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Vol de Nuit - did it go bad?!

post #1 of 18
4/6/10 at 7:19am
Thread Starter 
I just received a vintage (20+ years old) Edt on ebay, and I'm not getting much out of it:
on initial application - almost nothing, then in about 20 minutes it kind of wakes up on me, and smells to my nose as a very light and sour version of Mitsouko...
I played with it for couple days, then gave it a break and tried again today, 6-8 spritzes at least and it's rather vague...
Is it me just not able to smell it or did it turn bad??

Thanks!
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post #2 of 18
4/6/10 at 7:25am
I think its gone off. Remember reading that Vol de Nuit is famous for turning rather quickly, was it Dr.Turin who wrote it? Well whoever it was said this makes finding VdN in vintage difficult.

Which version have you bought? The parfum is woody and does not have big sillage(I have the dab so not sure about spray). The edt is powdery and again not big on sillage compared to other Guerlains.
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post #3 of 18
4/6/10 at 7:26am
I'm sorry to hear this.

It does sound unfortunately like it has diminished with time, which is an enormous shame as Vol de Nuit is one of the most beautiful in the Guerlain perfume portfolio.
Its always rather hit and miss with EDCs and EDTs from ebay that are vintage perfumes.
maybe you can test it side my side with a current EDT from a local store?
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post #4 of 18
4/6/10 at 8:49am
That is too bad about your Vol de Nuit. My experience with a five to seven year old bottle of the edt is that it is quite weak, then warms up and diminishes. Unlike Mitsouko it seems to be a less stable fragrance with not as much presence.
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post #5 of 18
4/6/10 at 8:57am
Thread Starter 
That's exactly the case: "weak..warms up...diminishes...."
What a pity!
Thank you all for your help, I'll try talking to the seller...
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post #6 of 18
4/7/10 at 11:48am
Your bottle is fine. That's really how Vol de Nuit edt is. If you want a little more potency look for the extrait. I also find it helpful to do a little more research on the fragrance you plan to bid on eBay, esp. Guerlains.
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post #7 of 18
4/7/10 at 10:14pm
I just bought the new extrait in LA from Neiman Marcus and I am ,if I am totally honest , a little disappointed. I had a bottle of VdN I got in London that was extrait and it was richer and longer lasting than this. Silly me sold it.
My new extrait lists tree moss in it as opposed to oakmoss. The 4 digit number on the bottom of the box is 9S01 - I am just wondering which year this extrait was made ? It must be fairly recent .
The lasting power is quite minimal too. It's even quieter, more citrussy,a little more floral and sharper ( treemoss ?? ) after the intial opening notes. I do LOVE Vol de Nuit no matter what but ...........still disappointed that the reformulation ( sorry to bring up the 'reformulation' word ) has done this.

Also second gripe- the square gold top is loose,wobbles when turning the stopper and not secure at all- it feels light, tinny and poorly put together. Not like my previous extrait bottle from London.I shall be emailing Guerlain about this. My DH was quite surprised that something costing over $300 should be so poorly constructed.
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post #8 of 18
4/8/10 at 12:15am
Not all perfumes were made equal. Some are potent, some are weak. That`s it.
In any case extraits are performing better than EDTs.

I made a comparison of VdN extraits - 1967, 1983 and 1993. The first is still a great green chypre, with leathery and green-citrus accents (Thanks, Dimi!); the second is flowery-powdery perfume slightly animalic; the third is more powdery and less animalic.
So - that`s not the time that changes the scents, it`s just a matter of concentration and some reformulations done.
In case of Guerlain - the year of issue of particular bottle plays a great role.
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post #9 of 18
4/8/10 at 4:45am
Have to say I have two older bottles of the edt, that go into the tall gold case thing(yes can't remember the name of them), Vol de Nuit lasts a good 4 to 5 hours on me. I am lucky that my skin holds fragrance really well, others are not. The parfum I have I will say is 1990's and is deeper more woody not powdery as the edts are, but the sillage as I said before is not great.
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post #10 of 18
4/8/10 at 6:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mysticknot View Post

...
Also second gripe- the square gold top is loose,wobbles when turning the stopper and not secure at all- it feels light, tinny and poorly put together. Not like my previous extrait bottle from London.I shall be emailing Guerlain about this. My DH was quite surprised that something costing over $300 should be so poorly constructed.

