Aqua Allegoria Anisia Bella (2004)
by Guerlain

Having liked Lolita Lempicka, I bought this on the basis of the promise of anise-- and I sincerely regret it. It smells of liquorice allsorts with a malevolent strength and barb to it, with a sickly sweet and soapy undertone added almost, it would seem, as an afterthought.

This is one truly vile fragrance and I cannot wait to find someone to take this bottle off my hands.

28th January, 2012.

Funnily enough I hate Pastis and you would never find me eating Liquorice Allsorts and yet I love this AA. There is no denying it is based on anise but not in a sickly way. It's fresh but you can smell something darker and more substantial lurking in the background. I'd say definitely unisex. I'm bringing this one to the South of France on holidays- I think it will be perfect for it!

5th June, 2011.

The perfumer having been let out of the closet, so to speak, allows perfume hobbyists and enthusiasts to focus on particular perfumers. Cellier, Roudnitska, Robert, Chant. We’re codifying the history of our obsession, giving credit, and indulging in the fascination of exploring the work of artist whose work has meaning for us. I think the precedent here is cinema, and its move from the focus on the studio and producer to the director. ‘Art film’ of the 1950s-1960s (Kurasowa, Truffault) could be likened to early niche perfumery (Laporte, Lutens [not a nose, but an art director.]) 1970s-1980s and onward is where mainstream American film highlighted the director as auteur (Scorsese, Campion, Lee, the Coppolas.) I suppose the comparisons here would be Ellena, Grosjman, Menardo, Kurkdjian, Duchaufour. (Sorry, very broad strokes here. I’ve never studied film.) Whether the perfume/film analogy holds, and for better or worse, the perfumer as auteur is our current paradigm.

It’s fascinating to focus on the remaining work of the great, dead noses, but how about those still with us? I’m a great fan of Aurélien Guichard. He is prolific, his work has ongoing themes, his play with history and innovation is wonderfully smart, and his perfumes are beautiful. I find the connections between his contemporary work (Chinatown, Love in Paris) and his reconstructions/reorchestrations (Baghari, Azzaro Couture) utterly fascinating, and his range of genres admirable (fruity chypre - Chinatown; green floral - Futur; nouveau woody-incense - Andy Warhol Silver Factory.)

So, Anisia Bella (2004.) To create an Aqua Allegoria would be an interesting challenge to a perfumer whose forthcoming work would show a thorough grasp of classical perfumery in all its complexity. You know, Aqua Allegoria---the Guerlain perfume training bra, the realm of the almost metaphysical ‘Is it a scent or a perfume?’ question. Guichard’s solution is precise in execution and both remarkable and witty in concept.

The AA’s are light and easy if you like them, simple and possibly trite if you don’t. AB is simple in that it is a reflection on anise. It is light but substantial, very direct in tone and yet complex enough to hold interest over time. Simple and facile, but not unsophisticated. Creating a two-tiered perfume is like the Goldylocks solution to the linear vs top/heart/base debate. AB keeps anise from start to finish, but starts with a cold, sugared citrus violet and transitions to a tea-like cedar. Herbs tend to be seen as an enhancement, an embellishment both in cuisine and perfumery. In perfumery, fruit, flowers, woods are typically the lead. AB subverts the order and the flower serves the herb. Anise as the lead performer stands out to the nose, and can seem like a nod to the direct, ‘simple smell’ idea of the AAs. More often than not, though, he complexity of the floral and woody notes catches me when I’m not paying attention and gives me a wink.

See the recognizable and, by now in 2011, serially soulless Aqua Allegoria bottle as the Trojan Horse to the beautiful set of ideas contained in Anisia Bella.

22nd May, 2011. (Last Edited: 14th July, 2011.)

Light, fresh & crispy when first applied. A couple of hours later is still there, softer, toned down. The next morning it has become deep & woodsy. Long lasting, interesting from start to finish. This is a complex & compelling fragrance.

19th March, 2010.

This Guerlain lightweight spray is a sunny light eau de cologne of grapefruit, jasmine and anise. It is a light, watery but tart grapefruit spritzer with a hint of anise for a fresh uplfiting splash anytime you need a lift. It improves with frequent and/or heavier application. The anise adds a bit of herbal minty character to this otherwise simple grapefruit/floral EDC. Fresh and nice especially if you like anise - I do.

21st July, 2009.

My favorite of the Aqua Allegoria's. I usually prefer parfums and pure perfume to colognes, but this is great when I want something to freshen up with. Anisia Bella is liqourice note as a skin scent, slightly herbal, with a tinge of delicate florals like little violets.Feminine but earthy and sporty, with good lasting power considering that it's a cologne and such a light scent at that.

24th January, 2009.