I got to thinking about the longevity of most perfumes when I was reading Smedley's "oomph" thread. Most perfume I have--even the Opium parfum I wore to bed last night--needs to be reapplied after 6-8 hours, even though some traces may still be detected. But I was astonished at a perfume--one I thought was so demure--hung in there at full power for 14 hours.......would you believe vintage Heaven Sent? I applied it in the morning (this was in May, just didn't think to post about it until now) at 6 AM, and went to a dress rehearsal for a group with which I sing at 8 that evening. The moment I walked in the room and wafted past the director, she made a snippy comment about "someone wearing perfume" (yes, definitely me--wearing fragranced anything in a chorus environment has become an unforgivable sin, and I sin regularly ). The whole reason I wore Heaven Sent in the first place was that I figured it would die down and smell like gentle powder by the time I got to rehearsal. Hardy har har.

I mean, we all know that Giorgio, Red, White Diamonds and the like have hang time--it's a big part of their poor reputation. But Heaven Sent? Yikes. I was floored. I absolutely did not remember it being so powerful!

What perfumes have surprised you with their hang time?

I think for me, Chanel Allure- I can't even scrub it off! That has lasted all day and overnight, it is a shame I can't wear it anymore. I find staying power and sillage to be increasingly hard to find nowadays in many perfumes, it drives me crazy as both of these attributes are so necessary for me to be able to fully enjoy a fragrance.

Lipstick Rose I find lasts well, that will normally stick around for most of the day. Funny thing, my latest bottle of Habanita EDT doesn't last well now, the powder and tobacco notes are less evident ( could be my chemistry) and I have to concentrate to smell it after a couple of hours. Habanita used to be a reliable powerhouse perfume of mine, but not anymore....

Just thinking of perfumes worn lately, 24, Faubourg, for sure. I measure even the edt of that one in drops when I wear it and it just won't quit. A couple of days ago I was walking through the bedroom and smelled a delightful light amber scent in the air. "What is that beautiful smell," I wondered? It was wafts of the drydown of 24, Faubourg lingering in the air two days later! Now my strategy with it is to use it as a "starter" perfume. Just put on a couple of drops and let it run. It will permeate everything around you and you would only have to apply a couple more drops about four or five days later!

Very sorry to hear about the Habanita edt, Lorelei! A bottle I got two years ago was behind an infamous short and long-term hang incident.
Ambre Narguilé surprised me recently, surviving 24 hours and a neck washing.

I tend to put it down to wearing something "new" - I catch a whiff of something different and unexpected from my wrist, perhaps, late in the day when I haven't re-applied anything. I'm not sure whether it means my new perfume is particularly tenacious, or simply that I'm smelling something unfamiliar.

Heaven Sent - oh Diva I haven't smelled that since the 60s! Rubinstein's answer to Arden's Blue Grass? Or am I getting confused?

Fiordi, if it's okay with you I think I can answer that question, as a person who was familiar with both in their heyday. Heaven Sent was the first perfume I "bought" (with the help of my dad) at the age of eight as a gift for my mother. I picked it out myself. The original HS was a rather sweet oriental, just a tiny bit spicy and having a powdery drydown. As a teenager, Blue Grass was my first "signature scent" until I started branching out at about age 15. BG was (and possibly still is) a floral aldehydic, a little sweet and with a pungent note. I would not put them in the same category as competitors although they may have been competing for the same market. As you can see, they both succeeded in my market! As Diva has been wearing vintage HS recently, she may have more details.

Everyone here talks about how light YSL Paris is but for me it has some serious hang time and sillage.

Jen, ITA. When I first tested Paris I put some on my wrists and it took at least three days to totally wash it off!

Heaven Sent was always strong on me. And the lotion which I still have is still going strong some 10+ years later!

Beyond Love by Kilian - the 24 hr. Tuberose. But I ain't complaining.

Oh yeah, gotta chime in here for the vintage Heaven Sent. I have a bottle of vintage Heaven Sent EDP and even the smallest application lasts and lasts. It is a good scent though, so I really don't mind its staying power. Some others in my collection that hang around till I have to scrub them off are Poison, Allure, Allure Sensuelle, Giorgio Red, and L'Interdit. The one that really surprised me was Black Cashmere, just from my first impression of it I didn't think it would be able to go the distance, but it did and then some!

Lordy Deeve the hangtime thing made me snicker , yeah yeah , I know totally immature on my part ....

Amarige wins hands down , not only does it have serious hang time , it defies laundry detergent , water and downy , nothing in this world can make it go away.

Youth Dew comes in at second , never put it on skin but one day I spritzed a blotter and left it in my purse , the drydown was heavenly after twenty four hours.


Tom Ford's BO seems to want to stick around , but it and Angel will only get honourable mentions due to the possibility that my disliking this could be colouring my perceptions of hangtime with these two.

Tommy Girl. I slipped on a jacket after the testing on my forearm was dry and it still lingered on that sleeve after a laundering.

Let me add a quick caveat: Tommy Girl is actually inoffensive on a coworker of mine. It's still synthetic smelling to my nose, but it's far less vile than on my skin. I actually don't mind passing her in the hall.

That reminds me, I used to wear YSL Babydoll and that lasted all day and through the night, I was even told it was strong hours after I had applied it.

I find that most of the Chanels have a curious ability to last on my skin. It must be something about their construction that perfectly melds with my chemistry. This is a good thing, because I love most Chanel frangrances ---- OK, I love all of them. There. I said it!

And, I know I'm becoming tedious with my repetition...but I want my beloved scents to remain the same - I have chosen certain perfumes because I love the way they smell and the way they last -- so why, oh why, do the makers of perfumes change the ingredients?(to make them more cheaply, of course....) But if a perfume is still in production, I think the formula should remain the same. I'm fairly certain the makers think we don't notice these little tweaks, but we do!

