Guerlain – Vol de Nuit

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Leah

Guerlain – Vol de Nuit

I am not a big believer in New Year’s resolutions. If one has positive changes to implement in one’s life, why wait until the dawn of a new year to start doing so? That said, I am a proponent of focusing on new year’s intentions – those visions and dreams which we want to manifest over the coming twelve months. Being a lover of travel, my mind naturally starts focusing on where the next twelve months can take me.

In addition to poring over photographs of dream destinations, I love wearing fragrances which take me away to foreign locales, even if I am sitting nowhere more glamorous than my desk at work. One of the fragrances I find myself reaching for most during my intention setting is Guerlain’s Vol de Nuit, or Night Flight in English. This 1933 fragrance is Jacques Guerlain’s tribute to Antoine Saint Exupery’s novel by the same name and is yet another link in a long line of masterpieces.

While Saint Exupery’s tale is a memorial to the dangerous and sometimes tragic missions of early airmail pilots flying through the night to deliver their charges, Vol de Nuit celebrates the romance of air travel, in typical Guerlain fashion. From the elegant flacon with propeller-inspired relief to the distinctive zebra-print box, Vol de Nuit is the embodiment of elegance and adventure. Air travel is something that we largely take for granted in modern society, so it is incredible to imagine a time when this was a rare luxury reserved for the elite. The first commercial flights, which took place nearly a hundred years ago were much planned and greatly publicized. People fortunate enough to board a plane took the travel itself as a momentous occasion, and did not neglect to dress the part.

Guerlain’s Vol de Nuit suggests this world of decadence and luxury, evident in the rich materials of the vintage formulation which are of superb caliber. The fragrance possesses a highly unique character, evoking a sense of otherworldliness and wonder which I associate with exploration. When compared with other vintage Guerlains, including its predecessors L’Heure Bleue and Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit has a subtle masculine (and dare I say rebellious) edge, not unlike the androgyny found in Caron’s Tabac Blonde.

Indeed the fragrance is a delicious balance of bitter citrus and deep green notes which part the skies to reveal a warm, woody base set atop the famous Guerlinade. Shining throughout like the gleaming wings of a plane is one of the loveliest examples of galbanum I have ever encountered in a fragrance, on par with the beauty and bite of vintage Chanel 19.

While the fragrances are very dis-similar in scent, I cannot help but draw comparisons between Vol de Nuit and Guerlain’s own Bouquet de Faunes for the darkness of character. While many fragrances today are formulated to be light, casual and pretty, Vol de Nuit suggests a depth and mystery very akin to its name, and is among the more “intellectual” of the old Guerlains. If you are a lover of vintage Guerlains or of galbanum, I highly suggest seeking this out – as the current formulation (updated due to restrictions on materials) unfortunately do not do this justice.

Notes: Bergamot, Petitgrain, Galbanum, Lemon, Jonquil, Vanilla, Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Iris, Musk.

Coromandel – Chanel

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Leah

Coromandel – Chanel

Walk into a Chanel boutique anywhere around the globe, and you are immediately transported into a world of the utmost luxury. The stores are beautifully appointed and the staff is knowledgable about Mme Chanel’s indelible mark upon fashion, and indeed upon society itself. From the various biographies I have read of her, it is said that Mme Chanel understood the importance of imbuing her visitors’ experience within her boutique with a sense of grandeur and magnificence – to render the visit a flight from the ordinary.

It is this sense of precise luxury that Messrs. Polge and Sheldrake sought to convey in the Les Exclusifs line. While most would agree that they were successful in nearly all instances, Coromandel, named after the chinoiserie lacquered screens which Mme Chanel so favored in her personal decorations, seems to squarely hit the mark.

Part of Coromandel’s success is in taking patchouli, a note which many struggle with given its strong correlations to 1960s counter-culture and elevating it to luxury status. While Coromandel is proof that patchouli can certainly be used to enhance an exotic and sensual fragrance, in the wrong hands it can be heavy, earthy and perhaps slightly musty.

