegious of me)

I got this because I LOVE Fidji, and my swap partner thought I'd like this too. I do! I wanted to compare the two side by side, but there is something about them together that made me lose my sense of smell.

So I'll focus on Norell. My sample is vintage. What stands out on me is the hyacincth opening, a raspy midphase (carnation), and warm base. There seems to be a cold vein here, something keeping is crisp and clean. I'm afraid to ask how the modern compares, but it is worth my time to find out.

A very, very lovely green chypre!

I love Norell. I had it in the Vintage years ago. I sampled vintage Chanel #19 a few days ago and it reminded me a lot of Norell. Does anybody else get this too..

LOVE love love Norell... I remember my Mother wearing it so it brings back good childhood memories. I actually didn't start wearing it myself until about 10 years ago. After reading an article about it in NY Times I had to run to Walgreens and buy some. It is literally class in a bottle... I've been hooked ever since. A little goes a long way and lasts a long time.

Fell in love with Norrell as a child. Don't know if they have kept the formula the same. Have a feeling they haven't. Yet I purchased this for a song and am still fascinated with it. Such femininity. Such elegance. Men seem to love it and I understand why. Not as sharp or crisp as the way I remember it when I was younger, but gorgeous nevertheless.

this cologne is so elegant, from the classy looking bottle to its bold opening yet subdued, floral and spicy notes. the carnation breaks through to give it a refreshing twist. i love this and when i would wear it somehow it just gave me confidence. lasting power and sillage are awesome. i'm going to try to find it again. lots of good memories in this one.

When the americans can creat a perfume much more glamourous than any european one !!!
Norell is the perfume to have !
the scent of carnation is just awesome !!!!

I just love the scent of Carnation in this perfume
Norell is one of my favorite perfume with Calèche by Hermès.

Norell cologne reminds me so much of something my granny would have on her vanity. I'm sure that I've smelt something like this when I was fingering among the small porcelain perfume jars, powderboxes, lipsticks, jewelry (on a piece of sea-shell) and the lovley small perfume bottles. Of course I did it secretly, a bit thrilled by the whole experience of womanhood.

Norell smells so wonderfully dated. I especially like the citrus-lavender mix that smells so fresh and clean. In combination with the flowery and slightly powdery heart it seems like two fragrances are at work: One that provides an air of fresh soap and newly washed clothes and then another scent built on more classical perfume ingredients like jasmine, hyacinth, iris, mimosa, and ylang-ylang. (Somhehow this part reminds me alot of Givenchy III minus the strong amber note). From this point of view Norell is a very intelligent innovation from a time when people probably not took a shower or washed their clothes every day: A perfume that makes you smell both clean, fresh AND scented.

However, this part is not going on forever: gradually the basenotes enters the scene and Norell becomes warmer, rounder and sweeter. And several hours later the freshness is replaced with a slihtly dirty note from the oakmoss.

I've bought a small bottle of the cologne, that was low fill or evaporated eventhough it was new and sealed. I read somewhere that the edt was created during the 90's when Norell was relaunched, and that perfume and cologne were the only alternatives until then. I'm therefore pretty sure that this is the original vintage cologne. If you like vintage smelling fragrances you should really give Norell a try. The cologne has a great sillage and is very longlasting.

edit: This is super strong stuff even for my nose, so apply carefully, or surrounders will drop dead around you (as suggested in the first ad above)

I got a bottle of vintage Norell as I remembered my older sister having it back in the 1960s. I thought it smelled heavenly back then and I was too young for perfume. I found it to be a very heavy floral but intoxicating to smell. The heavyness was very typical of good perfumes in the 60s.
I like the smell of it but it's too much to wear really. It's like wearing a costume, fun but just once in a while . Even after I washed it off the scent remained on my skin. It's really strong like Youth Dew but it's floral not Oriental. If they changed the formulation it was probably to make it weaker than the original. It's a great vintage perfume and should remain as it was in the 1960s. All those wonderful flowers in there should be allowed to bloom even if that makes it too strong.
The 60s were times of great change and any fragrance from that time should be powerful.

How I wish I loved the current formulation. I wore this in the 1980s and got so many compliments. Five Star took over in 1999, and it hasn't been the same since. I ordered the bath oil and the cologne spray, thinking they would be closer to the original than the toilette spray. Then I ordered vintage Norell from The Perfumed Court to compare, and though the current cologne spray begins the same, it falls apart. Oh, to have the vintage back!!

My mother told me that she used to wear this fragrance when she was younger than me...I though it smelled like the original Chloe fragrance but a few seconds after the whole mood of the fragrance changes. I LOVE IT! I have finally found my signature scent!

Hey what a funny story. I like Norell too. But the formular has changed in the last years. I don't know exactly when. I know the "old" vintage Norell and it was a breathtaking fragrance.
Now it smell nice but not so sharp and crisp.

I was always intrigued by Norell, i finally got to try it a few days ago when Nyoka generouslly sent me a decant sample.

Norell is a beautiful floral green - it is the only foral green that blended well with my chemistry (so far).

The projection is wonderful and staying power good.

I wore this on Wednesday and as usual carried the sample along with me when i went out. In the bus i decided to retouch (not because it was necessary but simply because i like building up mega sillage) so i took it out and applied it discreetly to my wrists; well i fell asleep and when i awoke my sample was gone. The lady sitting next to me had pilfered it! I guess she found it's beautiful aroma irresistible but i would have happily given it to her if she had asked!

if you want to make yourself known
this is the right perfume this fragrance demands your attention.
the begining the cypre greens with undertones of bergamot lavender & hiacynth the lemon just floats into the
backround. a couple of minutes later
going though a sweet narcissus gardenia
stage but the spicy residue of cypre still lingers but in a earthier scent
with rose cinnamon and cardamon.

the drydown is an intoxicating myrrh.
a bit dated now but i think it was ahead
of it's time released in 1968 but the perfume design and the box with it's
big bold black lettering NORELL
makes you think of a 80's bussiness
advertisments or a barbara kruger famous
piece of work your body is a battlegroun

this is one of those sex in a bottle
perfumes because it is sexy
a perfume for a young women with an
old soul.

