Ce Soir Ou Jamais. Tonight or Never.
By no means a heavyweight, Ce Soir Ou Jamais is still one of the more "intense" scents from Annick Goutal, whose range I've largely associated with the words "fresh" and "light".
The opening is true to the Annick Goutal form I'm acquainted with, a dazzling brightness in the form of zesty citrus notes and their bitter green rind, powdery aldehydes and a tart rose that's easier on the taste buds than Perfumer's Workshop Tea Rose. There's this crisp bitter green note that makes me think of hyacinths like in Annick Goutal's Grand Amour but it's subtle here as is the powder.
The scent quickly drops a bigger proportion of its acerbic notes and the sour rose is replaced with a sweeter, fruity rose covered by a fine layer of dusty powder that tickles your nose as you inhale. The rose is prominent but I feel it is a bouquet of flowers that I am smelling and not just rose alone. Ce Soir Ou Jamais despite having a dismal longevity but a moderate sillage, is a lovely old-fashioned dusty floral featuring rose that leaves one feeling nostalgic when wearing it, not quite living the moment as its name suggests but more like re-living it in one's mind.
