White Shoulders by Evyan

I picked up a White Shoulders set containing EDT, body cream and shower gel at a bargain price. It’s one of the few blind buys I make, as I’m not usually a fan, but with no other way to try it and minimal cost, it turned out well. In person, I liked it; I can’t compare it to the original, but Selene’s review caught my attention. This EDT is a distinct white floral compared to the ones I own, with very similar notes. On my skin, the peach note really stands out – sweet and syrupy – and I agree with Selene about the soapy note that gives a sense of cleanliness, like the smell straight after a shower. Although it becomes less interesting on the skin over time, it remains simple and classic, unpretentious, with a delicate touch that sweetens the whole. What I liked most is that it brings back memories of those scented greeting cards from my childhood. There was a stationery shop that still had stock and I adored them; every time I bought a pack, the scent obsessed me and I wanted to replicate it in perfumes. White Shoulders reminds me absolutely of that, so if anyone remembers those cards and is looking for something similar, this is the fragrance closest to that memory I have.

The 1930s and 40s, when the USA wanted to compete with Europe. White Shoulders was a worldwide hit, but over the years and with company changes, the quality dropped. The old Evyan version smelled of narcotic white flowers with a soft base of civet, resins and moss; refined and feminine. The current cologne is horrible: metallic and short-lived. A pure 7ml bottle saved me, which is much better. Comparing the two pure versions, the new one loses the base of the old and puts more emphasis on the florals (gardenia, lily of the valley, lilac). It has a very marked soapy note; the old one had it too but enriched with civet and resins. The new one is flatter and the whites are stronger; that’s the main difference at first. Then, once they settle, they smell quite similar.