Volupté
Oscar de la Renta (1992)

I guess it makes sense ... those who excel in the floral bouquet would have trouble with the aquatics, and the strain is laid bare in Volupté.
A frankenstein monster of oversized chemical head and Grojsman's fluffy pink sweater, which - instead of being angora - is now made of nylon. Weirdly prudish.

A truly great fragrance by Oscar de la Renta. However, some of the tops on the newer bottles are screwed up and don't sit flush on top of the bottle. Who the heck is in charge of quality control at the manufacturer? They could at least make sure the bottles aren't defective when they ship out. I hope they correct the problem because the unique bottle is one of the features I love about this fragrance. If there's a big unsightly gap between the bottle and cap, it just puts one off. Get the bottle and its cap right. I might then think of purchasing Volupte again. Also, my older bottles say Made in France. The newer bottles say Made in USA. I prefer the Made in France version because they seem to be made by a superior perfumery.

To my nose and on my skin this begins harshly with a dry and acrid note. This may be the tagete - why bother, I ask.

It quickly settles down to a heart of a slightly sweet and heady white floral melange, which smells to me very synthetic, a bit plastic. The vanilla and sandalwood notes that support it do nothing to efface this effect.

Not awful, but not entirely pleasant. I sampled the pure vintage parfum. I note the edt goes for pennies, so the quality of the oils used cannot be very great.

Pleasant enough for a drug store quality fragrance.

Lotus, narcissus, incensey smoke, and heliotrope form a very suave mix, indeed. Bolstered by an ambery sweetness, Volupte is a surprisingly pleasant scent - Despite being overly crowded it still comes across as airy and spread out. There is a lot going on but it seems to make sense. I'd like to think that this is the type of contemplative floral that would later inspire scents like Dzongkha and Timbuktu.

Review for vintage EDT:

This bottle is truly striking in person, very art nouveau, with clean lines and a nice heft. The cap on the 1.7 oz splash bottle is a touch strange, as the angled form needs to be twisted until it sits perfectly flush. However, the seal seems to be quite good once it is fit properly, and I'm not seeing any leaks, despite there being no threads on the stopper.

My skin tends to eat florals, and my initial application left me wondering where the famed Volupte power was. A second application, trailing from wrist to elbow brought enlightenment.

To my nose, Volupte opens with bitter narcissus very much forward, supported by osmanthus. Where osmanthus frequently has a suede like scent to me, and occasionally smells of plums, this osmanthus reminds me strongly of apricot fruit leather- dense, more tart than sweet, distinctly tangy. The sillage, for some reason, reminds me of buttered toast...served first thing in the morning, with tea, and apricot preserves (osmanthus) eaten sitting in the sunshine. I'm not sure where this accord is coming from, but it is quite distinct, and surprisingly joyous.

The heart opens slowly, after more than an hour. Soft, sweet mimosa, faint LoV, the slightest touch of carnation appear. Then jasmine and cyclamen move forward, supported by the fantasy peony note. Throughout this phase the fantasy freesia note is present, but not plasticky, adding a sense of "gloss" to the scent. Eventually a touch of tuberose shows up, demure, almost shy, very unusual for this note.

In the dry down heliotrope and melon step forward, supported by sandalwood and a touch of incense. Start to finish, I would classify Volupte as cheerful, surprisingly fresh, and thoroughly unexpected. The very sweet notes are carried by the almost herbal, very green, bitter narcissus base. The fruits are not the sugared versions that have been prevalent for the past decade, but rather tart. The floral elements are blended with a beautifully light touch, and the sweetness they bring is glorious, and never overwhelming.

I had expected Volupte to be heavy, a cool weather scent. Instead this is one of the most light filled scents that I have encountered, serenely joyous, energizing, the sort of scent that reminds you to stop and experience the world around you. Volupte, to my mind, is not so much about voluptuousness in the sense of sex appeal, but rather the voluptuousness of fully experiencing the world around us, dwelling in the present, and mindfully engaging with the multitude of stimulation all around. For me, Volupte is a meditation retreat in a bottle, perfect for those times when you can't disappear for a week, but you really need a break.

This is a go to scent! On my skin it needs warm weather to really be apparent in all it's glory, but it is wearable year round, and I think it will be a wonderful anodyne to winter blahs. Elegantly casual, effortlessly chic. I feel like this is the perfect scent to wear when one isn't sure what note to hit, but needs to impress. Tremendously versatile, and a joy to experience.

Luscious, spicy violets with carnation, rose, freesia, heliotrope and amber very present in the mix, gradually fading into a sandalwood and patchouli base that retains the floral notes as well. I love this, and imagine it on a confident, feminine woman, most likely in a sultry tropical climate or mood. Vivid, colorful, and very sexy!