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kolian.vip – :
I just LOVE California, started wearing it when I started visiting my friend who lived in Valencia, Ca. in the early 90s. Should have known it would be discontinued. Always my luck. I ordered it last from Fragrence.com and the box was crushed. It used to be under $30 for 2 oz. No more, now $150 for the same thing. Guess I will have to find another “signature scent”. the au do toilette will evaporate soon like a splash of Jean NaTe. Why was it discontinued when “Charlie” is still around which my husband’s sister has worn for years and years and years? Totally unfair. Wish they would bring it back!
dre336Unlogrere – :
Oh wow. This is really nice! A definite cheapy-but-goodie. It’s sunny and citrusy with just the right amount of aldehydic debth. What surprised me is how evocative it is of Acqua di Parma Colonia. It’s by no means a dupe but they share many of the same characteristics; most notably the chipper antiseptic barber shop feel.
Like its namesake, California is a laid back scent. It’s a drive down Venice Beach during sunset. Or the latter part of a day of surfing– day is shifting to night and you’re sitting with your friends on the sand with your surfboards, chatting and gazing at the watery horizon. Happy and upbeat but introspective also. Dreamy.
Very happy with this blind buy. The price can’t be beat and the quality’s decent; doesn’t come off as cheap at all. Highly recommended.
NOTE: Like Colonia this stuff is quite on the masculine end of unisex! Still within the unisex border but dancing dangerously close to the line leading to pour homme territory. Ladies if you’re looking for something ultra feminine, look elsewhere. Also if you’re a dude, try it! You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
qwes123 – :
Long before vampires started to diminish till they finally reached an abysmal “My Little Pony” ontology (“my” does NOT indicate that I’ve ever owned one) and become as intimidating as these plastic playthings, there was a movie from 1987 called “The Lost Boys”. It was supposedly taking place in Santa Clara, a small fictitious Californian beach town and for 97 minutes the local vampire department haunting the movie was parading nearly everything I’ve loved and I’m still loving from that decade. Badass bikes, brassy altered garments embellished with tons of personal touch, glam-metal haircuts, shades worn 24/7, fires and saxophones on the beach, and last but not least, night queens with names like Jewel or Star whose joys and sorrows were dancing on the Pacific Ocean’s waves.
There’s a greek rock song coming from 1988 which describes the feeling of this era in a nutshell. It goes something like this…
I went out on an ancient Harley
looking just like a rusted warship.
Flying a black flag on its mast
while packing a .45 talisman.
The night is reeking with brilliantine.
Heady deodorants will make you swoon.
She gets undressed in front of the back rest
and I feel like I’m the biggest shot.
I went out on an ancient Harley.
Sitting behind me with no holds barred,
the Diva of Arcades and Bowling Alleys
glitters like chrome on the smoky stage.
The night is lit by countless lighters.
All eyes are hidden behind shades.
Burnt-out tyres and neon lamps.
Here comes the Queen of All Desires.
Exactly! The Queen of All Desires. With everything I’ve mentioned thus far being a subject of her queendom. And whilst she needs your blood or your vim so as to keep being “alive”, she never deprives you of them without qualms. So, rest assured that she will give you a helluva good time before she drags you forever in her world.
As you may have probably already understood by now, California is not the sunny beaches of Santa Monica or Santa Barbara, and all the less the ones of Santa Clara which doesn’t exist after all. California is all these beaches after the sun has set, where night creatures drench with their amber sweat all these jean jackets placed on the still warm sand before they’ll dry by the sea breeze under the moonlight. California is the distant and somewhat unnerving giggle coming from a part of the beach, where, no matter how hard you try, you still cannot descry anyone standing there, reaching the point of doubting your very own senses. Except one, since this warm but simultaneously cool and bittersweet in some strange way perfume is coming from all directions. And then suddenly you feel her presence behind you…
Thus I’ll daresay that even if California was initially launched under the name of Jaclyn Smith (ex-Charlie’s lighthearted Angel), its immaculate incarnation is Jami Gertz frozen in time. The eternal and unfading dark angel of the hot August nights.
Now, how can it be that since I remember myself I’ve always thought that the sexiest perfumes (winning by a landslide) were always the cheap ones. Could this be somehow related with my notion of good taste and finesse?
