Elizabeth Arden, Coffret Set, 4 x 15 ml. Flacons, Eau de Toilette, Blue Grass, Memoire Cherie, My Love, White Orchid, 1949, Paris, France ..

Florence Nightingale Graham lived from December 31, 1878 to October 18, 1966, who went by the business name Elizabeth Arden, was a Canadian-born American businesswoman who founded what is now Elizabeth Arden, Inc., and built a cosmetics empire in the United States. By 1929 she owned 150 upscale salons across the United States and Europe. Her 1000 products were found in the luxury market in 22 countries. She was the sole owner, and at the peak of her career, she was one of the wealthiest women in the world.

Florence Nightingale Graham was born in Canada in 1878, but was always known as Elizabeth Arden. She herself created this commercial name by merging the titles of her two favorite books.

The place chosen by Elizabeth Arden to open her first beauty salon was Fifth Avenue in New York. This place was distinguished by the red entrance door, the decoration in pink tones and, above all, the exoticism of its products and the professionalism in the service. Some characteristic details that would never abandon the Arden brand. In 1915, the red door of the New York salon became the symbol of the business, and the chain of aesthetic centers called Red Door Salons or Salons of the Red Door was created.

A demanding and intuitive businesswoman, Arden created revolutionary aesthetic products, such as false eyelashes. One of the most important bets, however, was the perfume.

From the 20s, the first essences were born, original and presented in an attractive way. The fragrances stood out for their originality, as shown by the attractive and daring presentations that Elizabeth designed especially for Christmas and other parties.

* "Blue Grass was launched in 1934, and the perfumer who created it was George Fuchs of Fragonard. Blue Grass was created in order to celebrate the scent of the grassy pasture fields where Arden bred her famous Thoroughbreds. I find it especially endearing that she insisted her beauty products be lavished on her horses.

This scent is cool and green, sublimely subtle and finishing off with a powdery velvet-ness similar to the feel of horse nuzzling your palm. To analyze it more in depth, I will say the lavender and jasmine are especially prominent on it's opening and these have been woven together in an herbal, juicy fruity and crisp green combination that seems to be so, so difficult to get just right in a perfume. I attribute it's true grassy character to a sweet vetiver, backed up by a touch of cedar.

The cooling powdery feel lingers throughout, I believe because the lavender matches perfectly to the vetiver and cedar, although none of these notes is allowed to come out too fully. All of it is held in check by a judicious blend of florals, so that the aforementioned jasmine, along with lily of the valley, rose and carnation do not play heavy roles, either. There is a definite citrus open thanks to neroli, bergamot boosted by geranium, aldehydes and orange blossom. One source adds laurel to the list of notes and I'm included to agree to it, playing wonderfully well with the cool herbal notes of lavender and sweet grass." Courtesy of The Perfume Vault

Top notes are Lavender, Bergamot, Neroli, Orange, Lily of the Valley, and Orange Blossom
Middle notes are Jasmine, Carnation, Narcissus, Rose, Tuberose, and Geranium
Base notes are Sandalwood, Benzoin, Tonka, Vetiver, and Cedar

* Launched in 1949, Mémoire Chérie by Elizabeth Arden is a Floral Aldehyde fragrance for women. Mémoire Chérie was awarded the Coupe D'Or award by the Comite du Bon Gout Francais. It is a floral aldehydic fragrance with woodsy and mossy notes. It starts with a fresh aldehydic top, followed by a sweet floral heart, resting on a warm, powdery, mossy base.

What a delightful feminine perfume. The floral notes give the impression of the friendly wildflower variety as opposed to the more formal feel of a white flower blend. It is a cool weather scent. A cool floral with green undertones. A delightful, fresh yet warm floral. Indescribably beautiful. Wonderful romantic perfume. It is classified as a floral powdery aldehydic semi-oriental fragrance for women with refreshing woodsy notes. It starts with a fresh aldehydic top, followed by a sweet floral heart of rose and jasmine, resting on a warm, powdery, mossy base of musk and amber. It has a green mixture of top notes such as bergamot, jasmine and rose with undertones of florals, and oak moss.

Mémoire Chérie was such a success that by 1960, it was awarded the grand Coupe D'Or award by the Comite du Bon Gout Francais. In 1969, Fete by Molyneux was awarded the Coupe d'Or du Bon Gout Francois, a prize bestowed by a panel who select each year an article created in Paris that symbolises French good taste. "Elizabeth Arden has been awarded the treasured Coupe d’Or of France for “Outstanding achievement in the development of Mémoire Chérie, the finest fragrance ever created and acclaimed by France.”

The perfume was discontinued sometime in the early to mid 1980s. Advertisements for the fragrance only appear until 1980.

Top notes are Aldehydes, Apricot, Mandarin Orange, Orange Blossom, Clary Sage, Bergamot, and Neroli
Heart notes are Jasmine, Honey, Carnation, Ylang-Ylang, Orchid, Tarragon, and Violet
Base notes are Oakmoss, Opoponax, Leather, Amber, and Haitian Vetiver.

"Memoire Cherie is a remarkable and highly original scent. It is rich with a subdued sweetness, dry with a honeyed, autumnal voluptuousness, at the same time full-bodied and yet translucent. There is a hint of pepper in the background, similar to that found in Shocking. An impression of a honey drenched carnation/clove note lies at the center. It is very warm and subtly spicy. The dryness is the result of combining chamomile, tarragon, violet and apricot, all full-bodied autumnal scents, but each with a particular character, and all working in harmony with each other. The richness at the center is the opoponax, known for its sweet, honeyed, vanillic, myrrh-like note. The incredibly original formula, unlike any I have come across in 75 year plus of olfactory observation, would deserve a hats off, regardless of the outcome. The blending of the various oils is masterly. This is a scent for the mature man or woman and one to be best worn, I should think, in the autumn and early winter." Basenotes Review. Jack Twist.

* "My Love was classified as a vivacious aldehydic floral fragrance for women. There are no published notes on this composition. It contains lots of roses and jasmine.

Top notes are Aldehydes, Bergamot, Lemon, and Orange
Heart Notes are Orris, Violet, Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Geranium, Ylang Ylang, and Bulgarian Rose
Base notes are Galbanum, Vetiver, Oak Moss, Vanilla, Benzoin, Sandalwood, and Patchouli

The fragrance starts off with nose tickling aldehydes, then some bright citrusy notes of bergamot, orange and lemon, followed by a soft floral heart of violet and jasmine, carroty orris, soapy lily of the valley and Bulgarian rose, pungent geranium and banana like ylang ylang, resting on a chypre base laden with dry and dusty green notes of galbanum, vetiver and oakmoss. A sweetened balsamic note of vanilla and benzoin keep the fragrance from being too verdant and bitter. Woodsy notes combining sandalwood and patchouli round out the base along with sensuous castoreum and musk. This is actually pretty nice, do try to get some if you enjoy old school aldehydic chypres. Only when applied to the skin, can I truly appreciate the fragrance, smooth and complex, it reveals each facet beautifully from the top to the base notes. On paper, I mostly smell the aldehydes, the citrus and green florals notes with only a hint of the animalic notes." Cleopatra's Boudoir

* White Orchid was launched in 1940. It is a sweet, fresh floral fragrance for women. It was discontinued sometime in the 1960s. I cannot find any perfume notes for this lovely fragrance.

Offered here is a lovely old coffret set containing the four fragrances. The Blue Grass has been gently used, but otherwise the flacons are quite full. Very rare to find a set like this that has endured so long.