Liù (1929)
by Guerlain

I hate to be the party pooper here, but I'm not crazy about this Liu.
It does have prominent aldehydic notes, likening it to Chanel's No.5, however, it is completely void of any sweetness. This is by far, the driest floral I've encountered. To my nose, it is more like Wind Song by Prince Matchabelli ~ a musty smelling frag. The drydown leaves me smelling...er...uh...not so fresh.

After the Japan-inspired Mitsouko, Liu from 1929 was the next in line to unite Jacques Guerlain's enthusiasm about the oriental world and the European arts. Liu is the name of the heroine in Puccini's last opera 'Turandot' from 1926, based on a story from a Persian collection of stories called 'The Book of One Thousand and One Days', and set in ancient China near the walls of the Imperial City in Peking. This opera is about the battle between dangerous obsessions and the need for life, love and sanity, and Liu's character is a slave girl so devoted to her master that she kills herself in order to save him from his fateful yearnings. Together with Sous le Vent, Coque d'Or, Véga and Djedi, Liu is one of Guerlain's very '1930's style' perfumes that were momentary successes, and Liu was perhaps the most missed when it disappeared. It was reissued in 1994 in its original and extremely decorative 'snuffbox bottle', and it now exists again as an Eau de Parfum in the exclusive 'Les Parisiennes' collection. Liu was created for Rose Kennedy, mother of John F. Kennedy, but an unconfirmed story goes that Jacques Guerlain once caught his wife wearing the iconic Chanel no. 5 and then immediately felt inspired to create a competitor. Its top notes includes aldehydes, but Liu bears the true Jacques Guerlain-signature: It's dry, dark and not fruity-floral like Chanel no. 5.

Deep yummy resinous vanilla w/ soft aldehydes, a smidgen of dried fruit, not too sweet. Very sultry.

It reminds me of Annick Goutal's Heure exquise. A classic fragrance, not for young people. For the wintertime.

very similar to chanel n 5

Wonderfully powdery. A very classy fragrance.