My Insolence (2007)
by Guerlain

As a lover of most things Guerlain, I am appalled by this effort! This fragrance is to Guerlain what Allure is to Chanel...an embarrassment. Soapy cherry powder is about the best I can say. The only similarity with the noteworthy Insolence is the revolving (and in this case revolting) spiral of notes. This is pricey junk. Stay away...

This fragrance is exceptional in that upon smelling I was sure I disliked it. I am usually less decisive about scents, and in fact this is my first thumbs down review. This is not a bad fragrance. The smell is not offensive or overtly "perfumey." But it is far too light/powdery/sweet for my taste. Perhaps it would be lovely on the right person. I don't know. But I give it a thumbs down since it disagreed with me.

I absolutely agree with Ms Rochambeau. This is actually a very nice fragrance, but there are so many others like this by so many fashion- and fad-oriented designers. I think it is a shame that a company that produces such enduring classics as Shalimar and Mitsouko and L'Heure Bleu, and such masterpieces as Vol de Nuit and Apres L'Ondee, should also feel the need to produce these mass-market fragrances. But, I suppose they bring in the money!

Perhaps the patchouli spoiled the mix, but this one comes out dusty and cloying with a terrible musty smell, like perfume that has mildewed. Whatever they were trying for, it doesn't work on me. A mess.

I guess I've been spoiled by having experienced a few of the Guerlain classics (Jicky, L'Heure Bleue, Mitsouko and Salimar) in their vintage form. Because of them, the bar was set high a long time ago, not just for Guerlains, but for perfume, period. My Insolence doesn't come close to that bar. It's no better and no worse than the average scent you can find at the perfume counter of any Macy's depertment store. Just because there is a trend in perfume toward this kind of scent, doesn't mean that Guerlain should feel they have to weigh in with one. They should leave that to the clothing designers with their "of the moment" sensibilities and go back to focusing on the developement of scents that are well crafted enough to become the highly sought after classics of tomorrow. My Insolence will not be among them.

Powerhouse of an opener! No kidding, I sparingly spritzed a small amount of this juice onto the back of my hand and WHOOSH ~ a cloud of Guerlain permeated the entire shop! It was the good fortune of everyone within a 100 foot radius that I chose My Insolence to try! If an explosion of perfume is innevitable, make it a good one. Almost right from the start I could sense the patchouli/vanilla/tonka base begining to simmer as the attention grabbing raspberry cloud shifted. I say that in a good way ~ the raspberry note here is as beautiful as it is potent. The sweet/tart fruitiness melds into the floral heart effortlessly, and is in perfect balance. Not too sweet, which I applaud. The jasmine shares an equal spotlight with the almond blossom, one not standing in front of the other, completely side by side. As an hour passes this fragrance stays close, which suprises me...it settles into a powdery oriental that keeps me sniffing!!! My Insolence is gorgeous, I highly recommend giving it a try. That goes for you adventuresome gentlemen too!