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Jicky and Jicky Classic?

post #1 of 15
4/24/08 at 4:50am
Thread Starter 
Okay, so I'm going to pony up for Jicky. It's about time. Thing is...

1. I can order Jicky 1.7 EDP spray for around $100, OR
2. The cool Parfum Classic 1 oz bottle for $300.

Obviously, one costs a lot more than the other. What's going on here, is the less expensive version just fine, etc?
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post #2 of 15
4/24/08 at 5:02am
Just Parfum is typically more expensive than Eau de Parfum because it has higher concentration. Some folks feel the concentration will change the character of the smell even though the chemical composition may be identical. Sometimes a perfume house will alter slightly the chemical composition of it for each strength - doesn't happen often, but Guerlain and Chanel both have been known to do this.

When my wife was faced with a similar conundrum, she ended up with the EDP since she fell in love with Jicky with a sample of the EDP.

If you have not sampled both, I'd recommend it and then decide.

If you have sampled the EDP, and are wondering if the Parfum would be "better" - remember you LIKE the EDP, so that should weigh in.
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post #3 of 15
4/24/08 at 6:26am
I have the parfum. I bought a 1/4 oz bottle. The parfum bottle is a splash, I needed to decant it into an atomizer as dabbing it on does not work for me.
As far as the strength goes, the parfum is closer to the dry down of the EdP. The famous opening notes that make Jicky such a "love it or hate it" experience for some people are toned down in this version. The longevity of the parfum is good, that is, once I started using the atomizer.
That said, I'm going to buy the EdP next time, it's more alive than the parfum.
PS: I've tried the EdT version and the longevity is nil.
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post #4 of 15
4/24/08 at 6:58am
Jicky is one of the few Guerlain's that is often preferred in EDT format (on the forums anway), but I never understood why. The EDT lacks all the character of the other concentrations.

I'd personally go with the EDP, although the Extrait is quite beautiful, I find the EDP slightly more wearable for some reason.
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post #5 of 15
4/24/08 at 7:13am
With Jicky I will definitely concur with the others; the EDP is the way to go. The extrait is darker and slightly more linear, if one can use that term for a Guerlain, but it will have lots of staying power. The EDP has the depth, but it also has a brightness in the opening which gives it a freshness of sorts. The EDT has a little too much brightness, not as much depth, and as stated it is very fleeting; great for someone to use as an 'Eau' in the summer-time, if that is the desired result.
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post #6 of 15
4/24/08 at 7:50am
I noticed on Guerlain's website that the only bottles available for Jicky in EDT & EDP are those tacky refill bottles. I was thinking about picking up the EDP, but now I'm hesitant. I guess I'll just get the refill itself instead of the hideous gold casing.

edit - the EDP is a 50ml refillable bottle...the EDT is the 93ml...do the 50ml refill bottles look the same??

2nd edit- answered my own question, yes, the 50ml refill bottle looks the same as the 93ml, only squatter.
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post #7 of 15
4/24/08 at 9:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sofresh View Post

I noticed on Guerlain's website that the only bottles available for Jicky in EDT & EDP are those tacky refill bottles. I was thinking about picking up the EDP, but now I'm hesitant. I guess I'll just get the refill itself instead of the hideous gold casing.

edit - the EDP is a 50ml refillable bottle...the EDT is the 93ml...do the 50ml refill bottles look the same??

2nd edit- answered my own question, yes, the 50ml refill bottle looks the same as the 93ml, only squatter.

They look worse in pictures than in real life - thowback design, I think!

Anyway - getting a "refill bottle" (which will [not] be a splash) and getting an atomizer that you like will be a fun thing to do - plus, Jicky is so wonderful it kinda deserves it!
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post #8 of 15
4/24/08 at 9:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bromo33333 View Post

They look worse in pictures than in real life - thowback design, I think!

Anyway - getting a "refill bottle" (which will be a splash) and getting an atomizer that you like will be a fun thing to do - plus, Jicky is so wonderful it kinda deserves it!

FYI:
The refill bottle is a spray, the gold case is just a shell that slips over the refill bottle.
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post #9 of 15
4/24/08 at 9:34am
I've got the edp and a backup bottle of it too, both in 75ml sprays that aren't refills for anything I've seen. I've also got the edt in the 93ml spray size and keep it in a cast off metal sleeve that was some Chamade edt customer's discard at a friend's store. I haven't tried the parfum.

