9 Perfect Perfumes for a Happy Halloween from the Vintage Vault!

Today, I'm wishing a Happy Halloween to all the little goblins and ghoulies who will be roaming about our nations byways and neighborhoods this eve.... While you fill buckets with candy, barrels with apples and place the last of your decorations out for said visitors, what sort of perfume will you be wearing?  Whether your tastes run to the spooky, the vampishly sexy or to the sticky and sweet, there are plenty of vintage scents which fit the theme rather nicely.

 

First up: Dana's 1932 Tabu. Scandalous when it was released- the scent is still capable of for raising a few hairs. Best for releasing your inner vamp...

Also from Dana the hard to find but superbly named Voodoo. Also released in the 1930s, there is plenty of mystery surrounding this one. My own bottle is an old vintage example turned the darkest shade of red-brown and with a candy sweet bite, a fruity chypre with odd notes of oily hair or wool and herbs... To me, it has a cherry vibe (but then I associate cherry quite freely). In any case it is perfect for you Gothic, Marilyn Manson loving types and for goodness sake go put some on, now already- the Night approaches!

Bombi's Black Magic - musky, spicy and strong with a great name and a pretty bottle to boot (circa 1945)... If you've got it, why not flaunt it tonight?

Next is the similarly named but very different smelling Magie Noire (1978) "Black Magic" from Lancome- raspberry, ambers and civet weave quite a spell; this one has been a traditional Halloween favorite of mine, great for all sorts of bewitching situations.

Lanvin released Mon Peche (My Sin) in 1924 but it is still widely loved and more importantly, widely available today. Exquisitely soft, powdery and fiercely animal by turns, you could not go wrong with this one for All Hallows Eve, but the older versions (with more civet) are really better for tonight, imo;)

Faberge released Tigress in 1938 and discontinued it in the late 1970s. It's vanilla-amber musk base says it all: "My mood is purry... Wear Tigress!" For all you stay-at-home Halloween kittens handing out the candy, who want to steal some attention as well.

Max Factor's Hypnotique was reportedly America's best selling fragrance shortly after it's release in the 1950's. Check out that ad! I'm thinking why not bring back some of the Hitchock themed fun tonight? It's no mistake you'll find this one most often today cradled in a black cat's paws!

My last two suggestions for Halloween are more recent. Both are still available but in different forms from their originals and trust me, those originals are the ones destined to become 'Vault classics:

Yves Saint Laurent's Opium (1978). The original only, please! And the cooler the weather, the better to wear this enchanted smokey, spicy and dry fragrance. Perfect for bonfires and deep conversations had only by the dark of night...

And no Halloween could be complete without a dose of this classic. Dior released Poison in 1985-ish. Is sweet your poison? Then this one should be dead on for you tonight!

 Enjoy all this year's Halloween festivities in safety and good health and most of all, smell ravishing- no matter what you wear.

vintage girl photos: retrospace and cheeta velor
perfume ads- the usual suspects (i.e., google, mes-parfums and ebay)
The Vintage Perfume Vault, where the scent of yesterday's vogue lives.