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Songe d'un Bois d'Ete Guerlain

post #1 of 34
6/7/12 at 9:29pm
Thread Starter 
I just received this in the mail and I thought I would share my quick first impression thoughts on this fragrance.

Just a marvelous blend - dark, smokey, leathery and woody - dry and fresh with a slight balmy quality - very gentle and smooth yet aggressive - powerful - very well done Guerlain *applauds*

These are the days I love when my nose comes across something so wonderful
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post #2 of 34
6/7/12 at 9:42pm
Sounds wonderful. Hope to add it to my collection one day.
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post #3 of 34
6/7/12 at 9:47pm
I'm'a have to check this out next time I'm at Guerlain. I googled it to have a look at the bottle as I was just at Guerlain last night and don't recall seeing it. Does it stand comparison to any other frags?

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post #4 of 34
6/8/12 at 9:24am
Sounds wonderful! A sombre Guerlain leather, wow.
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post #5 of 34
6/9/12 at 12:25pm
I tried it today in Paris and was a bit disappointed. The bottle is not as beautiful as the picture in post #3. It is not black and looks very similar to the other ones of the L'Art et La Matière line (Tonka Impériale, Spiritueuse Double Vanille...), then the juice is certainly not as dark as Chergui or Borneo. It doesn't have that cocoa color that would go so well with a black glass bottle.

Technically it's a good perfume but not really interesting, L'Artisan (Dzongkha), Histoires de Parfums (1740) and of course Amouage have explored the leather territory years before, with more interesting stories.

After 1 hour it goes through a woody, Tom Ford-esque phase a la Encre Noire where the wood notes shout a bit too loud. The finish is gorgeous and perfectly balanced.

Longevity (1 spray on the arm) is about 8 hours.

One last word, I fear it might be overloaded with Iso E super, I would like to hear others' views on this. It made me realize how much I love Dandy, the ultimate Guerlain leather.

And the name is just n'importe quoi, as we say in French.
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post #6 of 34
6/9/12 at 1:11pm
I agree Rem. I tested it in Paris a couple of days ago and while I've found it quite interesting, I still have some reservations. There's a syrupy quality to it that reminded me of Lutens without reminding me of any specific Lutens (if this make any sense). I asked for a sampled but they didn't have any to offer at the moment...I will surely give it a full wear before coming with my final virdict but, so far, I ilked it but not loved it...
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post #7 of 34
6/9/12 at 7:59pm
Doh! I was down on the strip again today so I thought I'd stop by Guerlain and try and give this a test. Not only did they not have it, but they hadn't heard of it. Since I went down there with the intent of smelling Songe d'un Bois d'Ete, I wasn't wearing any frag, so I tried on Arsene Lupin Dandy; it's not bad, but I'm not sure it's worth what they're charging.
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post #8 of 34
6/12/12 at 7:13pm
apparently this isn't going to be released in the US, sigh.
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post #9 of 34
6/12/12 at 8:22pm
It's not available as yet in the USA.
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post #10 of 34
6/13/12 at 11:39am
see the thread in the women's forum where these new exclusive have been extensively discussed

Songe is just marvelous !
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post #11 of 34
6/13/12 at 10:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reminiscent View Post

I tried it today in Paris and was a bit disappointed. The bottle is not as beautiful as the picture in post #3. It is not black and looks very similar to the other ones of the L'Art et La Matière line (Tonka Impériale, Spiritueuse Double Vanille...), then the juice is certainly not as dark as Chergui or Borneo. It doesn't have that cocoa color that would go so well with a black glass bottle.

Technically it's a good perfume but not really interesting, L'Artisan (Dzongkha), Histoires de Parfums (1740) and of course Amouage have explored the leather territory years before, with more interesting stories.

After 1 hour it goes through a woody, Tom Ford-esque phase a la Encre Noire where the wood notes shout a bit too loud. The finish is gorgeous and perfectly balanced.

Longevity (1 spray on the arm) is about 8 hours.

One last word, I fear it might be overloaded with Iso E super, I would like to hear others' views on this. It made me realize how much I love Dandy, the ultimate Guerlain leather.

And the name is just n'importe quoi, as we say in French.