Coromandel is a rich woody oriental based on a central theme of patchouli, with a haze of ambery powder and vanillic warmth. Coromandel’s initial citrus burst is short-lived and tempered by frankincense, a scent with exotic implications of faraway lands. The fragrance unfolds to reveal a warm base of patchouli and woods with a hint of powdery softness from benzoin, a resin with light vanilla tones.

While Coromandel has the warmth of a plush woolen shawl, it maintains a dry and slightly effervescent feeling which keeps it from becoming cloying, even in warmer weather. And unlike the patchouli superstar Angel by Thierry Mugler, Coromandel has only a whisper of the gourmand.

Unlike many of its exclusive sisters, Coromandel has a tenacious longevity and imposing character. Indeed, it possesses a nearly palpable presence, making me envision Mme Chanel reclining in her rooms above the 31 rue Cambon, clicking her pearls between her fingers, seeking inspiration in her possessions.

*As a side note, when Coco Noir was released, I imagined it smelling a bit more like Coromandel and a bit less like Coco Mademoiselle.

Notes: Jasmine, Patchouli, Woody notes, Amber, Benzoin, Frankincense

Yves Saint Laurent – Champagne / Yvresse

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Leah

Yves Saint Laurent – Champagne / Yvresse

Nothing conveys a sense of luxury and celebration quite like champagne: the excitement of its bubbles, crisp effervescence and intoxicating aroma. Fragrance names are often selected to invoke a certain imagery or romanticism, and Yves Saint Laurent’s 1993 release was no exception. Depsite the legal battle which ensued over the fragrance’s name when the Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne sought to protect the cultural heritage of the beverage, there is nothing particularly controversial about the fragrance. It is simply luxurious, bright and perhaps a touch heady in the way of its namesake.

The opening bursts with a quick progression of notes which mimics rising champagne bubbles in a glass. Pungent nectarine, deep rose, a touch of anise and violet compete for top billing. For those who are wary of the cumin note, fear not. While the cumin adds a slight earthy quality to the fragrance which mimics the bite of champagne, it is not very distinct, and much less apparent than in the reformulated Rochas Femme.

The fragrance’s heart reveals an accord that will seem familiar to Sophia Grojsman fans, as she presents another variation on her fruity rose trick. I prefer Champagne’s composition to that of her other opus Lancôme Trésor, as it feels more balanced when juxtaposed against a classical chypre base of oakmoss, patchouli, vetiver and vanilla.

Champagne’s spin on chypre is extremely accessible and quite lovely. Despite the musty, earthy smell which oakmoss can sometimes lend to a composition, Champagne manages to remain bright and light. While the fragrance certainly alludes to such classics as Mitsouko and Rochas Femme with the interplay between fruit and chypre, Champagne seems like the light-hearted, blonde younger sister of these two dark-haired beauties. Champagne in turn appears to have influenced modern perfumery, as one can glimpse hints of its structure in Chanel’s 31 Rue Cambon.

Champagne, later re-named Yvresse as a play on the French “ivresse” or “intoxication”, is an easy-to-wear, exuberant fragrance. No matter what the occasion or indeed the outfit, that always makes me feel elegant and in the mood to celebrate.

Fruity Chypre

Notes: Nectarine, Anise, Mint, Violet, Cumin, Rose, Lychee, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Vetiver, Vanilla.

Caron – Nuit de Noël

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Leah

Caron – Nuit de Noël

The holidays are a time of celebration, but also of remembrance, when we take stock of the year which has just passed and remember those who have made our days so special. As I have mentioned here, the House of Caron (along with the venerable Guerlain) held a special place for many of us Stateside in the early 1900s, as the ultimate in French perfumery. Is it any wonder then that the lovely Nuit de Noël, French for Christmas Eve, would hold a place of high honor during the holidays?

