La Petite Robe Noire Guerlain 2012 edition

 Desirability: Full bottle 

For those who were brought here by google or another search engine in hopes of finding enlightenment regarding LPRN, please do scroll down a few paragraphs and ignore my warbling here. For...

This is my first post in many years. YEARS! Wow. To all the people who have reached out since the birth of this blog, to tell me you enjoy reading what I wrote, a big THANK YOU. You are a big part of why I am back today. 

I’ve been enjoying my fragrance library which I obsessively collected between 2012-2017, without the feeding frenzy to obtain more and more new scents. Of course a couple of new bottles joined the gang here and there but that’s a fragrance lover for you- there’s no such thing as too much perfume. 

I’ve gone so far in my journey as to be able to part with fragrances I no longer jive with, regardless of whether they are deemed collectors’ items or not (to the joy of other fragrance lovers who picked up the bottles sold) and have trimmed my library done to something manageable like a few lifetimes’ worth instead of never ending. 

Anyway back to LPRN, my bottle being the re-release of the initial limited edition (which I’ve never smelt) in 2012. 

Isn’t it amazing how our senses evolve/mature along with the rest of our physical bodies and mentality? Well for most of us anyway. I remember loving LPRN when I first laid nose on it. Even eyes- I mean check the signature Guerlain top shared with hallmark scents such as Mitsouko and L’Heure Bleue. Picture Mitzy and LHB looking on indulgently at the capricious youth that is their niece. 

Uncork the bottle and cue the blast of sexy patchouli nesting in a generous bosom of dark luscious cherries. Layer on the subtly spicy vanilla (shades of Hypnotic Poison anyone?) and a bloom of roses (more Ce Soir ou Jamais than La filled de Berlin) in a 40/60 percentage and you have yourself a yummy trifle that lasts for days when applied to clothes and leaves the two metre radius around you floating in a delicious cloud of bliss. 

It's easy to dismiss LPRN as just another youth outreach program by a great perfume house but unlike the masses crowding the perfume counters out there, LPRN has a thing about it, just as all Guerlain fragrances do (full disclosure: Guerlain fangirl here, they can do almost no wrong in my eyes. Almost.). LPRN is the treasured painting at home, not a sketch on a cocktail napkin. In a world constantly saturated with distracting new offerings, LPRN was edged slowly towards the back of the collection but I'm thankful that I didn't part with my bottle during the Great Separation of 2020. Coincidentally one of the first scents I discovered as an early fragrance lover is the scent that brought me to write my first post in many years. 

If you have a bottle of this beauty knocking around somewhere, I hope you have an opportunity to revisit its beauty again. Or perhaps another beautiful scent that has been neglected for a while. 

L'Heure de Nuit Guerlain

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Fragrantica

I've been chasing after the perfect heliotrope and the perfect iris. Although L'Heure de Nuit doesn't fulfill all cravings, it does have plenty of iris, heliotrope and orange blossom to keep this girl happy. Plus that bottle, that pale blue juice...even if I'm not a bottle collector, I do agree that Guerlain has the market cornered for pretty bottles. 

Despite the name, I don't find similarities between this pretty little thing and L'Heure Bleue, the undisputed queen of the night and melancholy. I love L'Heure Bleue, even if I've only briefly smelt the vintage and own the reformulation (yes even to this green nose they do smell worlds apart), it is a fragrance rich in history and L'Heure de Nuit by contrast is youthful and has not sunk her teeth in life as yet. The sunlit orange blossom brings gaiety and lifts up the moody iris and heliotrope, the result is an invitingly cool blue floral without glacial tones, like dipping into the pool on a hot day with the water temperature being just right. As the day evolves into night, L'Heure de Nuit unfolds its vanilla tinged muskiness as the hours progress, with lingering traces of the cool iris, powdery sweet heliotrope and sunny white flowers. 

Sillage is moderate and longevity good. A hug-worthy scent. Do not come with expectations of drama and sorcery. 

Rose Nacrée du Désert Guerlain (Les Déserts d'Orient)

Desirability: Decant

Source: whatmenshouldsmelllike.com

A oud/rose/patch combo that went through finishing school.

Most perfume lovers are well acquainted with rose/oud/patchouli combinations from the coarse to the refined- well at least perfume lovers who have little or no aversion to oud. Guerlain's offering Rose Nacrée du Désert rests on a throne along with the upper crust. I'm biased where Guerlain is concerned, if Guerlain made it, it's well-made be it the revered classics or the newer offerings. I don't  necessarily like all that the house produces, for example the biggest strike out would be Chypre Fatal, however the quality is evident in all of them.

