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Guerlain Vetiver: Masterpiece? (Yes or No)

Poll Results: Guerlain Vetiver: Do you consider it a masterpiece?

 
  • 65% (151)
    Yes, I consider Guerlain Vetiver a masterpiece.
  • 34% (78)
    No, I don't think Guerlain Vetiver is a masterpiece.
229 Total Votes  
post #1 of 98
3/7/09 at 3:59am
Thread Starter 
In your opinion, is Guerlain Vetiver a masterpiece?
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post #2 of 98
3/7/09 at 4:32am
Not as a Vetiver, but ideal as a decent, easy-to-wear, versatile summer scent.
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post #3 of 98
3/7/09 at 5:27am
Yup.
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post #4 of 98
3/7/09 at 5:50am
masterpiece, without doubts
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post #5 of 98
3/7/09 at 5:59am
Yes for sure
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post #6 of 98
3/7/09 at 7:07am
Can't deny it
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post #7 of 98
3/7/09 at 7:48am
The old Vetiver was, the new one is close, but no cigar.
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post #8 of 98
3/7/09 at 8:04am
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I'm not a fan, but it is a masterpiece...
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post #9 of 98
3/7/09 at 8:16am
Great fragrance, and definitely a classic but it is not a masterpiece.
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post #10 of 98
3/7/09 at 9:41am
I think it's the best vetiver perfume
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post #11 of 98
3/7/09 at 9:50am
I don't like it... so I guess it must be
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post #12 of 98
3/7/09 at 9:52am
Obvious!
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post #13 of 98
3/7/09 at 10:14am
Yes.

It may have suffered a bit due to a degrade in quality of materials, but the blending is near perfect and its one of the best multi-faceted vetivers out there. Guerlains' Vetiver is a concept, a perfumers interpretation of the vetiver note in a much larger scheme of things. I like that its not a straight vetiver dump with minimal supporting notes (imo a very easy thing to do and which requires little skill). Yet, the vetiver note is very evident in the composition, its just that it has a quite capable posse which makes it shine more.
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post #14 of 98
3/7/09 at 10:24am
short answer, yes. The real "masterpiece" IMO was the original edc. Magical.
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post #15 of 98
3/7/09 at 10:49am
Absolutely.
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post #16 of 98
3/7/09 at 11:09am
If I were to go in exile or leave the United States if it were war torn, and I could only take with me two fragrances it would be Guerlain's Vetiver and Creed's Bois du Portugal. Everything else, I'd leave behind.
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post #17 of 98
3/7/09 at 5:26pm
yes, yes yes. YES.

(did i mention yes?)

thoroughly perfect in every way. any time, any place, anywhere, anyone.
i might not be very experienced in the field of fragrance, but i know that this stuff is simply exquisite.
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post #18 of 98
3/7/09 at 5:33pm
Definitely. It was love at first smell for me.
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post #19 of 98
3/7/09 at 6:23pm
I just hope we do not have to do this for every fragrance.

So what if the old formulation was different? Even if that were true (some have suggested that it is not), the current formulation is awesome by itself.

And I am gonna need the the address of those 21 people who voted "no" to smack them in the head*. What are they thinking?! If Guerlain Vetiver is not a msterpiece then what is?

*Ok I might hear them if they give a good argument to deffend their position.
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post #20 of 98
3/7/09 at 9:19pm
Absolutely!


GV is on the top of the fragrance world.
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post #21 of 98
3/7/09 at 9:53pm
I'm sorry, I love the vetiver note in general, but Guerlain Vetiver just smells dated to me! It's probably associations that I have with adult guys wearing it when I was growing up, but I get a distinct vibe from it that it would fit best a few decades ago.
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post #22 of 98
3/7/09 at 10:46pm
Absolutely!
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post #23 of 98
3/7/09 at 11:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sokkou View Post

I'm sorry, I love the vetiver note in general, but Guerlain Vetiver just smells dated to me! It's probably associations that I have with adult guys wearing it when I was growing up, but I get a distinct vibe from it that it would fit best a few decades ago.

so only NEW fragrance are eligible for "masterpiece" then?
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post #24 of 98
3/8/09 at 4:10am
A POLLl? Don't YOU know if it's a masterpiece? How can you stand not knowing? Why rely on what others---Oops, sorry folks. I just had an Ayn Rand/ Howard Roark moment.