I agree that Dandy is a wonderful spiced violet leather, but I also enjoy Derby and Habit Rouge!

Even the scent from Les Voyage London 04, the package insert says there is a leather note inspired by the London Royal Mews. This leather note is never mentioned in the notes.
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post #12 of 34
6/14/12 at 12:40am
Nice video review Mickers.
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post #13 of 34
6/25/12 at 7:42pm
Anyone else smell this? I love Leather Oud, which this is being compared to, but I'm not sure if I **need** an oriental right smack dab in the middle of summer!
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post #14 of 34
6/25/12 at 9:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

Anyone else smell this? I love Leather Oud, which this is being compared to, but I'm not sure if I **need** an oriental right smack dab in the middle of summer!

I got in on a split of this, I'll holla back with thoughts after I get it. I was totally thinking the same thing about buying (blind no less) this frag with the heat and all, but after seeing Mickers' review of it and then a split opening, I had to take a stab. If you haven't seen Mickers' review, behold:

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post #15 of 34
6/27/12 at 8:38pm
Picked this up at Dubai Airport last night. My favorite of the three (the Duty free shops are featuring all three - a bit of a shock considering how exclusive these appear to be.

Songe is richer and more syrupy than the other two (which is not a quality that turns me off when it comes to middle eastern-leaning scents). My initial reaction Leather Oud meets Tonka Imperiale. Less heat and suffocation than the former, with the tonka basting of Guerlainade in the latter. One thing that I really liked (which is rare for a Guerlain) - it gets a little dirtier with time... almost like L'artisan's Al Oudh. The three "associates" are among my favorite scents, so while redundant, I am really liking the sultry punch packed into this one bottle. Not an oud scent, (most would argue that the others are not either). And it lasted for the 8 hour layover + 14 hour flight to another continent... not sure how the other passengers felt about it.

Less Bois than the name suggests, I view it more as a Hot and Spicy leather with a tonka-drizzled sweetness. Really rich. Incredibly beautiful. Completely Unisex.
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post #16 of 34
7/2/12 at 11:03pm
Got it today, my first impression is it reminds me a lot of Dior Leather Oud.
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post #17 of 34
7/2/12 at 11:13pm
Has this been released in the U.S?
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post #18 of 34
7/2/12 at 11:29pm
Negative, Kron hooked it up.
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post #19 of 34
7/2/12 at 11:31pm
A kind BNer recently passed me samples of these new releases.
To my nose, the whole woody / balmy / leathery / smokey composition isn't a million miles away from Amouage Epic Man.
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post #20 of 34
7/3/12 at 12:12am
I got a sample last week from TPC; it left me a little underwhelmed TBH. A soft, sweetish leather with incense. Quite nice but I expected something more.
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post #21 of 34
7/3/12 at 1:56am
I just got my bottle. It's nice but nothing mind blowing about it. Nothing spectacular. Tsk tsk tsk mickers. =)
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post #22 of 34
7/4/12 at 12:17am
MUST TEST. How much does it cost?
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post #23 of 34
7/4/12 at 12:33am
Euros 190 from Guerlain in Paris.
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post #24 of 34
7/4/12 at 12:51am
USD 270 in tax free airports in Doha/Dubai/Beirut for 75 ml.

It's not my kind of fragrance. Too strong and overpowering. I had to take a step back when I smelled it on paper. It has a sweet, spicy, leathery, middle-eastern kind of scent. Guerlain has released the three scents in the series primarily for the middle eastern market - plus Paris, I suppose.

I find the other scents in the series more interesting. The Encense is mild and mystic and quite good, I find. I love the Rose scent, the last in the series.
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post #25 of 34
7/4/12 at 4:30am
For what it's worth, ladies who tested it on French boards reported back they found it extremely sensual and animalic in a dirty sort of way. It was judged as extremely masculine. I get this but find Dior Leather Oud to be dirtier and the Iso E super note in the Guerlain quite overwhelming.
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post #26 of 34
7/4/12 at 6:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by volley2 View Post

Euros 190 from Guerlain in Paris.

