Eau de Cologne Impériale (1853)
by Guerlain

A beautiful, realistic citrus opening, but quite short-lived. A touch of lavender, cedar and tonka underneath. A must try classic Eau de Cologne. I personally prefer Guerlain’s Eau de Cologne du Coq, as providing a little more complexity and longevity. But there is nothing wrong with this 1853 classic!

A lovely citrus/green smell. Very fresh! Unfortunately, this only lasted 20 minutes on me. It is an eau de cologne, so you can't expect it to last long. As such, it still gets high marks from me. Great for scent-free work places...hehe

Fairly straightforward and good for Guerlain collectors of those that like a bit of green in their cologne style fragrances. Doesn't last at all on me.

The opening is immediately a bit sour, but the sourness disappears in seconds and the opening settles down to a very refreshing and clean citrus accord that is a little less interesting than before… I liked that that sour note. The remainder of the top notes is a delicate citrus with a light verbena and bergamot accompaniment. The middle accord is supposed to be lavender, but it is quite light, and I miss it unless I directly sniff my skin. The middle accord is gone very quickly, to move into the very light cedar drydown, which also lasts for a very short period of time. This could very well be paradigm for the classic citrus cologne. Its lasting power is minimal, but it is lovely and sensitive and its historical story is as attractive as the fragrance itself. Refined, transparent, unbelievably refreshing… it is certainly a thumbs up fragrance, but, personally I slightly prefer Roger and Gallet’s Extra-Vieille for a citrus cologne… E-V retains the sour note longer and lasts a little longer on my skin.

Eau de Cologne Impériale is one of the oldest EDC's on the market, and in my opinion one of the finest. Like many EDC's, Impériale is a "top note" fragrance. It's basic character is based primarily on an extremely fine bergamot, neroli and lemon accord. There are slight undertones as well, but you have to really smell carefully to find them. The undertones include petitgrain, lemon verbena, a mild lavender and some slight tonka and wood in the base. People who complain about this having no longevity are not familiar with this genre of fragrance. A classical eau de cologne is based on the idea of a refreshing splash. This is the oldest fragrance type with the characteristic of being fresh and natural. Natural fresh notes are made from fine essential oils with extremely high volatility. This means that the fragrance develops very quickly and is finished. If you want the experience to continue, frequent reapplication is necessary.

This is not a bad scent at all. It is cologne, so the most you are gonna get out of it is a good 15 minutes before it completely leaves your skin no matter how much you apply. The top notes are every single type of citrus possible: lemon, neroli, lemon verbena, orange and bergamot. And it is quite potent, unbroken splash of Vitamin C hitting your skin, to be sure. And then it very quickly moves to the basenotes, which are tonka bean, a very strong rosemary and a slight note of cedar. Lemon is ever-present though.

I must say, maybe it is the obnoxious modern fragrance consumer in me speaking, though it is in no way disappointing, it is so not ground-breaking. It will not shake you to the core, and 15 minutes is anyways to short to experience any type of strong sensation, especially with notes like these. But normally 15 minutes is long enough for a complete olfactory orgasm if the notes combined are genius, that is for sure. I suppose what makes me feel a little blase to the whole thing is the fact that this scent has the most regal and colossal name in the entire fragrance universe; 'Eau de Cologne Imperial'. That is pretty bold, and one does expect great drama, and challenge in a frag named like that. Stuff like Bulgarian roses, violets, amber notes of some sort: rare and natural ingredients that will make you feel 'regal'. None of those are here in this water-clear scent, in the most gorgeous bottle possible.

In no way I hate this fragrance, but I am a little underwhelmed. Not by its longevity, but its lack of bold character. That being said, if I were a woman, and could carry this gorgeous bottle in my purse anywhere I go to apply every 15 minutes, I most certainly would. By the way, no picture does the bottle any justice. It is perfection: so decadent and delicate looking, it is an ode to beauty. True work of art, but Guerlain always designs a chic bottle, even during the 19th Century!