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JarogreaceLag – :
Lovely honeyeyed perfume. Old class quality and a very feminine perfume for true ladies.
Very wellblended after settling down but most prominent notes on my skin is honey and tuberose.
This is more or less only a flowerperfume – cant really smell eighter fruit, spices or wood.
Great longevity and silage.
Felizanonovo – :
I’m so glad that I had the chance to sample this now obscured fragrance that not many people in my generation seem to know about – possibly a well kept secret? This experience felt like a loving whisper in my ear. The scent itself is quite beautiful, unbelievably 80s. There’s scents that made the 80s by artificially creating a zeitgeist… and fragrances that were quintessential and belonged effortlessly to the time. Ruffles appears to be the later.
The notes listed here appear to be very accurate but like the fragrances of the time, they don’t seem to do much listed. The fragrance is so meticulously blended that it doesn’t seem to give light to a single ingredient, but more accords or whole ideas. My friend described this as hairspray and shoulder pads but personally, while I get that completely, I feel that it smells of a scent one would use to cover up the scent of a cigarette with? Or like someone just came back from a smoke break? Might sound gross, but it’s quite lovely. Just imagine, it’s 1984 and you’re working your nine to five job in business firm and she comes back wearing a sleek black Chanel suit and gives you a quick wave before sitting in her cubicle. She smells faintly of rich tobacco and this. It’s powdery aldehydes, creamy tuberose and honey and a soft civet note that just makes it a bit more deep. It’s a little sweet, a little mossy and very floral in the background. Just GORGEOUS.
At the start, the tuberose was quite alien and ghost like. Almost as though the other ingredients were completely transforming it or the other ingredients were used to create a tuberose accord. Very unusual and VERY complex. The iris is beyond beautiful. Carnation like in many scents of the time…
I never lived in the 80s, but it makes me feel like I could have.
4eJI – :
Fragrance Review For Ruffles Oscar De La Renta
Top Notes Aldehydes Orange Blossom Green Notes Fruity Notes Bergamot
Middle Notes Carnation Tuberose Iris Orchid Jasmine Ylang Ylang Lily of the Valley Rose
Base Notes Honey Sandalwood Musk Civet Vanilla Carmel Cedar Wood
Ruffles is a party perfume. It smells like an expensive elegant evening gown the kind seen on the Red Carpet on Oscar Night but Oscar de La Renta has other frags that bring that imagery to mind. It’s as much a fashion piece as the designer’s vintage clothes. Yes it is rather passé and I’m not smelling it on other women out there except a few of my mother’s friends and my mother who loves this perfume. It has a mature quality but that’s not at all bad. It’s very floral and sweet but spicy and strong. It has the nature of other frags like Red Door by Elizabeeth Arden, Ysatis by Givenchy, Amarige, Diva by Ungaro and other 80’s frags. But this one is not as potent nor in your face. It has a softer edge though the heart is pretty strong. It smells of rich exotic colors sort of like the fabric in a multicolor sari on a Hindu woman. The flowers in this floral quilt include major accords of rose, iris, carnation, orchid, ylangylang, tuberose and jasmine. As usual the iris and rose pairing give it a bit of powder. However it’s not at all that powdery. The orchid is what most stands out on me. A very exotic orchid, a bit tropical. The dry down becomes very interesting as it throws up a lot of delicious gourmand flavors: caramel, vanilla, and not to mention the opening that had some fruit scents. This is a fruity floral party perfume with delicious caramel and vanilla. I love it. It smells so good. I do wear it to parties and it does smell as good as it did the first time it came to the world back in 1983. This is probably the most relaxed and casual of the Oscar De La Rentas. Very charming. It’s still selling online if you look for it. It can be found on ebay where I found my vintage dab on perfume miniature bottle. Sweet, delicious fruity floral.
koiuytggzx – :
A monumental vintage, fruity-powdery and with CIVET! Despite caramel, honey and tuberose with orchid – you can never call this fragrance “girly-sweet”, it is more special occasion one – for theatre, Easter-tea-part in retro style, etc. Powdery and deep, very bright, – for ppl who like Ysatis, Sublime, Poeme…
Zews121 – :
Manhattan, February 1985.
He liked how she tilted her head back to blow smoke, as she perched on the board room table. Everyone had left and only the soft hum of air ventilation filled the room. Fine china cups of half filled coffee, trays of depleted sugar vanilla petit fours loitered about under the tall cloisone vases loaded with exotic white flowers, as the two young traders lingered on enjoying the aftermath of a successful board meeting. ¨Come here.¨, he said to her. She took the petit four from her lips, and bit her pearls nervously. ¨You smell good¨, he said, as he kissed her.
Her style, tailored suit and crisp white collar.
Her perfume, paradoxically, Ruffles.
DIKII1258 – :
So Ruffles has many similarities to the original Oscar. A very clean and almost hair salon type smell. Wait don’t tar and feather me here I don’t mean that in a bad way. Just the smell of the older style hairspray. Definitely a 90’s vibe to this creation. Not quite sure if it will fit my style but it smells fantastic. Great to have her in my collection.
