Jicky (1889)
by Guerlain

I have an odd relationship with Jicky. I can't deny that it's brilliantly composed, with high quality ingredients (vanilla, lavender, and civet,) that appeal to me, but I've never been compelled by it. Why? I'm not sure. When I wear the closely related Shalimar, Jicky seems incomplete. When I wear the equally civet-drenched Ungaro II, Jicky seems a little bit tame. When I want lavender, I invariably turn to Caron pour un Homme. In the end all I can say is that while I acknowledge Jicky's high status, I rarely enjoy wearing it. Thumbs up because it is a great scent and an important landmark, no matter how I feel about it personally.

So back in 1889 good old Aime designs this as a woman's scent but it proves to be far more popular with men? Not as strange as it may seem. Old Spice was first designed as a woman's scent, bombed with the fairer sex, and the rest is history.

Unlike Old Spice, this one's still popular with women ( it doesn't suck ) and it has the distinction--or so we are told-- of being the first 'abstract scent' i.e; of having more than one note and morphing within the pyramid of top, heart and base.

The opening, despite having a lemon note is really well balanced with mandarin, bergamot, and rosewood. So you won't choke on industrial strength lemon pledge--a fault of many citrus frags these days.

In fact, I'd venture to say this is as refreshing and bracing an opening as you'd find in the best of men's aftershaves. The heart notes are mild and then the leather-tonka base brings the show to an end.

However it is short lived.
Now, you could re-apply Eau d'Orange Verte throughout the day every 2 hours by spritzing from a small decant, but who on earth has the patience to spritz a refreshing and bracing citrus scent that just ended on an amber-tonka drydown?

Life is just too short. Still, a thumbs up for this time warp trip to the past.

Not that Jicky needs my review to compel Guerlain to keep it in production, but I'll add my voice to the Basenotes Tabernacle Choir of halleluja-ers.

Lavender is a beautiful flower and scent, but wear it without some sweetening, and it can be cold. Add a vanilla? Good idea! But isn't that just a tad simplistic? How about some civet for curiosity? Perfect! Stop right there.

I like the edt the best, but all formulations are splendid. Keep a sample on hand if you don't "get it" on your first try. No matter how short your must-try list, Jicky should be on it.

I can't say I was impressed with Jicky in EdT form. It was the phantom of a lemon-scented wet-wipe, then it was gone. Wimpy and unpleasant.

Today, however, I tried Jicky in parfum form - there's a big difference. I'd classify this with Diptyque's L'Autre and Hermes Eau d'Hermes as a transparent animalic citrus. Though Jicky is not spicy like the other two, all three share an interesting lemony-citrus top contrasted with an animalic base.

Jicky's top goes on with a strong bergamot and lemon, dry but not harsh. After twenty minutes or so the civet comes roaring in and civet's fecal quality makes this quite a dirty, skanky citrus just slightly modified by a light vanilla. In the base the civet calms down and becomes mellow, allowing the vanilla to show itself more. After about the six hour mark, it's all gone.

The thing is, the parfum behaves rather like an EdT on me. It doesn't have full-bodied quality and exceptional longevity I expect from a parfum, and given that, have to wonder if it's really worth parfum prices...

Jicky is my favourite perfume, as it moves me in a way that no other perfume can. Jicky is a compelling fragrance, and seems to have real personality -or personalities. Sometimes it is a nice pleasant herbal perfume, sometimes it is a little raunchy with its animalistic undercurrent, and sometimes it has an almost milky sweetness that is very comforting. It also has a spicy fougere side to it that I love, and when I wear it, all of these different facets emerge at different times and combine with each other as if to form many different perfumes, all of which I find wonderful.

I have recent bottles of parfum and EdP, as well as a fifty-year-old bottle of EdT and they are all wonderful, and I love them all. The parfum emphasizes the herbal aspect, the EdP the dirtier civet, while the EdT is brighter and airier with the lavender more exposed and medicinal, but it changes very quickly into something that resembles the EdP, but is not nearly as robust in the late drydown.

I love many perfumes, and some of them are more immediately striking and exotic, and on the surface more beautiful. However, with Jicky the real beauty is revealed in exquisite moments that are hidden below the surface. These moments are the most profoundly beautiful I have ever experienced in perfume. I love you Jicky.

EdT.

I used this for awhile couple of years ago, and although I thought it was a fine creation, I just didn’t feel comfortable wearing it. I found it very disturbing, actually.
The scent always had this bizarre foody accord to my nose; it reminded me the way those Domino (=Orio cookies) with vanilla filling used to smell after they had been sitting on a plate few days without protection from the open air. My grandfather always use to have those in his grocery closet.
I tried to get over this clear association, couldn’t manage, and then sold my bottle away. I just didn’t want to smell like my decrepit grandpas slightly spoiled cookies.

EdP.

This is definitely more animalic concentration of the two, the civet comes out very clearly. While the EdT is simple yet luxurious lavender-vanilla blend with only a dash of civet to it, in EdP the civet is a starring note. Lavender is more subdued here, and it skips the citrus notes almost completely. Very long projection develops this luminous and smooth vanilla smell, while the animalic presence remains.
Incredibly rich composition, and the lasting power is even a bit better than in EdT.


To me the Eau de Toilette is much more suitable version for men. I think it passes the unisex clarification very easily, while the EdP is much more perfume-y, much more classic feminine scent. It still could (of course) be worn by any men who is into it, but I really do recommend EdT version for the gents, and at the same time, I preferably would smell EdP on a woman.