Rose Nacrée du Désert like a generous bosom barely restrained by its corset, spills over with luscious rose blooms, flooding the senses with their heady sweet smell. Dry sweet saffron, a non too pungent oud, earthy patchouli and a warm resinous base complete this well-rounded and sophisticated fragrance. It hints of rugged beginnings that were polished over centuries like the lineage of a self-made family that became "respectable" with time and money.

Rose Nacrée du Désert is undeniably luxurious and alluring. If I didn't already have a few too many rose/patchouli/oud combinations or if I had unlimited perfume funds, I would consider adding this to my perfume wardrobe. Still there's always birthdays and holidays!

Mademoiselle Guerlain, Guerlain

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest

Source: wethepeoplestyle.com

Whoever takes a cursory look at the notes for Mademoiselle Guerlain and dismisses it as a giddy adolescent's scent, I would advise to ignore the notes as well as the naysayers and give this a chance. Mademoiselle is a grown woman of independent means, who may be wearing a blushing pink dress for tea with her parents but she's since kicked off her demure Repettos in favour of spiked Louboutins, a matching leather jacket and a penchant for life that would make Jicky and Chamade proud. 

The last scent I owned that had marshmallow as a note was Don`t Get Me Wrong Baby ( I don't swallow) by Etat Libre d`Orange which despite its racy name was in reality a charming lily of the valley scent. I wasn't particularly entranced so that bottle got swapped away and every marshmallow scent thereafter just did not hit the spot. Well until I met Mademoiselle Guerlain.

I won't call Mademoiselle Guerlain a marshmallow-centred fragrance, in fact it doesn't smell particularly gourmand-ish to me. Sweet yes but not effusive, there is an interplay between the citrus-tinged nectar of the orange blossom, the confectionery sugar of the marshmallow against the cool green bitterness of the galbanum and violet leaves which creates the leathery aspect of the scent for me. The scent dries into a delicately sweet cloud of powdery musk laced with citrus and warm vanilla. 

Projection is good and longevity very good, Mademoiselle Guerlain danced the night away and walked home light-hearted but with sore bare feet having lost her leather heels and jacket somewhere in the party before passing out in her room that is artfully decorated with souvenirs from the Orient, the morning sun kept out by her violet curtains. 

Source: pinterest

Jicky EDT Guerlain

Desirability: A full bottle

Source: basenotes.net

Jicky EDT (bottle as above) was one of the first classical Guerlain perfumes I got my greedy mitts in the early days of my perfume craze. I didn't appreciate it much back then, my attention instead being focused on all sorts of gourmand and heavy oriental scents. Times and tastes have evolved since then. These days when life gets a bit more challenging, Jicky is one in a special "emergencies only" line-up I reach for to calm and recharge simultaneously. 

Slightly bitter, herbal green and citrusy, the first notes are loud and bracing (with a hangover one would practically think it's shrieking), not quite everyone's cup of tea I would imagine. Patience pays off quite quickly as the opening notes step aside and a gorgeous lavender conjoins with an even more gorgeous creamy vanilla and a touch of bittersweet almond/tonka...all members of the special guerlainade list of ingredients that weaves a linkage between various Guerlain perfumes. Jicky projects well with a couple of sprays but unfortunately doesn't last above the four hour mark on me. Even then, this elegant and timeless beauty is one that deserves leisurely sampling ( a quick spray and sniff won't do it justice really).

L'Instant de Guerlain

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: www.osmoz.com

Milky sweet floral.

Despite the advertisement above, I don't find L'Instant to be seductive or wearing a little black dress. Instead L'Instant soothes me, it feels as relaxing as drinking a floral tea laced with milk and honey and smells like it too. Well if tea could be made out of a combination of the flowers ylang ylang, magnolia and jasmine. 

L'Instant is a strong scent but not suffocating, it's easy to wear even on the most humid days here thanks to its lightness. If it were a colour it would be the palest of pale honey and honey is definitely a major feature of L'Instant, proportional to the lush milky floral notes but despite all the flowers and honey the scent is not heavy on sugar, everything about L'Instant says delicate and feminine. In the drydown there is a wisp of clean musk that adds to the pillowy effect and L'Instant maintains its warm celestial glow until the very end many hours later.  

