First – Van Cleef & Arpels

This fragrance was amongst the sample sizes that I bought at Westfield shopping centre a few days ago. I tried it today and it’s a Granny scent. It’s a floral fragrance with a strong tang of aldehydes. First reminds me of the old lady who lived on the top floor of my Mum’s building a decade or so ago. She was lovely, but smelled very old fashioned.

I can’t imagine that anybody less than 60 would want to wear First. It’s the type of fragrance you would have chosen as your signature scent decades ago and never looked back. Funnily enough, somebody said just as much in a comment they posted on Amazon: “I have worn First by Van Cleef & Arpels for 35 years. I LOVE it. It is my personal signature fragrance.” Euuw – it’s like not changing your pants for 35 years.

The OsMoz website describes the fragrance in the following way: Top Notes – Bergamot, Mandarin, Blackcurrant, Aldehydes. Heart notes – Jasmine, Rose, Ylang-Ylang and Hyacinth. Base notes – Vetiver, Vanilla, Amber and Civet.

There are two dominant elements that I’m not keen on. Firstly the Aldehyde top notes. Although the aldehydes are beautifully effective in Chanel No 5 (amongst others), it can easily seem old fashioned. Secondly, the basenote of Amber is a bit too cloying for me. I’m not a fan of amber as it tends to dominate what could otherwise be a good fragrance.

According to Fragrance Editions, First is similar to Cialenga by Balenciaga. Amazon sell a 100ml EdT of First for £29.