my occasional musings on life, love, art, perfume ... what else is there?

6.10.2006

Woodhue

I can remember my mother dressed for church. 5'4", very slim, a black print sheath dress with cap sleeves, white gloves, black pumps, a small brim black hat on her waved and sprayed hair ... and a healthy dousing of Faberge Woodhue.

Of course, now I realize all that effort was expended on behalf of the church pastor, who she eventually landed, poor dear. (Mother is the poor dear. Talk about being careful about what you wish, you might get it.)

Later in life, my mother wore Guerlain Shalimar, but remembered Woodhue ... probably a nostalgic scent memory of ladylike (!) thrill of the chase.

Woodhue is long discontinued, but Long Lost Perfumes, specializing in such fragrances, duplicated it according to the "original recipe" ... and now, even their dupe is now on the edge of extinction.

Ellen, a kind fragboard member, sent me a sample of LLP Tinderbox, the Woodhue dupe ... and it is exactly as I remembered, with bergamot, carnation and violet. Geranium, ylang, iris and jasmin. Vetiver, musk and sandalwood.

An initially sharp spiciness, with the bergamot, carnation and geranium duking it out in topnote, smoothing out into a dense veil of florality ... eventually subdued into the best part, the soft, soft woody drydown.

Oh Mother, right outfit. Right fragrance. Wrong guy.

9 Comments:

Blogger WinterWheat said...

You can find it (or someone's recreation of it) at the Vermont Country Store:

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=31499&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=woodhue

They have a lot of d'cont perfumes there. I suppose they must be recreations; I've never ordered one to test. But even if they're fake it's good to know where you can get a reasonable facsimile of a scent you once loved.

Okay, so, now I really want to know more about that pastor.

10:48 AM

 
Blogger Newsandseduction said...

*wave* how are you doing?

7:18 PM

 
Blogger puppytoes said...

how delicious! i remember Woodhue, tho' i don't think that's what my mom wore... she *did* have a dress like the one you have pictured. she did *not*, however, marry the wrong man. (thank goodness...after my very wonderful father passed away, she met and married my very wonderful step-father, and they've been together 45 years now. not too shabby!)

i love this post! you have such a gentle lovely way with words. very romantic! xoxox

8:31 PM

 
Blogger S. said...

I am laughing so hard at the last line of this that I can't think of anything clever to say, except that this belongs on a refrigerator magnet, along with "Her perfume lasted longer than her marriage."

11:52 PM

 
Blogger Logophile said...

I want you to know the comment below about Anne Coulter biting Bucky very nearly upset Ariella.

If only men were as easy to choose as a fragrance, and as easy to substitute.

12:01 AM

 
Blogger Kyahgirl said...

Very tricky how you slid that piece of personal history into a perfume post!
I bow before you. :-)

9:24 AM

 
Blogger Fred said...

Funny, Logo.

Sorry your mom got the wrong guy. At least she still has her perfume.

10:18 AM

 
Blogger katiedid said...

I loved this post, M. (And the picture! That is fab.)

9:02 PM

 
Blogger TLP said...

Oh, tell us more! I wanta hear about your mother and her preacher man!

12:06 PM

 

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