Vol de Nuit (1933)
by Guerlain

This is such a beautiful fragrance...much like Shalimar, but with an earthy edge. It's such a shame that Guerlain makes this in EDT only, because this scent would be far better served in an EDP or pure parfum. It lacks staying power, so the wearer never has an opportunity to experience what could be a wonderful drydown. I'll save my money to buy Shalimar instead.

When I first tried Vol de Nuit, it was from a fairly recent bottle of the EdT, the ones in the gold box with the words Vol de Nuit in white with a black background.

Smelling Vol de Nuit, I knew that I would be a fan of the galbanum note forever, with its scent of bright stemmy greens.

The EdT is very soft and hardly detectable if you don't have much of a body temperature. You need to be very warm in order for the scent to project. It is also powdery with iris, and complemented with woody notes of oakmoss and vetiver.

I had a hard time smelling the EdT, and it seemed to not last very long on me. In a way it did smell like a Guerlain, but it didn't seem to have the boldness and warmth of a Guerlain.

A few years later, I finally own the parfum after being so discouraged by the EdT. The lightbulb went on! It is warm from the get go but doesn't sacrifice the greeness of the galbanum, and you can definitely smell Guerlain's signature vanilla. The parfum is poetry! It is still soft, but at least it is more noticeable. I'm in love again with Vol de Nuit!

This review is for vintage Vol de Nuit extrait. As my father always says..."time will not permit me to tell you"...just how gorgeous Vol de Nuit is. I managed to nab a bottle of this that was still sealed and with its original box. I had been researching it and looking for it for a while when one came up on Ebay. Here are some of my favorite things that have been said about it in various reviews I've read:

"...devastatingly melancholy"

"One of the most sensual Guerlains."

"The perfume of a woman who knows her own heart and mind."

"For femme fatales with brains, brass and independence."

"[it has] an enigmatic nature."

After wearing it for a few minutes I agreed that it had the same melancholy nature of Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue and Serge Lutens's Douce Amere, yet there's also a kind of warmth and gourmand-like softness/sweetness that keeps it accessible. It's the perfect balance between the intellectually seductive Nuit de Noel by Caron and the overt "come hither" seductiveness of Shalimar. I've tried the new extrait and the vintage EDT versions of Vol de Nuit and neither has the depth of the vintage parfum.

While the notes of Vol de Nuit have been listed at the top of this page, don't think for one moment that any self-respecting perfumer would list every note that went into making one of their creations. On me, I smell notes that haven't been listed in any pyramid that I've seen for Vol de Nuit. Fifteen minutes after applying it I get an animalic note that smells like civet even though it doesn't last very long. All through it I am picking up a constant vetiver note and a leathery powder. At some point in the drydown, it smells very similar to both Habanita and Nuit de Noel. In some ways Vol de Nuit is a kind of shape-shifter with many surprises. Vol de nuit makes me feel sultry even though I'm schleping around the house in a faded blue t-shirt, saggy sweatpants and worn out sockslippers.

I'm surprised that this is not more popular. But then again, it's a perfume like this that separates the girls from the women.

Definitely unisex and worth a try if you can find it.

I am fortunate to sample Vol de Nuit in its' vintage extrait form, due to the generosity of another basenoter, and am completely stunned by Jacques Guerlains' luxurious blend of notes. Tantalizing spices come alive from the first spritz and are sprinkled throughout the entire evolution of VdN. They add interest, but never overpower. Vanilla is also an everpresent force, creamy, rich, and binding to the greens - softening any potentially sharp or bitter edges. Galbanum, Oakmoss and assorted greens come exactly as expected ~ bold! Iris, wow, it is more pronounced than I would have guessed. Doughy, powdery, yet soft and plush like velvet. I'm anxious to sample other strengths of Vol de Nuit, and am curious to try more current formulations as well. A single whiff of VdN transports my soul to an era of perfumery long forgotten. It is a treasure, a masterpiece, a privilege to experience. Utterly gorgeous!

One of my all time favourites - I find this almost indescribably lovely, but so hard to define. I would definitely have classed it as a chypre myself - it has a dry, elegance that to my nose says more chypre than oriental - but it is such a beautiful combination of notes that it's hard to say which are prevalent. Either way, this is the perfume I find myself drawn to when in need of comfort, the one whose lid I open before going to bed at night, just for a reassuring sniff. And the loveliest bottle (the perfume) on my dresser.

As an aside - I don't find this a million miles away from my 20 year old Miss Dior. Purer, richer, deeper, better crafted - but certainly somehow related.

EdT (vintage)

Its not so bad, but nothing that I particularly fancy. I wouldn’t wear it myself, and if I would smell this on some woman, I presume it wouldn’t do anything special for me.

Smells very balsamic to me. Siam benzoin, amber, galbanum, iris and bitter-green moss with a hint of white flowers are the key players to my nose.

Classical, mature and in some specific ways very much dated oriental-chypre hybrid.