California is cheap. Maybe it’s a bit catchpenny as well. But it plays in a very certain beach volley court where every other perfume, now matter how pricey, chic or posh might be, doesn’t stand a chance. Put it against Dior’s Dune, which has a similar beachy concept, and Dune shall be razed and routed with a devastating 21-0. And rest assured I’ll be jumping and cheering on the tiers for every point won. For I believe that the combination of sweat and cheap perfume on hot summer nights is thunderously screaming “Venery!”, making me wholeheartedly wish that daylight never comes…
Journey – :
California in a bottle: citrus fruit of oranges, mandarins and lemons, delicious and fresh from orange groves. This smells like a very good laundry detergent or perfumed sachet for clothes in drawers that just happens to have more notes in it. The sweet flowers are white flowers but not heavily floral. On me this is a citrus bomb. The fragrance dries down into a soft wood. There’s some lavender and oak moss and has a very outdoorsy natural clean smell like clothes that have been hanging on a line in the sun. It’s also a bit like sun tan lotion. All these associations still smell like California. It’s a beach fragrance, a summer fragrance. I think this smells great in warm weather but it probably sours in cold weather so it makes me think that it’s really meant to be worn by California women. This is a scent of long lazy days by the pool and California summers: Malibu, Santa Monica, Catalina Island. If you like citrus, florals and woods, plus amber, this is a well composed fragrance. Longevity is decent, not great, but the sillage projection is strong so you need to apply with a light hand. Gorgeous.
pompyhoh079Unlogrere – :
As with so many good things, I came across this one quite by chance when looking for something else entirely. I bought online from an extremely informative listing that was titled “woman perfume” and a description that just called it “perfume, small bottle”! It cost me less than a day return bus ticket, including shipping from the US and so despite not knowing what it actually was I decided it’d be fun to have a surprise.
The bottle I have is a miniature that looks like the one in the picture above. A slightly odd shaped bottle, no box, no labels on it, but eventually I managed to find what it was – California by Dana!
This is a very pleasant fragrance, and it seems to me to suit it’s name – although I have never been to California – it has a feeling of summer, warmth, open space. It is also one of those scents that brings to mind summertime and feels appropriate regardless of the time of year. In fact, this works wonderfully in winter. It has some lovely gentle aldehydes that give the sunny clear airy feel.
I smell mainly these sunny airy aldehydes, a some soft clean florals, a little amber and sandalwood, and some natural smelling vanilla.
Longevity is reasonable especially at this price point, lasting 4-6 hours, and projecting maybe 1-2 feet
It feels very laidback and comfortable while also having a certain elegance.
I imagine it would appeal to those who like the original red cap D&G, Patou Chaldee, Le Galion Sortilege and so forth.
For a cheap budget scent this is really good, and definitely one to try if you come across it.
DoZavtra – :
I am reviewing the Dana asymmetrical bottle EDT 230ml.
This is a very inexpensive perfume, comes in a beautiful solid glass bottle with a gold lid. Almost looks like the colour of the sun setting over the ocean. Yes I could imagine sitting on the sand enjoying the last rays of another glorious day in California.
I find this fragrance quite masculine, there is a lot of moss and cedar with some musky amber undertones. Then other times I catch a whiff of something floral, this fragrance could easily be worn by everyone.
I’ve never been to California so I can’t say if it reminds me of there but I did grow up on the beaches of Sydney. There is definitely a reminiscent fragrance of gleaming bodies covered in suntan oil, racing barefoot across the hot sand to cool your feet in the salty pacific ocean. Something I think our two great countries have in common, gorgeous beaches and great weather.
chuper – :
Vintage 1989 Original Formula
Dana and Avon fragrances were my mother’s perfumes through the years. I remember smelling California when I was about 8 years old. It was too mature and grown up for me to wear but I wanted it for myself. I recently bought a vintage on ebay. Yes! It smells exactly the same as it did all those years ago. This fragrance is what I need right now because I’m freezing my bottom in the cold 30 and below degree weather here in Manhattan. When I wear this, I’m in sunny California, at the beach, in Malibu or even on the yacht of a very cute blond guy who is a surfer but who is also a sailor and works in his dad’s multi million dollar company. Of course only a fragrance can make me think such things. But that’s what I smell. I smell a blond playboy, I smell a beach house, I smell a yacht, I smell California in all it’s carefree relaxed laid back indolence. This fragrance is totally unisex by the way. It starts off with feminine touches of aldehydes and white floral scents, but it turns masculine on you. It’s got woodsy notes, oak moss, probably vetiver. It has citrus that is usually found in men’s colognes. It’s a bit like a barber shop after shave citric scent. The orange in particular is strong. But I’m glad it is. After all we’re in California where they have or used to have a lot of orange groves. Smells like a summer in California. The floral notes are abstract but they’re clearly white. I could detect jasmine gardenia and freesia. The lavender is the most prominent of the floral scents so much that this easily turns into a lavender with woods fragrance. Toward the end the whole thing is a warm musk. It’s warm like honey it’s like having been sleeping on your back with sun tan lotion on and the smell of the sun on your skin, the citrus you’ve eaten and this perfume are all together in one smell. This fragrance is HOT. It even puts me in a sexual mood. I love warm fragrances in winter. It keeps me in a good mood, it keeps me from feeling like an ice queen. This fragrance reminds me that somewhere there is sunshine, warmth, beaches and a world of leisure. I highly recommend the old vintage formula. Haven’t smelled the new formula but reformulations are never the same as the original. Get the old bottle that looks lopsided.
pustovaya – :
Review for the asymmetrical bottle.
