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Southerngarden's Samples Review-Samples Provided by MikePerez23

post #1 of 40
3/15/13 at 1:30pm
Thread Starter 
Hello Everyone!

My dear friend and mentor MikePerez23 sent me a lovely assortment of mostly Guerlain samples for me to try and asked me if I wouldn't mind giving him my impression of them on the board somewhere,so, here I am! It will be like one person's sample pass reviews because I have thirteen samples to review and that's enough, but I am going to try and give my impression of two a day. I am not the greatest reviewer on the board and I don't have a mature nose, but I hope you enjoy my impressions all the same. These are the fragrances that I will be reviewing:

Vol de Nuit - I have vintage Eau de Cologne & new Parfum by Guerlain
Chant de Aromes by Guerlain
Sycomore by Chanel
Vetiver vintage Eau de Cologne by Guerlain
Une Ville, un Parfum : Shanghai by Guerlain
Philtre d'Amour by Guerlain
Sous le Vent by Guerlain
Jicky - I have vintage Parfum de Toilette & new Parfum by Guerlain
Apres l'Ondee by Guerlain
Anais Anais by Cacharel

I wanted to preface my reviews, to be fair, before I began. I have dry skin and am using the unscented lotion technique to get a "close as normal" impression. What I mean with the lotion technique is that people with dry skin can get a little more longevity out of their frags by applying unscented body lotion before applying their fragrance. My skin will eat most fragrances, even EDP's, without a little help! Sometimes it all depends on the fragrance as to how long it will stay.

I also wanted to Thank Mike for his genorsity and I have a feeling this was meant to be a learning experience as well! I am happy to do this not only for Mike, but for newcomers who would like to hear a review of these frags. I love the house of Guerlain and would love to create some interest for some newcomers to try Guerlain and change some minds that they only sell "old lady" perfumes. They sell perfumes that have a long history and newly introduced perfumes, but they all share that one quality no one else can produce and that's "Guerlinade"!


southerngardens
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post #2 of 40
3/15/13 at 2:29pm
What a lovely project! I look forward to your reviews.
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post #3 of 40
3/15/13 at 2:50pm
Thread Starter 
My first reviews today will be Vol De Nuit in parfum and vintage eau de cologne.

Vol De Nuit Parfum

There is one thing that I learned about Guerlain's Vol De Nuit Parfum, is that it moved through it's base notes into the middle notes pretty quickly!
It opened with Bergamot, I got a faint lemon note and Orange Blossom was prominent.The Galbadnum got lost in the other opening notes. Within fifteen minutes it had quickly moved into an Aldehyde accord for a a few minutes at best and then a burst of Iris came forward along with a faint vanilla note as if it were waiting to pounce.
After thirty minutes the iris was still wafting around and the vanilla had pounced in, but not too strong. Three other notes started to make a strong presence, the orris root, musk and sandalwood were becoming strong to my nose. The moss got lost in the strength of the other top notes or my immature nose missed it.
As more time passed and the orris root, musk. spices and sandalwood with just a hint of vanilla were the stars of the show and the sillage was still pretty high. For about 3 hours and slowly dropping off from there, the parfum remained a linear orris root, musk and sandalwood. After 3 hours the longevity and sillage had given in and Vol De Nuit Parfum was a skin scent and becoming a beautiful memory for me.
Vol De Nuit in any concentration could very well be unisex because it's not a floral monster or overly sweet and reminds me somewhat of Shalimar which I think is very sensuous on a man. Vol De Nuit Parfum is one of those fragrances that, for me, are very alluring, sexual and I would highly recommend it!

Vintage Vol De Nuit EDC


I have only bought one EDC since I started collecting fragrances and that was Vintage Shalimar EDC and I like it a lot, but would rather have a 60's vintage parfum. In preperation for this review, I went online to check out some info that might be helpful to know and I have to tell you that vintage Vol De Nuit EDC is very rare! Not only was there next to no information on it, but out of curiosity I went to eBay and every vintage sales site I knew and nothing anywhere. If you find this, it's probably going to cost you a small fortune and for fear of giving my review away, is not worth it!
The Galbadnum is more prominent in the EDC and the Bergamot, orange blossom and lemon is much lighter and lacks the punch that the parfum did. Within 15 minutes, I can smell notes of Iris and Narcissus, but I don't get any aldehydes from the EDC. I do smell some vanilla coming through.
Within 30 minutes the VDN EDC is starting to fade to a skin scent, but I do get a little musk and sandalwood.
After 3 hours, the EDC is completely gone. I have a feeling had I not used the lotion, that it would be gone already! A sniff from the bottle is pleasing, but wearing the vintage Vol De Nuit EDC was a disappointment. The sillage was below average and the longevity was average. As I said earlier that this perfume must come with a high price tag, but I would save my money and spend it on the parfum.

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post #4 of 40
3/15/13 at 3:59pm
I will enjoy reading your impressions, sg. Mike perez23 has good taste and generosity in equal measures. One think you will begin to figure out smelling many Guerlain's in succession is what that Guerlinade thing is. I can't really describe it, but I know it when I smell it. Example. I found Vol de Nuit's opening, in which I immediately pick up galbanum, similar to another galbanum monster, my Weil de Weil. In my review of WdW, I wrote:

"I just got a decant of Vol de Nuit parfum; it smells almost exactly like Weil de Weil at the outset – green green green galbanum. Swiftly they part ways. W de W stays green though white flowers and leather at last seeps through, whereas V de N ends up, like so much Guerlain, on that cushy vanilla and coumarin velvet pillow – the Guerlinade."