I loved this as a child. I probably sniffed the original fragrance. Longing nostalgically, I purchased it one day at a ridiculously low price. The fragrance is not exactly as I remember, but the same "vibe" is still there. Crisp, clean, classic, sophisticated, green, and slightly metallic. I still love it, but have to be in the exact mood for it.

This stuff would kill a city if they put it into a bomb! unbelievably stong!!!! Along the lines of Chanel #5 but 10 fold stronger. One of the few perfumes left with any staying power. A crisp scent that lasts into eternity.

I'm so torn by this one...It opens with a very odd earthy smell that just isn't in line with the beautiful top notes it's supposed to possess. I expect more citrus and lovely light floral but I get a heavy mossy green tone instead. Is this from the Galbanum? It really seems to overpower everything and never really softens. It's really sad as the notes all look so beautiful, this should smell like heaven. Instead, it smells too much like earth. Unless they re-form, it's a pass.

Update: Duh!! The lightbulb just went on! This is a chypre floral by every possible definition and the dark heavy moss is from too much of the dreaded oakmoss monster. It drags the fragrance down and won't let it up for air. If they would cut it in about half, this would be perfection!

Fragrantica people, you need to re classify this one!

before I joined this club,I had read the term chypre, but had never really known what it meant. I knew that certain perfumes contained oakmoss or cedar but did not know how it affected the perfume. After having read several reviews and doing some research I decided to try a chypre floral,now I had tried Norell several years ago in a local drug store and had really liked it but for some reason did not buy it. I have preferred oriental and oriental floral perfumes, most of my life. After trying Cuir de Lancome and Nike de Saint Phalle, I decided that I love chypre florals and am trying to branch out. I saw Norell at a local department store for a very reasonable price and decided to get it. One of the Fragranitica members was asking about green chypres and mentioned Norell. I realize it is considered a floral, but it is much more complex than that. I am still trying to improve my reviews so bear with me. Norell does start out fresh and green and soon after blossoms into a rich and beautiful floral. I can smell the carnation and mimose, but the other flowers and spice seem to become one opulent note. The dry down is amazing, warm, but with a fresh note as well. It like Niki,is very underrated. It is elegant and classy, perfect for any age or sex. It can be worn anytime day or night. One of the best 1960's perfume out there and(this is the best part)it is very affordable. I bought the cologne because I understand it has not been reformulated. Even though, a cologne, it last several hours.

I can remember seeing this one frequently at discount stores for the last 20 years or so. I never really gave it a chance. The "plain" box and bottle and the inexpensive price led me to assume that Norell would not be a pleasant scent. It seems I should know by now to never judge a fragrance by its packaging. Norell is a humble reminder of this.

I purchased the Bath Oil, after hearing that its scent was closest to the original formulation of the fragrance (pre-1997). The bath oils works just fine as a perfume, by the way.

And oh, lovely Norell, I am so sorry I passed you by all these years!

The scent opens with a blast of sharp green, followed by heady florals and spice, all on a woods-and-moss base. The floral phase lasts the longest and the flowers are bright and powerful, reminiscent of Patou's Joy. I get a waft of oriental spice every now and then. Something in this phase reminds me of Molinard de Molinard as well. The beautiful dry-down, however, is classic chypre. I agree that "Floral" doesn't adequately classify this complex scent, but neither would "Chypre."

The scent is a perfect match for what I now recognize as the understated elegance of the box and bottle. Norell would be a classic beauty at any price, but it would be a shame if any Chypre or Floral Chypre fan let this one slip by when it is priced so low.

Norell is a classic. My mother wore this, along with Estee Super in the 70's, and I always loved the clean aroma. The Cologne is the original, along with the perfume which is so hard to find these days. It is a green floral that dries down to a nice soapy, fresh scent. Very understated, yet is very present at the same time. It is a shame that Norell is so hard to find in the stores anymore. I only see the toilette which is not the original formulation. I bought a few bottles of the cologne off ebay, so I am stocked up for a while. I recommend this to everyone of every age.

I am using the Eau de Cologne and very sparingly but still, this stuff is so strong...

It's such powerful complicated stuff that I am struggling slightly to seperate the notes.

At the top there is a LOT of narcissus, with some dry lavender running underneath it. I also get some carnation which gives it an interesting warm/cool see-saw effect with the lavender. There is something ever so slightly sweet that comes in a few minutes later. I can't quite put my finger on it...not quite hyacinth and not quite jasmine..sweet pea is probably the closest thing. Oh wait...here comes the jasmine!

As it dries down it becomes very very soapy on me. It's like an expensive, top quality triple milled french soap, but soap none the less. Vetiver comes on strong now and rose as well.

To be honest, I am having a really hard time with this. I definately agree with Jalutschka about it being an earthy green chypre, but it's also definately floral. It is rather sophisticated I suppose, it's definately not for shrinking violets. It brings to mind an authoratative woman with absolutely unshakeable self confidence. For some reason I envisage Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl! This would probably put the fear of God in all your employees if you were the executive wearing this.

I doubt that this one will help you break through the glass ceiling, but if you were clutching a bottle of this, you could probably put quite a few cracks in it.

A vintage-style, lovely scent. Slightly metallic floral with a soft unobtrusive base that breathes class in a refined, elegant way. Suitable for most events, including tea parties and a night out dancing.