Gourmand Coquin by Guerlain

So, yeah, as a fan of Guerlain in general and a bit nervous about the direction that the company is taking with most of it's newer releases...I was super shocked when I found myself falling for Gourmand Coquin.

First of all look at that bottle and that juice! Could it get any more girly? WTF? And then the other Elixir Charnels (which is what the 'line' this is in, is called) are sweet and a bit shallow...not a lot of depth going on. Similar to how many of the modern Guerlains seem to be inching towards (the newer Aqua Allegoria's; Guerlain Homme; Habit Rouge Sport; etc...). But after testing Gourmand Coquin for the past several months (from a sample) I'm completely hooked.

The chocolate note is sweet and a bit powdery. Not necessarily foody, but appetizing (it makes my stomach rumble - sort of like a cookie sheet just out of the oven might). There's an assortment of sweet sensations that sort of collide upon spraying it on - floral nectars, a whiff of icing sugar and that gourmet-cocoa-nib sort of chocolate accord that is the backbone of this fragrance.

It's not particularly complex during this stage - the wonderful gourmand effect is here to stay and I'm happier for it. But its when this stuff dries down, that I appreciate it even more. Because then, the Guerlinade arrives in spades: elegant vanilla, woods, those herbs, a tiny whiff of something like almond biscuit (and then more stomach rumbling).

I haven't smelled a sweet gourmand that I got this excited over, since Une Crime Exotique by Parfumerie Generale. It sort of surprised me, since when I first tested GC I kind of reeled back from the initial shock of sweetness. But ever since my nose became accustomed to it, now it doesn't smell nearly as sweet as it did - instead, it complements the overall effect beautifully.

There are a few gourmand Guerlains that achieve this effect, but most of them are ultra exclusives (Mon Precieux Nectar, 180 Ans de Guerlain, Quand Vient la Pluie), whereas GC might be a bit more realistic for me to splurge on.

I sprayed it on about 5 hours ago (I was generous w/ about 6 sprays) and the longevity and sillage of this is fantastic!

I remember Trebor talking about this back in '08, as one of the 'best chocolate scents' and I sort of understand what he meant now. So, anyone else out there a fan?

Yeah, I guess I see the Borneo 1834 reference...but still, this one has a character all it's own.

Whenever I think of B1834, I think of cool, mentholated chocolate - almost chalk-like in it's texture. GC on the other hand is velvety plush chocolate pastries. The addition of the Guerlinade just gives it that added kick, that pushes it over the edge into full bottle (or atleast large decant) territory for me.

I'd love to hear what you think about it mrclmind (and others).

I forgot to mention that when I was in NY (last year), and went out my first night in town to Bergdorf Goodmans.

I met a Guerlain rep Marie Line Patry (National Fragrance & Beauty Director). She spent a bunch of her time with Ray and I discussing Basenotes, Guerlain, her work history with them, etc. We smelled the new Les Secrets de Sophie scent, Tokyo and New York (from the Voyage Collection) together and she asked me if I was familiar with Gourmand Coquin. I told her yes, I had a sample of it at home, and I didn't like it...I found it a bit too sweet.

She proceeded to then tell me that she personally helped Sylvie Delacourte with the scent. I felt extremely embarrassed, but being the professional woman she was she didn't take my criticism personally but instead talked a few minutes about the inspiration behind the scent. She explained the word gourmand to Ray (who was unfamiliar with the term) and talked about how the forced sweetness was intentional but that they tried to use the best ingredients possible to achieve a more luxurious effect. I wouldn't say that this conversation changed the way I thought about GC, but it definitely allowed me the opportunity to take my sample and give it many more tries - which ultimately ended with me falling for this scent. Of course now I smell it, and I see in my minds eye that tiny, corner, be-jewled Guerlain boutique at Bergdorf's and Mademoiselle Patry's smiling face.