Tonka Impériale Guerlain 2010

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Top 5 in Unisex Perfume

8.7 / 10 693 Ratings

Tonka Impériale is a popular perfume by Guerlain for women and men and was released in 2010. The scent is gourmand-sweet. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production. Pronunciation

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Perfumer

Thierry Wasser

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Bergamot, Almond, Rosemary
Heart Notes	Jasmine, Tonka bean, Tobacco
Base Notes	Frankincense, Cedarwood, Stone pine wood

Ratings

Scent

8.7 (693 Ratings)

Longevity

8.3 (531 Ratings)

Sillage

7.2 (532 Ratings)

Bottle

8.7 (507 Ratings)

Submitted by Ripieno, last update on 27.11.2020.

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Reviews

10/27/2020

9
Scent 6
Longevity 6
Sillage 10
Bottle

Nadinepoet

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Nadinepoet

private, intimate tonka bean

With a 5ml bottling I finally had the chance to test this fragrance. I can fully agree with this - it smells like Christmas. But not this kitschy kind of Christmas - but elegant, sweet, spicy, real. Also, as some others mention, I perceive a slight cinnamon note. I would classify Angelique Noir as a private, intimate scent, because after about 2 hours you only perceive it very close. I have never had a pictorial idea when smelling a scent - here I have one: I look out of a slightly icy window of a wooden hut, outside there is snow and it is snowing. It's already dark, the fireplace is on and I have a cuddly blanket around my shoulders, enjoy a fine hot chocolate with cinnamon, cardamom and smell a subtle biscuit spice. A fragrance to feel good, as it evokes winterly cosiness in me!

1 Replies

10/20/2020

8.5
Scent 7
Longevity 8
Sillage 8
Bottle

Fenice

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Fenice

Is it Christmas already?

.... That's my thought over and over again when I take out Tonka Imperiale to sniff it, even though I'm sure I'll look like a full nest every time I do so :D

Preface

Actually I could save it but NO WAY! Some time ago I got Tonka Imperiale together with Spiritueuse Double Vanilla and Cuir Beluga as bottling. Yes, yes, I have already mentioned this twice (see Cuir Beluga and SDV) but I like to repeat myself, muhaha :D so... Where was I now? Sniffing? Oh hell yes!

Scent

Every time I spray it on, I sniff Christmas! You know those wafer things they serve at Christmas? That's what I keep thinking about because that's what Tonka Imperiale smells like on my skin! I really don't know why, but Tonka Imperiale knows very well that I like Christmas and that's why it reminds me of it with pure intention? Away with you, you evil Tonka Imperiale, you must not read my thoughts! :D Haaaalt Stop, now I'm writing! >br />
Right after I spray it on, I smell holy... no, wait, we just did that I smell almond, rosemary, a touch of cinnamon (where does cinnamon come from, wtf?) tonka bean and very faint incense. Later the rosemary gets weaker, but the almond and the spicy one stays and slowly something woody comes through but whether it's cedar or pine I can't say, I'm not trained enough in this area. I do not sniff bergamot, jasmine and tobacco

Sillage & durability

Unfortunately I can't say much about the sillage and durability. The durability is on the skin some hours (as with SDV and Cuir Beluga).

Flacon

Just like the others of the series (they are all the same) I think they are pretty nice, although there are certainly more beautiful ones, but they are still nice to look at
Final words! Final words! Since Tonka Imperiale smells Christmassy, I think the fragrance from October - end of December fits perfectly. After that and before that, but best of all in the BEFORE Christmas and Christmas season
I can recommend the fragrance with a clear conscience, even if there are stronger ones for the price. Guerlain has done a good job here!

So... Now I'll leave again, because I can't think of anything else :D

I hope my description was not quite ready for trash :D adios

3 Replies

10/18/2020

Sevoplay

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Sevoplay

Less helpful Review 3

Tonka Imperial

I got the scent from my Perfumery of Trust. I unpacked the perfume the same day that evening and sprayed it on my shirt. Two hours later, after a nice dinner and two wine glasses, I still smelled the perfume and 3 people complimented me. I find the shelf life passes after about 3 hours and you only smell something on the shirt. The Sillage lasts about 1.5 hours. A little pity but a really pleasant and relaxed scent. Rather for in the evening to the way go

10/14/2020

10
Scent 7
Longevity 7
Sillage

Jas0N

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Jas0N

Top Review 17

Art, magic and a bit of perfection

I hear Paris is a beautiful city. I have never been there and the current conditions make a trip almost impossible. Well, I suppose a chance will come along.