I don't know that anyone else smells it that way. Chacun a son nez!
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post #5 of 40
3/15/13 at 7:28pm
Interesting to see someone else's take on Vol de Nuit. I'm quite irrationally adoring of it, so I always find it interesting to see how others experience it.

I notice that you don't get much daffodil from either the parfum or EDC. It is not as prominent to me in the pure parfum, which is darker and denser than the modern EdT. I get an intense burst from the Edt, almost reminiscent of a chocolate accord which I put down to the daffodil. It's exhilarating to me, and makes for the essential experience of this favourite perfume.

The Edt is very fleeting, just like your vintage EdC and I have accepted that aspect. This is one perfume that I will happily refresh as often as I must to bring that experience back again and again in the course of a day.

In an effort to ensure the longest possible life for my pure parfum I use a roll on to apply it. Even so, if you're an addict like me, a bottle goes down with scary rapidity.
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post #6 of 40
3/15/13 at 8:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jujy54 View Post

I will enjoy reading your impressions, sg. Mike perez23 has good taste and generosity in equal measures. One think you will begin to figure out smelling many Guerlain's in succession is what that Guerlinade thing is. I can't really describe it, but I know it when I smell it. Example. I found Vol de Nuit's opening, in which I immediately pick up galbanum, similar to another galbanum monster, my Weil de Weil. In my review of WdW, I wrote:

"I just got a decant of Vol de Nuit parfum; it smells almost exactly like Weil de Weil at the outset – green green green galbanum. Swiftly they part ways. W de W stays green though white flowers and leather at last seeps through, whereas V de N ends up, like so much Guerlain, on that cushy vanilla and coumarin velvet pillow – the Guerlinade."

I don't know that anyone else smells it that way. Chacun a son nez!

Thanks Jujy! I agree that I will know the Guerlinade when I smell it after wearing the ones I have and wearing these samples from Mike for sure!

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:
Originally Posted by LiliB View Post

Interesting to see someone else's take on Vol de Nuit. I'm quite irrationally adoring of it, so I always find it interesting to see how others experience it.

I notice that you don't get much daffodil from either the parfum or EDC. It is not as prominent to me in the pure parfum, which is darker and denser than the modern EdT. I get an intense burst from the Edt, almost reminiscent of a chocolate accord which I put down to the daffodil. It's exhilarating to me, and makes for the essential experience of this favourite perfume.

The Edt is very fleeting, just like your vintage EdC and I have accepted that aspect. This is one perfume that I will happily refresh as often as I must to bring that experience back again and again in the course of a day.

In an effort to ensure the longest possible life for my pure parfum I use a roll on to apply it. Even so, if you're an addict like me, a bottle goes down with scary rapidity.

Hey LiliB!

I am surprised at the EDT being as fleeting as the EDC for you, but you are fine with reapplying,so, no problem! I have not thought about the roll on method for the parfum. I understand you get a different fragrance experience depending on the method of application and it can be used up quickly too depending on your method.

cheers!

- - - Updated - - -

Today's Reviews are going to be Chant De Aromes by Guerlain and Sycomore by Chanel.

- - - Updated - - -

I used the unscented lotion technique again on these samples.

Sycomore by Chanel

Sycomore has been given great reviews by many people and I think it is a light, masculine fragrance that has no weight and not as great as I was expecting. It would be a nice fragrance for spring and summer because of it's light vetiver. However, I like my fragrance to be able to stand on their own and shout a bit, but Sycomore just lays there and hovers above the skin.
The opening is the best part of this frag with the abundant smell of Vetiver and the undertones of Pink Pepper. After about 15 minutes the pink Pepper is dying down, but the vetiver is still center stage with the scent of Juniper and Cypress making there way forward. After 30 minutes in the vetiver, cypress and juniper conspire to give of a tobacco accord even though it's not noted i the pyramid.
After an hour, I finally start to get the aroma of smoking woods, but they are faint.
The sillage is at it's best on me in the first 30 minutes. After that the sillage and longevity start to die off. It lasted at best 2 hours on me. Not very well compared to the reviews I have read.
Sycomore is a light, lovely, masculine frag for someone else, but just not for me. Unisex in every way.


