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Kayariafuemia – :
Hi RDfaerie, I think I may know the answer as to why you smell bitter chemicals in Halston Classic, when so many others like myself just adore this fragrance. It could be that Halston has an unpleasant personal association for you, but it might literally be the chemical makeup.
I’m about to go all Perfume Nerd on you, sorry.
I suspect that the culprit is Calendula Officinalis or English Marigold (also known as Pot Marigold). In Australia, English Marigolds are called Stinking Rogers. Nuff said. The scent is different to Tegetes, another plant which also goes by the common name of Marigold. That is sweeter and is also used in fragrances. Halston Classic for Women has English Marigold as a main fragrance note.
As an experiment after reading your review, I sprayed Halston on my skin. It was awful. I couldn’t believe it, because this is in my fragrance top ten. I’ve never experienced this before and thought my bottle may have turned. I then tried two of my other marigold fragrances. Yep – Stinking Roger. That’s when I wondered if it was the weather.
Today at my place the weather is humid and rainy, and the sharp bitter marigold note completely overwhelmed the other sweeter notes in Halston (and the other fragrances I own), and I had to scrub it off. Most of the time though this fragrance is very well balanced. So, before you toss your bottle away, please give it another try in different weather.
Maybe Halston will turn out to be your personal Kryptonite, but if it works for you in the right weather, you might just love it too.
So, in conclusion, I figure after my overspraying experiment today, that on a good day, Calendula gives a sweet fragrance an edge. On a bad day, Calendula reminds me of nursery rhyme my mother used to sing to me about a little girl who had a little curl. “When she was good, she was very very good, but when she was bad she was rotten”. Not sure what my mother meant by that.
mazaracsh – :
I got myself a brand new, unglamorous bottle of Halston recently. Not surprisingly, this reformulation does not smell sultry, or any way reminiscent of a 70s nightclub.
What this smells like is a vintage box of gift soap, those small fragrant bundles that came in cardboard, wrapped up in the most delicate tissue paper.
The scent is very clean and synthethic in my opinion, I could almost bet there are aldehydes in there (there are not according to the description). There is some marigold and jasmin, and I cannot really identify the oakmoss and vetiver that is supposed to be there.
To me, this scent smells like a soapy soak in a bathtub, sudsy! that’s the best word I can convey for this scent.
Excellent non invasive smell, perfect to have at hand for a pick me up when you are feeling run down and not your best in the middle of the day…
makarov8024 – :
Ooh! Received this in a Big Box of ’70s today (Halston, Ciara, Tabu, three that my scent memory strongly associates with that decade), and although I’d worn it some years later, waaaaaay back in the days when I was a young pup working in an office in Manhattan, I’d totally forgotten about the warm, musky deliciousness of the drydown. Can’t wait for cold weather (for oh-so-many fragrance reasons) so that I can layer it with Halston Amber. Yum.
Xeroxyinmz – :
I’ve been a reader of Fragrantica for about a year. I’ve looked into purchasing some beginner perfume books.
I have to stop here for my first review. I do not have the language that y’all do but I’ll just say that I am astounded at the numerous good reviews of this tired cologne. My birth mother wore it and when I smell it on someone ,now, I get an instant headache and nauseous. The cologne (i can’t call it a perfume) smells like chemicals, to me. I would love if someone could explain to me what that means!
All I can say is that this is an absolute ‘NO’ for me.
If someone could please help me with my nose; I’d appreciate it!
Barin – :
I really enjoy chypre fragrances. Two of my favorites are Lancôme Magie Noire and Clinique Aromatics Elixir which are both 70’s creations. Since Halston Classic was also a 70’s creation, I knew it was a must have for me. It definitely has the same vibe as the other two and was a terrific blind buy. I love it! Crisp green leaves, resinous marigold, and bright carnation are layered over the deep and earthy oakmoss. The amber provides warmth and a touch of sweetness. I’ll wear my trio of classic chypres a lot this fall. Can’t wait!
