Vol de Nuit Évasion (2007)
by Guerlain

Latest news: Because of Attrape Coeur being withdrawn by Guerlain, Vol de Nuit Evasion has also been taken off the shelves. (It was indeed the edt version of AC and nothing to do with VdN.)

The very first notes I get are galbanum and oakmoss. Supposed to be following florals like rose, jasmine and iris are not there, just spicy cloves like note embodied in resin. Then comes the amber woods base (maybe too early, just in half an hour) and stay there dark and gloomy. When resinous medicinal notes combine with darker notes of woods and amber reminds me of a shadowed room of an old patient; just gloomy. The only light containing note in this scent is vanilla which raises the mood to some extent. Well after all you may be surprised to hear me say that it is a good scent. This is like a big amber ring that I would not wear but can recommend to an amber loving friend.

This is a lovely fragrance, and I was a pleasantly surprised by it. I bought it unsniffed in Paris and was delighted to discover something that is very much in the Guerlain style. It has a rich ambery and vanillic base, but the overall composition is quite dry and dark. While displaying typical Guerlain richness, the perfume is not too heavy, and so might be ideal for someone who admires Guerlain, but finds their classics just a bit too much. I don't necessarily think this is a masterpiece, but it is a worthy addition to the Guerlain fan's wardrobe, and it makes a refreshing change from the classics from time to time. Besides, you can never have too many Guerlains!

After about longing to own a bottle of this scent for about two years now, I managed to snag one off eBay, though I had to swallow hard and buy it with a hefty finder's fee from the seller. Yup, she jacked it up to about double the price, but I wasn't about to go abroad to find a limited edition perfume, so it was all good.

First sniff of the top notes was glorious, delicate notes of rose and peach--such a glorious combination! Like a breeze blowing the topnotes away, it segues seamlessly into the heart notes. The texture of the fragrance changes.

Now people say that this smells much like Attrape Coeur--the EdT version. I've never smelled Attrape Coeur/Guet-Apens, and people say that it had nothing to do with the original Vol de Nuit. My nose says different. I do smell Vol de Nuit in the heart notes. I definitely smell its green notes of oakmoss and galbanum, as well as its bitter notes of vetiver, but being less dry and powdery compared to her grandmother. I do smell its powderiness, but the balance has changed at the base with a more pronounced woody and vanillic note to veil the powdery iris somewhat.

The base notes are very persistent and tenacious. The woody notes are so markedly pronounced, one would mistake it for a mens cologne. Because of this, the scent could be unisex, much in the way Fresh Index's Cannabis Santal is--lighthearted in the beginning with deep woody/patchouli vanillic nuances at the end.

Happily, this Guerlain was made truly in the House's style, despite that this is a limited distribution flanker. Now I guess I have to suffer a purchase (probably a decant) and see what Attrape Coeur/Guet-Apens is all about. VdNE is an EdT, but it does have some heft and longevity to it. By reputation a lot of Guerlains do not last on my skin for very long, its woody base doesn't have much sillage, but it does stay around at least 6 hours, a happy plus, for me.

Hope you get to try this wonderful flanker!

In case anyone was wondering, Vol de Nuit Evasion is the EdT version of Attrape Couer in a 50ml bottle. Weird how Guerlain does that. Because of the lower concentration, I didn't find VdN-E to have the same 'creaminess' of A-C, but I also find A-C to almost get a little too intense until it settles to the base. It's a good middle ground.