This scent opens a bit harshly at first with a classic Dana oakmoss punch, reminiscent of Tabu, etc. This quickly gives way to a soapy aldehyde, as the harshness of the initial blast fades. The notes are a bit muddled, but still very pleasant. After a few min to settle on the skin, the soapy aldehydes give way to a pretty woody note that is touched with a floral powder. It’s a pleasant enough opening that has a strong 1980s vibe. The oakmoss is still in the background lending a nice dirty edge to the powdery and floral touched woods. It’s a really nice balance of naughty and nice.
Once fully into the heart, the beauty of this scent blossoms. The powder is much more evident and the florals become dominate to the woods. The oakmoss and woods ground the composition and gives a beautiful contrast to the powder and florals.
The dry down is very powdery. It’s a really beautiful and well crafted powder note. Quite pleasant and, dare I say, beautiful. There is still a heavy dose of oakmoss under the powder acting as a counter balance and I am again reminded of Tabu, except where Tabu is spiced this scent is powdery.
Overall this scent is a really beautiful powdery classic. The projection and silage are both very strong and the longevity is great. 12-16 hours before it disappears. Though discontinued, you can still get this scent very affordably, and I believe it is definitely a great addition to anyone’s collection who loves powder and oakmoss.
For the price I say it’s a great and beautiful buy.
SladeSmafKams – :
Yes, the original max factor JS version is best…. Modern version is a cheap ” kool aide” version….reminds me of Dune by Dior a bit….
ZooLoo – :
A soft, powdery, beautiful floral – my 3 yr old daughter loves this on me best! Surprising really, because I have a wonderful collection of high end perfumes and she prefers this to my Chanel 5 and the Dior & Guerlain range in my collection!
I found myself wearing this a lot around the house for her sake. And in the process fell completely and madly in love with it too. So much so that I never want to be without it! I’ve stocked up well on this from a local perfumery as it is getting harder and harder to find.
It is powdery, soft and sweet but not cloying at all. The citrus top note in this is understated and the cologne has a very comforting lightly spiced floral aroma that goes rather well with my skin’s chemistry. And thankfully the oakmoss is negligible.
Gentle and beautiful, I consider this one of the best drugstore finds ever!
Update: Now I know why I love this so much – it smells exacrly like a lighter cologne version of another love in my collection – the beautiful timeless classic ‘Lanvin Arpege’!!
ара – :
I wanted to like this and usually like fragrances with these notes.I enjoyed the initial application but soon some very unpleasant loud sweet cloying note appeared. Unlike most cheap perfumes, this one is not subtle and I had to scrub it off.Although this fragrance is definitely different, which is usually a plus, this one is a mish-mash of notes that just don’t work. It has disappeared with good reason.
mastablixo – :
remember owning one like this .. bought from max factor … california with jaclyn smith on their ad..
however loving it wore it to the last drop 😉
oksi – :
Had a bottle when I was a teenager; it was a gift. Remembered it like a casual, subtle and fun scent. Liked it…
Cetcoowlvet – :
Oh, this perfume’s a disappointment for me!
Going by the good reviews of it, and having bought Dana French Vanilla perfume recently over the internet – and loving it – I decided to try this one. It’s a letdown for me though because it doesn’t smell even remotely sunny, fresh or Californian to me! It smells kind of woody yet sweet, a bit musty, and I’d say more masculine than feminine, despite its sweet aspect. In fact, it reminds me of cheap drugstore men’s fragrances from the 70’s, perhaps!! It’s not the worst scent I’ve ever smelled but it’s definitely far from being the best and is very wrong for me!
Unlike Dana French Vanilla (which is VERY nice), California is definitely not a keeper for me and I’ll be glad to get rid of it!
Любима – :
This perfumes was sold by Jaclyn Smith Brand… I remember… its ad says:
“From her position beneath the sun-dappled palms, she applied the subtle fragrance behind each delicate ear.
Meriel stood up swiftly.
With a movement like melting gold, she poured herself into the pink machine wich growled at her touch.
The horizon was so much closer now.
Just one question still remained:
Was the fragrance California, or was she finally there?”
osmaikal – :
THe notes r perfect for each other.It reminds me of drinking a cold citrus drink ,while sitting under a massive tree for shade.out from under the tree it is scorching hot,but u have ur frozen drink and the water only a few feet away to swim in.VEry refreshing.Cooling,and a great summer scent.Doesnt overpower but still lasts a long time.