Reviews of Rare Gold by Avon

Rare Gold by Avon (1996) is an Olivier Cresp creation, and one of the first big-time flavor firm contracts Avon got after transitioning away from in-house perfumers, supplies, and compounding. Yeah, they had been getting work from oil houses since the transition began in the late 80's, but a lot of those were quick and dirty, likely mods from designer contracts spruced up and altered to wear an Avon badge. Rare Gold feels like a ground-up fragrance where Anne Gottlieb sat down as creative director and evaluator on Avon's behalf (as she was also doing for Calvin Klein), then hashed it out with perfumer Olivier Cresp to make sure this was a big launch. As you might have suspected, Rare Gold was indeed a big success that is still made now, thirty years later, which is indeed rare considering how quickly Avon fragrances come and go. Something like this now would be seen as mature, but it was absolutely everywhere in the 90's, worn by all ages.

Rare Gold sits somewhere in the spectrum between White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor (1991) and Fleur de Rocaille by Caron (1993), in that it's a big aldehyde white floral with a dollop of musky sweetness, but also has boozy fruitiness floating around too, with peach and orange blossom, plus some old-fashioned carnation in the heart. Amarige by Givenchy (1991) would toss in tiare flower into this mix for some tropical vibes, while all these were really playing catch-up to Jardins de Bagatelle by Guerlain (1983), which started this whole merger of fruit and aldehyde white floral chypre. Rare Gold is the most succinct of the lot, with the least confusing barrage of materials, because Avon is Avon and doesn't want a phone book for a note pyramid to print in its catalogs. Still, there isn't a ton to really separate Rare Gold from its designer siblings besides the much lower price, making it a steal for fans of this now-vintage style.

Keeping up with the higher-end market while delivering on Avon value was the new modus operandi for the perfume division anyway, and they were willing to spend serious cash on the development of good formula, as Harry Freemont once confided to me; Avon was willing to spend more per kilo than many designers selling their finished product for four times more after margins were tacked on. Rare Gold is really a perfect example of that, and although it doesn't have much by way of Avon's usual quirkiness - something that made their earlier output so much more endearing - Rare Gold does have the quality in both the performance area and in style. Avon ditched the camp and simple charm to make big bold perfumes like their upmarket cousins, since they that had started inadvertently becoming more-direct competitors by being heavily discounted in big box stores popping up all across America. Rare Gold was "serious" Avon. Thumbs up

I've got an old bottle from the nineties and I must say this smells very modern. Peach, powder and flowers done right this time!

when I wear this my son tell me that i smell of 'holidays' . It was affordable without smelling cheap or soapy.

I've always considered that 'Rare Gold' was one of the most elegant perfumes by Avon. It's pretty heavy and floral - but all in all, it's great.

Horrible drydown. On me this just smells like a smudgy old-ladyish musk/aldehyde. The floral notes disappear quite quickly and I'm left with lots of soapiness and a hint of envelope glue. I didn't get any neroli at all. This perfume has a lot of sillage and it lasts, but that's no good thing. I tried to wash it off, but it just wouldn't quit, and now I've got a headache. Eugh.

I agree that this is one of Avon's best fragrances in a long time. It's too complex for me to be much good at analyzing it, but I do detect sandalwood, neroli, and frankincense, plus tuberose or perhaps jasmine/hedione. I read it as dressy, and good for all seasons. It lasts well, too.

If gold had a smell then Rare Gold fits that persona
pure luxury in a bottle rich and full; notes of Tuberose
Gardenia Orange Blossoms & Succulent Peach caresses your
your skin like a silk of gold Translucent and sensual
on a gold dust painted bed in a dark cavernous room in
some Arabian Nights parable soft amber flames glows adds
the mystery and Sex of this scent; The Drydown deep and
woodsy first opens with burning Sandalwood adds the fire
Musk and Amber brings the Animalistic side to Rare Gold;
Sex in a Bottle to the T.

I tried this one because of the vanilla and I was pleasantly surprised. This will be will be added to my fragrance wardrobe for fall. Nice dry down on me!

this smells like civet
i have the real stuff and am BLOWN AWAY

and I get the emphatic
love it/hate it
thing happening here
it's so rich and opulent it's hard to think of as a floral

very smart marketing and bottle design
and not mentioning it as a "note"
all in all, a coup
and i bet men love it

It smells like a stronger Versace Jeans Couture, the peach and honey are the most dominant notes in this for me, very nice for warm weather

I tried really hard to like this one; my favorite perfume of all time is the sister frag Rare Rubies. Alas for me, the sublime Rare Rubies was discontinued (and now sells for up to $80 a bottle on Ebay....get a clue Avon!) and this crap was kept. In tiny, tiny doses it is tolerable for me, but otherwise it is overwhelmingly sickly sweet. I was hoping for more orange blossom note, but can't honestly detect any. Then again, to be honest, I can't stand smelling this long enough to try and detect any notes. Yuck.

I'm sorry that I'm not able to be more specific about this perfume, but here goes nothing...Usually I have no problems with perfumes from Avon, but this one has to be the worst that I've come across in quite a while. To me, it smells like Rave Hairspray gone rotten (if it's even possible for hairspray to rot). I haven't worn it, and I won't wear it.

What I think a traditional, mature, restrained perfume should smell like. A warm, rich floral that is not sweet or cloying or heady. Well blended florals with some amber resting on faint sandalwood. Sophisticated and elegant. Strong, good sillage, but not overwhelming. Nice job, Avon!

All my best notes: honey, amber, vanilla, musk, orange blossom. I can't wear many Avons, but I DO like this one.

A good one from Avon, which totally threw me, since they usually all suck! But as much as it smelled nice, it had no staying power, nada, nothing at all. My mom got the second bottle and she also liked this. It's soft, amber-musk like on me. Nothing to scream about, but, nice. Boring, plain. But it didn't stink like Avon's others. A good choice if buying from them.

I wore this when I met my husband, too! It was one of my favorite fragrances ever, when it first came out, and I wore it for a few years. I had the deodorant, shower gel, lotion, and all the fun stuff Avon makes for its scents. Avon has definitely changed the formulation of Rare Gold, and not for the better. The original Rare Gold was ambery-warm-sexy-orangeblossomy-vanilla, and was a beautiful fragrance. It's still pretty, but it seems watered down.

This is a ylang based scent with a bit of honey & spice. I wore this when I first met my DH & he still loves it. I agree that the old version was much nicer. The honey notes really came out on my skin as in the summer honey bees would sometimes buzz around my head LOL (not joking)they love this stuff! I did stock up on the original version & the older shower gel & it is pure heaven- thick & heavenly. This is better than many many high end fragrances I have. Plus at this price you can touch up without feeling guilty!