Irakli – :
My mom wore this when I was a kid and OMG I used to love how it smelled! I remember how sad she was when it was discontinued,I wish this one would make a come back!!!!
sanechkin – :
Isn’t it amazing that this was once considered suitable for a twelve-year-old, or for a “first” perfume? Nowadays it would be seen as a very grown-up fragrance indeed.
I have the esprit de parfum, and it’s a real powerhouse of a floral oriental in the high 80s style. Somewhat sweet due to the honey and caramel, with a beautfully blended floral heart. It has a richness and depth that I think are uncommon today. The civet definitely hints at naughtiness.
This kind of hidden treasure makes me perfectly content not to be spending £££ on niche offerings as I have never sniffed one with this level of quality – which isn’t suprpising since several of the notes here are undoubtedly made from natural ingredients that are now banned. And this was just a standard department store offering thirty years ago.
It’s just gorgeous, but very much an evening fragrance – and I’m not someone who takes much notice of appropriateness, but I don’t think I’d feel comfortable in the supermarket with this on!
Karimchik – :
My aunt and grandmother bought me Ruffles for Christmas of 1983, I had turned 12 a few weeks earlier and they thought that it was time for my first “grownup” perfume. I was slightly miffed that my older cousin got the regular ODR scent and I got Ruffles since it was considered more “appropriate” for a preteen. I thought that I was getting the “baby” perfume until just recently when I discovered a source on EBay. Upon receiving the tiny bottle one sniff brought me back 30 years! It definitely isn’t a “baby” perfume but has a very soft presence that my aunt and grandmother felt was better for a 12 year old sixth grader. I remember getting Ruffles for at least 3 years or so, always at cologne strength. The bottles I have now are EDT with a little more staying power.
karchinskiy1965 – :
I had an edt back in 1993 when I was 17. I wore it to school every day through autumn (remember a classmate said it smelled of “peonies”) and then on a November vacation to Brussles and Amsterdam. I felt very elegant and grown-up wearing this.
Now I have the parfum, and I love it even more. It’s a deep, rich floral, warmed by honey and civet. I still think it’s an autumn scent, but maybe more early autumn. Good for a sunny Indian summer’s day. I’d like to wear it to a September garden lunch, with lipstick and a pretty, feminine, retro dress with puffed sleeves.
Piennasnids – :
Before experiencing Ruffles, if I had accidently sumbled upon this review for it and saw the title and the notes, I wouldn’t have been able to get off of the page fast enough. However, for Christmas my mother sent me a cache of vintage scents she’d found in an antiques store and ruffles EDT was among them. This morning I am wearing it. The first notes (for me) are creamy, fruity white florals and while fruity floral is NOT a favorite category for me, in this case it’s fine because of the supporting notes that quickly follow, like the honey and other florals with an oakmoss note. Oakmoss isn’t listed, but it there and it makes the scent veer off into chypre territory which was unexpected and most satisfying for me. This scent definitely has a 1980’s aesthetic, in that it’s crammed with lots of big notes that seemingly shouldn’t be together (caramel and civet?), but somehow the way it’s blended makes it work. Strangely it reminds me of Deneuve, but with some slightly fruity notes added.
vum189bedyWelty – :
Ruffles was one of the first expensive, designer fragrances I bought and oh how I LOVED it. I really wish they would bring it back because like others, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Does anyone know of anything that’s still in production that has a similar scent?
VladimirGrace – :
First let me say that I love the name of this perfume. Ruffles…they couldn’t have dreamed up a more feminine, extravagant name. I bought this fragrance around 1991 at Perfumania. I liked it because it was so different, and now I realize that the sweet honey notes were what made it shine. This is really a complex scent. The sweet honey is tempered by spicy carnation, I even smell cinnamon. This is not for everyone, you must really appreciate a “different” fragrance. This is not a mainstream floral. It is incredibly feminine, dare I say…glamorous? I picture a very pretty ’80s pageant queen dabbing this on after she has put on her fancy taffeta dress. It’s all about extravagance. I wish I could find this spicy-sweet jewel!
burbidon – :
Oh wow those aledhydes! They run right over the first few minutes of this scent and they’re very strong, I can see how some would be turned off. However if you can wait about 15 minutes they fade and there’s a delicious fruity floral dipped in honey heart. This is so wonderful and warm I’m rather confused as to why it starts with such green notes, seems like the opening notes should be part of a different composition. The honeyed florals are divine in the heart with just a little sweetened fruit. A bit of spice and warmth, but the sweet honey lasts all the way through. This one lasts very well, 6 hours plus. Almost gourmand without being too sticky sweet. It’s really excellent if you can get through the first part, I don’t mind aledhydes or green notes normally but they are super strong here and distracting from the rest of the notes.
vittorio555 – :
I managed to find a vintage mint condition mini parfum of this at a very reasonable price on a trading site – the initial blast is very similar to EL’s private collection a strong hit of rose and oakmoss (which doesn’t appear to be listed) and a strong whack of hairspray like aledhydes, I get the honey and a little bit of the caramel/orange blossom in the dry down and some spicy plum and lots of ylang-ylang. This is the most similar fragrance I have found in my quest to replace my beloved ‘Valentino vendetta’ This dries down to a lovely mix of Spellbound and Ysatis on my skin but closely resembles Vendetta and Ungaro Diva in many aspects. I would love to find a larger bottle of this one It is one of those classic 80’s hits that I just seem to love.
kuper512 – :
Don’t take this the wrong way but Ruffles reminds me of the smells that waft out of a hair salon. Not really in a bad way. Salons are full of fresh smells and such but there is also a chemical feel. Not too overpowering. The scent settles rather quickly and sits softly on the skin.
