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Vol de Nuit: a unisex

post #1 of 37
11/18/11 at 11:34am
Thread Starter 
I am reviving my love affair with Vol de Nuit.

After loving this this, I got more hooked on Miss Dior, which is a direct descendent of this Guerlain classic.

Green on the top, with a slight oriental sweetness and flowers, and a woody ending.

Magnificent!

Any men wear this?
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post #2 of 37
11/18/11 at 11:40am
I like the parfum very much.
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post #3 of 37
11/18/11 at 11:41am
I've sampled it, and it's on my wishlist at the moment.
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post #4 of 37
11/18/11 at 12:44pm
I don't, but my wife does.
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post #5 of 37
11/18/11 at 12:48pm
The greenness of Vol de Nuit doesn't have the soapy quality almost universally appealing to men (think Vetiver and Derby) but if you can handle a greenness that is almost overwhelmingly spicy, somewhere along pungent sea air, driftwood and herbal medicine, and darkly powdery like the inside of an old mahogany closet, then Vol de Nuit is a distinguished men's scent. I'm strictly talking Vintage Parfum here. In comparison, (1) the EdT smells entirely innocent, sweet and lightly mossy, (2) the reformulated Parfum smells of something more opaque and modern, sweeter and not so intricate, at once less soft and less feral, and significantly less long-lasting.

I'm no vintage snob (to attest, I prefer new Habit Rouge to old), but there's no way around pre-00 Vol de Nuit Parfum.
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post #6 of 37
11/18/11 at 1:48pm
You mean there are men out there who don't wear it ? Seriously It is so much a unisex , I follow my husband around when he wears it. He won't buy it but I have taken him in hand and he's wearing Vol de Nuit , Memoir for men and several others. I was so tempted today to spray him with Mystere . He is not anosmic and likes Une Rose on me but thinks 4711 is good enough ....sigh. I will be buying him Lyric for men and fill up a crystal spray with Vol de Nuit . He tends to grab that but I am peeved because the women in his office get the best of it .
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post #7 of 37
11/18/11 at 1:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. G View Post

The greenness of Vol de Nuit doesn't have the soapy quality almost universally appealing to men (think Vetiver and Derby) but if you can handle a greenness that is almost overwhelmingly spicy, somewhere along pungent sea air, driftwood and herbal medicine, and darkly powdery like the inside of an old mahogany closet, then Vol de Nuit is a distinguished men's scent. I'm strictly talking Vintage Parfum here. In comparison, (1) the EdT smells entirely innocent, sweet and lightly mossy, (2) the reformulated Parfum smells of something more opaque and modern, sweeter and not so intricate, at once less soft and less feral, and significantly less long-lasting.

I'm no vintage snob (to attest, I prefer new Habit Rouge to old), but there's no way around pre-00 Vol de Nuit Parfum.

Oh what a description...faints.
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post #8 of 37
11/18/11 at 1:55pm
I agree: Vol de Nuit and Miss Dior and very similar, I have some vintage MD parfum and wow it knocks me out just like VdN.

I am using my parfum very sparingly, as it's almost all gone. In the meantime I have a nice sized bottle of (discontinued) Vol de Nuit Eau de Cologne, which is great and not as powdery as the EdT.

I find it mysterious, sexy and slightly bittersweet (in smell & emotion).
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post #9 of 37
11/18/11 at 1:57pm
Mr G:
you seem to concur with LT, unfortunately, who reports of the deterioration of Vol de Nuit (LT/TS talk about the edt, but presumably the two could move together). I sprayed the parfum recently in a store and still like it, though I can only imagine what it could have been (the recent purchase of two vintage parfums, Diorissimo and Joy, has indeed turned me into a vintage snob).

cacio
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post #10 of 37
11/18/11 at 10:28pm
Thread Starter 
Sadly, reformulation turns many of us into vintage snobs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. G View Post

The greenness of Vol de Nuit doesn't have the soapy quality almost universally appealing to men (think Vetiver and Derby) but if you can handle a greenness that is almost overwhelmingly spicy, somewhere along pungent sea air, driftwood and herbal medicine, and darkly powdery like the inside of an old mahogany closet, then Vol de Nuit is a distinguished men's scent. I'm strictly talking Vintage Parfum here. In comparison, (1) the EdT smells entirely innocent, sweet and lightly mossy, (2) the reformulated Parfum smells of something more opaque and modern, sweeter and not so intricate, at once less soft and less feral, and significantly less long-lasting.

