Halston Classic by Halston

Caught me off guard: it’s an eau de cologne yet it clings all day, lasting around five hours. It has immense personality and freshness, but then the earthy base left me fascinated; I couldn’t stop smelling my wrist. Call me mad, it smells a bit like Oscar de la Renta’s Volupté, but more unisex.

Wooooow, what a delight and what a beauty! A clear example of old-world craftsmanship with character and class. It is long-lasting, with beastly tenacity and wide projection. I found two full, new bottles of this relic at an antique bazaar. It reminds me of a warm, powdery balsam due to its incense note, plus a delicious smoky rose with resinous amber and vetiver; finally, bergamot and patchouli. Good heavens, I have adored it and see it is still available at bargain prices on Mercado Libre or Amazon… I want more of this ancient liquor that screams elegance and sensuality!

Along with Amarige D’Amour, this super vintage piece also arrived for me to share with a friend, as we knew it would be a bomb and… it is. I’ll test it with a few drops and edit the review.

My mum wore it for years; I am familiar with the fragrance, which I thought was discontinued, but I saw it in a perfumerie recently; I suppose it is either reformulated or an old glory, hoping someone who knows can enrich the discussion with details. To be frank: I never loved it. It is a very strong, intense chypre that shouts, here I stand and I am not going anywhere. Cedar, moss, amber, incense and patchouli devour the floral and fruity notes, which go unnoticed. I never wore it, not even to try; it didn’t attract me in the slightest. I do not invent places or events where I was not, nor force my brain to feel something pleasant; for that, watch the Halston series on Netflix. I simply review: it is a strong scent from another era, relevant and successful, known by our mothers. It is not for everyone; do not buy blindly or give as a gift; get to know it first. To me, it is somewhat unpleasant; the bottle, with its beautiful design history, is now something ordinary. Scent 7/10, Sillage 10/10, Longevity 10/10.

I bought it for its vintage status; I discovered I was an enthusiast of old perfumes. It didn’t disappoint me, but it wasn’t a great discovery either. Perhaps for rough tastes it doesn’t feel sweet, but strong in its woody notes. I like it, but I don’t love it. We get along better in cool climates; to this day, I haven’t craved it in another season. It lasts tremendously; I get dizzy if I wear it on the wrong day, to the point where I put on my drawer sweater at the office as if it were office fragrance. Perhaps we didn’t understand each other well, or it lacks the ability to step out of the four walls where I work. Perhaps one day I’ll be inspired to wear it beyond those walls and find another side that has remained in the drawer. Edit: I wore it on a very hot day. It smells better. Potent yet sweet, just like Aromatics Elixir, which I also tried on a sunny day, and it was wonderful!

It is a mature perfume, very woody/green. Personally, it is very strong; I only use two sprays for the whole day. The bottle is impractical as you have to hold it with both hands to apply. The fragrance lasts practically all day and I live in a cold climate.

IT IS NOT A YOUTHFUL PERFUME. IT HAS AN ANCIENT PROFILE. IT IS A STRONG AND LONG-LASTING SCENT, WITH GREAT CLASS.

Another great classic. Halston was wonderful (it has been reformulated). It wasn’t a perfume for sweet little girls; it was the fragrance for women of high standing, great presence, and much character, in the style of María Félix and Marlene Dietrich. At first, I greatly appreciated its intense green and fruity notes, but after half an hour, the amber, sandalwood, moss, patchouli, a mix of woods, vetiver, and the only flower I could distinguish, the carnation, became clear. This perfume made me feel like a woman at 12 years old; I was the sensation with it. It lasted hours on my skin, and looking back, I’m surprised how, being so young, I wore such perfumes with such naturalness. Tragically, Halston is no longer even a whisper of what it once was.

It reminds me of my grandmother’s perfume, which had a strong character. It’s not for sweet girls having picnics in summer. It’s floral with sandalwood, incense, and perhaps a very subtle hint of melon, a powdery scent. Those who enjoy aromas like Maja will find similarities. I can’t imagine it on a man; it would be like a man wearing Maja, which sounds discordant. I agree with what I read: if you’re tired of sweet, girly perfumes, this is an excellent option. It boosts your dominatrix instinct. I don’t see it for the club, but rather for mature women who swap the nightlife for evenings with friends and want to be noticed when someone interesting walks by.

HALSTON CANCIÓN: Ride to Atlantis, the theme from ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ by Marvin Hamslich. In the James Bond film, there’s a scene where Bond travels to Italy to meet the villain Stromberg, arriving in Sardinia. He is greeted by one of the henchwomen, Naomi (the beautiful Caroline Munro), in the bay, wearing a spectacular bikini. Since seeing that scene, I couldn’t doubt that Naomi was wearing Halston on her skin. Halston defines the disco era in Europe and the world. It is the quintessential floral chypre, that androgynous scent that made women mysterious. It is floral but wrapped in vetiver and incense, with oakmoss that gives it its masculine character. It is the image of the sexy woman who wears trousers and men’s clothing without sacrificing her femininity. It is a classic and must be tried in its original formula, as it is a victim of reformulations; the current Halston is a ghost of what this fabulous fragrance once was.