Chant De Aromes

Luca Turin calls this a tender floral instead of a chypre and I would have to agree after wearing it. This fabulous perfume was quoted by LT in "Perfumes: The Guide" as " The original (1962) Jean-Paul Guerlain's first fragrance after the retirement of his father, Jacques, and was a light, powdery-peachy confection strongly suggestive of a fresh start and making a clean break with the past". Unfortunately for me I did not catch a sniff of peach during the opening with so much going on. I did get a strong wiff of aldehydes, a moderate amount of Galbadnum , Gardenia and fruits. I know what Mirabelle is, but have never sniffed it ,so, I could not verify smelling it. I suddenly recognized a fragrance I am very familiar with and realize the opening reminds me of Mitsouko! Very surprising and it made it clear why I was loving Chant De Aromes because I love Mitsouko.
After 15 minutes or so, I began to get a powdery accord coming through. I could smell a slight bit of rose, a heavier amount of honeysuckle and Ylang-Ylang, hence the powdery accord.
The sillage is at it's highest at this point.
An hour into sniffing Chant De Aromes, I could smell a light note of galbadnum, a little vetiver and moss, a heavier amount of musk and helitrope. The sillage has dropped down to a skin scent by now. The total longevity on my skin is only about 3.5 hours which I would say is average because I'm not sure of the concentration of this perfume. It is a beautiful perfume that is not cloying or over done. It is a perfect example of what some of the earlier Guerlains can be, which is magnificent! It is not found at all Guerlain counters, usually the boutiques and higher end stores may carry it and if you get a chance to try it, do so!
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post #7 of 40
3/16/13 at 1:46pm
Fabulous!! Big Auntie knit cheek smoochies to you for posting your impressions, and mike for being your dear enabler. Looking forward to the rest of the samples.
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post #8 of 40
3/16/13 at 2:42pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by knit at nite View Post

Fabulous!! Big Auntie knit cheek smoochies to you for posting your impressions, and mike for being your dear enabler. Looking forward to the rest of the samples.

Thank you Auntie Knit for the cheek kisses! I am enjoying myself posting my impressions of these mostly beautiful frags! Mike should get your smoochies for being a wonderful guy and Guerlain enabler. Stay tuned Auntie for the rest of the reviews!

xxxooo

southerngardens
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post #9 of 40
3/16/13 at 2:46pm
Consider me tuned-in. I will pour myself a fizzy water (or perhaps a kir royale if the hour allows) and savor every word!
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post #10 of 40
3/16/13 at 2:49pm
Thread Starter 
Tomorrow's reviews will be Vintage Vetiver EDC by Guerlain and Une Ville, Un Parfum: Shanghi by Guerlain!

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:
Originally Posted by knit at nite View Post

Consider me tuned-in. I will pour myself a fizzy water (or perhaps a kir royale if the hour allows) and savor every word!

Auntie you are a doll for considering breaking out the good stuff, but as far as reviews go, I'm a newcomer and not THAT good!

xxxooo

southerngardens

- - - Updated - - -

* I used the unscented lotion technique while sampling

Vintage Vetiver EDC by Guerlain


After the disappointing experience with the Vol De Nuit EDC, I did not have high expectations for the Vintage Vetiver EDC.
 Even though Guerlain was not the first to introduce a Vetiver Fragrance(1961), Guerlain should be the touch stone for all Vetiver fragrances.
 Though vintage Vetiver EDC is mainly a linear fragrance, it does contain notes of lemon,tobacco, vetiver, nutmeg and pepper. Vetiver EDC opens with a strong blast of aldehydes or smelled more of hairspray and a light scent of lemon.
After about 10 minutes in, I start to get the vetiver coming forward with the lemon and a faint smell of tobacco. 30 minutes since applying the vetiver is coming on strong with the faint smell of lemon. I never get a smell of nutmeg or pepper. Now is when the sillage is at it's highest, though Vintage Vetiver EDC is not a sillage monster. One hour in, the frag has become a skin scent, but the vetiver is still hanging in there. After about 2.5 hours, the EDC's longevity has given up and is gone.
The vintage Vetiver EDC has been a lot more of a pleasure to wear. Perhaps a little because I like the scent of vetiver, but unlike the Vol De Nuit EDC, the wearing pleasure lasted a lot longer. If you have normal skin and can wear EDC's, this would be a perfect spring and summer fragrance. Actually the coolness would seem to ruin the effect of vetiver. This could pass as a unisex frag due to it's airiness and if a lady likes vetiver obviously.

Une Ville, Un Parfum: Shanghi- Guerlain calls this a woody floral

The notes are: aniseed,orange blossom,almond,cardamon,ylang-ylang, jasmine, iris, mimosa, cedarwood, patchouli, vanilla and sandalwood. I have added the notes to make a point later.
Opens with a heavy note of salty almonds and a very subtle whiff of aniseed. The aniseed is less like licorice and more like green, bitter anise. But, again it's very subtle. The usual strong licorice note is diluted by a third note raising it's head, vanilla. It's a faint smell of powdery vanilla, but not the "Gurlinade" that is the signature of the houses many fragrances. It's not too sweet to be a gouramand!
Twenty minutes in, I think I can smell some iris in the powdery, vanilla accord. I don't smell any cardamon, ylang-ylang, jasmine or mimosa. All I smell is the almonds and vanilla!and those notes are dropping by the minute
A full thirty minutes in, the perfumes's sillage has dropped drastically. I smell just a skin scent. If I pressure my nose, I might be getting a little sandalwood and the powdered vanilla dry down that remains. Guerlain calls this a full bodied perfumed, so, where is it? Look at all the notes in this fragrance back at the top and I get hardly any of those.
The bottom line is , I could not recommend this perfume because it lacks any interest. Especially at $215!
Edit: I believe I had become immune to Shanghi after sniffing it so long and it has been confirmed by a second party that the sillage is still strong and so must be the longevity which is going on 8 hours. After bringing this to my attention, I started noticing whiffs of Shanghi every now and then. It's actually quite nice in it's own way.
I still don't understand how Guerlain could claim the notes above and not be able to get a whiff of more than half of them?

