Songes (2006)
by Annick Goutal

Dream? Nightmare is more like it.

The sinus-hammering candied fruit and indolic white flower accord upon which Songes opens smells entirely artificial. Its central element is a Godzilla-sized tuberose that’s been miraculously shorn of every trace of grace or charm. If a flower could chew tobacco and expectorate loudly into a spittoon, this one would. Excruciating.

I am pleased to report that the sweet “froot” recedes within an hour, but I can’t decide whether leaving the nasty plastic flower accord exposed on its own amounts to much of an improvement. In all honesty, this is the kind of perfume that gives tuberose a bad name. (Amarige and Giorgio are its co-conspirators.) The good news is that the entire experience is over rather quickly, as Songes slides into its soapy, woody-vanillic drydown within a couple of hours. Thank heaven for small mercies.

As others have mentioned, there’s something unoriginal about this composition – it reminds me of various fragrances all at once. Still, it would have been a pleasant vanilla based scent if the frangipani note wasn’t so dominant – so much that I found the entire composition quite off-putting.

[Original submission date: 10 April 2008]

What Foetidus said.

First sampled a couple of years ago and although I ADORE big white florals - was unimpressed. Second try....OH boy.

What Foetidus said.

A beautiful Big White Floral, done well from start to finish. I haven't yet found a white floral I've despised. Make of that what you will, but I adore white florals and they seem to love me right back. And yes, it's sweet, but that is just the nature of with white florals. I enjoyed the focus on frangipani, with backup by jasmine, tuberose, and ylang. This is somewhat linear on me and smells much the same until it gets into the vanilla drydown, as which point it gets even sweeter on my skin. I would have liked to have had a little sandalwood added to the base to dry up some of the vanilla, but it's very good as it is, and truly a dreamy sort of fragrance. I probably won't be adding this to my wardrobe -- I'm saving up for that pricey bottle of Ormonde Jayne Frangipani -- but I'll drain my sample and enjoy it.

I was really disappointed in this fragrance. It is sugary beyond belief and the white floral accords smell cheap and dated. Possibly in an attempt to appeal to a younger market, Annick Goutal has made a mess of a perfume. I only can hope that her new incense fragrances (which I will be trying soon) reflect her past triumphs. The only up side is that this perfume is affordable. And, unfortunately for me, this one has longevity.

Songes was the first AG fragrance I felt compelled to purchase. From the moment it hits my skin, I love every nuance. Starts out so heavenly and gets better as time goes on. Recently, I worked with several other women on a project in close quarters. We had to learn over and past each other. Each woman commented on great I smelled and asked what I was wearing. One kept coming over asking for "a hit". A delightful combination!