Guerlain: 57 posts

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Angélique Noire created by Daniela Andrier is one of the three new fragrances released by the house of Guerlain for the reopening of their 68 Champs Elysées boutique. The compositions of these fragrances are radiant and refined, recalling the elegant precision of classical Guerlains as well as elements that are rather un-Guerlainesque. The resulting aura of these fragrances is redolent of neoclassism and heightened by some modern touches.

In a neoclassisist attempt, Angélique Noire takes up the bergamot-vanilla pairing of classical Guerlains and builds the composition around it. It opens with a spicy accord jeweled by tart sharpness of bergamot, which fades into the milky bitterness of almond. The peppery austerity of the top notes contrasts beautifully with the honeyed undercurrent that rises up to enfold the heart. Creamy vanilla punctuated by a dark citrus note is what forms the main facet of Angélique Noire. Its somber richness is transparent enough to notice a swirl of almond and spicy sugared angelica, with a whisper of bergamot lightening the vanillic veil. While Andrier did not create another Shalimar, the fragrance possesses a soft and gentle character, creating a sensation of warm silk and hot flower petals. Therefore, perhaps, it is more correct to classify Angélique Noire as a Romantic composition, rather than a Neoclassisist one, in its hazy and sensitive handling of the notes.

Currently, the fragrances are exclusive to 68 Champs Elysées boutique, however they can be ordered by emailing Antoine-Olivier Metz, the store manager, at [email protected]. 75ml is priced at 140 euros.

Painting: One of the neoclassisists, Pierre-Paul Prud’hon. Head of the Virgin for Annunciation. 1811. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia. abcgallery.com

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Guerlain Love is All released exclusively for duty free stores in 2005 features a combination of iris, mimosa and passionfruit.  Tart red berry opening makes for a familiar fruity accord, which becomes even more ubiquitous when a tropical sharpness of passionfruit contributes to the top notes. The rest of the story is as interesting as watching the grass grow–pleasant but forgettable flirty floral facets against treacly and at the same time sharp fruity notes.

The best feature of Christian Dior Dior Star is its lovely gilded flacon, made in the classic Dior shape and embellished with small stars against matted gold. The fragrance has notes of bergamot, mandarin petitgrain, honeysuckle, peony, sugared almonds and musk. At first, it smells not unlike green chestnuts, which is a scent of sugary verdant sap, talcum powder and unopened flower buds. However, before I had a chance to fully enjoy the vision of prickly green chestnut shell, the fragrance took a turn for a dull unoffensive floral.

Although it is not a duty-free exclusive, I would also like to mention a new Yves Saint Laurent In Love Again limited edition called “Fleur de la Passion”.  Out of all summer limited editions (Van Cleef et Arpels, Lancôme, etc.), it is definitely the most interesting, even though this is not saying much. It is a straightforward fruit salad, with passion fruit and raspberry dominating. In the top notes, it reminds me of the original, with the sharp blast of pink grapefruit and a rainfall of rose petals. Here, sharpness of grapefruit is somewhat muted by raspberries and sweet-sour aspect of passion fruit (not passion flower as I was expecting, even though later it does soften into a floral aspect more like passion flower, which raspberries manage to choke). The development is similiar to In Love Again, but all of the stages are permeated by raspberries.

Guerlain marketed Chant d’Arômes in 1962 as a fragrance for a woman who wears perfume only for herself. In an interview with Elle Magazine, perfumer Jean-Paul Guerlain described his muse Marie-Monique as “a proper, ladylike young woman. I chose spring flowers like honeysuckle and gardenia, embellished them with mandarin and bergamot and added a touch of jasmine and a hint of ylang-ylang.”

Chant d’Arômes is a delicately rendered floral chypre, with a strong accent of peach and sweet orange. The inky richness of oakmoss and the milky sweetness of sandalwood serve as interesting contrasts to the pastel hued heart of honeysuckle and jasmine. It is at once innocent and alluring.

Continue reading →

Parure means a matching set of necklace and earrings. The fragrance was created by Jean-Paul Guerlain in 1975 for a woman who loved jewelry but could not find a scent she liked. Thus, he created a scintillating perfumed necklace to adorn her.

Sensual and elegant, Parure opens up on the dark richness of plum and rose, accented with bergamot. The musky jasmine fills out the heart of Parure, while the bittersweet moss and spicy woods form a plush base. Parure in extrait de parfum (now discontinued) is richer and more voluptuous that the eau de toilette, with the plum note more assertive and pronounced.

Parure includes notes of plum, bergamot, greens, fruits and hesperides; lily of the valley, rose, orris, plum, lilac, jasmine, jonquil and narcissus; oakmoss, spices, amber, leather and patchouli.

Chypre Classification

A little bit on the chypre fragrance family: The origins of the term are conventionally attributed to François Coty’s Chypre (1917), which was inspired by the scented flora of the island of Cyprus (Chypre, in French). While Chypre disappeared a few years after its inception, the trend was set by Coty and the term became a generic one. The term is usually reserved for compositions featuring bergamot in the top notes and oakmoss as well as iris, musk and amber—and some might argue patchouli as well–in the base, which lends them an interesting interplay of sensations. The group has evolved to include chypre floral animalic, chypre fruity, chypre floral and chypre green categories.

A gem of Guerlain’s classical collection, Vol de Nuit is a miniature universe. Smelling it, I am transported to a wood-paneled library. The gilded leather bound books, the honeyed scent of beeswax candles and the warmth of the fire are evoked by its balsamic and leathery notes. The baroque oriental base of Vol de Nuit cradles a luminous orange blossom and narcissus.

Perfumer Jacques Guerlain created Vol de Nuit, “night flight”, in 1933 as an homage to the brave aviators of the 1920s. The French company Aéropostale was one of the first operations to fly the mail from continent to continent. The chief pilot of Aéropostale’s operations was Antoine de St. Exupéry. After serving as a French combat pilot during World War I, he wrote several books, among them Wind, Sand and Stars, Night Flight and The Little Prince. He disappeared during World War II while flying a reconnaissance mission in 1944. Vol de Nuit was named after a novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The bottle is emblazoned with the shape of French Air Force wings and has a dark amber color.

Continue reading →