Vintage Lauren by Ralph Lauren - SOTD Mini Review ~ The Smell of Bliss: Niche Perfume Reviews

I rarely wear my small, 15ml stash of Vintage Lauren by Ralph Lauren, but when I do I'm never disappointed. Six months after I became serious in the perfume hobby, I began to track down my favorites from when I was young, including both Lauren and Chloe by Lagerfeld.

Lauren was my first "adult" perfume, which I received as a gift when I was about 13. I had the set, which included a burgundy glass bottle with a bulbous gold cap, a small container of lotion (which was silky smooth and thin) and a small bottle of the pure parfum, around 5ml in size. I knew nothing about perfume back then and thought that the parfum was just a small, convenient-for-traveling bottle. But even back then I remember thinking that the small bottle smelled better than the larger eau de cologne and that the lotion smelled more like the extrait than the edc.

Now, as an adult, I purchased a small decant from The Perfumed Court of the current formulation and was saddened that it didn't smell as sharp, dark or mythic as I remembered. Reading up online, I realized that it had been reformulated and tracked down a bottle on ebay. I was completely scammed on the 1st botte that I purchased (darn ebay!) but was victorious on the 2nd.

Lauren doesn't smell like the typical 80s perfumes like Poison. Don't get me wrong: it's big and heavy, but the pineapple in it keeps it fresh and sharp. It's a very dark floral with rose, sandalwood, musk and lily of the valley taking center stage (with the pineapple) to my nose. Plus, it's probably one of the few perfumes in my collection that contains real oakmoss-- a delightful treat.

Photos taken by me; all rights reserved.

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SOTD Perfume Review: Vintage Lauren by RALPH LAUREN
Perfume House: Ralph Lauren
Creator / Nose: not sure
Year: 1978
Classification: Floral Chypre
Perfume Notes: Pineapple, rose, lily of the valley, jasmine, rose, sandalwood, oakmoss, musk
What you mostly smell: A well blended pairing of jasmine, rose, lily of the valley and pineapple at the front (pineapple and rose being a big part), with a nice woody/oakmossy base. I don't get too much musk. It does best when sprayed heavily; I think it's meant to be worn BIG.
Lasting Power: Great. Even the eau de cologne (of the vintage variety) outlasts most of my modern edp's.
Other Reviews at: Basenotes and I Smell Therefore I Am