ser-chinkov – :
GREAT drugstore fragrance! I don’t know if you can still get it or even if they changed the original formula, but…I think of Gia Carangi because she wore this. So 70’s, ahhh, the nostalgia …disco dancing…couldn’t go to a disco without smelling this! It also makes me kind of sad to think how far Gia could have gone in her career were it not for drugs that cut her life painfully short at 26.
frankus – :
I purchased Halston on a whim after reading the lovely mschnabel666’s review…she knows her vintages and animalics and this is a genre of perfumes I’ve come to really cherish and consider my style. I had forgotten I ordered it and when it arrived I half-heartedly opened the package, not sure if this little drugstore cheapie would “wow” me.. I sprayed a bit on, and…..”wow!” indeed!
Halston opens with an animalic skankiness that reminds me of Ciara and My Sin, and then morphs into a lovely green fragrance reminiscent of Gold Must de Cartier. I parted with my bottle of Gold Must not too long ago because something about it wasn’t gelling with my chemistry, but I’m happy to have a similar fragrance back in my rotation as I’ve been missing a good herbal, earthy unisex.
I am so beyond happy with this blind buy. I went crazy with 8 sprays today as it’s not a very heavy perfume on me, and I am reveling in this green aura of earth goddess loveliness. I can see myself wearing this hiking or at least on days I wish I was hiking 🙂
had730intitytek – :
Sharp oakmoss, & roses.
This is the kind of urine blend of extra sharp sour roses and oakmoss. It has that sharp vetiver as well with some patchouli, musk, and carnations.
This is overly sharp blend of sourness, and bitter oakmoss. I can’t deny it’s someone’s favorite but not me as i had high hopes for it but it turned the opposite. I prefer Halston night over this one.
Edit (After 20 minutes) The blend is settling now and it’s getting softer! which makes it much less sharp that i first sprayed it on! i think it’s getting much better than i first sprayed it on and much attractive! I believe if i stayed more it will turn dramatic… i’ll give it more time and more tests to see what it will tak me to.. let’s see.
ushee10546 – :
The 70s was a great decade for perfumes. I didn’t wear Halston. I wore Lauren. And Tea Rose. I was and have always been a florals and vintage/nostalgic girl. But I loved smelling Halston on someone as they passed by. It had a fresh, modern quality that was different and well represented by the Elsa Peretti designed bottle. It smelled intriguing and sexy in a totally modern (for then) style. Back then, we had signature scents. A new fragrance release was a big event, and if we loved the scent we pretty much wore it exclusively and embodied that fragrance to everyone who knew us. This was true of the 80s as well. Today, however, we have numerous bottles in our collections, and every day it seems something new comes out that smells like everything else. In past decades a new fragrance really smelled unique. A lot of work went into the composition itself as well as the bottle, the marketing campaign, the release event. And Halston, even though it is now weakened by reformulation and found on bargain shelves, still harkens back to those days when we wore signature scents, and a new perfume was a big thing. It smells very much of its time, but I was alive then so maybe That’s why.
17mustang17 – :
I’m wearing just now..70’s allure,warm hug and charming wearing. Love!
pasha-graf – :
Purchased today what I hope will be the original formulation (fingers crossed). Purchased a bottle previously but it was reformulated and did not last as long as the Halston i recall from the early 1980’s, plus it is missing the depth of the original. Not bad, but not the original.
FYI: for those seeking to purchase Halston, I do not recall the original formulation having the words ‘Halston’ on the bottle, like some are showing on Ebay and even here on Fragrantica. This may tip you off that it may be reformulated.
ipa181speagoessenda – :
I agree with msschabel666 that the current Halston is lovely. They call it a cologne, but it seems more concentrated than that to me. You can but a bottle for a shamefully low price. To me, this is a classic from my youth.
I don’t think it smells like Pheromone by Marilyn Miglin at all. This is true to the notes. I like the warmth of the balsamic notes. I love incense in perfume. I feel like I am going back in time when I wear it. It’s complex but somewhat clean. I also like the silver bottle Halston Woman very much, and I enjoy the story behind the flanker. That one has a synthetic note that is also found in the Halston Woman Amber.
