Fragrance Reviews by sean-dt

On a trip to Paris I went into the wonderful Lutens boutique expecting to buy Muscs Koublai Khan, but to my surprise this was the fragrance I ended up buying. It is delightfully strange in the way that many fragrances from this house are, with the dry vetiver working with the gourmand and sumptuous oriental notes forming a mysterious composition that seems to be greater than the sum of its parts. While it is very rich, it is never overpowering, and over time the rawness of vetiver becomes its dominant characteristic, making it a wonderfully masculine fragrance. It is well worth trying if you admire Lutens, but find his fragrances overpowering.

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!

If an alien came from another planet and wanted to know what perfume smells like, I would give him a bottle of Tweed. It has all of the things that a perfume is supposed to have -nothing more, nothing less. I find it quite elegant and sensual, without any hint of pretentiousness.

Joy is a very bold statement. It's all about the harmony of its rich and sensual floral essences, and while the release of a floral composition this heavy and dense would be a rarity from any fragrance house today -with the possible exception of Amouage, Joy still has a place in the modern World. That's because its aesthetic is really quite simple; it accentuates the shameless luxury of its ingredients, but manages to do so in a way that favours opulence over vulgarity.

When I wear Chanel Pour Monsieur, I feel like a little boy playing with my father's after shave. It is both masculine and comforting, with the combination of its very conservative citrus top notes over a soft and warm base. I haven't tried the concentree, and I'm not in any hurry to do so, as the whole point of this fragrance for me is that it's an instant shot of 1950s elegance in a world of dumbed down reformulations. Understated sophistication combined with top quality ingredients and workmanship -the values that made Coco Chanel famous.

Like many admirers of classic Guerlains, I have been concerned with the direction the house has taken in recent years. However Insolence was a very pleasant surprise, as it shows the respect the house still has for its past. I immediately noticed a resemblance to L'Heure Bleue, but I was also reminded of the general aesthetic of Shalimar in that it marries a very heady sweetness with a dark and complex base. I think there is an interesting parallel here in that Shalimar was derived from Jicky, just as this fragrance was derived from L'Heure Bleue. Of course this perfume is more than just a homage to Guerlain's past, and has to stand up on its own merits, and I believe it does so very well. It is hard to know if this will be a future classic, but it is certainly a reassuring addition to the mass market.

This is a wonderful perfume. At first it seems like a simple cheery floral with a little powder, but it soon reveals something going on underneath that gives it an interesting edge, as well as depth without any trace of heaviness. My nose was instantly struck by the quality, which in this case is as good as it gets. This beautifully made fragrance is devoid of any hint of pretentiousness, and seems to be all about simple beauty, as opposed to the ravishing grandeur often associated with Guerlain.

Like a lot of people, I was surprised that this perfume had very little in common with the great Guerlain classics, but after trying it for a while I recognised it lurking underneath other Guerlains, especially Vol de Nuit -although it wasn't what I would have considered one of the defining notes.

While this might not be a ground-breaking masterpiece, its refinement and delicacy mean it is an exquisite perfume.

I really love Mouchoir de Monsieur. It might seem old fashioned, but it is magical. When I wear it, it reveals different facets over time, and this is what makes it a very special perfume. Initially it is like an eau de cologne, but it has a very unusual sweet animalistic edge, but after a while it resembles Jicky with the combination of lavender and civet. However both fragrances seem to have very different personalities. In Mouchoir de Monsieur the lavender is always part of a sweet sumptuous accord, whereas in Jicky it can sometimes seem exposed like an essential oil. On the surface I also think that this fragrance is more complex than Jicky -as if extra ingredients were added to the mix. The drydown of both frarances is absolutely heavenly, with moments of beautiful perfection, as different notes pop up and combine with each other in countless different ways.

I have three bottles of this from different eras, and they are all different from each other, but my favourite bottle seems to be slightly off in the top notes for the first few minutes, but is absolutely stunning after that. Still, the current version is excellent, with the major difference being that the sumptuous animalic side seems to be a little less vivid. Regardless of vintage, this is my favourite masculine Guerlain, and it is good to be able to stockpile the current version in case it ever gets pulled.

I have been a fan of Heritage for several years, and I don't see that changing soon. I love the combination of woodiness and sweetness in a way that's almost discordant, and the epitome of Guerlain. I sometimes find that the top notes glare too much, and seem almost metallic, but it's fine if I only apply a tiny amount, and when it works it is like being surrounded by a cloud of sophistication. I love Vetiver, Coriolan, Derby and Habit Rouge, but there is something very cool about Heritage that makes it unique amongst JP Guerlain's creations. Still, Mouchoir de Monsieur will always be my favourite masculine Guerlain.

Jicky is my favourite perfume, as it moves me in a way that no other perfume can. Jicky is a compelling fragrance, and seems to have real personality -or personalities. Sometimes it is a nice pleasant herbal perfume, sometimes it is a little raunchy with its animalistic undercurrent, and sometimes it has an almost milky sweetness that is very comforting. It also has a spicy fougere side to it that I love, and when I wear it, all of these different facets emerge at different times and combine with each other as if to form many different perfumes, all of which I find wonderful.

I have recent bottles of parfum and EdP, as well as a fifty-year-old bottle of EdT and they are all wonderful, and I love them all. The parfum emphasizes the herbal aspect, the EdP the dirtier civet, while the EdT is brighter and airier with the lavender more exposed and medicinal, but it changes very quickly into something that resembles the EdP, but is not nearly as robust in the late drydown.

I love many perfumes, and some of them are more immediately striking and exotic, and on the surface more beautiful. However, with Jicky the real beauty is revealed in exquisite moments that are hidden below the surface. These moments are the most profoundly beautiful I have ever experienced in perfume. I love you Jicky.

At the moment this is my favourite Chanel. I am reviewing the parfum, as I have only tried the other formulations in passing. I love the really cool and almost crystalline opening of rose and aldehydes, before the amazing and earthy iris takes over. The perfume is very complex, yet it is always beautifully controlled. At every stage of development different notes pop in and out, but always seem to know where they are in the overall picture. When I bought No.19, I expected to like it -possibly even love it; but I didn't expect it to be this good. As a perfume junkie, I have collected hundreds over the years, but this one reminded me why I fell in love with perfume in the first place. No.19 is perfume perfection.