I'd urge you to go for the edp, although $100 for 50ml does seem steep. The previous posters have it right--edp is rich in smell, long lasting, lively, and all the scent's usual deliciousness.
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post #10 of 15
4/24/08 at 9:45am
I am going to be the sole voice of dissent here: I think that Jicky parfum is vastly superior to the EDP. The parfum is smoother, better blended, and feels richer yet without being heavy or overwhelming. In the EDP I feel the civet is out of balance and the whole effect is relatively brash and more perfumey - in a negative sense. I find the parfum to be unisex, but the EDP to be feminine. The EDT is watered-down trash, don't bother. For me:

parfum *****
EDP ***
EDT *

I would strongly recommend sampling both the parfum and EDT for yourself. At these prices blind buying is foolhardly IMO.
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post #11 of 15
4/24/08 at 9:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruggles View Post

FYI:
The refill bottle is a spray, the gold case is just a shell that slips over the refill bottle.

Oops. I stand corrected!
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post #12 of 15
4/24/08 at 11:14am
I wear fragrances underneath my shirt with some of the juice drifting up onto my throat (unless we're talking about pure perfume) and I have little problem with longevity with most of them. It's a marvel, but with all the civet, amber, vanilla, tonka bean, indolic florals, etc, Jicky EDT gives me more output and longevity than I need. All it takes is a little body heat and the stuff damn near comes alive. "In perfume, the male of the species is always smaller than the female" (thanks LT), and even though Jicky is often considered unisex, its relationship with Mouchoir de Monsieur (Guerlain) is a good example of that. They're very similar, but I tend to wear MdM more because it puts out the same vibe but with less intensity.

Some say Jicky's most consummate expression comes from the EDP (that it's more animalic etc) but it’s not necessarily the case. The main difference is that the EDP is thicker/creamier with big vanilla, and lacks virtually all of the effervesence of the EDT. The perfume allows you a little more variation in what to do with it, but while I like to smell parfum extraits, I prefer to wear EDT's (TS), and sometimes EDP’s. There are a few in which the extrait is the only way to go, but I'll leave that for now because they’re hard to get.

My girlfriend goes through the EDT pretty fast, but she's never cared for the EDP or parfum extrait. I rarely wear Jicky or MdM anymore, but I still think of them as a couple of the best out there. Anyone seriously into perfume should own Jicky. It provides a powerful dynamic to just smell it every once in awhile. I wear Caron Pour un Homme to get a relatively similar vibe (it’s simpler and lacks the animalics), though it's another one that's deceptive in its output. Just enough is right on, but too much and a shower feels good.

Also, Jicky and warm temperatures don't always work well. The civet can turn into something intensely feral but not particularly pleasant.
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post #13 of 15
4/24/08 at 3:04pm
Concentration: Between parfum and EdP, I'd also choose EdP. As Ruggles say, it's more 'lively'. All concentrations, even EdC of Jicky, last forever on me.

Refill bottle: Sofresh, they are gorgeous in real life, and just so-Guerlain! Gold, big, stunning bottles. Otherwise, go for the vintage EdP/PdT on Ebay - they were without the gold case. Or - find the first edition of the gold bottles, they were more 'simple', more 'art-deco'.
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post #14 of 15
6/24/08 at 7:53pm
So, I wore Jicky (the PdT a.k.a. EdP) and wow...what a fantastic journey it was. Thanks Wordbird for the sample!

I'm not ready to give this a full review, but suffice to say I'm excited about it. The top civet notes were extremely uncomfortable for about 10 minutes. I sprayed it on in the locker room of my gym, and as soon as I did I regretted it, because I was sure some guys around me thought they smelled sh*t when I walked by. But about 10-20 mins later, it turned into quite a beauty.

Now that my nose is so much more attenuated to lavender notes, I could enjoy this scent as it's own strange animal.

I didn't get the 'licorice' quality that Mr. Guerlain mentioned, or the 'baby vomit' bergamot note that Ruggles spoke about. Instead it just smelled spicy, lavender and of course the Guerlainade base kept peeking it's head up and down. I found the longevity kind of low, but my sample was very small so I'm not concerned.

Has anyone (except Mr. Guerlain, that is) tried the Jicky EdC - and care to comment about how it compares to the PdT (EdP)?
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post #15 of 15
6/24/08 at 8:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sofresh View Post

I noticed on Guerlain's website that the only bottles available for Jicky in EDT & EDP are those tacky refill bottles. I was thinking about picking up the EDP, but now I'm hesitant. I guess I'll just get the refill itself instead of the hideous gold casing.

edit - the EDP is a 50ml refillable bottle...the EDT is the 93ml...do the 50ml refill bottles look the same??

2nd edit- answered my own question, yes, the 50ml refill bottle looks the same as the 93ml, only squatter.

I LIKE the refillable with atomizer insert--so retro and cool!

Of course, the juice is what matters most to me....
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