Not many people could smell it on me, some even mentioned the fact that I wasn’t(!) wearing anything to which I had to correct them.
To be honest, I don’t know what really stands out. Maybe the honey? Unless my nose was just messed up yesterday, I don’t remember much of the fruity smells. Something is bringing this scent down. I do really enjoy it but I can’t place my finger on it. Too bad it was discontinued, I may have searched for a full bottle!
dexter3443 – :
A classy “vintage” type citrus. Reminiscent of Acqua de Parma, O de Lancome, ect…
Update: I now notice how this starts as a sunny Georgio, then turns spicy like Cinnabar. A little old fashioned.
Alexcosmo1 – :
One of the first scents I loved – I think my sister bought it for me so I’d stop using her perfume!
niko40000 – :
When I was a Teenager i had a mini bottle, and a gentleman a little older said me: darling you smell so beautiful like a garden after rain, i lived in a small town where the weather is hot
vodka13 – :
Best fragrance ever I wish along with lots and lots of others that Oscar de la Renta would bring this fragrance back
ceacuarnire – :
Gentle, classic floral. I lived with my paternal Grandmother as a teenager-she didn’t allow make up or most perfumes, but actually liked this one. Probably because there’s something very “natural” about the scent. A bouquet. Pretty and virginal. Found a small inexpensive bottle on eBay. The carnations really stand out on my skin- I like it- it’s an ingredient I don’t smell in many perfumes and enjoy something a bit different. There is also a slight undercurrent of something sweet- is it vanilla? In any case, not overwhelming, the floral is definitely out front. I like this perfume very much and it’s a shame it’s discontinued. A soft floral refined enough for a mature person to wear. Quiet enough for office use, but lasts for several hours on my skin.
suslik1996 – :
One of the first smells to hit my nose on this one was the smell of pickles. How, I don’t really know. But somehow those top notes spiked into something sour and unpleasant, for me. As a perfume, the middle notes are currently making me feel overwhelmed by how powdery they are. Powdery smells often smell artificial and old to me. Perhaps they were once a classic, but now they just seem manufactured instead of natural. The florals are sweet enough to be acceptable, but I often find aldehydes make a perfume almost stale and too old fashioned to be worn by today’s woman.
W for worn-out.
olga67 – :
I requested a sample of Ruffles Type perfume oil from The Scent Factory and it is very close. I then placed an order for a 2 ounce spray and a 1 ounce roll-on. I received them today and I am very pleased. The prices seem reasonable too. The webstie address is: thescentfactoryonline.com
I wish Oscar would bring this back but at least I have discovered this close one! If you choose to give it a try at least you can get a sample before you purchase.
Kardenim – :
I love this stuff! I only had a tiny one on high school, but I used it up in a hurry! One of the most interesting sweet florals, which I find to be very rare! I don’t usually like florals because they often seem boring & lacking in depth.
This one is not.
Reminds me a little of Bulgari pour Femme, but this one is MUCH MUCH better…I think more powdery & woody & rich…Bulgari is more one-dimensional than this.
I have bought it on ebay, and I’ll let you know if anything has changed!
Update May 17/11: Sad. Maybe this has turned, as it is much darker than I remember as well. It smells nothing like I remember either. I remember it smelling much lighter & fresher, but stronger at the same time.
Maybe I should try again & buy another, but I am just leaving it for now.
WiwlyzZY – :
I have been searching for this one for years. Please bring it back!
tdutybq – :
I agree with everything previously said here. Ruffles was an exquisite perfume and in one of the classiest falcons I have ever owned. The fragrance was delicious but not in a gourmand way. It was all about the flowers, but not overly sweet. Something in the base notes, perhaps the honey and sandalwood, made all the other notes come together in perfect harmony. I miss the fragrance. It had class and brought many admirers my way. If we ask nicely maybe Oscar will bring this one back.
agibiaDuags – :
Oh, yeah…..this fragrance takes me back! My sister gave me this fragrance on my birthday in summer 1984. (I was visiting my sis back then in Miami and it was my first stay in this beautiful sunshine state). It was my first real perfume and it smelled so gorgeous! My sister bought it for herself later too and we got our mom one bottle as well as a gift.
“Ruffles” smelled heavenly! Soft, floral, very tender and oh so feminine! This is truly one of the most beautiful perfumes I ever have smelled!
Like a long lost love, I am constantly looking for a smell similar to “Ruffles”, but it seems, I cannot find it anywhere! Forever imprinted in my memory, this fragrance will be treasured for as long as I live!
It is truly a shame that they discontinued “Ruffles”…..I would buy it again in a heartbeat!