Chanelle

HOORAY! A new flanker from Habit Rouge. Actually, I have liked all the flankers so far (except L'Instinct, this Alesia among the Habits) better than the very pithy/masculine Ur-HR, which also has exactly the Shalimar vibes that I don't like. But the Privé, which comes a little closer to the Extrait that I love and admire, and the Dress Code, which unfortunately died again, were so perfect that I bought them myself and recommended them to everyone else.
It was rumored in advance that HR "Parfum" was the resurrection of the Dress Code, but that's not entirely true. There are definitely similar phases in the development, both are more gourmand than all the others, the leather is very soft and light in both (but also in the extrait), both are very long-lasting.
But where the Dress Code is based on nougat praline, the HRP is based more on high-quality cocoa with rum and spices.
Dark cocoa was also what enchanted me in the early L'instant Homme EdP - the first formulation. It does so even more here.
I hope it stays. Otherwise, the only thing to do is stock up, otherwise it will only get more expensive afterwards, as is so common these days..
Staying power, by the way: like on Viagra.

I don't particularly like this expression, but it's true here. Even when this fragrance (still called "Songe de la Reine") was available in a limited 1000ml Begüm Khan bee bottle for the well-heeled, decorated with a glittering bee (evil tongues called it a cockroach) covered in Austrian crystals and perched on a similar orchid, I fell in love with this priceless little water-water. But I didn't have enough money to buy more than one quickly consumed bottle, especially as the mini edition of the fragrance was sold out before we could say "Give me the sugared figs in their own juice!".
But now there were a few more than 10, and so I too was able to get hold of a 125 ml EdP flacon, this time disguised as a pearl-studded octopus. The price is almost affordable. The flacon with glass stopper comes with a 30 ml pocket spray (also filled with the same fragrance), so you can call 145 ml EdP your own for less than 800 euros. Wanting to have the same fragrance as a 1000 ml family pack with even more pearls is a pointless endeavor, because this one was also sold out before it was really on the market. Even I haven't been able to get my hands on it live yet.
But why do I like the pearl fragrance so much?
It's so timeless. Just like pearls.
It lasts so well. It's elegant, unique (yes, ok, Songe de la Reine was around briefly, but only 12 of them, and who's going to meet someone on the streetcar who smells like it? The chances are slim...) and wearable. I definitely smell echoes of the 80s and 90s, I would call it a chypre, but perhaps it has too much of a gourmand twist for that.
The buttery-soft leather note emerges after just a few seconds and quickly takes away some of the green, fruity note from the sweet, aromatic fig, which I don't like at all, and the two complement each other perfectly. Smoky, spicy hints are added, the fragrance glides towards the Orient, but stays on the carpet.
A great multicontinental composition!
Wonderfully balanced, special and finally a fragrance that does justice to the traditional house of Guerlain.

Neroli is not easy for me. I often get tired of neroli fragrances quickly, or I don't like them from the start. Neroli Outrenoir was too good for me after a short time, Nerolia Vetiver was so pungent and refreshing that the fragrance was only used on hot days or better still not at all (and that after I had bought a bottle of the stock bees, in my youthful recklessness). However, a new, probably more loyal customer was quickly found. Now for the new Neroli Plein Sud, which makes me think of summer, sun, freedom, travel fever and luggage, even from the Saint-Exupery-inspired advertising. However, it also reminds me of Louis Vuitton, from whose stable Guerlain also comes, and the horses of this group are getting closer and closer....
But after I had resisted testing NPS for long enough, I was sneakily forced to try it just because I had wandered into a Guerlain boutique.
Now I had no excuse. Without much goodwill or anticipation, I sprayed the fragrance on the back of my hand. Yes, of course, I thought, Nerolia Vetiver, just not so brizzelig, it's not Aqua Allegoria.
But after a few minutes, a mangolassi-like spice cream reached me. India? Long-distance travel? Tropical helmets? Explorers?
Beautiful, enchanting, familiar and yet inspiring. How can that be?
I don't know how. But that's how it is.
A fragrance that picks me up and takes me far away, with its 70s vibes, the memories of Charlie by Revlon paired with the summer freshness of vetiver, the bed of exotic spices and the sun cream note of Sun. It sounds mainstream, but it's not. Because we mustn't forget the secret ingredient, which of course I don't know myself, but there is something magical about it that makes me close my eyes and feel a golden calm and warmth. It can't just be the cinnamon!
Anyway, I buy the large bottle in the luxury version. And I want to visit a spice garden in Sri Lanka again soon....

Of course, Guerlain is a master of vanilla. However, I haven't really been a fan of vanilla for years, it has simply worn off. BUT: This extrait has echoes of my all-time, but also somewhat unusual, favorite Aqua Allegoria, namely Ylang Vanilla, only less sweet and even better, if I may say so.
It starts with a very unsweet vanilla, like freshly scraped from a vanilla pod, simply beautiful. Then, after it becomes a little creamier, a tropical herbal note kicks in. I have no idea why it smells so pretty like freshly whipped, lightly sweetened milk vanilla cream, peppered with bits of greenish herbs and just a hint of a woody note. After about an hour, it becomes a little sweeter and even a little smoky, but never too much. Like the tonka extract, this one stays around you, but for about a whole day! Very pleasant.
I still prefer Allegoria above though...if only for money reasons.

Or also: the perfume kit for the well-heeled.
First of all, I have prejudices. After smelling countless jasmine fragrances, I'm still in love with A la Nuit by Serge Lutens because it's perfect for me in every way. Some, even those by Guerlain, could not match its beauty. What about Jasmin Grandiflorum? The first few minutes were very promising. Beautiful, powerful, fresh jasmine flowers in abundance, as if you were surrounded by jasmine bushes.
The floral freshness subsides and turns into the typical heavier, but still mellow, direction that makes you think of hot, Mediterranean summer nights and the need for cool summer drinks with an umbrella in them. It's a little overpowering, hypnotizing, a little dizzying, but in a good way. I've smelled one or two jasmine scents that have actually left me breathless, but not this one. The white-floral sweetness is just right too, slightly creamy and quite pleasant. The scent, like the 5 others, has good longevity and is perfect for layering. Get all 6 of them and start your own version of the famous Guerlinade!