The power of old school perfumes

If you’ve ever walked past a more mature woman, (say, your mum or your grandma’s age range), got a whiff of their perfume and thought, “Mmm, I love that smell, it’s so comforting and warm and delicious and totally unlike anything I own myself” then you’ll definitely want to read on.

I won’t beat around the bush. I own a lot of fragrances. And when I say a lot, think double digits – and then add five to the number you’re thinking of. But nothing I own has the power to stick around as long as what I assume are some of the old school scents that often get left by the wayside. You know, the really classic scents that we forget about; the ones that have been around for years but never quite make it to the dressing tables of girls my age. The truth is there’s a reason they’ve been around for so long, and I’ve made it my mission to find out why…

OLD-SCHOOL SCENT SECRET #1: They use oriental blends

Many of our mum and grandma’s favourite scents belong to the oriental fragrance family. I feel as though that’s a pretty important factor, as many girls my age only purchase within the floral or fruity fragrance families. The depth and sensuality of oriental blend fragrances is strong and robust without being overwhelming. They’re the kind of scents that stick around all day and provide a warming, sensual aroma that doesn’t fade too easily. Tabu is a perfect example. As Australia’s number one selling lifestyle fragrance, it’s hard to ignore the facts – especially since this spicy oriental scent has been around since 1932.

OLD-SCHOOL SCENT SECRET #2: They warm florals with woods

Perhaps where our generation is going wrong is our love affair with heavy floral blends. They’re invigorating and attention grabbing, but they don’t always last the distance or envelope our bodies like some of the older scents do. Perhaps this is because we’re missing a special ingredient. They say what goes up must come down, so when floral fragrances start high, with top notes of nose-tingling flower notes, it pays to bring them down with warmer woody notes such as musk, so that the scent doesn’t just fade away on a floral high. Panache EDP soars with notes of bergamot, orange and rose, before drying down with notes of oakmoss, cederwood and musk. Delicious.

OLD-SCHOOL SCENT SECRET #3: They chose their florals well

It goes without saying that floral fragrances are certainly in abundance these days, but the difference between the scents we use now and the scents our mum and granny used are the types of florals within the fragrance formulation. Take Estée Lauder White Linen for example; it contains top notes of hyacinth, which only takes a few planted bulbs to fill a garden with its beautiful yet intense, heady scent. There’s not a lot of hyacinth around these days, so if you do find a perfume that contains it (look for it blended with notes of jasmine, lily of the valley, iris, lilac, rose and violet – just like White Linen) you can be sure it’ll make for an intoxicatingly fresh blend that is bound to stick around.

OLD-SCHOOL SCENT SECRET #4: They layered like pros

One of the reasons our mums and grannies succeed in smelling so good is because they had fragrance layering down pat. Way back when, women spent much more time sitting at their dressing tables and taking the time to properly pamper themselves by applying their body lotion, talcum powder and fragrance – all in the same scent. Layering products in the same scent helps to give your fragrance a foundation and pack it with more punch so that it lingers for longer throughout the day. We love Tweed EPD teamed with Tweed Jumbo Talc for a longer-lasting effort from your fragrance.

What do you think is the secret behind more mature women and their captivating, long-lasting scents?