Eau du Ciel (1985)
by Annick Goutal

Eau du Ciel is primarily a linden (tillieul) and violet scent to my nose. Like this house’s limited edition Le Chèvrefeuille, it is a weightless, crisp green floral that smells as if it were composed with few if any traditional base notes. The rosewood and musk foundation is oddly transparent, and a delicate hay or narcissus note contributes an engaging “dewy meadow” effect. I especially admire how Eau du Ciel avoids the oppressive, powdery sweetness of so many other violet scents, managing instead to maintain a liquid ebullience through most of its development.

Given this description, you probably know what’s coming: with such effervescent texture and buoyancy, Eau du Ciel has very little staying power. It’s certainly potent enough while it lasts – while it won’t fill the room, it’s easily detected at a couple of feet. A worthy choice when you’re looking for a few drops of floral good cheer.

The linden and rosewood form a beautifully complementary accord in the opening of Eau de Ciel. Rosewood (one of my favorite notes but a note that seems tricky to use) is used very nicely in this fragrance. Then the violet comes in and it is strong enough to annoy me, but not so strong that I can’t tell the excellent development that is going on under that annoyance. This is not a violet fragrance: It is a delicately mixed floral with a firm hay note that provides a neutral base to the florals. It is unusual and I appreciate its uniqueness. Besides the violet, I can determine the iris, the neroli, and the orange blossom that, with the hay note and, later, the beeswax, form a light, ethereal and feminine floral. I don’t determine a separate progressed drydown: The florals and hay and barest touch of beeswax remain to the end, staying light and airy. Typical of Annick Goutal fragrances, it doesn’t last very long as a sillage maker, but it stays close to the skin and is quite long lasting that way. I enjoy the quirkiness of Annick Goutal's fragrances, and Eau de Ciel continues the tradition: Even with the violet note, it's a thumbs up fragrance.

I tried this one because I love violet and heard it compared to Apres L'Ondee. On me, it is all neroli (a note a loathe) and soap. Not for my chemistry, I am afraid.

this is a somewhat strange scent -- the best I can describe it is a sweet herbaceous floral. Seems rather simple, "innocent" (i.e. unsophisticated). I feel like I'm 12 when I wear it. Thumbs down for me.

Sadly, I found Eau de Ciel to be a soapy floral, a floral for babies and mothers perhaps, too gentle for my crude senses to appreciate. I know some fragrances are skin scents, and one has to be very near to pick up on their attributes, but that wasn't the problem here.

I go through phases with this one. Right now I'm liking it again. It's so soft, feminine, and gentle. The lasting power is odd. Sometimes it just vanishes within an hour. Other times it lasts all day, although in a very subtle way.