Created in 1922 by Ernest Daltroff for his muse and amante Félicie Wanpouille, who as the story goes loved the intoxicating scent of marron glacés, a traditional delicacy served in Europe around the holidays. For those of you not familiar with this French confection, it consists of fresh winter chestnuts enrobed in a light sugar glaze. If you have never experienced the scent of marron glacés or freshly roasted chestnuts, you must try them. The smell and taste are simply heavenly.

Despite all this talk of confections and sugary chestnuts, Nuit de Noël is not a gourmand fragrance in the modern sense. The fragrance goes on dry and slightly crisp, not unlike a glass of holiday Champagne. Nuit de Noël opens with a subtle floral mix of rose and jasmine with a hint of ylang-ylang, which have a slightly sparkling effect. as the fragrance unfolds, it has a soft, velvety quality which provides the perfect backdrop for the spices to take center stage.

Nuit de Noël is among the more subtle Caron fragrances, which seem to be so blended as to create a mood or overall effect, rather than to convey a battery of notes in the traditional pyramid sense. The drydown is positively delicious, a warm yet subtle base of woods, moss and amber which remain in the background as the light spices continue their dance on center stage.

As is the case with many of our favorite fragrances, Nuit de Noël is slightly different in its modern form but still a lovely fragrance, though the Eau de Toilette is a bit scratchier in the opening than the parfum. The vintage parfum, which comes in a green tasseled box and a gorgeous black baccarat bottle, is worth seeking out. After all, it’s never to early to plan for next holiday’s gifts.

While it may seem like a cliché in today’s disposable consumer age to have a fragrance reserved for the holidays, many women at this time could not afford to wear fragrance on a daily basis, a simple luxury we take for granted today. And though I love wearing Nuit de Noël year-round, with its reference to marrons glacés and Christmas inspiration, it was clearly created with the holidays in mind. What better way to create lasting memories for the next generation than to make the holidays a special time, by creating and honoring your own rituals.

Notes: Ylang-ylang, Rose, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Musk, Amber.

Guerlain – Aqua Allegoria Winter Delice

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Leah

Guerlain – Aqua Allegoria Winter Delice

While I had read positive reviews of Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Winter Delice, it was not a fragrance I held out great hope for. Much less had I expected to become borderline-obsessed with it. The description for this (now discontinued) Eau de Toilette from the inconstant Aqua Allegoria series sounded too much like a gimmick. The fragrance is built around a series of wood accords, including fir and pine, meant to invoke the scents associated with the holiday season. Guerlain then added to this forest fantasy the wintry spice of clove and sweetened it with vanilla and a sugary note. In my mind, I had already conjured images of candle shops at the mall during the holiday season, with teenage salespeople pushing red and green pillars of wax, inlaid with pine cone pieces, while being bombarded with loud holiday music and frantic Christmas shoppers. Needless to say, this did not seem to me like a recipe for anything other than a bad seasonal fragrance.

In my rush to form an impression, I had failed to consider that there might yet be some steam in the venerable Guerlain engine capable of producing something provocative, which is exactly what they did. That being said, Winter Delice is a bit of an odd fragrance. Upon first application, I was hit with a musky, slightly musty sensation that was soon lightened by a fruity accord reminiscent of winter berries on a cold morning. The fragrance warmed to a strong impression of woods very much like those scents we associate with the holidays. For the first few minutes, I struggled against years of cultural associations and the sensation that I could not possibly wear this fragrance on my body unless I planned on dressing as a sugar plum fairy.

And yet, what I had not expected was the drydown: a lovely mix of incense and resin, softened by the powdery sweetness of oppoponax. The fragrance is somewhat strange no doubt, and definitely evokes thoughts of wintery nights before the fireplace. But true to its name, Winter Delice is also delicious, and I found I could not stop smelling myself to catch the warmth of the incense against woods.

As with several of the other Aqua Allegoria fragrances, Winter Delice was discontinued, although one can sometimes find overpriced minis for sale. Unfortunately for my wallet, I fell in love with this odd, lovely fragrance and have gone through a decant provided by a generous friend rather quickly. Looks like an overpriced mini is in my future.