Yep. Masterpiece.

Viva Guerlian,

Mario
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post #25 of 98
3/8/09 at 4:54am
Not "a", but "The" masterpiece to be precise...:-)
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post #26 of 98
3/8/09 at 9:54am
Yes, i think ti is.

But if you were to make me choose between Guerlain's and Givenchy's, I'd pick Givenchy's Vetiver. It's a better scent overall.
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post #27 of 98
3/8/09 at 10:13am
I don't know if I would consider any Vetiver-centric fragrance to be a masterpiece.
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post #28 of 98
3/8/09 at 10:44am
Yes; however, I do not like it very much.
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post #29 of 98
3/8/09 at 10:56am
I voted Yes. (In afterthought, I wondered whether I'm qualified to make this kind of judgement ) I do think it is one of the 'better ones' at least!

For what its worth - in Perfumes: The Guide, Luca Turin writes: "Though it is much thinner and drier than the original (about which I could write volumes) ... this is still one of the best vetivers around."

As long as the older bottles are still available (albiet somewhat rare), it can't be out of place to point out a difference between the formulations.
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post #30 of 98
3/9/09 at 2:39am
Absolutely NOT !
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post #31 of 98
3/9/09 at 6:09am
I think so. In my book anyway. I've worn it since I was 18. That's close to 40 years.
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post #32 of 98
3/9/09 at 7:16am
Yes, a masterpiece. When it came out in the late 60's there was nothing else like it really. Guerlain improved on a the dry woody vetiver Givenchy had on the market by adding a tobacco musk basenote. I remarkable blending masterstroke. It was a first of its type, very original and considered the most attractive fragrance in the world for men by a well publicized blind sniff test. Yes, it is a masterpiece. But, I just don't like it.
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post #33 of 98
3/9/09 at 7:49am
I really enjoy wearing it.There may be better or more intense vetivers out there, but I really like how Guerlain smells on me.
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post #34 of 98
3/9/09 at 11:57am
It smells very nice, but with such a poor longevity and nonexistent sillage, I wouldn't call it a masterpiece.
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post #35 of 98
3/9/09 at 12:10pm
I didnt like the smell or longevity or sillage
honestly very bad IMHO
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post #36 of 98
3/9/09 at 12:10pm
The vintage Vetiver is a complete masterpiece, the newer version is still formidable but not as much.
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post #37 of 98
3/9/09 at 12:17pm
Yes.
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post #38 of 98
3/9/09 at 3:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by castorpollux View Post

Yes, i think ti is.

But if you were to make me choose between Guerlain's and Givenchy's, I'd pick Givenchy's Vetiver. It's a better scent overall.

I agree re: Givenchy's...except for its longevity problem (i.e. it has none). Smells heavenly going on, then disappears without a trace after just a few minutes. Scandalous!

...and I'm not hyposmic to vetiver by any means.

Anyway, I'm excited about the little bottle of vintage Guerlain Vetiver EdC I just got.

I like it a lot, and it's historically important, but I'm not sure that I'd call it a 'masterpiece'.
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post #39 of 98
3/9/09 at 5:04pm
masterpiece
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post #40 of 98
3/18/09 at 2:03pm
I've given the reformulated juice 3 full wearings and I have to say, it's a masterpiece as well. You can't seem to get tired of this scent. This juice will permanently be in the collection, no matter how many times I run out!

