MITSOUKO year 2013: does the Empress strike back?

ABSTRACT
Mitsouko, the "Mysterious", the Empress of Perfumes.... it's one of the true "legendary" perfumes, produced by Guerlain since 1919.
Superb, immediately recognizable, Mitsouko was subject to many reformulations, including a particularly critical one that took place around 2007-8, which significantly changed the perfume.

DIOR HOMME INTENSE : 4-batches review.

Dior Homme, in the EDP ("Intense") version, launched in 2007, had a lot of controversies in the past two years , when it was said that this perfume had been "drastically reformulated".
The fact took place in second half of 2011: in that year there were slightly changes in outer packages, and some details of the bottles changed, too.
The "reformulation" news sparked a wave of frenzy and rushes to buy bottles of  "vintage" Dior Homme Intense ("vintage" is an unusual term here, since we're talking about a perfume launched in 2007... ), resulting in increased prices and speculations of all kinds.
In this article, a possibly accurate analysis of the alleged differences between the various "vintages" of Dior Homme Intense will occur, using two bottles for the period alleged "pre-reformulation ", and two for the same period post-reformulation .

MISSONI (The original) by Missoni,1982.

YEAR: 1982
Top: Bergamot, Hyacynth, Cassia, Aldehydes, Raspberry
Middle: Rose, Geranium, Ylang-Ylang, Iris, Jasmin
Base: Honey, Oakmoss, Civet, Amber, Patchouly, Styrax.
Longevity: at least 10 hours
Sillage Great.
Season: Autumn/Winter
Rating: 9/10

ABSTRACT
"When the colors become scents" "Do something colorful" " said advertisement from the Eighties.
Ah, those marvelous taglines: other times, other perfumery.

VENDETTA pour Homme (Valentino, 1991)

Year: 1991
Top:  Verbena, Neroli, Lavender, Bergamot, Basil, Coriander, Aldehydes
Middle: Clove, Geranium, Jasmin, Cedar, Vetiver, Cinnamon, Bay-Rum
Base: Patchouli, Oakmoss, Musk, Labdanum, Musk, Amber, TonkaBean, Benzoin
Parfumeur: Edouard Flèchier
Longevity: about 5-6 hours
Sillage:: high. 
Rating: 8.5/10

Famous stylist and designer Valentino is known  in perfumery, according to some, as "the one who missed the boat ". Terms may be too drastic to indicate a Maison which, while other scents hit the market repeatedly, remained motionless and almost detached from the games.

BEL AMI (Hermès,1986)

Year: 1986
Top: Lemon, Cardamon, Sage, Orange, Bergamot
Middle: Ylang-ylang, Iris, Basil, Carnation, Jasmin, Patchouli, Cedar
Base: Vanilla, Sandalwood, Vetyver, Leather, Coconut, Oakmoss, Amber, Styrax
Perfumer: JeanLouis Sieuzac
VOTO: 10/10


ABSTRACT: There is no need to ask Guy de Maupassant : even without the encouragement of the famous French writer , BelAmi has been a fabulous scent of the '80s, with rare elegance, still in production (although reformulated).

Vintage GUERLAIN perfumes and batch codes: a guide.

A comprehensive guide to Guerlain perfumes, from rare vintage fragrances to modern releases, including the history of each period, boxes, bottles, labels, and expert tips to help you identify genuine Guerlain perfumes with confidence.

Here we are going to investigate the -historically- most famous perfume house: Guerlain.
It's a bit difficult task, because Guerlain adopted several "letters and numbers", different boxes, and complicate batch-codes,  indicating "Years" and "Months". So, we should have a look at: boxes, labels, symbols and perfume "launch date", simultaneously, to obtain an additional help.

RUMBA (Balenciaga,1988)

Year: 1988
Top: Bergamot, Raspberry, Plum, Orange Blossom, Peach, Basil
Middle: Honey, Gardenia, Tuberose, Carnation, Heliotrope, Marigold, Jasmine, Magnolia, Orchid
Base: Styrax, Leather, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Musk, Amber, Cedar, Oakmoss, Patchouli.
Perfumers: Ron Winnegrad and JeanClaude Ellena
VOTO: 9/10


ABSTRACT  -"Blast from the Past" - This is a female fragrance by Balenciaga launched during 1988. Did I say "fragrance"? Let's be honest, this was not just a perfume: this was an olfactive cannon shot.
If you want to go unnoticed, Rumba definitely is not the perfume right for you; but if you want the whole world to turn towards you, this is the scent.