Yep, same here. I bought a bottle of extrait, and not only is the metal square surrounding the lid wobbly, but the disc in the middle of the propeller is off centre. I can't believe I'm actually typing this, but I think the Vol de Nuit bottle is very tacky.
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post #11 of 18
4/8/10 at 6:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Persona View Post

That's exactly the case: "weak..warms up...diminishes...."
What a pity!
Thank you all for your help, I'll try talking to the seller...

I think re-application is the key here. I purchased a bottle of the vintage VdN and it is fleeting, but with re-application (somewhat frequently) it seems to build on the base and last a little longer... and it smells quite nice in the process!

It has that Guerlain feel which I LOVE.
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post #12 of 18
4/8/10 at 6:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diamondflame View Post

Your bottle is fine. That's really how Vol de Nuit edt is. If you want a little more potency look for the extrait. I also find it helpful to do a little more research on the fragrance you plan to bid on eBay, esp. Guerlains.

Yup, that's VdN. The bottle I got from you, Diamondflame, does the same thing. I sound like a broken record but an atomizer for fairly frequent reapplications does the trick! (it's the same with the new Guerlain Vetiver... the vintage GV is noticeably longer-lasting...FWIW.) But I do love the VdN... now that I'm "getting it".
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post #13 of 18
4/8/10 at 10:25pm
actiasluna- I do agree with you- apply and apply to build a base with Vol de Nuit -that does work. However, it gets a little expensive after a while, at $317 a pop !
I love Vol de Nuit extrait- it's a scent memory for me of Green Park in London- my favorite place of the whole of London. I'm just not happy with it's fleety behavior.

sean-dt- I emailed Guerlain's poor Ms Rousseau about the qualtiy control. I sent video and photos too .
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post #14 of 18
4/9/10 at 3:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mysticknot View Post

I emailed Guerlain's poor Ms Rousseau about the qualtiy control. I sent video and photos too .

Excellent! Do let us know if you get a reply -- I hope they're helpful.

I'm a VdN lover and wearer myself, but I have to say, I can't think of another of their scents that is quite so idiosyncratic performance-wise ...
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post #15 of 18
4/9/10 at 4:19am
I revisited the two vintage bottles of EDT I have of VdN and I find it difficult to deal with constant reapplication. I think I will remain loyal to Mitsouko. Too bad about Vol de Nuit. It seems to have a weakness issue even in the extrait.
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post #16 of 18
4/9/10 at 4:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by actiasluna View Post

Yup, that's VdN. The bottle I got from you, Diamondflame, does the same thing. I sound like a broken record but an atomizer for fairly frequent reapplications does the trick! (it's the same with the new Guerlain Vetiver... the vintage GV is noticeably longer-lasting...FWIW.) But I do love the VdN... now that I'm "getting it".

Glad you discovered that trick with VdN. I did too. I found 3 coats shd do it well enough. VdN is a lovely scent but my skin wears down fragrances fast and VdN's mossy similarities to Mitsouko means I'd have to pick one over the other.
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post #17 of 18
4/9/10 at 8:36am
I'm just puzzled and wonder if we're smelling the same stuff... My VdN parfum easily lasts 10 hours and more, and that includes older and newer batches.
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post #18 of 18
4/9/10 at 8:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tott View Post

I'm just puzzled and wonder if we're smelling the same stuff... My VdN parfum easily lasts 10 hours and more, and that includes older and newer batches.

tott- I think I just want your skin now ! *GRIN* Isabel Rousseau says that my parfum extrait - code no. 9S01 - was made in mid 2009 so it's new but it really does not last. There is only tree moss in it .
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