Need to try the vintage formula to see what everybody's raving about though...
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post #41 of 98
3/18/09 at 2:19pm
the blend is simply divine. yes Just yesterday I went to a local perfume shop and was looking at Vetiver and they'd run out of the new bottles but the tester bottle (barely touched) was one of the older bottles and I asked to buy it and the store owner said she needed to keep it as a tester for the new bottles which were soon to arrive. I was very sad...
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post #42 of 98
3/18/09 at 2:20pm
if it wasn't for the fact that i HATE Coriander/Cilantro in fragrances and that note stands out on my skin i would give it an emphatic yes... since i can't stand having it on my skin for longer than an hour I have to regretfully give it a no... sorry
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post #43 of 98
3/18/09 at 2:27pm
Materpiece? Yes!
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post #44 of 98
3/18/09 at 2:29pm
Don't expect a revelation, though some reviewers claim it is

I agree with you, it seems impossible to get tired of Guerlain's Vetiver. On the contrary, it manages to impress me no matter how many times I wear it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mcjra View Post

I've given the reformulated juice 3 full wearings and I have to say, it's a masterpiece as well. You can't seem to get tired of this scent. This juice will permanently be in the collection, no matter how many times I run out!

Need to try the vintage formula to see what everybody's raving about though...
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post #45 of 98
3/18/09 at 2:32pm
A BIG DITTO to GV being a masterpiece!!!!!!!!!!!
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post #46 of 98
3/18/09 at 2:32pm
I'd say yes. It took awhile for me to really understand it (I hated it when I was younger), but I love it now.
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post #47 of 98
3/18/09 at 3:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by amarok View Post

Not "a", but "The" masterpiece to be precise...:-)

I agree. Fantastic stuff.
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post #48 of 98
3/18/09 at 3:46pm
Yes.
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post #49 of 98
3/18/09 at 5:50pm
it is definitely a masterpiece.
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post #50 of 98
3/18/09 at 6:14pm
Doesn't float my boat but undeniably a classic. Is it a masterpiece? whatever...
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post #51 of 98
3/18/09 at 6:24pm
I like it. It's good. It didn't knock my socks off, and there are other vetiver scents that I much prefer, and I wouldn't even go as far as to call them masterpieces, so I have to say no on the masterpiece.
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post #52 of 98
3/18/09 at 6:24pm
Absolutely. Although the "extreme" version smells better on me, I think the original, even in its newest form is a classic, a masterpiece and my flagship vetiver scent.
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post #53 of 98
3/18/09 at 7:44pm
Yes. I remember getting a sample years ago. At first I was put off by it, but I could not stop sniffing at it. By the end of the week the notes so intrigued me I had to go back to the store and buy a bottle.
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post #54 of 98
3/18/09 at 11:45pm
Sure is ...
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post #55 of 98
3/19/09 at 12:31am
Nobody else smells the dental filling cement?
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post #56 of 98
3/19/09 at 12:40pm
I say yes, grassy, blooms well in heat. I scanned the entire thread for Tom (the_good_life). He is what I consider a Basenotes connossieur (sp?) from the great country of Germany. The guy HATES Guerlain Vetiver. Believe the last time he compared it to wading hip-deep in a spittoon.

He would nuke the thread if he found it! LOL
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post #57 of 98
3/19/09 at 12:51pm
Givenchy Vetyver is better, but Guerlain is better known.
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post #58 of 98
3/19/09 at 1:12pm
If Guerlain Vetiver isn't a masterpiece I don't know what could be claimed as such. But I do agree that these posts do need to come to an end.
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post #59 of 98
3/19/09 at 3:14pm
An absolutely flawless masterpiece.
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post #60 of 98
3/19/09 at 3:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jock_With_Scents View Post

Givenchy Vetyver is better, but Guerlain is better known.

If Givenchy continues to control its tight distribution of Givenchy Vetyver, it will never be better known.

That said, Givenchy Vetyver is indeed a great vetiver scent & so is Guerlain Vetiver. I will rather have both of them in my wardrobe than choose one over the other.
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