Love this classic. Still smells classy.
gaaavr – :
I love vintage perfumes, so I had to finally get a $12 bottle of current Halston.
And you know what? I love it! Uncomplicated, and just enough floral, animal, chypre, green to satisfy me! It’s all mashed together, but I can smell each. I’m totally happy. It’s a “kitchen sink” 70s smell, and that works for me!
Of course it’s Bernard Chant! This may be an oldie, and common for it’s heyday, but it’s really a classic scent! xoxo
It does remind me of Paloma, but better. Paloma is very masculine and strong on me. This Halston is a bit tamer.
КнЯзЬ – :
I received a bottle of Halston Classic when I was waaaay too young to appreciate it. As I have stated in other reviews on this site, I was a housekeeper for a family friend from ages 13-18 (late 80’s to 1994) and at that time, everything in my part of the world, which was very isolated was acquired by mail after a phone order or mail order was made. My former employer used to order scads of Estee Lauder makeup and perfume, Clinique, etc. She ordered so much that she was forever getting freebies of extra makeup and perfume in her order and she passed them all on to me. As a result, I had a lot of more mature scents at my disposal and wore them when nearly everyone else my age was wearing the brighter sticky sweet scents of the day. Me, I was wearing scents like Halston, Lauren, etc. The most recent bottle of Halston Classic that I have is a drug store/after Christmas impulse purchase, I hadn’t smelled it in years. While the drug store purchase is pretty close, it doesn’t quite have the impact on me (in a good way) that the 1990 me appreciated. Close enough though that I am enjoying having it in my collection and wearing it, still standing out 20+ years later.
Alex_Bell – :
Thanks to Fragrantica and the helpful & very descriptive reviews, this is one of the first vintage perfumes I bought, and I love it. If anyone saw the Pixar movie “Inside Out” about the childhood memories, it was like getting an early childhood memory back. I was too young to wear perfume when this was popular, but some aunt or cousin or one of my mother’s friends must have had it, or maybe it’s just one of those scents that was in the air and is part of my scent memories from that era, because I recognized it as soon as I got it, it actually made me a little emotional.
Interesting reading the descriptions of the different formulations. Mine is a vintage 80s dab on bottle, not the one by Elizabeth Arden or the alcohol free version. It has an amber color. It does not smell like violet or Irish Spring soap. It a mossy-earthy-floral-green chypre. I get a blast of bergamot & “green” in the opening, and if the peach and mint are there, they are subtle (not like today’s peach body sprays or a heavy dose of mint like in Lush’s Dirty or anything like that). The floral notes are those 70s, natural smelling florals (it says Jasmine, cedarwood, carnation, ylang ylang, rose..but no single note stands out to me). The base is moss, patchouli, amber, musk, vetiver, frankincense, sandalwood. Again well blended, nothing artificial smelling, and you don’t get hit with any particular note. It’s 70s earthy- hippy-meets the sexy disco scene. It stays close to the skin too, and doesn’t project too much, so it doesn’t feel “loud” or over the top (I only use a little on my wrists). I love this one so much.
Gregorio22 – :
I simply adore Halston! These past few weeks I have been in dire need of retail therapy and have emersed myself in a world of perfume. Halson classic has been the stand out purchase so far. It was a partially blind buy relying on only your reviews to seal the deal.
I give major kudos Bernard Chant for creating such a gorgeous well rounded chypre. I agree with many of the other reviewers that this is vaguely reminiscent of Aromatics Elixir, but much creamier as if you sanded down all its rough edges. Don’t get me wrong I freaking love AE and wear it often in all its incarnations, heck I own the perfumer’s reserve soild and fluid. But it’s no secret that AE can be sharp.
