I can’t seem to escape this stuff at the moment. On Christmas Eve we came across yet another vintage edition tossed and onto a pile of junk at a thrift shop in Yokosuka – and how much fun did we have there ? – this time in boxed extrait, and this time for ¥500 (£3.25).
I thought I would republish my original review. https://theblacknarcissus.com/2012/11/04/the-empress-of-moss-mitsouko-by-guerlain-1919/
The Black Narcissus 
I’m so glad you rescued it!! I’ve seen modern-day Shalimar on a clearance shelf and felt the impulse to “rescue” it. I resisted, but a vintage Guerlain in a thrift shop just cries out to be rescued.
It does. But WHY can’t it be L’Heure Bleue? Why is it ALWAYS bloody Mitsouko?
I hate you!!!!!!!!
!!
¥500 is stupidly cheap – it almost cheapens the experience of buying it as though it WERE junk: the bizarre prevalence of this perfume in Japan makes it boringly ubiquitous – I WANT PARURE OR CHAMADE OR MY BLESSED VOL DE NUIT ( the second most common and with a translated Japanese name in kanji)
Wow! Xmas has been good to you! That extrait bottle is fabulous.
Finally feeling a bit festive today. Sprayed the generous sample of Byredo’s Slow Dance on the drapes for a bit of boozy vanilla ambience. Currently boiling orange peels, cloves, and cinnamon sticks on the stove hoping for more holiday joy. Cut some cypress boughs from my garden and put them in a vase for their evergreen scent. Even though I’m a bit “Bah Humbug” after working retail during December for 20 years, I do miss all the whimsical and wintry sights and smells of western department stores at Christmas time.
A belated Merry Xmas, Y’all!
I love doing what you do with the orange peels and the cloves etc – it really works as a house-filler, doesn’t it.
Christmas was good – we saw a couple of friends and drank too much and danced quite a lot – but I am still glad it is over. Like you, every year I feel like that and can’t for a MOMENT understand those despised songs like ‘I wish it could be Christmas every day’. Can you IMAGINE
Wow my opinion of Mitsouko has certainly changed since 2014 as I purchased it soon after I wrote my comment. My favorite Guerlain is L’Heure Bleu followed by Apres Ondee (Spelling).
Those two are unbelievably good. I think Mitsouko might actually be overrated in some respects, even if it continues to exert a permanent pull on me in ways I can’t quite understand. It is certainly incredibly distinctive and full of something genuine.
Oh, how I wish I were lucky enough to find an extrait for that nice of a price. I adore Mitsy so much, she is a comforting scent. Huzzah for you!!
Yes definitely comforting : nice to lounge around in. I wish I could experience the ‘gloriously sexy ‘ feeling so many seem to experience
I do not know if I’ve ever felt ‘gloriously sexy’ in it, but I have definitely felt cocooned and elegant while wearing it. It is like elegant armour for me.
YES. I think I probably wear it in a similar way. It needs to be there in the collection.
It does.
How lucky you could find it that cheap! I have recently bought online the 70s extrait version, just hope it’s suitable for my nose as it was a bit pricey.
It requires a bit of work and can vary greatly from batch to batch. But it has so many layers and stages that you are quite likely to enjoy at least one of them. Deeply intriguing and unique – if sometimes too musty and fusty : I really have to be in the right mood.