Til tomorrow when I review Philtre D'Amour and Vintage Jicky PDT both by Guerlain....
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post #11 of 40
3/17/13 at 5:47pm
Glad you're enjoying the samples. Sounds like you've captured the gist of what most of these fragrances are about, although our experiences with them are wildly different. That's what I love about fragrances - the way we all interpret and enjoy them differently.

As with most Guerlain, I have to really over apply the fragrance to 'get' it. And I have never been able to properly asses a scent from just only a wrist test - I have to give it a full wearing (spray on chest, inner elbows and back of neck). Only after doing this, putting clothes on (which creates heat and 'fires up' the scent) and spending the whole day catching whiffs of it can I truly wrap my head around it.

With some of the samples you might want to give them several wearings at different times of the day or times of the year to feel them out. This might yield different results (or it might not).

Nonetheless, I'm glad you're opening up yourself to the 'classics'. In my personal experience it was when I started wearing vintage Guerlains that the most enjoyment from this hobby started happening.
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post #12 of 40
3/17/13 at 10:00pm
I agree with mike. I find with almost any fragrance by anybody, I need a minimum of three wearings to "get it", especially if there are new to me notes.

In the aldehydic sample pass, I hit on a way to sample groups of fragrances. I spray or dab a cotton ball which I put in a tiny zip-loc type bag, the size that holds a 1 ml vial. I can concentrate the scent and smell it more successfully than out of the bottle or on paper, and I can sample four or five with less confusion than applying them here and there on me. Thanks to generous BNers, I have seven or eight Guerlains to sample, and my plan is to do my cotton puff baggy thing, re-arranging the sequence of sniffs to see if I can make an esthetic progression from one to another. Preliminarily, I see Habit Rouge, Mouchoir de Monsieur, Jicky, and Shalimar as relative. Likewise, Liu strikes me as Mitsouko minus peach. Vega, well, Vega is just something else, not for shy people. I'm saving this serious sampling for the summer moths when I will have more than enough time.

SG, loving your commentary!
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post #13 of 40
3/17/13 at 10:31pm
Thank you for sharing with us these impressions. While I have worn and own a few of the classics, this is one house I would love to spend more time on account of its proud heritage and my first (& lasting) impression that Guerlains tend to be complex and multi-faceted compositions. I used to own some vintage Vol de Nuit edt but sold it away as I found it too ephemeral for fragrancewear (2 hours tops in this climate). Perhaps I should give the parfum a try.
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post #14 of 40
3/17/13 at 10:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jujy54 View Post

I can concentrate the scent and smell it more successfully than out of the bottle or on paper, and I can sample four or five with less confusion than applying them here and there on me. Thanks to generous BNers, I have seven or eight Guerlains to sample, and my plan is to do my cotton puff baggy thing, re-arranging the sequence of sniffs to see if I can make an esthetic progression from one to another.

Brilliant Jujy. I'll do this next time we do a Pass because it sure beats two arms covered in Sharpie arrows and labels. I'll also do this next time I'm at the Clive Christian counter. To the SA: "I'm going nuts soaking these cotton balls in juice so I can smell their esthetic progression when I'm at home.".

Keep it going SouthernGardens. These are really enjoyable to read. You've become one tough critic! Thanks also to MikePerez23 for sharing his little gems with you and now us.
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post #15 of 40
3/17/13 at 11:39pm
Thanks, Schilling, I'm thinking of making youtube video of my little method.
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post #16 of 40
3/17/13 at 11:55pm
Thank you, Gardens! Guerlains are my pride and joy. I go back to them time and time again.
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post #17 of 40
3/18/13 at 5:33am
Thread Starter 
Thank you all for your opinions and support. I am tough on the Guerlains because I expect so much from them. Some of the reviews have been overwhelmingly posiitive because they really deserved it. Mike I agree that a full wearing would change my reviews outcome. That happened with Shanghi.
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post #18 of 40
3/18/13 at 6:28am
Interesting observations. Philtre d'Amour is my favorite Guerlain (*ducking and covering*), well, at least the one that sits the way it is supposed to. I have tried many classical Guerlains (everything in existence, rather) and owned quite a lot of bottles, but I fell out with quite a few of them.

Your writing puts a somewhat new perspective. Please let them reviews hang for some time, edit them as your viewpoint might be changing and copy them into the Directory, please?
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post #19 of 40
3/18/13 at 9:08am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Twolf View Post

Interesting observations. Philtre d'Amour is my favorite Guerlain (*ducking and covering*), well, at least the one that sits the way it is supposed to. I have tried many classical Guerlains (everything in existence, rather) and owned quite a lot of bottles, but I fell out with quite a few of them.

Your writing puts a somewhat new perspective. Please let them reviews hang for some time, edit them as your viewpoint might be changing and copy them into the Directory, please?