When I wear Halston I feel naturally sexy if that makes sense. I do smell the mint in the opening, no melon on me but I’m not sad about that. The heart is stunning, so floral and semi-sweet, this is where it gets creamy. It finishes as a woody amber, oakmoss and incense skin sent that will have you sniffing yourself for hours. I picture the Halaton Woman of 1975 in her leather halter romper, hair, stunning hair long and wavy golden shimmering. She would have smelt so sexy and alluring, a trail of creamy moss and incense following in her wake
I picked up a gift set with a full sized body lotion for under $25 CAD. The lotion is to die for, it’s the base notes and not much else. This makes it ideal for layering. I often wear it under other less mossy or green fragrances to give them a bit of base. This has made it into my tight circle of signature scents. I’m on the hunt for a vintage bottle. From what I read the older juice is much better, as it often is. If you see this at your local drugstore this Christmas buy it! You will be pleased you did.
849 – :
I have an older parfum and current cologne.
The older parfum is an earthy oakmoss-rich chypre with a touch of greenness, that has a strong staying power and moderate sillage in the splash/dab on packaging. I haven’t tried the parfum spray, and I can only imagine that it would completely envelop you in the fragrance. It is definitely a fragrance of it’s time. I love It!
The current cologne is a shadow of the older parfum. Still very much a chypre, and that itself makes it worth having, IMO, because since chypres just aren’t the thing right now, that makes them few and far between. Especially for ten bucks a bottle. It’s less earthy but still has the “deep in a forest” chypre vibe. The greenness is still there, too. I smell a hint of something soapy, and something dusty and very slightly powdery. Sillage is modest, staying power is weak. It performs like a body spray or splash on my skin.
If I could afford to stock up on the vintage, I would. But for casual wear, the current version is perfectly acceptable when I’m in the mood for a dry, non-sweet chypre.
Completely unisex too. My husband wears it from time to time.
If you’re looking for a classic chypre at a budget price, you really can’t go wrong with it.
Vitaly2006 – :
This stuff is not just heady, but it’s heady even by 70’s standards and I love it. It’s one of those fragrances that really transports you to a different era when you spray it on. These days this is easily unisex and I would recommend other guys give this great fragrance a spray and check it out.
Miron2608 – :
A beautiful, elegant, complex classic which, quite unfortunately, I cannot wear due to a consistent headache-response that is in opposition to the way the fragrance pleases me in all other ways.
I can’t live with the pain, so I have to skip this gentle beauty.
Domen-99 – :
This perfume already became “retro” by the time I was a teenager. Considering by most reviews Halston is appreciated mostly by ladies who remember it from their youth or got accustomed to wearing it, or at least have sweet memories of their childhood and their mothers or aunts wearing it. When I discovered this scent by chance in a discount store it was very new to me, I never smelled it before, and I realized right away it’s from an era gone by. Nevertheless, one doesn’t have to be of certain age group to appreciate a modest, but dignified beauty of Halston. It is floral chypre done right. Classic, as its name states. Feminine in a strong assertive way.
I never tried the vintage version of it since what they sell today is reformulated Halston, and as some reviews say it’s quite toned down from the original. I have both alcohol-based perfume and alcohol-free oil-based one. The alcohol-free Halston is much lighter and doesn’t project at all, it is a skin scent right away after spraying, and you have to be careful with it not to get it on your clothes, it’s quite oily.
But I like them both. To me this scent is a mood-lifter. I wouldn’t necessarily wear it outside much, just for myself, at home or to go to sleep. It conveys the feeling of peacefulness, connected-ness to nature.
I seem to have quite a few of unexpected “likes” among perfumes with “orris root” note. I can sense marigold, bergamot, patchouli, sandalwood, incense here, but thankfully no melon or peach.
ObselePesia67 – :
I have vintage parfum. It’s all oakmoss. Very dry and woody and herbal.
belmont – :
I purchased my first bottle of this when I first started working in a cosmetics/perfume counter at the age of 18, in 1980. It’s the most perfect chypre that I know of. The blend is spectacular, and I love that there are beautiful floral notes as well.. I purchased many bottles of this fragrance in the ’80s, but I waited to wear it once it was not worn by so many women. It took me about 15 years to start wearing it..I still have some of those vintage bottles left today.
Recently, I was given a gift of the new Halston fragrance, and it’s very similar to the original fragrance. I have the version with alcohol. It’s also long lasting on me.