I'm no vintage snob (to attest, I prefer new Habit Rouge to old), but there's no way around pre-00 Vol de Nuit Parfum.

Mr. G, I adore Derby, but I like the warmth of the subtle vanilla in VdN.

Does anyone get any leather out of VdN?
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post #11 of 37
11/18/11 at 11:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Primrose View Post

Sadly, reformulation turns many of us into vintage snobs.

agree ...
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post #12 of 37
11/18/11 at 11:53pm
Sorry to disagree, Mr. G, I get much better longevity from the new Vol de Nuit extrait. It is a tad sweeter (vanilla), but the jonquil is so beautifully presented here. The spiciness is intact. I personally find the new extrait even more unisex than the vintage already was. Here, the new extrait lost the vintage vibe and for the good IMO. I am very happy with this reformulation, but it is the only one...
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post #13 of 37
11/19/11 at 12:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. G View Post

... darkly powdery like the inside of an old mahogany closet....

This is the most wonderfully evocative description of the dark, vintage parfum I've come across. Perhaps an old mahogany chest that has lain unopened for a long time, quietly gathering dust in some undisturbed room. Though now empty, if you lift the lid and press your nose to the grain, it begins to recount its history in muted tones: How it had once belonged to an apothecary, and was used to store a myriad of herbs, spices and exotic medicines.

Beautiful stuff indeed (and thanks to a generous BN buddy for the very vintage sample!).
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post #14 of 37
11/19/11 at 12:26am
I like the plush older stuff with lots of animalic costus.

Vol de Nuit is one of the most intelligent scents, and I usually just wear it in bed when I want something with a contemplative intellectual dimension. The old edt always reminds me a lot of vintage Habit Rouge edc. Similar texture, among other things.
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post #15 of 37
11/19/11 at 12:29am
Smells very good on this guy...
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post #16 of 37
11/19/11 at 12:43am
  • jss
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I wear Vol de Nuit edt current formulation. Very unisex indeed. Comparing to Shalimar, Mitsouko and L'Heure Bleue, I find Vol de Nuit is the most unisex!
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post #17 of 37
11/19/11 at 1:13am
...
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post #18 of 37
11/19/11 at 7:36am
Sometimes the problem with comparing vintage scents with modern ones is that reformulations notwithstanding, it is impossible for a new scent to ever stand up to a scent that has aged well (provided of course it has been stored fairly well). Any formula which contains even partially natural essential oils, which Guerlain perfumes do, will smell different after they have been macerating for decades.
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post #19 of 37
11/20/11 at 3:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by memories View Post

You mean there are men out there who don't wear it ? Seriously It is so much a unisex , I follow my husband around when he wears it. He won't buy it but I have taken him in hand and he's wearing Vol de Nuit , Memoir for men and several others. I was so tempted today to spray him with Mystere . He is not anosmic and likes Une Rose on me but thinks 4711 is good enough ....sigh. I will be buying him Lyric for men and fill up a crystal spray with Vol de Nuit . He tends to grab that but I am peeved because the women in his office get the best of it .

<speechless> You need to do something about this--now!
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post #20 of 37
11/20/11 at 9:50pm
At least 4711 is a decent floor/bathroom cleaner
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post #21 of 37
11/20/11 at 9:59pm
Dug out my Vol de Nuit EDC today, I like this one a lot - it was one of several 'older' (perhaps not exactly 'vintage') Guerlains I picked up a couple of years ago. I have tried VdN Extrait 3 or 4 times but never committed, I think maybe it's time to change that. It's such a shame that so many of these have been reworked over the years - Dmitri's description of opening a truly vintage bottle of VdN remains one of the most moving pieces of writing about this 'eighth art' I have ever come across.
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post #22 of 37
11/21/11 at 12:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Primrose View Post

<speechless> You need to do something about this--now!

LOL! I have he is not allowed out without a spray of my Vol de Nuit , Memoir , Amber by Three Dials or something else . I might release the 4711 when it's Summer .
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post #23 of 37
11/21/11 at 12:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bokaba View Post