That's a good idea Twolf! I think I will.
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post #20 of 40
3/18/13 at 9:23am
Thank you for sharing your impressions, Southern Gardens! Mike is indeed a generous benefactor! I've also been the recipient of his largesse, most recently a handful of versions of Shalimar to compare with my own. I was planning to start a Shalimar comparision/contrast thread, in hopes that others would contribute also, but I need a couple days to do nothing but marinate in Shalimar and I haven't done that yet...soon, I will. So here's to Mike Perez for his kindness! And here's to you, SG, for posting your impressions in this thread! I always find threads like this interesting to read, and helpful to others who may do a search some time in the future. It doesn't matter whether you are a newbie or an old hand at reviewing, it's all so subjective anyway. It's just fascinating to read how fragrances affect us, what they make us feel and imagine. And as Mike says, it's always interesting to read how the same fragrance affects us differently.
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post #21 of 40
3/18/13 at 9:28am
Shanghai struck me as quite understated but solid - the light Guerlinade up front is of the more Apres l'Ondee Extrait variety and quite subtle, just a memory really (a bit like the way it is used at the front of Iris Ganache) but the woods were very apparent to me almost from the outset and actually seem to be the main feature. It's a tricky one this - quite transparent, yet with considerable tenacity, almost like Wasser is playing the same game as Ellena does with some of his - just when you have come to the conclusion it's gone for good it reappears . . . good luck with your ongoing 'first impressions'
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post #22 of 40
3/18/13 at 9:32am
I think it's interesting SG that you don't smell the peach in Chant de Aromes when, in fact, it's even more prominent than the peach note in Mitsouko. The fact that both of these are chypres makes the link even more strong.

I love both. I find CdA works wonderfully in hot, sticky summer weather. Whereas Mitsouko (vintage EdT) is my go-to fragrance when it rains. Not sure why - I just always have felt it smelled appropriate in that type of weather. My vintage Mitsouko parfum (that I ran out of a long time ago) was for special occasions (nice dinner out, with a dinner jacket on, kind of night), due to its bitterness and acrid oakmoss texture. The EdC...well, honestly I layer it with the EdT. It's very old and it's lost most of it's original brilliance. Nonetheless, it's a nice base for any other chypre. Sometimes I layer the EdC with Aramis and it smells great.
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post #23 of 40
3/18/13 at 2:42pm
Thread Starter 
I believe now that we all must smell things differently because, I didn't catch the peach,Mike, in Chant D Aromes and I think my nose is maturing because I'm able to smell things I hadn't before and I am finally becoming discriminating in fragrances, not a frag snob mind you, but I am not liking everything I smell anymore.
Shanghi was a difficult frag to review, Mr. R. It's complex notes that never surfaced. Thought I had lost my mind! In the very end, it did have a beautiful side all it's own. Thanks for the inspiration!
LilyBelle, Mike started out as a friendly guy on the men's forum and we began talking more and realized we had a great deal in common and are now friends. I call him my mentor because we share so much in common and a really good thing is our love for Guerlain! Mike is a generous person and can always be counted on. That was Mike's true self that sent you those Shalimar samples.

* I used the lotion technique while sampling these fragrances.


Vintage Philtre D'Amour by Guerlain


Vintage Philtre D'Amour opened with a strong verbena and lemon notes and a faint bergamot note. I'm here to tell you the opening would burn the fuzz right off your cheeks it was that zingy! 20 minutes in I could smell the pettigrain, neroli and a faint green note of myrtle. I didn't get the Jasmine note at all. I think the citrus accord damaged my nostrils!
30 Minutes in, I am still getting the citrus accord, but the base note of patchouli is starting to come on strong and mixing nicely with the citrus accord! The sillage is still very good. However, my nose is starting to burn somewhat because of the repeated smelling of the strong citrus notes.
About an hour and a half, the citrus accord has died down somewhat, but the patchouli dry down is still going strong. The sillage has dropped off though, but the longevity is still there.
After three hours the sillage has dropped to next to nothing and the longevity is still there, but it is a skin scent by now.
I love Eau De Guerlain, but it doesn't pack the punch as vintage Philtre D' Amour and I would choose it as a spring/summer citrus/lemon scent over EDG. It also would make a nice unisex fragrance. I would highly recommend this Guerlain to anyone!


Vintage Jicky PDT notes by Basenotes: Top notes: lemon,mandarin, bergamot and rosewood Middle Notesrris root, jasmine,patchouli,rose,vetiver base notes: leather, amber, civet, tonka,Incense and bezoin.
Notes by Guerlain: Rosemary, bergamot,lavender Middle Notes:Rose, Fern Harmony(aromatics, earthy soil smell), Tonka, woody notes,vanilla, opoponax.

I listed the notes from Guerlain and Basenotes to show a difference in what is marketed and what we smell, but there was a slight problem with them both when it came to my nose or was It expected from the PDT concentration?I knew vintage Jicky PDT was going to be difficult to dissect!
Jicky was created in 1889. It is a classical fragrance and despite it's age, it's still a relevant fragrance for today. It was not the first perfume to use synthetic materials along with natural ones. Fougre Royale by Houbigant (1882) was the first.
Vintage Jicky PDT opens with strong notes of Lavender, lemon and maybe Bergamot? After a few minutes, I smell some kind of wood which must be the rosewood.
After 45 minutes, I still smell the Lavender, citruses and rosewood accord, but the smell of roses, jasmine,orris root start to show up. The sillage has hit a high point now.The patchouli is begining to join the show.
An hour into the sampling,I can smell faint woody notes and a slight vanilla note. The sillage is gone, as far as I can tell and the longevity is slowly coming to an end. Making the longevity on my skin to last for about 2 hours. It may last longer after all the sniffing that I've been doing.
I am still scratching my head because I never smelt a civet note, leather note or Tonka note making me wrong or both of the lists of notes wrong or the vintage PDT has gone off. I doubt that because I would have noticed that! The only thing I can think of next is after all the sample smelling, I've gotten temporary anosmia? I can say that this is a beautiful scent for a man or a women, anytime of the year and for just about any occasion. Highly Recommended even with civet!