This is not my everyday fragrance, but when I’m in the mood for floral chypre nothing else will do for me. From a green opening to the floral middle to the spicy finale, every note is perfection. Whenever I wear it, without fail, my husband tells me that he likes the “soap” that I used.
One good spray is enough for me, and it lasts a long time. If you have problems with it not lasting, don’t spray it on the pulse points, where it sometimes burns off too quickly.
Forget about the ’70s. Few people recall it from then. You can wear this now!
narko-man80 – :
This isn’t going to necessarily be a review but rather a description. This is a chypre, straight and true. You have to love this style of perfume to appreciate Halston. If you love Aromatics Elixir, Magie Noire, No. 19, Private Collection, etc. you will enjoy this.
Spray through the air and walk through to really get the most out of this warm, golden, floral, oak moss-y beauty. This is a great alternative for when I don’t want to use my more expensive Aromatics Elixir. That said, Halston does not smell cheap nor dated. I have been on a gourmand kick lately but suddenly craved some crisp, clean chypres. It is great for a professional environment if applied with a light hand and allowed to bloom.
UPDATE: Third day in a row wearing Halston Classic and the only downside is longevity is pretty poor. On clothes, it’s fine, but you don’t really want to spray chypres on clothes since they need body heat to open up and bloom. I get about 3/4 hours max on skin before needing to reapply. Granted, it’s dirt cheap so it’s not a budget killer.
Анюська – :
I want to love her but she does not love me back. On my skin the first whiff is that of burnt plastic. As time goes on the woodiness starts to emerge but there is a lingering tar smell, bitter and pungent. Either I’ve gotten a bad bottle or my body chemistry changes its expression.
This was a blind buy based on so many positive comments. I’ve sprayed some on a scarf and will let it sit overnight hoping I can experience the loveliness that others have described. I won’t give up on this lady but for now she will sit in the back row of my perfume cabinet.
irisvl – :
Hi everyone
I bought a lot of NEW IN BOX vintage cologne. They are splash and half oz each. I am testing and they are fine original. If anyone wants to trade anything for a Halston Cologne Splash perfect new in box, please write to me and let´s do it.
adgoth – :
“Halston Woman 1975 is considered to be the first perfume, in its proper meaning, containing Iso E Super” says Mat Yudov in “The History of Iso E Super in Perfumery” here on Fragrantica.
phynist – :
Okay, third time lucky.
This is the first time I’ve tried to wear Halston again since my last review in July last year. At that time all I was getting up my nose was an overwhelming bitterness which I just couldn’t come to grips with.
But being tight, I couldn’t palm off my bottle, so kept it hidden away for a rainy day.
Today was that day. I decided for some reason to throw caution to the wind and not only try Halston again, but wear it to work!
I sprayed, I sniffed, I got no bitterness. Hooray!! It was certainly sophisticated and certainly a chypre, slightly sweet, slightly mossy/woody but mostly really beautiful.
What a relief. Who knows what has happened in the interim between last July and now….but don’t you find that often happens with perfumes? Give them enough time and somehow they seem come around to being glorious again!
Needless to say, I’ll be keeping my bottle now!
gavr-78 – :
Halston is a wonderful smokey sweetish woody blend, spicey too. I see the Azuree reference and would even go to a Cabochard reference, which may well be a leather note. To me, it is sweeter than Cabochard, more powdery. I anyone wishes to trade someting for a new full boxed bottle of the original Halston vintage, I am getting some. I am longing for Cabochard original and also any of Annick Goutal original vintages. Open to many.
kju629Diobtetty – :
Just obtained a vintage (?) bottle of this. I have not owned this since the 80’s….OMG, I forgot how wonderful this classic scent is !! To my nose, this is a true chypre…..It brings back many pleasant memories of the past. I was so nervous it would not smell the same to me, but….it does !!! This scent takes time to develop on my skin, and once it does, it really works on my skin. A true classic !!! I have a 1oz bottle….now I have to search for a larger vintage bottle before its too late !!!
scorpik13 – :
I just realized something. Halston Classic smells like a 70s Mitsouko. It shares MANY of the same notes. I wonder if its creators did that on purpose; I don’t think any perfume “nose” would miss the olfactory references. I’ll have to think about ths. Oh, and yes, I’m enjoying Halston Classic very much! I love the Elsa Peretti bottle, I remember when you could buy a tiny silver one on a chain from Tiffany’s, and it could actually hold a bit of parfum.
