There is something very special about the house of Caron.
D brought this home for me last night as a late birthday gift from an antiques thrift store in amongst a bag of other treasures.,With a frisson of great excitement I noticed the familiar Caron cologne bottle immediately.
(Oh my god, which one is it going to be ?)
I have the eaux de cologne of several vintage Carons, including Narcisse Noir, Infini, Fleurs de Rocaille, Nuit De Noel. They are down to their last ten per cent of drops now and I just have an inhale of them every once in a while for the soft reminiscence of a nostalgic period in time I never lived through myself – perfumes that really are of another age, not remotely part of now (the phillistinic might even say hopelessly old fashioned and dated, with their unguenty, powdery, floral macerations and soft spices like the greying crinolines of old ballerinas – but the belle epoque, ballets russes velvet backdrops of these perfumes, is surely what makes their gone- forever, plaintive immersiveness so eternally appealing in the first place).
As I took out the unboxed flacon from the bag, I was frantically searching the label in the bedroom lamplight trying to identify which Caron this could be; the mighty Coup De Fouet/ Poivre, one of Georgia and I’s holy grails? ( if I were to have a dying Perfume Wish it might be for a giant, glass-studded bottle of the original Poivre extrait ). Tabac Blond ? Royal Bain de Champagne – a Caron I have yet to own … I would even have been quite happy with an eau de cologne variant of the dowagery , dusk pinks and clovey musks of Bellodgia, much as it doesn’t suit me – ( I still adore carnations even if you don’t’. In fact, just call me Eugenol.)
(I am sat at the secret lake writing this – thank god no tourists – the only person here)
: the vestiges of what turned out to be not an eau de cologne of a famous Caron fragrance on the back of my hand, but actually Caron ‘Eau De Cologne’ – a scent I had never heard of- and apparently neither has the Internet). And what a beautiful, delicately suggestive perfume this is.
The contents of the bottle were closed with a metal cork seal that I had to prise off with a can opener. Old colognes can often be bitter and sour; degradated lime oils and nerolis that have not quite managed – like so many of us – the tests of time.
But what was this, this morning ?
Such a beautiful, soothing orange blossom.
Not Neroli. They might come from the same tree, and neroli can ravish the senses with its own peculiar rasp, but orange blossom absolute, which this clearly is ( perhaps with some myrrh, subtle powdered balsamics and a whisker of musk) can be very tranquillizing to the senses.
Eau De Cologne – please give me more information about this one if you know it – is incredibly soothing; precisely what the original colognes were designed for : a momentary pause in the proceedings; a dab of the brow ; a reflective, soft inhalation.
I am absolutely delighted with it, and think it might now be the most beautiful orange blossom in my collection.
What a fantastic gift. Here’s wishing you belatedly a very happy birthday!
Yes – unexpectedly getting a gorgeous perfume you never even knew existed.
I love the sweet heat of eugenol and the smoky depth of myrrh—together they give florals, especially rose, a vivid realism.
I also found on Scent Base that Caron Eau de Cologne is now interpreted as Eau de Caron.
I saw that too and I LOVE Eau De Caron Fraiche from the 90’s… I wonder if Eau De Caron is a modern interpretation of this ?
Maybe – but this is so dreamy as it is
And a gloriously happy birthday to you!
How lovely t read this today – Happy birthday dear Neil.
A question: Where oh where might I find your book in Cape Town, South Africa? I’m a desperado for it!
To You! On your birthday!
Eunice
Thank you for the birthday wishes.
As for the book, it is becoming a bit of an out of print unicorn ..
This makes exciting reading!
And apropos carnation used to love Floris Malmaison and would love to smell that again… meanwhile making do with a beautiful spicy carnation soap by Oriza L Legrande
Floris is great, but Santa Maria Novella Garofano oh my god
really miss it even if the eugenol in it actually did burn my skin
Call you Eugeneil surely. In my head that will be your personal moniker now.
D is a pearl amongst men. What an amazingly well chosen gift
I know – he has the eye of a magpie!
Yours, Eugenol
Okay, now I want this! I am an old school Caron acolyte and love orange blossom. I didn’t know this existed either. My holy grail is a bottle of Narcisse Noir and/or Tabac Blond extrait, but I would take any of the other older ones too. I recently nabbed a little bottle of Muguet de Bonheur parfum and it’s GORGEOUS.
I adore that perfume so much : the creamy translucent IVORINESS of it !
Narcisse Noir is obviously a brilliantly dark fleurs d’oranger: this is a ‘nothing ‘ in comparison – but for me it’s a balm
If you unearth any more information about Eau De Cologne please do share – I am beginning to think this was quite a find
Once, really long ago, you put me on the Caron Way. And like the logo of your website, an almost birdlike stare of the narcissus …
Always it excited me. But now it consoles me. Like misty autumnal wandering ways you lay out before me!
Thank you for this gentle digital caress. I can almost smell it but it is almost out of reach, were it not for my dreams. Very welcome! Thank you mon cher monsieur Ginzaintherain. I wish you the very same for you as well. Enjoy it to the last drop.
I will. Thanks N x
Happy late birthday! Your new preciousss sounds lovely.