Gourmand Coquin Guerlain

Desirability: Decant

Source: www.guerlain.com

Love the bottle and the marketing blurb behind the Elixir Charnel range from Guerlain. Taking this excerpt from the description for Gourmand Coquin on Guerlain's website:

 A delicious and sexy fragrance reflecting a mischievous, intrepid and charming woman. 

Who wouldn't want to be all that? I know I would. 

The thing that frustrates me about Gourmand Coquin and holds me back from getting a full bottle, is that the vanilla outweighs the chocolate on me. Yes the chocolate is there, a divine milky chocolate bar that's covered by...vanilla. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the vanilla, it's a gourmand dream of a yummy sweet vanilla but my vanilla corner is densely populated from gourmands to woody to vampy and currently on the pedestal is Vanitas who won't be happy with competition. 

Gourmand Coquin besides the chocolate and vanilla is lightly spiced and slightly boozy, giving one a festive air of partying and indulging without the hangover and self recriminations. Well done, smoothly blended. It's Guerlain. So back to the advertisement. Yes it's delicious if you are into gourmands, yes it's sexy if well you get turned on by dessert, mischievous and charming it is but intrepid...hmm. That's something I would reserve for Mona di Orio's Vanille instead.

Valentine's Day is around the corner so if you are feeling particularly generous and loving, I can let you know where to send a bottle :) Oh and if it's not too much trouble I'll take bottles of Oriental Brulant and Angélique Noire too :)

Angélique Noire Guerlain

Desirability: Full bottle and back up

Source: www.lesflaconsdeparfum.com

Complete and peaceful. 

Like a recovering addict, I've done my best to steer away from the sole Guerlain counter that carries the exclusive range and even went to great lengths to avoid the shopping mall in which its housed. However I recently bought in on a split of Angélique Noire which I briefly smelt and loved a few years ago. From the line L’Art et la Matière, Angélique Noire and Tonka Imperiale stood out the most for me. Actually I'm pretty crazy about my tiny decant of  Angélique Noire to the point that words and reason failed me when I tried to explain why (the crazy part that is). I'll say it's Guerlain at its best...just call me a groupie.

A pleasantly strange fragrance, vanilla is obviously part of the composition but there's a faint peppery greenness about the vanilla that makes it different from any other vanilla I've come across. Vanilla usually adds some weight but Angélique Noire remains quite...Twiggy-esque for a lack of a better word. Spicy without being fiery, sweet without crossing into gourmand or sickly and aromatic without being too green. Delicate and rarefied but not limp. Musk and faint incense appear in the drydown which feels like a warm golden shawl around your shoulders, conjuring up images of perfect perfectness like the duck scene in The Notebook. Moderate projection and very good longevity.

Source: pinterest.com

Trivia: Angelica or angelica archangelica as an essential oil is purported to be an excellent restorative to help ease anxiety, lift depression and alleviate tension. 

Happy New Year- Hello 2015!

Source: iledebeaute.ru

My friends and I headed to a beach club to ring in the new year last night. Of course that meant I had to pick a scent that would be suitable for a beach setting in tropical weather as well as being festive enough for New Year's Eve. Which isn't that easy as my picky mind has mentally separated "beach scents" as casual scents and "festive scents" as well festive, spices, rich resins and balms- totally unsuitable in this case. 

In the end I picked Terracotta Le Parfum, the limited release from Guerlain earlier in 2014 ( although if rumours are to be believed, a re-release that is possibly permanent too is due soon). 

"Allure of the sun in a bottle" 

It does smell like bottled warm glow. You get a burst of zingy citrus zest, a milky sweet coconut less creamy than in Comptoir Sud Pacifique's Vanille Coco but more creamy than Estee Lauder's Sensuous Nude then a jaw-dropping beautiful and lush bouquet of white florals, creamy and musky, heady frangipani and jasmine as well as ylang ylang with its mild spicy floral note. I notice too the orange blossom which is more subdued amongst the other flowers here. In the drydown the citrus laced vanilla and musk become stronger than the white floral notes but the coconut cream stays intact throughout. Not so much a beach scent that makes you think of the sea and sand but tropical island it surely is reminiscent of, of sun-kissed warm skin, frangipani trees releasing their fragrance in the gentle breeze that makes music of the leaves on the trees and long grass that tugs gently on your bohemian chic peasant dress as you hold hands with your lover, as picture perfect as a photo shoot for a glossy magazine.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a fan of tropical flowers done right and with Terracotta Le Parfum, Thierry Wasser has done it gorgeously. The true scent of the tropical flowers are captured in this rose gold liquid, heady and luscious but not cloying, in fact the sillage is rather discreet for a white floral perfume. 

