When I think of carnations, the associations I have aren't particularly appealing. I think of them being the "cheap" flower you get when you can't afford anything else; I think of them affixed to 1970s polyester prom suits; or I think of them in awful dyed colors you'd never see in nature, like pastel green, purple, and...blue.
A lot of readers mentioned that Blue Carnation was a perfume their mothers wore, and eBay auctions priced it out of my curiosity sampling range, so I was excited to find a dram of it at a flea market recently, in pristine condition, for 3 bucks. (You can see it in the top row, in the middle of the photo of my perfume booty below, just one of many perfumes I nabbed at the market that day.)
When I first dabbed Blue Carnation on, its sharp and herbal opening salvo was so unfamiliar and harsh (with a prominent anise note) that by the time its predominant, dense clove cigarette accord arrived, I was truly baffled and put off. This stuff is strong!
But I love acquiring tastes, and it didn't take long for me to cozy up to Blue Carnation. Or, rather, it cozied up to me. Round, velvety, spicy-sweet clove is a comforting note, not one you encounter a lot in modern perfumes in this strong an incarnation (see what I did there?), but I could totally see getting hooked on this very dated smelling perfume.
Bellodgia is another famous carnation scent, one I will review next, and it is much more nuanced, light, and floral than Blue Carnation, which sings in a lower register than Bellodgia's higher pitched, more recognizably feminine voice.
Victoria from Bois de Jasmin tells us that eugenol gives both carnations and cloves their sweet heavy scents, and I would love to smell carnation absolute to be able untangle the nuances between the two, so clove-like is Blue Carnation.*
Like perfumes with prominent violet notes, carnation's exotic unfamiliarity takes us back to a different era. It would smell on a modern woman as vintage as alligator pumps and a square-shouldered suit would look on a teenager at the mall.
One of my favorite perfume interlocutors, Anne-Marie from Down Under, sent me the same link I sent her last night from (again!) Bois de Jasmin, which included wonderful quotes from perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena's book Le Parfum. The quote she sent me seems most apt for this post: "'Perfume," he writes, "is a product of society and, in this sense, is condemned to die if its myth and its memory are not maintained..."
I like to think that I and my vintage perfume-lovers-in-arms (noses?) are doing our best, one drop and dram at a time, to halt perfume's death sentence the best we can.
*More from Bois de Jasmin: "Produced mostly in France and Holland, carnation absolute is rare, with a heavy, spicy floral aroma tinged by sweet dark honey notes. It is a blend of clove, black pepper and exotic sweetness of ylang ylang, which incidentally are often used to reproduce carnation scents...In perfumery, it is common to employ synthetic substances like eugenol, isoeugenol and eugenyl acetate to accentuate floral character and to lend a clove and carnation-like scent."
** Roger & Gallet is a Parisian perfume house that's been around since 1862. Cleopatra's Boudoir perfume expert lists those perfumes some of which, in contradiction to that date, start on her list in 1806.
So thrilled to hear that you will be reviewing Bellogia next and secretly hoping that you will stay on the Caron theme and review Fleurs de Rocailles and Nocturnes de Caron as well. Caron is a true perfume house that I feel is often overlooked. Did you know that in the Caron perfumery salon in NYC you can actually decant from 13 boutique perfumes housed in quite large Baccarat fountain flacons?
Posted by: breathe31 | May 19, 2011 at 10:16 AM
A perfume with a carnation note almost always suits me, which is, I think, one of my biggest scent surprises ever. Especially as I don't much care for the scent of the actual flower.
Posted by: Isis | May 19, 2011 at 11:54 AM
Have you tried Blue Carnation, Isis? What's your favorite perfume with a carnation note?
Posted by: Perfumaniac | May 19, 2011 at 12:17 PM
Hi breathe31. It's funny because I smelled Bellodgia before Blue Carnation, and set it aside because I didn't like it. But once I got used to the heavy-sweet scent of Blue Carnation, and could appreciate its beauty, I revisited Bellodgia and realize how subtle and multifaceted it is. So I'm glad Blue Carnation's intensity paved the way! I would love to review Fleurs de Rocailles and Nocturnes de Caron. If anyone wants to send me decants...(hint, hint!) Otherwise, off to eBay I go...Also, I've heard about the Caron salon. Not sure why I never visited! Sounds fantastic.
