Tag Archives: Mathilde Laurent

Guerlain News

Posted on by

Guerlain News

photo 3

photo 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently posted here that the Guerlain flagship store at 68 Champs-Élysées was undergoing renovations. It turns out that the store has indeed been closed for the past several months and is expected to remain so until later this year. Apparently the existing boutique area is undergoing an extensive expansion which will span multiple floors. My friend in Paris was kind enough to snap some photos for me which show work going on in the background. While it is certainly exciting to imagine the beautiful new displays, I do wonder how necessary the additional space is, as 68 Champs-Élysées was just expanded in 2011. Hopefully the rumors about historic elements being demolished will turn out to be unfounded.

 

photo 1

Another rumor which judging by these photos seems to hold some truth is that Guerlain is conducting some activities in Russia. If you look closely at the flags in the picture at left, you can see the Russian flag all the way to the right. In addition to a commemorative bee bottle of Quand Vient La Pluie (Thierry Wasser’s modern “interpretation” of Après L’Ondée) named Place Rouge to celebrate the 150th anniversary of one of Russia’s major department stores (located in Red Square), Guerlain has been rumored to be producing fragrances in factories located in the former Soviet Union.

2013_09_05_News_Guerlain_Place_Rouge_Perfume

This could hold some benefit for perfumistas, as the strict regulations regarding perfume materials are not in place outside of the European Union. While the news of this set my mind racing with olfactory visions of real oakmoss, the thought of another Wasser creation snapped me back to reality. Now if Guerlain would only bring back Mathilde Laurent!

 

 

Share

Guerlain – Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille

Posted on by

Guerlain – Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille

Ylang-Ylang

For the most part, the Aqua Allegoria series by Guerlain feel like watercolor impressions of fruit and floral bouquets. The various Eau de Toilettes generally have a light character, making them perfect summertime fragraces when one is fresh out of the shower with clean scrubbed hair. The exception to the original series released in 1999 is Ylang & Vanille, a heavier, fairly opulent floral oriental, more in the style of traditional Guerlain scents.

True to its name, the fragrance largely focuses on the interplay of the exotic Ylang Ylang and luscious vanilla notes. The fragrance opening highlights the sharper, greener aspects of the flower, but quickly softens into a sumptuous floral veil that feels like a thick, plush robe. While there are subtle notes of jasmine and carnation, they are barely discernable and act more to highlight the lush Ylang Ylang. The flower’s distinctive fragrance reminds me of balmy days in humid tropical islands and its deep, voluptuous scent can add heft to a perfume. In Ylang & Vanille, Guerlain does nothing to downplay the slightly odd scent of this beautiful flower, instead adding vanilla to enhance the dense, heady quality.

url

The vanilla, once it appears, is quite different from the traditional Guerlain vanilla we experience in Shalimar and Jicky. Ylang & Vanille’s vanilla feels closer to a vanilla bean or extract, rich and pungent, but lacking in sweetness. While the Ylang Ylang feels sumptuous enough to hang in the air like a billowy cloud, the lack of sweetness in the fragrance keeps it from becoming too cloying, or worse, yet another sickly sweet gourmand. The fragrance displays considerable potency for an Eau de Toilette, and this is one of the few Aqua Allegorias which would be overwhelming in a more potent concentration. Similar to several of its sisters in the original 1999 series penned by Mathilde Laurent, this one has been discontinued.

Floral Oriental

Notes: Ylang Ylang, jasmine, carnation and vanilla

Share

 

 

Guerlain – Aqua Allegoria Rosa Magnifica

Posted on by

Guerlain – Aqua Allegoria Rosa Magnifica

o.187

I recently read somewhere that the fragrances produced by Guerlain should be experienced in reverse order if one is to make any sense of the progression of the perfumes released by this great house. One would start out with the simple and accessible post-LVMH La Petite Robe Noir and Aqua Allegoria series, move on to the more sophisticated yet youthful fragrances created by Jean-Paul Guerlain, graduate to the ground-breaking beauties composed by Jacques and Aime Guerlain, until finally experiencing the creations of Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain which won the house the honor of being royal supplier to the crown. While I wholeheartedly agree with this assessment (and have been wracking my brain to recall who the inspired genius who penned this was) there are a few newer fragrances released by the house which I have found captivating, in spite of their simplicity.

