4711: The Original Eau de Cologne
Written: Jan 01 '03 (Updated Feb 10 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: wonderful, clean aroma
Cons: not very long lasting
The Bottom Line: A part of my past and my future. I love it.
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| naphtalia's Full Review: 4711 13.5oz Splash by Muehlens |
Growing up, my mother had many atomizers and bottles of perfume on her counter. These were beautiful cut-glass bottles with beautiful shapes and lettering etched or painted on in gold. In the midst of this, a simple bottle with a turquoise and blue label looked out of place. No atomizer on that bottle, only a lid. If you wanted a bit of the liquid in the bottle, you took off the lid and either put some on your finger tips or in the palm of your hand. This bottle was my mother's 4711 Cologne. My grandmother had some, too. While I scoff at many of the perfumes of the past, I still like 4711 Cologne. It's on my dresser today.
4711 Cologne's formula is based on the formula made by a French friar who emigrated to Koln Germany (in English, Koln is Cologne). The name of the scent (pronounced by those who know it as forty-seven, eleven) is the street number of the house where the Mulhens family had their perfumery in 1772 when they launched the scent. In 1794, the French had occupied the city. Among the tales told about this scent in this era is that Napoleon used to bathe in a diluted version of it.
4711 by Muelhens has won numerous awards according to its label. It is a refined, fruity fragrance. Among the Germans I know, it is used by both men and women. Indeed, there is nothing about the bottling to indicate that this is either a guy or a gal thing. The scent includes lemon oil, orange oil and a very light note of both rose and sandalwood. It is simple and fresh and clean smelling. This is an ideal summertime scent, and is great to wear into an office where more overwhelming scents are not welcome.
If the cologne has one drawback, it is its lack of staying power. As light as it is, within a couple of hours, there is no trace of the cologne at all. For some, this might be a bonus. I find that I like scents that last a bit longer. Still, if I'm going out during the day, this is often the first and only scented product I reach for. During the summer, I find it particularly refreshing to keep the cologne in the fridge and put it on from there.
4711 is a remnant of my past that I will continue using in the future. Today, 4711 comes in many sizes from the mini bottle which holds only .27 ounces all the way up to the big bottle which holds 27 ounces. It even comes in bottles with atomizers today. Bottles range in cost from $10 for the 5 ounce spray bottle to $37 for the 27 ounce bottle. Considering the cost of other perfumes and colognes, this is a great deal.
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If you're interested in more of my men's fragrance reviews, you can find some at the following links:
Halston Z-14 for Men
Tabac Men’s Cologne
Oleg Cassini for Men
Recommended:
Yes
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naphtalia
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Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn't mean the_circus has left town.
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