SaxSlaliAnott – :
31/07/16 – Just adding to my previous review now, after having tried my new bottle of HALSTON CLASSIC on several occasions now, both on it’s own and layered with others. Though it pains me to say it, sadly I just can’t wear it anymore. I don’t know what has happened because when I first tried it in 1997 I loved it! New formulation perhaps? And I generally love greens and chypre florals!! Anyway, I would like to swap my practically full 50ml bottle with anyone who’s interested. According to cosmetic calculator, this batch was manufactured in Jan 2011. If you have anything you’d like to swap, please message me. I am in Australia. Cheers.
Toizobecimi – :
Oh, bring back the ’70s! Disco, Studio 54, bell-bottoms….very much a fragrance of it’s place and time. Still have an original, it’s only gotten better with time.
юрыч – :
I first met with Halston when I visited NYC and got a sample to take home to Oz with me, and I loved it. That was in 1997. I’ve now bought my first bottle of Halston since then and have just spritzed it on my hand. The initial burst stirs my memory and to me has a feel about it that is reminiscent of a busy, stylish, independent working woman of the 70s/80s. And a particular feel of USA but that may be the influence my own personal history with this perfume. As it settles I am hit with a massive boof of bitter oakmoss and a distinct smokiness. I’m not detecting much else at this stage. Nothing sweet. It’s definitely green and earthy, and has a confidence about it, but at the moment, still quite bitter. I will have to leave it for a while and see how it dries down….I will return with an update!
klimovea – :
This is a nice, dark, smoky, vintage scent that serves nicely to represent this genre of scent in a collection. I enjoyed testing it, but am not in the position to desire a bottle for regular wear. I am happy simply knowing that it is a nice scent for those who are into these vintage-type scents.
sumuscuby – :
This was a blind buy for me during a sale. I don’t know how it compares to the original, but the current version of HALSTON CLASSIC is a “big” fragrance with something of a retro feel to it. It’s always fun to wear fragrances that are a bit different, or at least I get a kick out of it.
HALSTON CLASSIC is deep, aromatic, smoky and not at all sweet. There are dominant notes of fruits and flowers, but it isn’t a fruity-floral in the current sense. There’s something here that reminds me of wax for some reason, but it doesn’t smell anything like a candle. After an hour or so, I can pick up just a hint of the rose. Sillage and longevity are up there, so this isn’t the fragrance to choose if you’re about to get into a small car with a bunch of other people.
oleg1234569 – :
Fragrance Review For Halston Classic
Top notes: mint, melon, green leaves, peach bergamot
Middle notes: carnation, orris root, jasmine, marigold, ylang-ylang, cedar rose
Base notes: sandalwood, amber, patchouli, musk, oakmoss, vetiver incense
A 70’s signature scent for many women as the men’s version was for men of the 70’s. My parents wore this stuff. My mother recently asked me to buy it for her and she mostly wanted to ascertain whether or not it’s been reformulated. I bought it for her and she has worn the reformulation. She can smell the changes/differences. The vintage wore like a combination chypre, Oriental and fruity floral as well as spicy musk. It was wonderfully complex and heavy. It was always an affordable drugstore cheapie but the fragrance smelled as luxurious as any Chanel being sold at the time. I remember the trail of scent it left when my mother wore it. I detected mostly the flowers and musk. Marigold was prominent and ylang-ylang. Very floral. Yellow floral. There was a lot of carnation in it as well. The incense and patchouli gave it an aromatic touch. A real perfume with sillage longevity and everything that makes a fragrance so unforgettable. It was not sweetly feminine nor too fruity. On my mother it smelled great. She preferred what she called “serious” perfumes and loved soft flowers but preferred mostly woods and musk. The formula selling today for the same low price is an echo of the original. The spiciness is gone and it’s mostly fruity especially the opening with mint and lots of peach. The ylang-ylang is very detectable in the new formula but that’s about about it as far as the flowers. The base notes which were so strong and important in the original are not as strong in the reformulation. There’s amber and a strong oak moss. In the dry down it’s woodsy and mossy. It does still smell pretty vintage and very old fashioned. Very few people I know wear this and those who lived through the 70s and its fragrances which were so green and smoky would prefer to forget the smells that surrounded them in the 70’s not just the perfumes but the way the world smelled back then. It was an era in which smoking was allowed everywhere: hotel lobbies, airplanes, buses, restaurants, libraries, college classrooms etc. The smokiness in the original was never that strong but it was still somehow smoky. This was a really amazing perfume. I would recommend it only if you are a hardcore fan of vintage fragrances or if you really do gravitate toward musky woodsy incense-florals. The price is very cheap but the scent is not. It’s a luxurious perfume which can go into so many directions it’s hard to talke it all in and to fully do it justice in one fragrance review.