Woody Floral Musk

Notes: Fir; Pine, Resin, Oppoponax, Vanilla, Sugar.

Serge Lutens – Fille en Aiguilles

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Leah

Serge Lutens – Fille en Aiguilles

Vincent Van Gogh

It seems unbelievable that December is upon us. Winter calls to mind snowy evenings by the fire with a mug of warm spiced tea, after a brisk walk though a pine forest, where the cold night air traps a scent and suspends it in its icy fingers. And while it may not be even remotely cold where I live, the humidity has diminished, and the thermometer has been gracious enough to dip to the point where my favorite winter scents can make their debut.

Serge Lutens is the master of intellectual perfumes, ones which weave an olfactory story. Fille en Aiguilles is no exception, and yet it creates more a sense of atmosphere than a story alone. But how to create a fragrance based on the notes of pine, incense, candied fruit and spices without creating a cliché?

Released in 2009, Fille en Aiguilles is true to the Lutens/Sheldrake formula of combining disparate notes that cannot possibly belong together in any cogent manner, and turning up their more difficult aspects beyond the point of discomfort until they positively soar. Fille en Aiguilles starts out with a candied fruit note reminiscent of wintry holidays that will feel familiar to Lutens fans. It is rendered here with more subtlety than Arabie or Chypre Rouge, as though the intent were to envelop the wearer in a blanket of comfort rather than provoke or shock.

The fruit quickly fades to a forest full of pine and fir notes, warmed with wintry spices, which carry on the opening theme of candied fruit. Pine is a note I never imagined loving in a fragrance, as it could so easily become unimaginative, but here it is rendered with such elegance and creativity, it is difficult not to fall under its spell.

Then Fille en Aiguilles, which roughly translates to “girl in stilettos”, shows us her Lutensian edge with a bit of the camphorous halo many of us have come to love, though rendered with far more delicacy than in his explosive Tubereuse Criminelle. Detractors fear not, the effect is subtle and further subdued by beautiful frankincense. The combined effect is stunning, enveloping the wearer in a soft, smoky haze, much like a tender embrace on a cold winter’s night.

Notes: Pine Needles, Vetiver, Sugary Sap, Laurel, Fir Balsam, Frankincense, Candied Fruit, Spice.

Guerlain – Bouquet de Faunes

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Leah

Guerlain – Bouquet de Faunes

Few fragrances are shrouded in as much mystery as Guerlain’s Bouquet de Faunes. The fragrance, which debuted in 1922, and its singular flacon designed by René Lalique in 1925 (reportedly his first and last for the house due to a clash of egos) is rarer than rare, appearing once in a blue moon in various auction houses, for a sum many times its weight in gold. And yet, miracles do happen (in my case, meeting and befriending a lifelong Guerlain collector), and I was beyond fortunate to secure a bottle for myself.

The little bits of information that I was able to gather about the fragrance over the years could not have possibly prepared me for my first encounter. The bottle, which was historically available in a few different variations, one with waves (as depicted in the advertisement), then later without, and even rendered in a subtle amethyst in its rarest form, is spectacular. The flacon features a face on each of its shoulders, alternating the visage of a faun with that of a woman, in what appears to be a reference to the face above the entrance at the 68 Champs. The smoky glass just slightly veils the parfum within, the darkest, densest fragrance I have ever laid eyes on, adding to its mystique.

The first time I held the bottle in my hands, I was tempted to stop right there: for what could possibly surpass the beauty of this vessel? I need not have worried. The meticulous nature and creative genius of Jacques Guerlain are immediately noticeable. Knowing that the fragrance was originally created to perfume furs and given the animalic potency of the other fur perfumes and leathers I have tested, I expected to be overpowered by its aroma.

