Halston 1-12 by Halston

I bought it without reading reviews and now I regret it. It doesn’t match the notes on the website; it’s strong and very characterful. Maybe it’s too floral, or the blend doesn’t remind me of HZ14, which I liked because it smelled like the discontinued YSL Pour Homme. Don’t buy it without smelling it first.

Tested thanks to the generosity of my friend Carlos Lezaun and bought it immediately. A work of art ahead of its time. Created in 1976, it smells like the 90s to me. I can’t believe no one compares it to Jaipur by Boucheron, one of my all-time favorites. It’s a disturbingly beautiful scent at a painful price—an insult to its history and quality. A perfume’s death is its oblivion. If the perfumery world were fair, Halston 1-12 would be eternal and immortal.

Very green and aromatic, harmonious like using a refreshing, acidic herbal soap. On hot days, it makes you feel fresh and vital. It’s not easy if you don’t love vintage, but it’s worth trying. Pity its poor longevity and projection, though it’s worth it for the price. Plus, the bottle looks great in a collection.

I read in a forum that this perfume is simply ‘nice,’ nothing more. It evokes past eras and how men were when they were at their best. It smells like old-timey soap, herbal with a sweet touch, very pleasant. I think it can still be worn without issues. Its projection is very weak, at least in my bottle, so it smells like you just got out of the shower. I like it more than Z-14; it feels livelier and happier.

The scent is wonderful: green, clean, and soapy, evoking another era without feeling outdated. I prefer it to its sibling Z-14, but the longevity is a disaster due to reformulations: now it lasts only 30-45 minutes and sits almost entirely on the skin. Despite that, at an absurdly low price, it’s worth it, though it seems they sacrificed performance for that bargain.

Great for heading to work, it conveys seriousness and smells clean without being annoying. It has a quick-fading green citrus opening, then nothing, but people seem to like it. I get a close-up green freshness right at my nose. Unbeatable price, you can’t ask for more.

Super unique scent, nothing like what you see out there. It’s green but with that exotic galbanum touch that makes it stand out, far from typical pine or forest vibes. Imagine pulling fresh weeds by hand; it smells like real wilderness. Lasts well, about six hours, and while it’s a strong masculine fragrance, it doesn’t overwhelm. Perfect for anyone over 35 if you’re brave enough to go extreme.

You have to see how our perception of a perfume changes. Sometimes, all it takes is time to understand what we couldn’t grasp yesterday. This happened to me today with Halston 1-12. After keeping it for almost two years and laughing at it, I now feel the urge to try it again: what a wonder, my own, and what a marvelous reunion. I’m surprised I didn’t understand it sooner… how is it possible that today I feel it so kind and delicate, whereas yesterday I didn’t? Perhaps the fragrance or I have evolved, and now we recognize each other. I put it on, and it took hold of me not with force, but with the embrace and kindness of a fragrance full of virtues. I think perfumes like this make life beautiful. They don’t try to achieve anything; they are there like a friend you see rarely but always keep in mind. The 1-12 takes me for a walk through quiet fields where I would wish to age: a house between sea and mountains with poppies, lavender, and pines where the breeze whispers. A garden with a view of the west where the memories of youth burn, and a smile tells the people who made life more beautiful.

Halston 1-12 was a blind purchase that was quite confusing. It didn’t impact me like its sibling, Z-14, whom I fell in love with instantly thanks to its explosiveness that threw me into my childhood memories… The 1-12 leaves me wanting to understand it better with the feeling of ‘good,’ and now what? I acknowledge it is a good scent, and I would rather smell it on someone else than on myself because it has something relaxing that evokes a stress-free life, a walk through a field of green, wet grass after the rain. I totally agree with Bofifa when he says it reminds me more of a flower stem, the smell you get if you make a small cut. I wish I had been as enthusiastic about it as I was with the Z-14, but I understand that both demand exclusive fidelity, and I feel their tastes are incompatible.

Aromatic delight… one of the best I have. The opening is extremely green and hard for maybe 15 minutes… when it reaches the middle notes, wow! floral scent accompanied by woods, INCREDIBLE. This lotion lasts around 15 hours on my skin, reaching a sweet but very rich trail. Completely classic, highly recommended for people 30 and above. I use it preferably at night and for going out to parties; a scent that hardly anyone else could be wearing.

Halston 1-12 is the tacit representation of the aromatic philosophy of its era, a true legend of the late seventies along with its sibling Z-14. It was so good that two years later, the famous Polo by Ralph Lauren arrived, considered a re-focus of that fragrance; both very boreal and green. It is wonderful to find it today at a price that doesn’t exceed two movie tickets plus popcorn and a drink. This green scent is potent, intense, and heavy at the start, typical of the formulas of back then, like Worth pour Homme (1932), with whom it shares ten notes and seems another child of that great fragrance that has given it even great-grandchildren. Once the opening attenuates, we have an intense green, resinous, and floral scent that evolves slowly in an aromatic descent of about 6 hours, remaining boreal but not like an autumn forest (Z-14) but like a spring forest, projecting a formal and distinguished character. Its floral ensemble is very balanced, allowing executive presence and being correct for business or formal events. Being a scent that almost no one uses, it could break into the formal sector in a singular and creative way. It has a duration appropriate for its era and exceeds 12 hours, where its trail is an aromatic, masculine, and Nordic scent. For me, it is mandatory in any collection, and for that price, even more so!

I own this perfume and have used it a few times because at first it is very strong and lasts a few minutes with that intense pine smell, but as time goes on, that smell drops, and it starts to smell clean with a very subtle sweetness where I really like it. Everything said in the previous reviews is true; perhaps because the components from decades ago are different, but in perfumes, there is something for every taste and skin. What smells very rich and delicious on other skins can be the exact opposite, and that is the magic of perfumes in common: a matter of criteria and attitude toward any fragrance.

Of course, Lalo speaks from his own perspective, but it’s not the same as how it sits on you. Taste is very personal; if you keep searching, you’ll definitely find something that makes you feel great—not everything has to be tailored just for you.

I can’t stand it; it is too dry, intrusive, suffocating, and very annoying to the olfactory senses. If I could define it in one word, it would be: Horrible.