Perfume Pen Pals: Helmut Lang Eau de Cologne and Eau de Parfum Part One



Katie,

I just won a bottle Helmut Lang Eau de Cologne on eBay!!! Why am I so excited? Tell me why I'm so excited.

Dan



Dan,

You're excited because Helmet Lang Eau de Cologne is fabled and discontinued. And because it sounds like a great mix of stuff you like (rosemary, lavender, jasmine, heliotrope, lily-of-the-valley, rose, sandalwood, patchouli, musk and cedar).


I actually have a sample that I just put on to respond to your excitement. Somehow, I'd remembered it as similar to Le Labo Labdanum 18, but right now it smells like a cross between classic eau de cologne and musk. A more aromatic Mugler Cologne. Very transparent, but it makes your skin smell worn-in, "day after the shower."

Katie



Katie,

Ha, my skin is never allowed to smell "day after the shower." I'm an American, through and through.


I'd read somewhere that it does smell somewhat powdery and sweet, which makes sense considering it's by Maurice Roucel (that must be where the Labdanum 18 comparison came from), but I just liked the fact that not only is it fabled and discontinued, it apparently wasn't even "continued" for very long. (I have no recollection of it at all.)

Have you tried the feminine half, Helmut Lang Eau de Parfum? It's also on eBay and doesn't seem to have quite the following. Early this morning, I bought the Eau de Parfum, which sounds completely different than the Eau de Cologne.

Dan



Dan,

According to Frangrantica, the notes for the Eau de Parfum are rosemary, lavender, cotton candy, jasmine, heliotrope, lily-of-the-valley, rose, sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla and cedar. So if by “sounds completely different” you mean the addition of cotton candy and vanilla, then, uh, maybe. But cotton candy? Talk of baby powder? I'm wondering why you bought it.
Baby Cotton Candy My Little Pony: probably smells like Helmut Lang EdP.

But the longer I've been wearing the Eau de Cologne, the more I'm loving it. And it does smell like the distant drydown of Labdanum 18.

Katie



Katie,

The reviews say the EdP smells nothing like the notes. (With my luck, the reviews will be wrong.) And, yes, Roucel did them both, a he-and-she thing, which is sort of why I wanted it. To experience them both. That makes sense, doesn't it?

Dan



Dan,

Sure it makes sense. Czarist, decadent sense. Somebody call Rasputin.

Of course, I'm looking forward to experiencing the he-and-she-ness of them together. Send 'em when you get 'em.

Katie



Katie,

I drive a Volkswagen! How many times do I have to remind people of that?!

Dan


Read Part Two of Helmut Lang Eau de Cologne and Eau de Parfum here.

Looking for a fragrance recommendation? Visit Fume Finder: the Katie Puckrik Smells fragrance app.

12 comments:

  1. Helmut Lang EDP is gloriously musky and powdery. It has a slight similarity to FM Musc Ravageur but the EDP is less spicy and less naughty. I especially love the topnotes where rosemary and lavender add a great kick to the scent. I treasure my bottle and I can't understand why it was ever discontinued. It's a must for lovers of powdery perfumes.

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  2. Both are fabulous perfumes, even though I don't wear them. (The notes aren't my favorites). Being fabulous means that they had to be discontinued. They were simply following the rules. All great perfumes will eventually be discontinued or re-formulated to a shadow of their former greatness. Thankfully, there is a second rule. Rule number one does not apply to Frederic Malle or Serge Lutens. Malle outsmarts the perfume rule-makers. And Serge appears to wield an invisibility cloak.

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  3. melisa61--

    I like the thought of Serge Lutens playing D&D!

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  4. LOL at "I'm an American, through and through," followed by "I drive a Volkswagen! How many times do I have to remind people of that?!"

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  5. xaryax, Even the most avid Americans must draw a line somewhere, and I draw mine at cars. And perfume. And weapons. I suppose my frequent showers are the most American thing about me. Though now I'm not even sure those are specifically American. This calls into question my whole identity. (And, no, it's not the first time that's happened.)

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  6. Julia, I'm really looking forward to trying the EdP after your description. And since Musc Ravageur is Dan's Krypton (and Labdanum 18 is his Halloween candy bite-size Krypton), I can't imagine either of these are going to go over well with him.

    melisand61 - I'm glad somebody has a grip on the rules of this game!

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  7. I'm not sure that I have a grip on many things. But discontinuation and ruination of great fragrances is low-hanging fruit. Unfortunately.

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  8. Are you making fun of Cotton Candy Baby Pony?

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  9. I liked "Cotton Candy Baby Pony" but preferred the flanker "Cotton Candy Orangesicle Carmel Lady Pony"....more sugar. ;-)

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  10. GUYS, I have been wearing the new Chanel Jersey edt for two days. It's powdery, has a hint of lavender, a hint of vanilla... it reminds me of something. I think it's... HELMUT LANG! Anyone else tried Chanel Jersey? Would you agree???

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  11. disneyrollergirl, upon reading your question, I dashed to apply both my HL edp and edc samps. Oooh, now I smell good! I don't have Jersey to hand to compare, but I remember it as a lavender/vanilla that is a transparent, lower cal version of Pour Un Homme de Caron or Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur. By comparison, Helmut Lang (and I'm assuming you mean the edc, which is more aromatic/herbal up top), moves pretty quickly away from its lavender and into that Labdamnum 18 Lite drydown. I didn't make the connection you did, but now that you have me thinking about it, I bet they'd layer pretty nicely.

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