My younger sister has already moved on. She has experienced Paris to its fullest - culinary, cultural and historical.
Of course, my sister knows about my modest hobby perfume and on my advice, she did not miss the opportunity to explore THE perfume city par excellence.
My luck in this case: She gave me two samples, one of them the above mentioned scent.

And what can I say? I don't know what to say. This is mastery, art, magic, and true perfection. I have seldom smelled such a great aroma of clay cadavers so impossibly well balanced. The valence and harmony that characterizes the fragrance is sublime and, in my opinion, is second to none. Of course, the fragrance does not have many facets, cannot come up with an unbelievable scent development, but just this simple conception reflects the face of this work of art. And just this circumstance, to conjure up such a great scent from such a simple basic idea, borders on perfection for me.
Tonka bean, almond, and incense are there from the first second and accompany you until the end. With an I'll call it solid shelf life. In the beginning it seemed a little weak on my chest, but here a sensory overload of my nose could have been the cause. In the last test, the durability was good to solid and the sillage more than adequate. I myself have been able to perceive him well again and again.

What remains is to say that we have an extraordinary fragrance, whose unusual strength is its lack of complexity, which makes it perfect for me. I don't write it often, but this is art, magic and a piece of perfection

5 Replies

06/04/2020

9
Scent 8
Longevity 8
Sillage

Palonera

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Palonera

Top Review 45

La Danse Bacchanale

The other day under 'm almond tree
a cashmere dream floats down finely spun, quiet,

magical and light as a feather,
calibrated for sunlight,
sends me on a journey
Year by year it goes back,
lighter becomes the time luggage,
my worries disappear,

to hardly a handful of years',
no more silver thread in hair,
i'm standing on the morning of my life
In grandma's kitchen it's warm,
even warmer on grandpa's arm:
"Well, are you awake, my darling?
I know the stove cracked and you woke up from that But now we're having almond biscuits!"

A blink of an eye, a moment -
i'm sixteen now. First happiness,
the belly full of butterflies -

"Heliotrope" on the skin,
you smell strange and yet familiar
like all the new things,

that you teach me this year,
the exciting and wonderful
shaped me for my life.

You awakened my sensuality
and taught me tenderness,
the taking and the giving.

Sweetened tobacco, soft smoke,
the dancer's decorated belly -
La Danse Bacchanale.

The dream passed, and with it the feast.
On my skin a last rest
"Tonka Impériale".

30 Replies

08/08/2019

9
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 9
Bottle

Eyris

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Eyris

Top Review 20

In the arms of Tonka

I have been emotionally connected to the smell of the Tonka bean since I acquired my first Tonka fragrance at the Perfume Academy in Bremen. Although it was a very heavy, smoky oriental perfume and did not suit my usual taste at all, it soon began to have a soothing, comforting effect on me. Not the normal feeling of well-being that comes over you when you perceive a familiar scent, but an almost "psychoactive" way to calm me down.
It got so much into my head that I preferred to put on the perfume for myself alone in the evening or even only when I went to bed to let myself drift in the smell. I was well aware that the perfume contained tonka bean, but which ingredient I could attribute this effect to, I did not really know.

That changed when I decided yesterday to test a tonka bean fragrance in my trusted perfumery. Tomorrow is my final anatomy exam and I am the personified stress, so I hoped for distraction and a half hour fragrance holiday. That's how Tonka Imperiale fell into my hands. Already on the first breath it was clear - it is the tonka bean! The Tonka, my comforter, sleep guard and soothing spirit. Quite unlike my first Tonka perfume, this one is filled with sweetness and a bright, friendly perfume, framed by a spicy, woody note that ears me.
This perfume is my encourager, an encouraging word and a gentle embrace.

P.S.: Generally recommended for anyone who wants to smell good when failing a test ;)

9 Replies

03/13/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Helpful Review 9

Majestic!