White Linen. I like it, but I can't kill it with a stick either.

Montale Black Oud... that one lasts for days and you have to wash it out of your clothes.

[quote name='smedley' date='Jul 30 2008, 01:22 PM' post='391430']
I find that most of the Chanels have a curious ability to last on my skin. It must be something about their construction that perfectly melds with my chemistry. This is a good thing, because I love most Chanel frangrances ---- OK, I love all of them. There. I said it!

[b][b][b][b]And, I know I'm becoming tedious with my repetition...but I want my beloved scents to remain the same - I have chosen certain perfumes because I love the way they smell and the way they last -- so why, oh why, do the makers of perfumes change the ingredients?(to make them more cheaply, of course....) But if a perfume is still in production, I think the formula should remain the same. I'm fairly certain the makers think we don't notice these little tweaks, but we do!

BIG ditto! I hate it when I buy a beloved perfume and find it has changed!!

Anais Anais! It's such a light, clean scent... those are usually not this strong and tenacious. I can still smell it on myself loud and clear in the morning after putting it on in the late afternoon/early evening.

2 weeks ago i used Kenzo Elephant on my scarf, - it is cold in Melbourne now, decided to wear the same scarf yesterday and it was still there, much softer and very, very lovely.

Now that is the sign of a good perfume Smelka! I get the same result with Mitsouko. It doesn't smell old and musty either.

*runs shrieking into the night*

Snicker away. babe. We expect nothing less!

ITA about Amarige and YD. They hang in there for the loooong haul.

Diva, MS Stephanie, and Andy Tauer's Orris, last 24 plus hours.

Dolce & Gabbana Sicily and Jean Paul Gaultier Classique last and last.

Exactly what I was going to say... I do find it a gorgeous smell, though.

The ones that last longest on me are Ormonde Jayne Woman, Anne Pliska (lasts longer than I can detect it), Mitsouko, White Linen ... but these don't surprise me with their hang time.

One that recently did surprise me was Un Jardin sur le Nil. I apparently got some on my clothing, and it lasted for a good 12 hours. I didn't expect that.

I recall my early samplings of Lutens , the likes of Arabie , Chypre Rouge , Cedre .... lets just say those few samps left an impression.

Imagine my shock when I unscrewed my first decant of Un Lys ...."is not Lutens! , I can barely smell it" I put it on and thought to myself that it was lovely and light and airy , nope , can't be his ....

Imagine a few moments later , aha , its gone , cannot be his.

then another few moments "oooh , its back" , and then still a few moments later "drat , its gone , I was enjoying that"

this whole thing repeats for hours and hours , as I grow more shocked with the scent , the scent itself grows and grows , goes away , comes back


Un Lys is not the greatest hang time of them all , but it is trippy how it hangs around , seems to disappear , comes back stronger.

My little boy sprayed one spray of Pink Sugar in our bedroom, (the candy smell is irrestible to him.) and it lasted for days.
He played with my Red Door mini, which he likes because it really is shaped liked a little red door, and his hands carried the sillage just from handling the bottle.

He likes the bottle of Curious and I have caught a whiff of it in the air and knew he was into it. When I was on the phone with my daughter after the birth of her child, he suddenly sprayed me with the Curious. I think he wanted attention.

Boudoir! It's scent that won't GO AWAY

Caron Eau de Reglisse lasts a long time and it's an edt.

What perfumes have surprised you with their hang time?
[/quote]

Lauder's "Knowing." It is perfume strength, but often, even those don't last on me. A pleasant surprise.

Re: Heaven Sent: I have a little bottle of the vintage EDP, and was trying to get the top off. A couple of drops spilled onto my keyboard. I could still smell it three weeks later! An odd scent, a little oily, not sure I'd want to wear it in a crowded room -- but my computer smelled fantastic, for a computer.

A second on Jardin Sur le Nil -- I expected this one to last 10 minutes. A pleasant surprise -- it was there hours later!

I'm often disappointed in the longevity of fragrances. My skin just eats them. So I spray -- dabs are a waste of time -- onto my shirt, and I get a little more time that way.

One that surprised me was Messe de Minuit. It's labelled eau de cologne, but I can still smell it the day after I spray it on.

Heritage and Nuit de Noël also last very long.

Thoroughly agreed - yet I'm thoroughly acclimatized and barely notice it on myself after an hour, sometimes less. It's incredibly tenacious in clothes. The sprayer sends a fair amount out in a wide arc. Daubing it on as opposed to spraying tames it somewhat.
Messe de Minuit tipping point reached. Mail order to follow.

I wore a little Burberry Brit to bed the other night. It was still strong the next morning.

Tea Rose by Perfumers Workshop - very strong & super long lasting. I ended up diluting my bottle of this in some jojoba oil. It was easier to wear & still lasted approx. 6 hours.

One that always surprises me is Cartier Must. I sprayed it the other day in the air and the tiny cloud landed on my skin. It was still there in the following morning! Now I am once again addicted to the stuff, I smell just gorgeous!

Hermes Kelly Caleche. The first day I wore it, I applied at 7 AM . . . I could still detect it when I woke up THE NEXT DAY.

Most JCE scents don't have that kind of hang time, so hat's off (and good thing I really liked it).

Gendarme - 48+ hours of undiluted strength. Gag.

Michael for Men - at least 24 hours.

Hanae Mori H.M. - at least 24 hours. Thankfully, after the first couple of hours it settles down nicely.

Lorenzo Villoresi's Dilmun - Avoid at all costs - won't wash or scrub off, undiluted strength for 4+ hours, then (like a nosey neighbor) hangs around far longer than it should.