After comparing it with Annick Goutal's Songes EDT and L'Erbolario's Tiare, I would say this wins over Tiare which has a artificial saccharine note that spoils it for me. I prefer this to Songes EDT which is a lovely concoction of white flowers but did not last at all on my skin. The longevity of Terracotta Le Parfum despite being an EDT is about 6-7 hours on me although faint by that time.  

Happy New Year everyone! 

In bed with Mitsouko

Serge decided to stay in bed this morning instead of accompanying his mama while she went about her daily blitz about the bedroom before rushing to work. Since he was being unusually docile, I decided to use him as an unpaid model to pose with my Mitsouko EDP bottle. He seems to like the smell of it ( I had just spritzed some on before taking the photo) enough to jump off the bed and nuzzle me before going back to his snooze sans Mitsouko who was lounging in the safety of my bag.

Anyone with a passion for perfume knows Mitsouko whether they love her or not and even her admirers are divided amongst her various reformulations. Thankfully I have never felt the need to venture into vintage Mitsouko and apart from preferring the EDP to the EDT I am quite content with my bottle of EDP pre-2013 reformulation ( I think the batch code on my bottle points towards 2011, I used Raiders of the Lost Scent's "How to recognize Guerlain perfumes" to date mine). I do intend to get hold of a bottle of the 2013-thereafter Mitsouko since it's been widely acclaimed to have recaptured the old glory of Mitsouko and I am curious to know what the current formula smells like in comparison. 

I've never smelt oakmoss or tree moss dried or fresh and like many other ingredients I've not had the good fortune to come across in their natural state, I compare what I'm smelling to what it's meant to smell like according to various articles, blogs and whatever information source I can get my hands on. P.S: Dear Santa, I would really like to have  Steffen Arctander's Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin for Christmas this year please.

Mitsouko is hauntingly beautiful. I can't do justice in describing the experience but it's a melancholic beauty despite its name "Child of Light", a powdery haze, darkness, rich and earthy, a touch of ripe fuzzy peaches, spicy musk, all these elements blended seamlessly together to create a special fragrance that is distinct and unique with a soul of its own that carries cherished memories and hidden desires. Reformulated or not, still beautiful.

Like Serge is in the photo above, Mitsouko tends to leave me daydreaming and lost in its plot weaved with complexity, sophistication, romance and tragedy. 

La Petite Robe Noire Couture Guerlain

After the entry of citrus notes disappear faster than I do at social events where I know nobody and am thus forced to make small talk or hold up the wallpaper, La Petite Robe Noire Couture gets straight to the point of what she is, a berried rose patchouli as opposed to her predecessor La Petite Robe Noire who was a creamy dark cherry/licorice/almond. Despite being called "Couture" and dressed in a slinky black evening gown, I find LPRNC to be more playful than LPRN whose more vampy nature might be suited to the slinky gown instead of the frilly dress she's in. There appears to be a disagreement as to what kind of fruit is in LPRNC as some say cherries and others declare it's berries, for me I am in the berry camp for what I smell are tart and sweet raspberries. 

With a decent projection and longevity, La Petite Robe Noire Couture is worth the price she commands for compared to other fruity-florals (celebrity or similarly branded) she smells expensive and is devoid of any lingering chemical lab notes that usually ruin these types for me, for instance despite being a fan of Dominique Ropion, I cannot wear Lancome's La Vie Est Belle without feeling nauseated not from the sweet gourmand she is but an underlying artificial note that ruined La Vie Est Belle for me. I get the same vibes from scents like The One Desire by Dolce & Gabbana although the caramel in there smells quite natural; Dolce & Gabbana's Pour Femme had toxic marshmallows; Thierry Mugler's The Taste of Fragrance Alien had this melted plastic pseudo-caramel that killed it for me after the first wear and has been put up for adoption.   

La Petite Robe Noire Couture is a happy and lively scent who doesn't take anything too seriously and is a great companion to brighten you up on the days that you have to get out of bed but really don't want to. 

Eau de Shalimar Guerlain

I love Shalimar in all concentrations, from vintages to current day and flankers. Why do I love thee? For several reasons.

