2014 launches: 51 posts

What kind of perfume do you select on days when you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders? A triple incense extravaganza that makes you smell like a Gothic church? A quirky niche perfume that requires a degree in philosophy? A complex classic? I love all of those, but on hectic days, sweet and frilly is what I turn to. Lately, La Petite Robe Noire Couture, a sophisticated variation on Guerlain’s original little black dress, is my sweet perfume of choice.

Here, I have to make a little aside. The original La Petite Robe Noire Eau de Parfum released in 2009 was tweaked in 2012, and it’s this reorchestrated version that became a runaway success for Guerlain. It’s a raspberry macaron with a twist of licorice. The sparkling Eau de Toilette was released in 2013, and this year, we have the Couture version. All but the first La Petite Robe Noire were created by perfumer Thierry Wasser.

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Lots of roses ahead! Today, Elisa reviews two recent rose-centric flankers, Roses de Chloé and Balenciaga Rosabotanica. For more on flankers in general, check out “Flankers 101.”

Chloé Roses de Chloé 

By all rights, Roses de Chloé is what the first Chloé release should smell like. The original Karl Lagerfeld Chloé from the mid-70s was a voluptuous white floral, but Chloé relaunched it as a clean rose in 2008. The problem is, it’s too clean, with so much white musk overwhelming the formula that it smells far more like a laundry room than a rose garden.

Last year’s L’Eau de Chloé, a greener version with more patchouli, was an obvious improvement – and so is this one, with its clearer, more realistic floral accord of tea rose with gestures toward springtime-y linden and lily of the valley. There’s nothing particularly unusual about it (this is a rose soliflore folks, not a moon walk), but it smells fresh, young, and pretty without smelling faux-fruity (though I do pick up a crisp apple note) or cheap. In fact, it reminds me at times of pricier niche scents like Annick Goutal Rose Splendide, Parfum de Rosine’s Rose d’Été and Yosh Sottile. If you’re looking for a simple rose scent at Macy’s or Sephora, you could do far worse and these days, couldn’t do much better.

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Guerlain has launched a new fragrance in its  l’Art & la Matière collection, called Eau de Cashmere. It’s designed to be sprayed on cashmere or wool for a soft, cocooning effect, although it can be worn on skin, like any other perfume. Eau de Cashmere is unisex and is based around powdery notes. It’s also meant to be layered with any other fragrance in the l’Art & la Matière collection, which includes perfumes like Angélique Noire, Cruel Gardénia, Myrrhe et Délires, and Bois d’Arménie.

“Fresh notes of bergamot and mandarin are mixed with soft and powdery notes of iris and lavender . Then comes the elegant sillage of woody notes of cedar , vetiver and musk.”

Available at Guerlain boutiques and counters. 125ml/72 €

You never know what you’ll get with Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria fragrances. Some of them are fascinating and quirky like Pamplelune and Herba Fresca and others are unexpectedly bland like Lemon Fresca and Tutti Kiwi.  Limon Verde, with its promise of the Brazilian drink, caipirinha, blended with creamy fig should have been squarely in the first camp, but in the end, it’s neither surprising nor interesting.

The first sign of trouble with Limon Verde is its razor sharp green accent. It is there to shore up the lime, but I can’t shake off the paint thinner association that some intense leafy notes have. A delicious lime, zesty and bittersweet, stands no chance and surrenders.

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Every year since 2006, Guerlain has been reissuing its limited edition Muguet perfume for the May 1st holiday. In France, May Day is associated with lily of the valley (muguet in French), a symbol of purity and a reminder of spring. The fragrance was originally created by Jacques Guerlain in 1908, although the current formula has been reinterpreted by Jean-Paul Guerlain and Thierry Wasser and features green notes, lily of the valley, lilac, jasmine, and rose.

This year’s limited edition (only 1 872 numbered pieces will be made) is a bee bottle encased in an embossed white porcelain holder. The mold is created by the Parisian ceramic artist and painter Brigitte de Bazelaire, and it features a lily of the valley design. Elle.fr explains how the bottle is made and shows photos of the process.

Muguet will become available for sale starting May 1st at Guerlain boutiques and retail points. 125ml, 400 euros.

Via Guerlain boutique, Elle.fr