Overpowered yes, but by its beauty rather than its strength. While the fragrance undoubtedly possesses a distinct animalic nature, it is rendered in the softest, velvety tones. Much like a perfect symphony is more than the sum of its parts, Bouquet de Faunes creates an overall impression more so than any other vintage Guerlain I have tested to date. Rather than being merely a collection of notes which result in a pleasant smell, Bouquet creates a mood, and imparts a feeling of comfort and well-being. In fact, its warmth reminds me more of a gentle deer faun sleeping peacefully on the rich forest floor, than of the playful, mischievous Pan.

DECORATION FOR AFTERNOON OF A FAUN – LEON NIKOLAJEWITSCH BAKST

Amethyst Bouquet de Faunes, Courtesy of Bragmayer Collection

Bouquet is linear to some extent, with no obvious blast of top-notes. It settles fairly quickly on the skin, revealing a beautiful melange of subtle floral notes and light animalic accords. While Bouquet reveals soft hints of jasmine, civet and the slight oiliness of castoreum (with perhaps a hint of patchouli), the main impression is that of warm, shadowy cloves, which are portrayed here with a softness not unlike the cloves in Caron’s Bellodgia. While Bouquet smells like no other fragrance I have ever encountered, it does share some similarities with other Guerlains. From Jicky, it inherited the silky, slightly icy quality, which is tempered here by the plush velvet richness of Shalimar. Its soft powder is rivaled only by L’Heure Bleue, but here we see it rendered in low, muted whispers.

Bouquet is without question one of Guerlain’s greatest masterpieces, a tribute to its creator Jacques Guerlain. While I wish beyond hope that this beauty would be more accessible (I even considered not reviewing it due to its rarity), I fear what the result would be given the severe restrictions on perfume materials and the current state of Guerlain fragrances. I fear I will have to content myself with taking surreptitious whiffs of the fragrance and dreaming of its jasmine sister.

Notes: Floral Notes, Animalic Notes, Clove

Bouquet and Jasmine Bouquet, Courtesy of the Bragmayer Collection

Guerlain – La Petite Robe Noire

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Leah

Guerlain – La Petite Robe Noire

Long have I put off reviewing this fragrance. In part, because I strive to give a fragrance ample time to reveal its charms, because we are all familiar with those loves that creep up on us unexpectedly. Not so with La Petite Robe Noire, released by Guerlain in 2009, at the hands of resident parfumeur Thierry Wasser. In all honesty, this fragrance never stood a chance. The name, a reference to the ubiquitous little black dress which is a must have in any woman’s wardrobe, felt like coercion: if you have only one perfume, it must be this one. The little black dress will make you instantly chic, instantly irresistible to every man in sight. You and every other woman on the planet.

Second, and a far worse offense, was the bottle. The beloved, inverted-heart Guerlain flacon, home to the hauntingly beautiful L’Heure Bleue and ground-breaking Mitsouko was “enhanced” with a cartoon drawing of a little black dress, presumably to lend a modern flair to the bottle. The fragrance was then marketed with a bizarre black caricature of a disjointed stick woman. The result was cartoonish and immature. My reaction the first time I beheld it was akin to seeing graffiti on the Louvre: it felt like the defacement of a monument. Finally, it felt like La Petite Robe Noire was intentionally everywhere. Gone was the magic of Guerlain: the sense of sophistication and genteel exclusivity.

I pushed these thoughts out of my mind and tried to form an unbiased impression of the scent. The opening reveals a dense, syrupy sweetness of synthetic black cherry, which has been described by many as reminiscent of Cherry Coke. Not being a fan of many fruity florals, the opening was difficult to endure, though subtle hints of anise waved a fan of promise. In what seemed like the ultimate irony, La Petite Robe Noir smells hot pink not black. As the sweetness subsided, a slight hint of smoky black tea signals the first turn for the interesting the fragrance takes.