Posted by: Perfumaniac | May 19, 2011 at 12:19 PM
Isis,
I just checked out your adorable blog. I love its look! So freaking cute. Check it out, everyone: http://fortieswardrobe.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Perfumaniac | May 19, 2011 at 12:41 PM
Thank you! How sweet of you to say that about my blog!
No, I haven't tried Blue Carnation yet, but now it's definitely on my wish list! My favourite with carnation is a perfume oil from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab called Horreur Symphatique. But then it only have notes of win for me; blood musk, honey, black wine, champagne grapes, tobacco flower, plum blossom, tonka bean, oakmoss, carnation, benzoin, opoponax and sugar cane.
Posted by: Isis | May 19, 2011 at 01:13 PM
Hmm. It was great to try the sample of Bellodgia you so kindly sent me, but I didn't love it, despite my curiosity. It seemed to turn a bit soapy? So maybe Blue Carnation would suit me better. I love cloves. I have no idea what plant cloves come from. Same family as carnation? Must do some research.
A department store near me stocks a few Roger and Gallet fragrances, mostly rather thin, watery stuff designed to please everyone, and so satisfying and loved by no-one. But the bath and body products do look quite nice. Is Roger and Gallet one of those companies that have gone cheap and mainstream in recent years, do you think? Or was it always mainstream? I can't quite place it.
Posted by: Anne | May 20, 2011 at 05:59 AM
Bellodgia was horribly soapy on me as well. I would love to try Blue Carnation (you're right, it's ridiculously spendy on teh Bay), since I adore carnations both fresh and in fragrance. I have a small treasured decant of Floris Malmaison - originally a masculine scent and now discontinued, due to restrictions on eugenol. My favorite carnation scent is DSH Oeillets Rouges, which I thought was also ridiculously expensive until I went pricing carnation absolute, which OR contains a fair percentage of.
Posted by: Mals86 | May 20, 2011 at 12:06 PM
Anne- cloves are the sundried flower buds from a tropical tree of the myrtle family. Carnations are flowers-the absolute is difficult to obtain making it extremely expensive. Roger and Gallet was founded (as a perfume house and perfume supplier to Napoleon) in 1806 by Jean Marie Farina, a descendent of the inventor of Eau de Cologne. In 1862,Armond Roger and Charles Gallet took over the perfume operation and expanded into skin care and soaps. The company was purchased by L'Oreal in 2008, hence the mainstream production.
Posted by: breathe31 | May 20, 2011 at 12:15 PM
Anne - I'm with you. Bellodgia is more a perfume to be admired than loved, perhaps. (But I'm going to give it another try.) Blue Carnation is almost all cloves, all the time, so if you like that, you should definitely try it. I think Roger & Gallet is a pretty well-respected perfumer, but I'm just getting introduced to them, so I can't really say what their perfumes are like. Breathe31 did a little research for you...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | May 20, 2011 at 05:16 PM
Thanks Breath31, the word l"Oreal explains all. It might also explain why I never saw R&G products in Australia until quite recently. L'Oreal could distribute to the Moon if they wanted to. And all this talk of carnations has made me interested in them again. Barbara, I'm so envious of your flea market haul, by the way. Grrr.
Posted by: Anne | May 20, 2011 at 06:44 PM
I'm glad you finally got a chance to try Blue Carnation (and I'm envious of your flea market haul!) My mother had this and I remember it as much more well-rounded and complex than just "all cloves, all the time", but the two bottles I have bought from eBay have fit that description pretty well. I wonder if my memory is at fault or if it just tends not to age very well. I suspect it is the latter, as I do have a small jar of powder (not dusting powder, more of a sachet powder or dry perfume) and it smells much closer to what I remember.
Posted by: 50_Roses | May 21, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Hi 50_Roses, I hope I didn't convey that Blue Carnation was only cloves — but it does overwhelm the perfume. I guess if I were going to say more about it, I'd say there might be some tobacco or leather, a little vanilla maybe? And as I mentioned about the top notes, a kind of herbal quality like anise, combined with an extreme aldehydes. It's wonderful, just really clovey! What do you remember about it, that you can detect in the powder you have, but not necessarily the perfume? (And yes, my haul was pretty great. Kind of unusual, but I'm not complaining.)