Hmmm... Okay, more expensive than the Dior Leather Oud and quite a LOT more than the L'Artisan Al Oud. I was hoping it would be cheaper.
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post #27 of 34
7/4/12 at 9:37am
I find it a considerably more complex piece than Leather Oud - to me it's as if Leather Oud is about one third of the composition, with a rich, aromatic herbal front end and a cedar / woods middle. (Roughly - in broad strokes).

I like Leather Oud a lot but on it's own (like Epic Man) I find it a bit simple for repeated wearing - basically it gets boring, too much of a good thing. Great occasionally, though. I like having it as part of something with more of a story to tell - works better in this context than a lot of other Oud combos I have tried - this wood chips oud idea is a 'good mixer'. It wouldn't surprise me if it's the same molecule or blend because Demachy & Wasser work together in the LVMH lab apparently - maybe they both locked in on it as they were develoing these things over the last year or two?

What does concern me (after only two wearings from a sample, so far) is that the woody mid-section accord is verging on the same synthetic cedar thing that crops up in a lot of 'masculine wood accords' that I can't stand. Need to try a couple more times and see if it's just the fact that I'm over sensitive to this note or if it really is too much. The Iso E + Cedar thing is a no go for me.

Overall I think it's great, the Rose is cool and the Encens is really cool. Nice one, Thierry Wasser.
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post #28 of 34
7/4/12 at 9:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

Anyone else smell this? I love Leather Oud, which this is being compared to, but I'm not sure if I **need** an oriental right smack dab in the middle of summer!

Due to Hedonist's great generosity I was able to try this as well as its two sister scents. I liked the other two (the Rose in particular is truly excellent) but I confess to not liking this one at all. It had way too much cumin in it (a note I really do not get along with at all in larger doses in scents) coming off as "BO" when I wear it. Not something I feel comfortable around folks with, nor dare I say I personally want to smell myself. The dry-down is pretty good and I have certainly smelled worse scents on the whole, but at this price point I expect so much more. My more complete impressions are on the scent's BN review page.
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post #29 of 34
7/4/12 at 12:25pm
Sounds like Al Oud with more cumin and a big slug of ISO from the descriptions above!
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post #30 of 34
2/9/13 at 1:42pm
I have samples of both and I found the Songe shows more of the myrrh which isn't evident in the Leather Oud. There is an intersting note in Leather Oud which isn't in too many scents which is Amyris, said to be a type Hawaiian sandalwood.
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post #31 of 34
2/16/13 at 8:04am
Good one. Enjoy!
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post #32 of 34
2/16/13 at 12:11pm
I like Songe d'un Bois d'Ete very much. It is a little like Leather Oud as far as the leather and oud interactions, but more refined, smoother and the leather leather is less dominant overall. I also really like Rose Nacree du Desert, which is the rose incense (smells a bit like Oud Ispahan) oud fragrance. Rose Nacree is one of the very best rose fragrances I've tried. I did not like the third in the series - Encens Mythique d' Orient - very ordinary. You can acquire the Les Deserts d' Orient collection from Guerlain at the Palazzo in Las Vegas - they will ship and their service is excellent. Samples can be had a Perfumed Court.
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post #33 of 34
2/16/13 at 12:40pm
I wore this again, from a sample, last Saturday night when I went out-on-the-town. I found it easier to wear than Leather Oud, which I like it's just so strident and horse-y. The Guerlain is more cuddly leather and while I really don't smell much myrrh to my nose (perhaps my myrrh threshold is a bit higher?) I enjoy the overall smell a lot. But I do not think I enjoy it enough to own a full bottle. Thank God! That's another expensive Guerlain I don't have to own. LOL
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post #34 of 34
2/17/13 at 12:05am
I own them all. Encens Mythique d'Orient is my favorite one the boozy, orangey, ambergris and incense work for me. It also has a french rose feel to it....LOVE. Songe d'un Bois d'Ete is my next favorite, with its cumin, smooth oud, smooth leather and the Guerlain vanilla is still in there. Rose Nacree du Desert is a amazing rose/oud combo, maybe the best out there. My only tiff is that it is really heavy on the spice. The spice keeps projecting more and more the longer it stays on the skin...You have to be in the mood to smell like a red pepper.
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