Firstly the story behind Shalimar, the great love of Shan Jahan for a favorite wife whose title of Mumtaz Mahal meant "The Jewel of the Palace", a love that created the luxuriant Gardens of Shalimar for her and a grief so heartbreaking that he ordered the court into mourning for two years after her death during childbirth complications. The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, was his last tribute to her, the greatest, grandest mausoleum for his beloved.

The bottle: Look at those curves, like a woman's curves, sensual and stirring. The shape of the bottle, designed by Raymond Guerlain in 1925 and which won the first prize at the Paris Decorative Arts Exhibition, was inspired by the fountain basins in the Gardens of Shalimar.The translucent blue cap represents the shape taken by the water springing forth ceaselessly in the fountains. 

The scent: I will focus on my SOTD Eau de Shalimar. The apple does not fall far from the tree. Eau de Shalimar on me is a fresher and lighter take on Shalimar, losing its denseness and focusing more on its powdery gourmand aspects, the vanilla and citrus notes, making it smell like a citrus vanilla cake being eaten under a cool fresh breeze on a sunny day with puffy white clouds of iris dotted above in the clear blue sky. 

Eau de Shalimar does have a sunny nature compared to Shalimar which has a smoky dark effect, which some find leathery and difficult to love. Eau de Shalimar I feel, would be a good stepping stone for those who find the original too intimidating. I felt the same about Shalimar myself when we first met, but the initial misgivings dissipated and I am very much in love with Shalimar and would wear it anywhere and everywhere and however. 

Eau de Shalimar wafts as a pleasant scent cloud about me and lasts about 4-5 hours, starting with a burst of powdery citrus and drying down to a deliciously sweet warm vanilla base. Perfect for floating about in white linen dresses.

Mini raw citrus ice cream cake

Mon Precieux Nectar Guerlain- of Jordan almonds and honeyed white florals.

Desirability: Full bottle and a back up

Source: Fragrantica

Mon Precieux Nectar is all honeyed white flowers and dragées amandes on me. Make that the most luxurious and lush bouquet of white flowers and candied almonds that money can buy. Whilst staying within the realm of tasteful. 

There are many variations available on the honeyed white florals like Ginestat's Botrytis (super super thick almost cloying animalic honey on dried fruit and flowers), The Bodyshop's Honeymania (translucent white honey and wildflowers), Elie Saab's Le Parfum featuring Francis Kurkdjian's work with white honey and orange blossoms, Chanel's Beige (a lovely tender hearted tropical beauty of honey and tiare), La Chasse aux Papillons Extreme by L'Artisan (the most ethereal tuberose on a background of sweet white flowers) and many others I can't think of right now.

Whereas Guerlain's L'Instant is vanilla and white flowers, L'Instant Magic pushes it more to the gourmand side with the almond note. I love the smell of almonds in perfumes from bitter almonds like Mazzolari's Alessandro (bitter powdery almonds but alas it's so short-lived on me), my chilly bitter almond beauty Louve by Serge Lutens and two Jordan almond types that I'm longing to try, Confetto by Profumum Roma and Conaffetto by Hilde Soliani. Some of my fragrant friends put Dior's Hypnotic Poison under the jordan almond label but it's pure creamy almond milk on me with a irritatingly artificial vibe about it(my bottle was bought in the past two years so reformulated, I have not tried the vintage versions).

Loukhoum-wise I prefer L'Artisan's Traversee du Bosphore (smells like pomme d'amour and Turkish delight on me, really yummy) and Keiko Mercheri's Loukhoum Eau Poudree (like having a powder puff of sugary goodness right in the face). 

Mon Precieux Nectar has the ethereal white flowers of La Chasse aux Papillons, the tenderness of Chanel's Beige, more candied than bitter almonds like in L'Instant Magic and the touch of class all Guerlains possess from the indisputable majesties to the new breeds. She's part child part woman. It's a soft scent that plays hide and seek with you for the better part of the day, becoming bolder in the heat and withdrawing again in the cold. 

As ambrosial a nectar as Mon Precieux Nectar undoubtedly is, I am still hesitant to fork out the exorbitant amount of money required for the juice in the exquisite "bee bottle" it comes in(couldn't they sell a version in a less divine bottle for us people who don't mind so much about looks?). However I am very fortunate to have been gifted a bottle and this gorgeous flacon has a place of honor in my perfume closet. Tip: I misguidedly threw out the stopper that came with the flacon and kept the vintage sprayer attached. This however causes the perfume to evaporate (alarmingly) so I would advise to keep it stoppered when not in use.