evelyn-p – :
Halston is a classic deep sensual fragrance & unlike many fragrances in today’s market, it isn’t overwhelming fruity or Spicy.
I haven’t worn Halston in years BUT I spray the pillows in my formal living room with it once a week & always have at least one bottle in my collection at all times. Everyone who has ever been to my home has commented on how wonderful my house smells & I thank my Mother’s Disco Era Halston perfume for that:) It leaves a lasting impression!
pnevmatica – :
I can’t believe I missed out on this scent in its heydey, although I might not have been able to afford it back then. It reminds me of another ’70s fragrance I love, Imprevu — probably because the green woody notes are so dominant on me, and I get very little of the florals.
But while I love Imprevu, I’m IN love with Halston. So green and woody! The green leaves top note just never quits. The initial rush of mint and bergamot, with just a hint of the peach and melon, is quickly replaced by the freshness of the cedar heart note — which also stays throughout. Of the florals, I get only marigold and perhaps orris root, but then the oakmoss and vetiver snuff them out.
Finally, a blend of the oriental base notes emerges, sweeter, spicer, but not too much so. A fragrance that’s fresh enough for daytime, but sophisticated enough for evening.
Sillage for the EDC is moderate, longetivity impressive.
Jeff_776 – :
Goes on very strong, very sharp. From a different era: dry, soapy, oakmoss-y, but with a sensuality from the floral. Green but dirty (the patchouli and musk). It’s hard to pick out any individual notes – very well blended – but if you smell close you can pick out a tang of ylang ylang and a soft haze of incense in the background. Confident, liberated but sexy. Very 70’s woman.
Янушек – :
This is my first review (longtime lurker). I had been anosmic for many years, and highly allergic, but after 18 months of treatment with supplements, not only have I got my sense of smell back, but I no longer react negatively to perfumes! So I’m having a field day, as you can imagine…
I’m revisiting perfumes from my ‘hey day’. The release of Halston, while I don’t remember it from the time, pretty much coincided with my mid to later teen years, where school dances and later discos were all about, well, The Disco! Flares, slinky spaghetti strap dresses, slim heeled sandals, high waisted ‘going out’ jeans…oh, what a time! Haha
So, after reading reviews here, I’ve started collecting perfumes again. Halston had me intrigued. I felt sure this one would speak to me, and bring back fond memories of sweating on the floor beneath the disco ball. Sadly, it didn’t. Like Deb Martinez, what I mostly get is a soapy scent (like Lux soap) and a bit of spice, which may or may not be carnation. I get no mint leaves or oak moss , nor peach, jasmine, ylang ylang, sandalwood, etc…all those many notes that are listed that I’m searching for, fruitlessly, it seems.
I’m beginning to think there are certain body chemistry types, or certain noses, that can’t detect certain combinations of notes – that would explain how my perception of some perfumes coincides so exactly with those of other fragranticans, in regard to not finding any notes other than soapiness in certain perfumes (as happens for me with l’air du temps, for example).
In any case, for me Halston (bought recently, not vinta