Posted by: Perfumaniac | May 21, 2011 at 01:29 PM
My flea market haul was pretty rad, Anne! Don't hate! :-)
Posted by: Perfumaniac | May 21, 2011 at 01:30 PM
I guess what I remember about Blue Carnation (and can detect in the powder) is not so much a matter of different notes but just a different balance. The BC I remember definitely had a clove note, it just didn't overwhelm the perfume. The clove had less presence, and the other notes had more presence, than in the two bottles I have. I seems as if the other notes may deteriorate more over time, while the clove survives, so that in time the perfume becomes more and more clove-y smelling. I wonder if it may be an issue of photosensitivity. Many women keep their bottles of perfume out on a vanity or dresser, exposed to the light, whereas the jar of powder may have likely been kept in a drawer or cabinet, away from the light. Perhaps some of the ingredients in BC decompose readily with exposure to light.
As for Bellodgia, I have a relatively new bottle of EdP and a vintage bottle of extrait. I don't like the EdP precisely because it is too much clove. I bought it because I thought the EdT in the tester was too watery, and I hoped EdP would smell the same but stronger. I didn't realize it was a different composition (with way more clove!) and wish I would have bought the EdT and just used it lavishly. The vintage extrait, however, is gorgeous, although not very long-lasting on my skin.
Posted by: 50_Roses | May 21, 2011 at 02:31 PM
I don't get why people don't like carnations. I think they are durable and smell lovely.
And they are cheap because they are ubiquitous. Well, so what? Lilacs and honeysuckles are everywhere, and I think they smell much better than roses. The rare-is-better school of thought doesn't always fly with me.
Posted by: Joan | May 22, 2011 at 11:29 PM
Hi Joan, I don't usually like carnations not because I subscribe to the rare-is-better school of thought, but because I don't like carnations! (Well, the way they look, anyway.) But I'm warming up to the smell of carnations, or cloves, or some mix of the two...As with violets, I think most people just aren't used to smelling them in perfume, so it takes some getting used to.
Posted by: Perfumaniac | May 23, 2011 at 02:43 AM
I don’t know how you feel about blog awards, some like them, some don’t, but either way I gave one to you and featured your blog here:
http://fortieswardrobe.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-won-award.html
I hope you don’t find it too awful!
Posted by: Isis | May 24, 2011 at 09:30 AM
Hi Joan! I agree wholeheartedly about carnations being durable. They last such a long time in the vase, I feel that I really get my money's worth. I once had a bouquet of carnations (from the grocery store at that) last for a full three weeks in the vase! Unfortunately, lilacs and honeysuckle are NOT ubiquitous where I live. I don't think I've ever seen either one in real life. We do have a lot of jasmine, though, and that stuff is remarkably potent. Just a few blossoms will perfume an entire backyard.
Posted by: 50_Roses | May 24, 2011 at 07:53 PM
So sweet, Isis. Thanks! I love your graphics...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | May 25, 2011 at 02:33 AM
Does anyone know where I can buy Blue Carnation perfume? 50 years ago it was my favorite but haven't thought of it till just recently as we're preparing to celebrate our 57th wedding anniversary. Thanks.
Charleen [email protected]
Posted by: Charleen | May 26, 2011 at 03:01 AM
eBay and estate sales, Charleen. I got mine at a flea market for $3. If you just want a sample whiff and not a bottle, theperfumedcourt.com has it...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | May 26, 2011 at 11:35 AM
Napoleon was a wholehearted user and had a boot flask specially made for him to carry in his boot - the flask was called the "Rouleau de l'Empereur".
You can find more info and a full range of Roger Gallet products online on our website.
Posted by: Roger et Gallet fan | June 08, 2011 at 08:55 PM
I love this blog! I once bought a bottle of Blue Carnation dry perfume from an antique shop for a few dollars. It was full and sealed. OH! Heaven!! It was fabulous, so spicy but with a mellowness. I used the entire bottle in a couple of years, and have been searching for it ever since. I have never smelled the true perfume version, only the dry powder perfume.
Posted by: glamour kitty | May 13, 2012 at 07:52 PM
wow.... lux for me
Posted by: resep puding praktis | October 21, 2014 at 05:40 PM
I was so happy to see your site. Wonderful. A trip back in time. I still remember my mother's vanity. This was almost 50 years ago. Blue Carnation soap. Perfume bottles of Caleche, Crepe de Chine, Tailspin, Fleur de Rocailles. My father had a drugstore and believe it or not, they sold these brands. Now I buy Blue Carnation soap when I see it on eBay or sometimes in thrift stores. It is a treasure. Thank you
Posted by: Fleur de Rocailles Fan | June 13, 2015 at 05:35 PM