Question:
My wife, who while a student at college worked at the fragrance counter in a department store, had a sentimental streak while I was off fighting overseas the past year and a half, during which time she tried to remember me through sniffing the panopoly of bottles on my dresser. It was through this experimentation she discovered a hitherto unmentioned fragrance note; "Old Lady's Purse." She made mention of it when I came home (no, not in the first day or two; she had the courtesy to wait at least a week to tell me what I smelled like) and ran down a list of bottles in my collection that were spearheaded by this note. Here is a quick listing, and all comments are welcome:
Heritage by Guerlain
Giorgio Beverly Hills for Men
Habit Rouge by Guerlain
Noir Epices by Frederic Malle
Cristobal by Balenciaga
Envy for Men by Gucci
Pi by Givenchy
I'm sure that you see the same trend that I do; spicy, almost oriental scents with a touch of vanilla linking them all together. But is it possible that the "Old Lady's Purse" note is simply a conglomeration of simpler, single notes? And if my wife is making this connection, doesn't it stand to reason that other women (who are, quite evidently, rather familiar with what an old lady's purse must smell like) might also make the same connection?
Discuss...

Answer:
Hmm - I don't have any brilliant analysis, but I find that Xeryus smells alot like a woman's purse...

Answer:
Glad to have you back, CJ. I like your wife a lot on the basis of this post. I'm going to study the list and think if I can isolate the old lady's purse atom in them, sorry I can't think of what it might be right away.
However, looks to me like old lady's purse is a pretty good compliment to how a man might smell, judging from things on that list.
--Chris

Answer:
is this the old lady you're fond of purse note or the old lady you just knocked over to steal her purse so you could get another bottle of that ole fragarance'? I know what's in my purse and I'm an old guy - false teeth, 2 or 3 camphoraceous smelling ointments Preperations A through H, a godfather auto knife from pro-tech with wooly mammoth scales and a Glock.

Answer:
Wow, where to begin...
From what I've been able to glean from my child-bride's description, the "Old Lady's Purse" note has more to do with being a melenge of powdery-fragrances laced with Ben Gay, chewing gum and Sen-Sen.
Rarely do I find "Old Ladys" packing more heat than I do (I carry a Kimber Custom .45 and a Benchmade 9100 Stryker Auto ), but even a lady packing all that might have a fairly fragrant purse...probably smelling like Hoppe's No.9 and Red Man, but fragrant nonetheless.

Answer:
Most probably from the Guerlain...

Answer:
Thanks, Chris! Needless to say its good to be back.
It seems that my wife might be onto something here (she's usually right about these things; one of the reasons I like her, too). Look over the list and let me know what you come up with.
CJ
Originally Posted by DustB Glad to have you back, CJ. I like your wife a lot on the basis of this post. I'm going to study the list and think if I can isolate the old lady's purse atom in them, sorry I can't think of what it might be right away.
However, looks to me like old lady's purse is a pretty good compliment to how a man might smell, judging from things on that list.
--Chris

Answer:
I think Dior Homme smells like the inside of a pocketbook...ie,leather,makeup,money,gum.
This smell is very comforting to me,as a kid I can remember smelling the inside of my mothers pocket book.

Answer:
I can visualize what that "purse" smell is. To me, it's amber, synthetic vanilla, or both that has been left on leather or fabric, soaked in, and gone somewhat stale. Guerlain uses a lot of synthetic vanilla, which contributes to that scent.

Answer:
Originally Posted by MY_2_Scents I think Dior Homme smells like the inside of a pocketbook...ie,leather,makeup,money,gum.
This smell is very comforting to me,as a kid I can remember smelling the inside of my mothers pocket book. I second this - I think the proper slang is 'makeup bag' note, but yeah 'old womans purse note' describes Dior Homme for me, too.
I do NOT find this comforting, therefore I cannot wear DH.
Perhaps, its 'powder' notes in scents?