SMF

While I was on ebay a couple of days ago I thought of the old aftershave/cologne scents from my youth. I searched for English Leather and lots of posts dropped out. I read on basenotes that the original was made by a firm called Mem. It was supposed to be better than more recent versions. Since I wanted scents from the 50's and 60's I thought I'd look for Mem. Sure enough there were some. I found a couple of plastic bottled used aftershave and one was still full. So I gambled and got the pair for $5. Looking forward to that. I also remembered that back then there was a firm called Jovan that made a variety of scents, mostly exotic, that I used to smell eagerly at a drug store. Now the firm is gone and Coty is making the Musk scent. Again, it is not supposed to be as good as the original Jovan product. I didn't want that anyhow. I was looking for old exotica. Only found a few other Jovan scents and bid on Gambler. Hope I snag some. They also have White Musk, Black Musk and Heat for men and a few bottles of Glacier which I really did buy and loved. But most were too high to chance. Anyone else remember those?

Oh the scents of youth. Jovan Musk Oil, Pierre Cardin, English Leather --- which admittedly I never used until I was the ripe-old-age of 23 or 24. I haven't used colognes or aftershaves per se for so long, but that's due to my scent sensitivities as much as the modern-day view that scents can be so offensive the way most people use them ---- like bathing oil.

Ah, English Leather! I remember it well, even after almost 60 years (I think).

Pete, Yes, of course. I used the Mem English Leather a bit in high school but Yardley Black Label and Hermes Eau de Cologne ( that my parents bought in the West Indies ) were more my thing. My cousin was big on the English Leather and wore it regularly into the '80s. Jovan Musk was a big early '70s thing. I'd wear it when we went to hang out at Max's Kansas City in New York City....ah yes, THAT scene....uh....nevermind.
Regards,
Gordon

wow, yes, the scents of our youth. they bring back memories of first loves, good friends, great teachers, fun times.
and the mistakes of actions and judgments which incredibly we somehow managed to survive.

English Leather Wind Drift was my weapon of choice when I was in high school.

Mike

Well let's toss Brut in there and Aramis as well.

Just opened and tried the small bottle of Jovan unknown except the cap was baby blue and elliptical. It as awful. Partly gone bad and partly never was any good. I don't remember Jovan messing up that bad. My wife hated it and said it stunk and hoped it would fade when I went outdoors. It didn't. Washed thoroughly with soap and warm water but I could still smell it. Applied some St. Charles Shaves Sahara, partly to cover up the odor and mostly to take away the sting of soap on a freshly shaved face.

Squire wrote:Well let's toss Brut in there and Aramis as well.

Brut is nice - a fougere to boot.

I see Brut is still around, anybody try it lately?

Squire wrote:I see Brut is still around, anybody try it lately?

Loved Brut as a teen. My wife admitted to using it when she was growing up. Apparently it was quite the rage with young Brit girls In the 70s.

Squire, Mr. Bargepole has been quite emphatic that any recent Brut is not at all the same as the stuff we remember from our youth. Something about some sort of super molecule that apparently they can no longer use...the usual depressing blather.
Regards,
Gordon

I guess some memories are best left undisturbed.

bernards66 wrote:Something about some sort of super molecule that apparently they can no longer use
Gordon

Nitro musks. Damn them.

The interesting thing I have discovered is that the same stuff that I can get on ebay as old stock English Leather made by Mem, is still in production at Mem and can be found using links at Amazon.com. Pretty cheap too.

The drugstore Brut in the plastic bottles is a shadow of its former self (reformulated and cheap). Brut Classic, which comes in a glass bottle with silver medallion is much closer to the 1960s original. I love it!