Come back tomorrow because I'm reviewing Jicky Parfum and Sous Le Vent both by Guerlain!

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post #24 of 40
3/18/13 at 8:08pm
It's interesting that you don't get a civet note in Jicky. The same thing has happened to me with some perfumes renowned for their animalic notes. The first that comes to mind is Bal a Versailles, which I find just a very dense potpourri, very interesting but not particularly animalic. Yet, with some perfumes - vintage Miss Dior parfum, vintage Chanel 5, My Sin and Adieu Sargesse, I am bombarded with civet almost from the outset. I do not like these animalic notes and am fairly sensitive to them, yet at times, they are just not there to my olfactory sense.

I have a tiny sample of the vintage EdT and it doesn't have an animalic note to me either. I find it dominated by a very warm lavender and vanilla. Wonderfully rich ingredients, smooth as silk to the nose.

Dont' know if anyone can shed any logical light on this?
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post #25 of 40
3/18/13 at 8:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiliB View Post

It's interesting that you don't get a civet note in Jicky. The same thing has happened to me with some perfumes renowned for their animalic notes. The first that comes to mind is Bal a Versailles, which I find just a very dense potpourri, very interesting but not particularly animalic. Yet, with some perfumes - vintage Miss Dior parfum, vintage Chanel 5, My Sin and Adieu Sargesse, I am bombarded with civet almost from the outset. I do not like these animalic notes and am fairly sensitive to them, yet at times, they are just not there to my olfactory sense.

I have a tiny sample of the vintage EdT and it doesn't have an animalic note to me either. I find it dominated by a very warm lavender and vanilla. Wonderfully rich ingredients, smooth as silk to the nose.

Dont' know if anyone can shed any logical light on this?

I can't wait til tomorrow, Lili, when I sample Jicky parfum. Surely the civet will show up in it! I bought a new bottle of Jicky EDP recently and the civet is there in it. Very perplexing!

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Quote:
Originally Posted by jujy54 View Post

I agree with mike. I find with almost any fragrance by anybody, I need a minimum of three wearings to "get it", especially if there are new to me notes.

In the aldehydic sample pass, I hit on a way to sample groups of fragrances. I spray or dab a cotton ball which I put in a tiny zip-loc type bag, the size that holds a 1 ml vial. I can concentrate the scent and smell it more successfully than out of the bottle or on paper, and I can sample four or five with less confusion than applying them here and there on me. Thanks to generous BNers, I have seven or eight Guerlains to sample, and my plan is to do my cotton puff baggy thing, re-arranging the sequence of sniffs to see if I can make an esthetic progression from one to another. Preliminarily, I see Habit Rouge, Mouchoir de Monsieur, Jicky, and Shalimar as relative. Likewise, Liu strikes me as Mitsouko minus peach. Vega, well, Vega is just something else, not for shy people. I'm saving this serious sampling for the summer moths when I will have more than enough time.

SG, loving your commentary!

I'm sorry sweetie! I meant to comment on your sampling technique. I think I did under the aldehydics pass that I think it's a fabulous idea!!! It does concentrate the scent when your not able to get a really good wearing of a sample and you can do several at a time! How wonderful and simple of an idea, but effective.
I'm going to give it a try soon!

Your Friend,

southerngardens
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post #26 of 40
3/19/13 at 7:38am
I'm at a loss for words on how you cannot smell the civet in the Jicky PdT. Just...wow! I smell it as soon as it leaves the spray trigger and lands on skin - IMMEDIATELY! Perhaps it's your nose. Or your skin. Or both.

One more thing SG - now that you've smelled Philtre d'Amour, I think you will smell a similarity to it and Sous le Vent when you sample that one. I think of them as 'brother-and-sister' fragrances. The top notes of PdA are just fantastic, aren't they? It smells like candied lemon peel. But it's not that sweet, it's sort of tart/sweet. It sometimes makes my mouth water when I spray it on. NOTE: This PdA is the 'vintage' juice, NOT in the bee bottle but in that original tall, cylindrical bottle that looks like this:

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post #27 of 40
3/19/13 at 7:53am
Mikie, pornography for my eyes and itchy fingers, this bottle!
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post #28 of 40
3/19/13 at 10:12am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

I'm at a loss for words on how you cannot smell the civet in the Jicky PdT. Just...wow! I smell it as soon as it leaves the spray trigger and lands on skin - IMMEDIATELY! Perhaps it's your nose. Or your skin. Or both.