At least 4711 is a decent floor/bathroom cleaner

Ah there is an idea !!
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post #24 of 37
12/5/11 at 4:44am
I`m wearing today my sample of the pure parfum current version of vol de nuit. I was a little bit concerned about it, because i`m not a big fan of the sharp greeness found in the edt. The parfum seems perfect for me on this aspect, considering that this galbanum green bitterness last only a short time on skin. What comes next seems to me like mitsouko, with a clean mossy aroma and a discreet sweetness combination of vanilla and iris. Sometimes it gets more woodier; for some reason, my mind keeps telling me that there is a slightly connection with M7 (!). It`s something from the woody oriental aspect of m7, like it was taken from the agarwood context and put into a guerlinade context. It may be only an impression of today, but is what comes to my mind. It`s really good and cozy, perfect for winter days.
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post #25 of 37
12/5/11 at 9:01am
That's interesting rickbr, I have not myself smelled 'new' parfum (I love the vintage parfum) but that note that you are describing reminds me of Habit Rouge (Eau de Parfum). Is it anything like this?
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post #26 of 37
12/5/11 at 9:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

That's interesting rickbr, I have not myself smelled 'new' parfum (I love the vintage parfum) but that note that you are describing reminds me of Habit Rouge (Eau de Parfum). Is it anything like this?

It goes in this direction Mike, altough on me the Habit Rouge EDP seems to have a huge evidence on the patchouli. On Vol de Nuit i get more of a vetiver + musk impression (i say impression, considering that i didn`t saw musk listed anywhere as a note). I wish i had tried the vintage one to compare, but i have only tried this one so far.
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post #27 of 37
12/5/11 at 9:28am
I was thinking that, if you remove the green topnotes, the current version of Vol de Nuit Extrait would be very close to Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus.
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post #28 of 37
12/5/11 at 12:26pm
Haven't worn it so far, but I can truly imagine myself wearing it, as I am hooked on ALL Guerlain scents, irrespective of gender, mainly thanks to the Guerlinade note
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post #29 of 37
7/23/12 at 4:41am
I certainly do - I'm wearing it right now!

I have probably a late 80s/early 90s bottle of vintage parfum and I wouldn't want to wear anything less.
The vintage parfum is rich, animalic, dense and ever so slightly floral.
It smells of a time long gone but smelling the vintage parfum can bring it right back.
I think Vol de Nuit is a very intelligent and sophisticated perfume for men, regardless of who the perfume markets this classic at! I have in my collection other perfumes created/made with women in mind, but I'm not one to stick to gender categories.
It's quite simple - If I like something, I'll buy and I'll wear it!
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post #30 of 37
7/23/12 at 8:53am
I'm a proud owner (and wearer) of the Parfum.
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post #31 of 37
7/23/12 at 12:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

That's interesting rickbr, I have not myself smelled 'new' parfum (I love the vintage parfum) but that note that you are describing reminds me of Habit Rouge (Eau de Parfum). Is it anything like this?

UPDATE: Since I posted this above, I have acquired a bottle of the 'new' parfum, although I must admit I haven't cut the string and opened/decanted/worn it yet. I will soon. The packaging, inner 'zebra print' box and bottle are retro-glam fabulous. Very classy.
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post #32 of 37
7/23/12 at 1:56pm
still haven't tried this one!
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post #33 of 37
7/23/12 at 7:57pm
^^me either. Been on my list for a while.
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post #34 of 37
7/23/12 at 8:20pm
Thread Starter 
I still prefer the parfum of VdN, even in warmer weather. Just a touch will last me all day.
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post #35 of 37
11/16/12 at 10:50am
I wear both Vol de Nuit and Miss Dior, my preference lies towards Vol de Nuit, although they are both very similar. I have never tried the vintage Vol de Nuit but I love the current extrait. And I have only ever tried the vintage Miss Dior extrait and it's the stuff I wear. Vol de Nuit seems warmer to me and speaks more to a vintage spirit I think.
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post #36 of 37
11/16/12 at 2:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

UPDATE: Since I posted this above, I have acquired a bottle of the 'new' parfum, although I must admit I haven't cut the string and opened/decanted/worn it yet. I will soon. The packaging, inner 'zebra print' box and bottle are retro-glam fabulous. Very classy.

I finally broke into it and have been wearing it for the last month.

I got a compliment from a guy when I wore it one night out to a bar. Seriously.

Love this stuff! The parfum you only need to put a tiny bit on and it lasts and lasts.
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post #37 of 37
11/16/12 at 2:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

UPDATE: Since I posted this above, I have acquired a bottle of the 'new' parfum, although I must admit I haven't cut the string and opened/decanted/worn it yet. I will soon. The packaging, inner 'zebra print' box and bottle are retro-glam fabulous. Very classy.

I finally broke into it and have been wearing it for the last month.

I got a compliment from a guy when I wore it one night out to a bar. Seriously.

Love this stuff! The parfum you only need to put a tiny bit on and it lasts and lasts.
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