The drydown, a dusky sweetened patchouli, left me somewhat confused. It seemed to bear no relation to the uber-girly opening and in fact seemed quite masculine in its execution. I preferred it to the opening, as it possessed a certain relative subtlety, but it seemed out of place in the composition. I also found it oddly similar to Bois d’Armenie, as though Guerlain had run out of ideas. No Guerlinade in sight, or perhaps worse still, this odd woody patchouli is the new Guerlinade.

All in all, La Petite Robe Noire seems like a poor knock-off of Coco Mademoiselle with a touch of Lolita Lempicka (and about a pound of sugar) for good measure. My intense love of Guerlain scents, with a few exceptions, has diminished a notch with each release after Samsara. Unless the house gets some new ideas soon (hint: bring back Mathilde Laurent), I fear that this may be the end, with a full stop.

Fruity Floral

Notes: Black Cherry, Black Rose, Patchouli, Smoked Tea

Etat Libre d’Orange – The Afternoon of a Faun

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Leah

The Afternoon of a Faun by Etat Libre d’Orange

L’Aprés Midi D’un Faun or The Afternoon of a Faun was composed by the French poet Stéphane Mallarmé in 1865. The poem recounts the erotic imaginings of a Faun which comes upon two nymphs in the forest. Mallarmé was one of France’s four major poets of the second half of the 19th century, along with Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, and Arthur Rimbaud. He is noted as one of the pioneers of symbolism in poetry, and while critics argue that he often used obscure imagery to express emotional experience, The Afternoon of a Faun is very much to the point as illustrated below. Given the sexual content of the poem, one can only imagine what the “less sorrowful vapors” represent.

I adore it, the wrath of virgins, the wild

Delight of the sacred nude burden which slips

To escape from my hot lips drinking, as lightning

Flashes! the secret terror of the flesh:

From the feet of the cruel one to the heart of the timid

Who together lose an innocence, humid

With wild tears or less sorrowful vapours.

Mallarmé’s poems inspired Debussy’s tone poem (1894) of the same name, which was later interpreted into a ballet by Vaslav Nijinsky for the Ballet Russes. The 1912 ballet proved exceptionally scandalous for its unconventional choreography and graphic sexual depictions. Obviously, the use of this name for a perfume is meant to convey an entire catalog of associations and points to a highly animalic and sensual creation, and yet I cannot help but find that the perfume, while lovely, does not live up to the connotations.

The fragrance opens with a sharp and distinctly woody, herbaceous character, which is made somewhat opulent by the introduction of immortelle. Immortelle can manifest itself quite differently in different compositions, and here it takes on a sweet, tobacco-like character. At first application, I imagine myself to be in the woods with the Faun as he awakes from his slumber, but this is where the similarity to the tale ends.

As the fragrance progresses, it is punctuated by rose and the woody notes take on a more floral character, with a spicy, leathery aspect. While The Afternoon of a Faun does contain moss and leather notes suggestive of an animalic perfume, it does not reach the same depths as the vintage fragrances previously reviewed. Justin Vivian Bond and Ralf Schwieger’s creation for Etat Libre d’Orange is a decidedly modern interpretation on the Faun/Fur theme, one which touches on the lighter aspects of the forest, as opposed to the deeply sensual activities of the Faun. The perfume has an incredible sillage and potent lasting power, so a light application is suggested.

Spicy Woods

Notes: Bergamot, Pepper, Cinnamon, Incense, Rose, Immortal Flower, Orris, Jasmine, Myrrh of Namibia, Moss, Leather, Benzoin.

Guerlain Revealed

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Leah

Guerlain Revealed

While I had hoped to get some behind the scenes photos of the unveiling of the newly-refurbished 68 Champs, the images I received were beyond my wildest dreams. In addition to seeing areas of exclusive access, there was bottle upon bottle of priceless, vintage Guerlains and lovely scented gloves – beautiful enough to make my breath catch and my heart skip a beat.

I am supremely indebted to Monsieur Bragmayer and the folks at Guerlain, especially Mme Sirot and the lovely Pauline, their senior perfume director. Enjoy!