One more thing SG - now that you've smelled Philtre d'Amour, I think you will smell a similarity to it and Sous le Vent when you sample that one. I think of them as 'brother-and-sister' fragrances. The top notes of PdA are just fantastic, aren't they? It smells like candied lemon peel. But it's not that sweet, it's sort of tart/sweet. It sometimes makes my mouth water when I spray it on. NOTE: This PdA is the 'vintage' juice, NOT in the bee bottle but in that original tall, cylindrical bottle that looks like this:



****I am sorry, but I am not sampling today. I am in a depressed mood and need to wear a full body scent from my collection instead! I will see you tomorrow.******


Mike I think I am experiencing some ansomic reaction because I should have smelled the civet! Thanks for the comparison of PDA and Sous Le Vent. That's something I will watch for.
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post #29 of 40
3/19/13 at 1:00pm
I don't get the civet in Jicky either, and I'm usually good at sniffing it out—good and enthusiastic! Maybe the lavender tames it. I don't always experience civet as outright gaminess, sometimes it simply warms a fragrance up and acts as a counterpoint to the floral notes.
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post #30 of 40
3/19/13 at 4:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jujy54 View Post

I don't get the civet in Jicky either, and I'm usually good at sniffing it out—good and enthusiastic! Maybe the lavender tames it. I don't always experience civet as outright gaminess, sometimes it simply warms a fragrance up and acts as a counterpoint to the floral notes.

Thank You jujy for that. I really thought I was going through a temporary ansomic phase or going crazy! I have a new bottle of Jicky EDP and can smell civet in it, but yesterday I just did not get the civet! I am sampling the Jicky parfum tomorrow and we will see what I get.
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post #31 of 40
3/19/13 at 7:10pm
Enjoy, sg! I was always a Shalimar gal, but Jicky's more austere take on such similar material is winning me over. It's wonderful in all it's concentrations, and seems indestructible IFRA-wise.
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post #32 of 40
3/19/13 at 8:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jujy54 View Post

Enjoy, sg! I was always a Shalimar gal, but Jicky's more austere take on such similar material is winning me over. It's wonderful in all it's concentrations, and seems indestructible IFRA-wise.

Hey Jujy,

I am a Shalimar lover as well, I think it smells sensual on a man. However, the bottle of Jicky EDP I acquired has me a little twisted. I like it a lot and it suits a man very well. I haven't worn it enough to tell if I will fall in love yet! LOL
I wish the IFRA would stop messing with our perfumes! I read they are planning on restricting some more ingredients because they may be potential allergens. I say if you are allergic to certain chemicals, stay away from perfumes and those wearing them. You are out numbered! Let us have our right to keep our perfumes intact! It's the same way they treat non smokers. They have more rights than smokers and yes, I smoke and it drives me crazy with these non smoking zones. I'm an adult and can make my own choices,so, Why should I suffer when there are non smokers around. Don't come around while I'm smoking if it bothers you!
Same goes for perfume wearers. We should have rights to.
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post #33 of 40
3/19/13 at 10:19pm
Just a thought - not sure how you are working with these but you might find taking them one at a time over a day helps.
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post #34 of 40
3/20/13 at 7:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Twolf View Post

Mikie, pornography for my eyes and itchy fingers, this bottle!

((giggle))
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post #35 of 40
3/20/13 at 5:37pm
Thread Starter 
* I used the unscented lotion technique while sampling these.

Jicky Parfum- Floral Chypre

Jicky, the legendary perfume debuted in 1889 and has been in manufacture longer than any other fragrance; it used new synthetic perfume ingredients, coumarin and vanillin, along with a decidedly un-demure dose of civet; and for decades, it was favored by men before being adopted by (and marketed to) women.
There are two stories to how Jicky got it's name, but I prefer the story that Aimee Guerlain named Jicky after his favorite nephew, Jacques Guerlain, the man who would later give us Mitsouko, L'Heure Bleue and Shalimar.
Jicky Parfum opened with a strong note of lavander. I did not get a citrus note at all. The Vanilla-tonka is a lot heavier than in the PDT form. The lavander, vanilla and tonka accord is so heavy it feels as though it falls in on it's own weight, revealing nice notes of herbal and forest accords.
In the parfum form, I am defintely getting lots of civet wafting around, unlike the PDT form. The whole opening is a lot muskier and creamier than the sharpness of the PDT.
One hour in, I smell bergamot, rose and amber entering the compostion. The silllage is at it's highest now.
Another Half hour as the Jicky Parfum has begun to dry down and I smell amber, tonka, vanilla, opoponax and woody notes. The sillage is low, but the longevity is still fairly strong. In an effort to wrap this up, the Jicky Parfum has been going for 2.5 hours now and I would estimate it's longevity to be 3 to 3.5 hours.
This is a magnificent parfum, but as do all fragrances reacts differently on each person. However. I feel safe in recommending this for any man or women, except those that can't deal with the civet.
I did not smell all the notes that are listed by Basenotes or Guerlain. There is a discrepency between the notes between the two. I think only Guerlain has the original formula and notes and for marketing and IFRA reasons changes don't list the true notes. As far as marketing goes, there is no mention of civet in the Guerlain's new pyramid probably because no one want's to know they are going to smell a foul odor and wont buy it?

Sous Le Vent EDT- Guerlain classifies this perfume as a Floral Chypre


This is a review of the recently re-issued Sous le Vent, originally created by parfumeur Jacques Guerlain and introduced in 1933, the very same year that Vol de Nuit was released. Sous le Vent (2006) is part of the collection "Il était une fois" (Once upon a time) which is enriched each year by the addition of a new historical jus from amongst the 700 or so perfumes belonging to the Guerlain catalogue. The first perfume to be released in that collection was Vega in 1997
Sous Le Vent opens with a citrus accord. I can smell Basil, Tarragon and a sweetness that becomes sweeter with time from lavander and bergamot. The sillage is at it's highest now.
15 Minutes in I defintely smell carnation and a mossy green note. As the carnation and green notes begin to settle for a while, the jasmine begins to enter.
30 Minutes in , I can smell the woody notes mixed with foresty notes and I can still smell the carnation.
An hour in, I can still smell the carnation and green notes. The sillage is down to a skin scent, but the longevity is still strong.
2 hours in, the sillage , as far as I can tell, is gone. However, the longevity is still there and I can still smell jasmine and carnation.
It's been 4 hours now and the longevity is about to fold.
Sous Le Vent Does share a lot of similarities with Philtre d'Amour and has been described as "brother and sister" fragrances. I liked PDA and I love Sous Le Vent! I would highly recommend it as a unisex fragrance.


