Gala Performance by Helena Rubinstein c1940

Gala Performance by Helena Rubinstein: launched in 1940.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a floral oriental fragrance for women, described as "a dramatic combination of the sweetness of the floral fragrance and the headiness of the Oriental, a blend of the sweet and strong."

• Top notes: bergamot
• Middle notes: rose, jasmine
• Base notes: ambergris, musk, vanilla, sandalwood, oakmoss

Bottles:

Instead of a more conventional bottle, a figure is used in the packaging of both the perfume and the eau de toilette. The ballet-dancer bottle holding the Gala Performance fragrance might well belong to a collection of rare bottles. The bottles were made up of clear glass in the shape of a woman dancing, wearing a long, wide skirt (however, there is a version with a narrower skirt), her stylized arms and head form the stopper. 

The full skirted bottle holds the Eau de Toilette, and stands 5.75" tall, adorned with an ostrich feather plume and tulle tutu, and retailed for $10 in 1940. The narrow skirted bottle holds the parfum, and stands 6.75" tall, and originally had a tulle tutu flecked with glitter and tied around the waist, this retailed for $25 in 1940. 

Arts & Decoration, 1940:

"Gala Performance, by Helena Rubinstein, is one of those dramatic scents that would make practically any woman feel glamorous. It's a perfume for important occasions and comes in a lovely collector's item bottle in the form of a ballet dancer."

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown.

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