Some of these are from the Aqua Allegoria line first introduced by Guerlain in 1999 as a series of five scents, with the intention of releasing additional fragrances in the line annually. While there is little mention of Mathilde Laurent’s tenure at Guerlain, reportedly due to a falling out with management, it is no surprise to me that some of the best examples in this series were her creations. The original five releases, Herba Fresca, Lavande Velours, Pamplelune, Ylang & Vanille and Rosa Magnifica, are each inspired creations in their own right, and a wonderful introduction to the magic of Guerlain.

Rosa Magnifica is at once a new fragrance and a recollection of other Guerlain masterpieces. As the name implies, Rosa Magnifica is fragrance built around a rose note, rendered in the softness of an Eau de Toilette. Guerlain has a long history of sourcing the best materials, both natural and synthetic, and while this reputation has suffered in post-LVMH years, the rose at the heart of Rosa Magnifica is a delicious, full-bodied bloom. While die-hard Guerlain lovers will have difficulty avoiding a comparison with Nahema, which is the undisputed champion of roses, Rosa Magnifica is a softer, subtler rendition but not without its own merits. The initial difference is apparent in the opening, which is spicy where Nahema is opulent. As the fragrance develops, I am reminded of another one of Guerlain’s masterpieces, Chamade. Rosa Magnifica features a beautiful hyacinth note, giving the rose a brightness and piquancy that give it a subtle lift. Similar to Chamade’s heavenly drydown, Rosa Magnifica is rendered delicate thanks to the introduction of iris and violet, which give it a soft and slightly powdery quality. coral-rose

While Nahema remains the ultimate rose and my number one choice in this category, I enjoyed Rosa Magnifica much more than I expected and I love having a softer, more delicate rose option for those occasions that calls for a bit of subtlety. Unfortunately, Rosa Magnifica was discontinued by Guerlain, along with others in the Aqua Allegoria line which did not fare well commercially. I find this to be a real shame, as there are other newer Aqua Allegorias which I could, quite frankly, do without. Thankfully Rosa Magnifica still pops up every now and then on Ebay and is available from various decant services.

Floral

Notes: Rose, hyacinth, iris and violet

Share

 

Cartier – Eau de Cartier Goutte de Rose

Posted on by

Cartier – Eau de Cartier Goutte de Rose

 

cartier_goutte-de-rose_parfum_fragrance_duft_luxus_luxury_fashion_mode_deluxe_front2

Twelve years after the launch of their best-selling Eau de Cartier, Cartier has released Eau de Cartier Goutte de Rose, the latest flanker in the line that brought us Eau de Cartier Essence de Bois (2011) and Eau de Cartier Essence d’Orange (2010). The January 2013 release is sure to be extremely popular as the temperature rises, as it is a light and easy-to-wear fragrance. On the morning I went to obtain my sample, the SA at my local Sephora had sold 8 bottles within the first 20 minutes of opening.

Goutte de Rose is based on the general Eau de Cartier storyline, a light woodsy fragrance with a touch of amber. Goutte de Rose which translates as “drop of rose” is true to its name, adding a slight rose note to the original creation. The fragrance has a crisp green opening which feels similar to the house’s other creations but more mellow in scope. The rose quickly comes to the forefront, though it very light, as though one entered a room and smelled a bouquet of roses set on a mantelpiece from afar.

As the fragrance settles, the original Eau de Cartier makes its appearance as the fragrance takes on a woody character, warmed by amber and a light vanilla note. The rose seems to hover in and out of focus, but on my skin the wood and amber are predominant. Eau de Cartier Goutte de Rose was created by the uber-talented Mathilde Laurent, in-house perfumer for Cartier since 2005. Goutte de Rose is a lovely, light fragrance that reflects the understated elegance of this house. I only wish Goutte de Rose had a little more heft. For a comparison of Eau de Cartier Goutte de Rose against other current rose releases, be sure to check out the review by Bois de Jasmin.

Floral

imgres copy

Mathilde Laurent

Notes: Rose, woods, amber and vanilla

 

Share