Reviews of Songes (2006)
by Annick Goutal

Strange how the nose and brain adjust… The first time I tested it, it was enormously floral. It was way too strong with overpowering frangipani and an aggressive jasmine not far behind: I was not at all impressed. The second time I tested it, the frangipani was still strong but not overpowering and the jasmine had assumed a perfect persona. I noticed on my second trial what an intriguing drydown Songes had. With subsequent testing, the floral becomes solid, but not at all flowery and certainly not excessive... The quietly recessive incense and the rich, not sweet vanilla tames and deflowers the middle florals, and delivers a rich and balanced slightly resinous, burnt vanilla heart. The drydown continues to be intriguing, softly Oriental, and rich in the texture of sandalwood and amber assisted by incense and vanilla. It’s a haunting drydown and it lasts beautifully.

I have come to enjoy and admire this fragrance – it wasn’t love at first sniff, but now I find that the subtle core of its white floral platform, its moderate edginess, and its very nice performance and longevity have convinced me. It’s a lovely fragrance.

I love this. It is a magical creation.

It's entered my stable of top three with L'Heure Bleue, Le Basier du Dragon. There is something so haunting about it. It's full of life.
It's like a child picked you flowers & when you received them they were smashed a bit from being held so tightly. The sharpness of the crushed stems almost covered by the flowers scent. The pollen dusting your hands & resting on your cheek. It's perfect.

I read that people are talking about a 'rubber' smell. I don't know if many have smelled night jasmen in bloom but this scent does it perfectly.
Flowers do not smell like what we have been led to belive.
Smell real flowers blooming from dirt. They are not sugary sweet, they have a bit of rot & nastyness to them.
Those supermarket cleansers are not smelling of real life, don't accept them as the basis for what things should smell like.

I tried AG Songes for the first time today and instantly fell in love with it. The shop assistant who sold it told me that Songes was created to capture the scent of the island Mauritius where Annick Goutal and her husband had spent their honeymoon. It reportedly took her five years to develop it. I don't know whether this story is true or not, but I believe it for one reason: I spent my best vacation ever on Mauritius' neighbour island La Réunion and I treasure my memories of the many different scents of it: frangipani, vanilla, ylang-ylang, mimosa, cryptomeria, geranium, coconut, vetiver and spices, to name a few. AG Songes is the time of my life in a pretty bottle and I find its name (it means 'dreams') more than appropriate.

On my skin, this beautiful flower scent starts out with a daring but pleasing ylang-ylang, jasmine and pepper. Although ylang-ylang and jasmine have never been my favourite floral scents, they are irresistibly wrapped into a bouquet of other florals. Later, the frangipani and non-sweet vanilla enter the stage, accompanied by a little vetiver and different balsamic notes. I always wanted a frangipani scent and here it is. Songes actually has the scent of fresh frangipani blossoms in it and displays an elegant mix of the ingredients mentioned by other thumbs-up reviewers.

I cannot, by any means, detect a rubber smell in this masterpiece. It doesn't only smell great on my skin, but also on my alpaca/silk/mohair coat. Here in Vienna, we had some wet snow today and this smell brought sun and sophistication into the cinnamon, vanilla and rum pre-Christmas atmosphere. A lady who entered the perfume shop while I was trying Songes immediately wanted to try it, too, and by the time I left the shop she was torn between buying it at once or making her husband buy it for her as a Christmas gift.

This is the first Goutal (aside from Eau de Hadrien) that receives a thumbs up from me. It's not really my cup of tea - as Annick's creations usually are not - but Songes is bare and beautiful! A blend of ylang-ylang, jasmine, vanilla and frangipane - without any extra added sweeteners! Having recently tested Chantacaille's Frangipane, I was ready for this one. First off, ylang-ylang is not a note I've ever enjoyed BUT in Songes I not only clearly smell it, I also like it! Weird, but true. The presentation of jasmine here is better than her 'jasmine' fragrance - go figure! The jasmine here is authentic, restrained, and married very well with the other components of this blend. The frangipane note is the slightest of all, and imparts a rich, dream like quality. Nicely paired with vanilla. I do detect that "rubber tire" element referred to by previous reviewers. For me though, it is more like a note of carnation paired with a non-sweet vanilla that gives that odd illusion...all in all I'm pleased, and will drain my sample vial completely dry. As for a full bottle purchase; we'll see.

I love Songes despite all the bad reviews. It smells like a perfectly blended bouquet of jasmine and gardenia with something slightly spicy thrown in.When I wear Songes it makes me want to but on a beautiful sundress and have lunch at an outdoor cafe with my friends.

A masterpiece in the sky of floral bouquets, an immense, balanced and iridescent cathedral of sweet and charming flowers and woods. The name perfectly suits the fragrance; a dream starting with jasmine smiling notes, ending on a long flower-vanilla soft carpet. Perfect, long-lasting melody. One of the fragrances that sometimes make me dream to change place and time (and sex).

This is an amazing fragrance. I adore it. It is gorgeous, voluptuously rich, and very feminine.

The limited Baccarat edition is a revival of a 1920's art deco bottle that originally inspired the creation of Annick Goutal's Songes moon bottle.

• Top notes: Frangipani flowers combined with tiare and jasmine.
• Heart notes: Incense, vanilla, copahu balm, pepper, and ylang-ylang absolute.
• Base notes: Vetiver, sandalwood, amber, and styrax.

I have to say this one is lovely one day and another day I have no desire for it. It's great in the summer and hot weather. Very feminine. I smell good in it. I think it's my favorite AG

Songes was exactly what I expected it to be, and might be the first Annick Goutal that I would actually buy a full bottle of, as I had hoped it would
It's a creamy and soft white floral, and although it has a definite presence, it is very gentle. Wearing is it like being wrapped in a fluflly cloud of subdued flowers from the tropics, washed by gentle rain, than dried again to excude a delicate, far more tolerable sweetness. The opening is a lush, creamy gardenia (not the heady bobmshell that is Gardenia Passion), along with yalng ylang and jasmine, and than comes a creamy tuberose with incensey undertones (at this stage it reminds me of Noix de Tubereuse, less the slightly plasticky/lipstick like note there), along with slightly tea-like notes of jasmine and a tiniest hint of green and peachy fruitiness that dissipates after a couple of minutes. It's smooth and round and there is no particular note standing out, all the notes create together a tropical floral dream and a lazy feeling of satisfaction. The dry down is sweet and ambery with powdery vanilla. It's never too sweet nor cloying. Just sheer pleasure and a good measure of modesty. It's a sensual white floral without being bombareous or pretentious.

songes is simply stunning a precious stone for any jasmine lover ,good lasting power even on edt it's a little bit sweeter and creamy than a la nuit by lutens but i do love both