Emeraude by Coty (1921)

 Looking at the beautiful chartreuse-colored liquid in the retro '60s bottle with a gold crown cap and gorgeous diagonal font upwards, I get nostalgic for a time I never belonged to.

At first whiff, Emeraude is sharp, aldehydic, and citrusy-resinous, but just as quickly  it hints that it will mellow out into a creamy amber/vanilla drydown.

It definitely smells old fashioned, but not in an off-putting way — I'm smelling my wrists the way I would a beloved's shirt, taking in deep breaths and trying to capture everything. It is a comforting yet almost haunting fragrance — warm and otherworldly.

The sharpness of the perfume and its subsequent smoothness mimic the typical cut of an emerald's surface: elegant angles combined with reflective smoothness.

The longer Emeraude is on, the more wonderful it is. (Is that civet I detect, a slight funkiness that adds some sexuality to this well-turned out, conservative, good conversationalist who is making me feel comfortable at this party, and maybe even slightly in love? It's not listed in the ingredients, but I choose to believe...) It's like a lime-flavored creamsical in its contrasting notes.

Emeraude, the drug-store classic, is a true gem.

Top notes: Orange, bergamot, tarragon
Heart notes: Jasmine, ylang-ylang, Rose and Brazilian rosewood
Base notes: Amber, sandalwood, patchouli, opoponax, benzoin and vanilla.

Comments

[Mals86]

After a mad vintage spree on eBay over the summer, I now own bottles (mostly miniatures) of the following, usually in either parfum or parfum de toilette, and the occasional eau de cologne:
Arpege, Baghari, Bal a Versailles, Chamade, Diva, Ivoire, Jolie Madame, L'Aimant, L'Origan, Lauren, Magie Noire, Shalimar (80's pdt), Vent Vert, Le Dix, Balenciaga Michelle, Je Reviens, Toujours Moi (Max Factor), Indiscret, Fath de Fath (original), Nahema, Joy, Lauder Private Collection, Knowing, No. 19, and a really old No. 5 that is just glorious.

Some of them didn't suit me, and I passed them on; some suit me very well and I wear them.

(Also just bought one of those Les Meilleurs Parfums de Paris coffrets, with Jolie Mme, Antilope, Baghari, Climat, Graffiti, Vivara, Fidji, and Le De. $14, bottles full except for the Molyneaux Vivre, which had leaked, whatta deal!! Haven't gotten it in the mail yet, can't wait to smell it.)

But the jewel of the bunch is the 60's Emeraude parfum. I loved it in its already-diminished 80's edc version - and fell in love with it all over again with the discovery of that 70's pdt... I now have *six* bottles of parfum and pdt, and wear them frequently. I love the lush smoothness of it - it's so velvety.

[Perfumaniac]

Mad vintage spree, indeed! That is quite a collection to amass over a summer. The lady knows what she wants! Bravo. I might snag a few on your inspirational list.

[brigitte]

Got this as a sample from a great lady in New Orleans and when I read what was in the vial I thought I would be smelling something somewhat old fashioned. Quite the contrary... with my body chemistry I get warm, buttery,vanilla that is soft, yet lush and I can't stop sniffing my wrist! This one is truly a gem!

[Carol Parker]

I have been usung Emeraude Perfume for 44 years and so had my mother before me. I was 52 years old, my daughter about17, very pretty. We visted a tropical reastarant/bar/ nightclub near our home. We sat at the bar and a nice looking young man sitting next to us, asked to buy me a drink. I laughed and said, "I'm old enough to be your mother." I introduced my daughter and said she was the right age for him. He ignored her and turned back to me coaxing me to accet a drink from him. I asked him again why and he, bending near my neck, said, "Because you smell good."

Emeraude on my body transports me to a tropical jungle with coconut being the chief odor. Even today at age 71, men and women still commnet on the rare fragrence. Now I can't get any. And I cannot wear anything else as I have anosmia (no sense of smell) but I could never forget it's wonderful fragrance and how it makes me feel. I can't wait to find a bottle without a spray top.
Sincerely
Carol

[Sniffsniffyum.blogspot.com]

Have you tried the modern edc version? I like it, love it even, but I didn't for the longest time. On me, all I smell are the citrus and the woods, no florals, no jasmine or ylang ylang. sadly, in an hour, she's all but vanished. I'd LOVE an EDP version.

[Anne Scott]

Dancing to Sloop John B, being nineteen and wearing Coty Emeraude from that lovely bottle, fond memories.

[Perfumaniac]

Anne, what a lovely memory. I don't know if any commenters have ever included a soundtrack to their olfactory memory! I love it. I almost feel like you transplanted the mood of your memory into me...Thanks for commenting...