Guerlain: 57 posts

When I first heard about Guerlain Rose Nacrée du Désert, which is part of the Les Déserts d’Orient collection, along with Encens Mythique d’Orient and Songe d’Un Bois d’Été, I was only mildly curious. Had it been a part of the regular collection, I would have been more proactive in seeking out a sample, but Les Déserts d’Orient is sold at only a few boutiques, and I dislike falling in love with something this exclusive. (Can you tell where this is going?)

To make a long story short, a sample found its way to me thanks to a kind reader, and whenever I have been wearing Rose Nacrée du Désert, I’ve been experiencing minor scented epiphanies. I may be doing something as unglamorous as picking up dry cleaning, when I suddenly catch a whiff of dark roses clinging to my skin. It’s an instant dose of chic, and on most days, I desperately need it.

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As far as the French language goes “Pamplelune” is a portmanteau that combines the French word for grapefruit (pamplemousse) with the French word for moon (lune). In the perfumista’s lexicon, however, Pamplelune denotes the 1999 fragrance by Mathilde Laurent for Guerlain for its original Aqua Allegoria line.  As a grapefruit scent, it is both revered and feared; whether one can wear this take on sulfuric citrus depends on whether one associates grapefruit with fruit or with funk.

Although the Aqua Allegoria line is meant to showcase lighter, less complex fragrances, Pamplelune is anything but simple.  After the explosive opening it follows through with tart/sour bergamot and twiggy petitgrain notes before morphing into a cheerful black currant-accented floral that is tethered to a sweet and vanillic patchouli base.

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

I have not been excited about any release from Guerlain’s L’Art et La Matière Line since Bois d’Arménie with its softly sketched out woody accord. Iris Ganache and Tonka Impériale were enjoyable, but like a high-calorie dessert, too rich to savor for long. An acquaintance with Myrrhe et Delires, on the other hand, quickly turned into an infatuation.

Peppery and citrusy at first, Myrrhe et Délires immediately changes course into the woody direction. At the heart of Myrrhe et Délires is a beautiful floral accord, which allows you to enjoy the cool, earthy touch of iris and the honeyed embrace of rose. The powdery candy-like violet and the milky peach add a pleasant sweetness.  Just as you settle in to linger over these morsels, you become aware of the savory, cool leitmotif running through Myrrhe et Délires, that of myrrh.

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

The old Mughal palaces have a very peculiar scent of wet wood, old books and dried roses. Drawn to the decaying glamor of the past, I have spent a fair bit of time exploring them, and the scent is what I tend to remember the most. Over time I have realized that the closest olfactive equivalent of my own Indian fantasies, both real and conjured by my imagination, is Guerlain Samsara. Guerlain has a long tradition of paying tribute to India at its most romantic, but Samsara goes even further by serving as a gold standard for sandalwood fragrances, the most quintessential Indian perfume. What follows is not just a review, but also a guide to vintage perfume hunters curious to smell Samsara in its former reincarnation.

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

I confess that I did not expect much from Shalimar Parfum Initial, especially when I read that it is supposed to be a modern fruity version of a jewel in Guerlain’s crown, Shalimar. Picking up a blue faceted bottle to spray the perfume on my wrist, I braced myself for a pink berry compote, the likes of which test remarkably well, and as a result, suffocate the fragrance market. What I experienced instead came as a surprise—a lighthearted, yet elegant blend, in which the velvety oriental notes of Shalimar are embroidered with the effervescence of sweet orange and tangerine.

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