Guerlain goes back to its majesty. I am not really a fan of tonka, so I procrastinated the approach to this scent. Which contrary to what I feared, is great. Beyond great! The opening is pure beauty, a sophisticated, rich, golden cornucopia of vanilla, amber, resins, aldehydes, jasmine, all together bringing in triumph a complex, faceted, rich, tremendously high-quality tonka note, well supported by a sweet, humid, rooty tobacco note. A warm, fairly unisex Oriental blend, slightly fruity too, refined and sumptuous and terribly pleasant to wear (at least for a while, especially for its first phase), well framed by a gentle breeze of petals and aromatic herbs which give this Oriental gem a touch of elegance halfway French and Mediterranean. The tonka note is perfect: dense, vibrant, round, precious, not cloying (to me it is, quite often) and not too almondy-roasted. It smells fresher and more vibrant than usual, partially probably due to its quality, partially to the simple yet totally clever composition which effortlessly enhances its nuances – from earthy to sweet. The tobacco note works perfectly in keeping the blend literally “down to earth”, providing a shady whiff of smoke, contrasting with flowers and citrus bringing their sunrays in. And in the middle, this vibrating, solid heart of gold made of amber, vanilla and tonka. Great and elegant silky-talc drydown, discreet and still carrying soft hints of tobacco and vanilla, with no synthetic aftertaste. A perfect blend of richness and Exoticism painted with French grace and sumptuosity, great and irresistible from the very first sniff to the last second on skin. Smells, and is, hell expensive, but (finally!) for a reason. Fantastic, and for me easily the best from this “exclusive” line.

8,5-9/10

08/16/2014

9
Scent 10
Longevity 5
Sillage 7.5
Bottle

Pipette
63 Reviews

Pipette

The Scent Without Edges

The Parfumo Community has given "Tonka Imperiale" very good ratings, which was one incentive for me to try it. After sniffing it at Bergdorf's, NYC, I was smitten. That was not the only time that I had examined it, over the years I often tested it. So, okay, break the bank and splurge, go ahead and enjoy. Said, done.

After that I read Kafka's blog article where she described it as sort of bland. (You can google the article.) Ah ha, bland you say. That is fine and good with me because sometimes I am just looking to spray something on that is pleasant and not attention-seeking or loud. Something like skin, but better. Something for every day.

But wait. Although "Tonka Imperiale" can easily be worn from morning to night every day, it is not limited to that - for an evening out, one could just spray more.

It is a fine and cultivated scent. Well blended from beginning to end. "The End" is after a long lasting period of easily 8 hours. The scent lingers softly and does not change in the base notes.

Mainly tonka bean, I am sure, but there is also a certain sleekness that continues throughout. Otherwise no edges, no roughness, and above all, no cheap notes. (Cheap notes I would describe as shrill or changing in the dry down to something offensively ugly; cheap perfumes often do that.)

It probably does not deserve as high a price tag as it has. But now that I have it, I will spray liberally and enjoy it. Leaving less good-smelling perfumes by the way side.

11/28/2012

6
Scent

Coutureguru
223 Reviews

Coutureguru

Very helpful Review 7

Sweet Tobacco and Wedding Cake

After my 'head over heels' reaction to Guerlain's Rose Barbare, I was very interested to get my nose on some of the other L 'Art et la Matière collection ... subconsciously hoping for more of the same! In the case of Tonka Impériale, it's unfortunately not 'instant love' ... but it definitely is 'like'.

I received a hefty 4ml sample of Tonka Impériale in a swap (thanks Tricciwoo) and on application the first thing that pops on my skin is the Tobacco. As a smoker, I am probably tuned in to this note ... if it is contained in a fragrance it's usually the first thing I smell. Here, the Tobacco is cuddled by the powdery-ness of Tonka and the marzipan sweetness of Almond. It smells like someone is smoking a pipe near a wedding cake :).
Unfortunately, Tonka Impériale has a very short life-span on my skin. It reminds me a little of Mugler's A*Men Pure Havane (which is much stronger and a lot less refined) with a bit more sweetness thrown into the mix. I've read that Tonka Impériale sticks to fabric quite well, so a full wearing is probably a good idea. It's extremely difficult to compare something one 'likes' to something one would sell a kidney for (and at the prices of the L 'Art et la Matière collection this could happen!), but as acceptable as this fragrance is it probably won't crack the nod for addition to my collection. I don't think it is 'special' enough ...

I have Iris Ganache also from this collection yet to try ... time will tell if the astounding beauty of Rose Barbare can be matched!

2 Replies