Come back tomorrow when I review the last two fragrances Apres L' Ondee by Guerlain and Anais Anais by Chacharel!



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* I used the unscented lotion technique with these samples.



Anais Anais by Cacharel- Floral


Anais Anais was the first perfume from Cacharel and was introduced back in 1978. At that time the fragrances were stylized for the new, individual, feminist woman like Charlie by Revlon. The Cacharel company had a fragrance that would appeal to the opposite of that kind of women and used a new marketing strategy, by marketing to the teenage population and it worked making Anais Anais a hit!
Anais Anais opens with strong notes of orange blossom, honeysuckle, hyacinth, galbanum and bergamot. The sillage is average though and stays a little closer to the body than I would have thought. However, don't try smelling this one close up during it's opening because it has my nose watering!
Thirty minutes in, I get a strong smell of lilly of the valley, ylang ylang, lily, tuberose and a faint smell of carnations. There is rose in there somewhere but, I can't find it among the other heavier notes.
One hour in, I smell a faint cedarwood and vetiver and more strongly amber, incense, sandalwood. The sillage is still average, but the longevity is gowing strong. Two hours in , the longevity is still going and I would say that Anais Anais has very good longevity and strangely average sillage. I would recommend this as a nostalgic fragrance for women and a possible unisex if applied lightly for a man.


Apres L'Ondee by Guerlain- Chypre


Apres L'Ondee was introduce in 1906 and is highly regarded by Luca Turin because of it simplicity, keen nostalgia and it's unadorned beauty. He also calls it one of the top twenty most beautiful fragrances.
Apres L'Ondee opens softly with light bergamot and aniseed. To my nose up close, it almost had a fishy smell to it. However, not many people are going to apply their perfume the way I am sampling Apres L'Ondee. After a few minutes, the bergamot and aniseed become stronger and sweeter. The Whole opening reminds me somewhat of L'Heure Bleue.
Fifteen minutes in, the only thing I smell is a bit of wet violet. I never got any jasmine, rose or carnation. I don't know if it is the strong odor that made my nose run in the Anais Anais or what? Thirty minutes later,all I smell are faint notes of iris,vanilla,helitrope and aniseed. The sillage is fading fast as well as the longevity.
I don't know what it is about Apres L'Ondee and me, skin chenistry, nasal problems, but I never got the pleasure from Apres L'Ondee that everyone else seems to have gotten. It was unpleasant. Whatever it is, I could not recommend this fragrance to anyone as I smell it.


Thanks so much for bearing with me as I made my way through the array of fragrances that I had never sniffed before. It was a pleasure to experience new and mostly wonderful Guerlain fragrances. Many Thanks to You, Mike P! I thank you for sending them to me and for this learning experience. I now get to just enjoy them!

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post #36 of 40
3/22/13 at 8:52am
You're welcome SG!
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post #37 of 40
3/22/13 at 12:49pm
Great job, southerngardens! MikeP really set you up with quite a challenging assignment! Kudos to Mike for sharing these; each scent here is worth knowing.

Anais Anais is one reason I firmly believe in skin chemistry differences. In high school, it was the signature of a friend who smelled divine in it. Delicate and airy yet peppery and zingy on her. Seriously made the boys swoon over her. I couldn't smell it on her often enough myself. I tried many wearings from her bottles and on me, it always was a cloying hot mess. Smelled it recently on another woman whose skin had the same effect as mine, just suffocating. But I know how lovely it really can be. And I totally agree about its unisex potential.

So glad you loved Sous le Vent! My top pick from these samples. Just adore the herbs and it just seems to suit anytime, anywhere.

Have always wished I could be more moved by Apres l'Ondee. It is beautiful, if not very me. I will say it's gorgeous when layered with Chanel No.5, a tip I picked up from Jean-Claude Ellena via Bois de Jasmin. The result is an aldehydic iris on steroids. Pretty cool trick!

I smell utterly filthy in Jicky! And yet, I rather enjoy it. Civet is prominent to my nose here. But I'm a Shalimar girl at heart.

What a fun read, thanks guys! Keep up the learning, southerngardens! You have really learned a lot in a short time! Must be a natural!
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post #38 of 40
3/22/13 at 1:35pm
Interesting coincidence: I sprayed Apres l'Ondee on a friend a couple days ago who is always talking excitedly about my scent collection. I wasn't sure what he'd think (he's a 23 yr old guy) and he liked it. I explained to him the whole 'concept' behind the scent, the name, etc. He thought it was very unique and he didn't believe me when I told him it was created in 1906.

The first time I wore ALO, I thought it bored me to tears. I remember thinking, 'why all the fuss?', but shortly afterwards I took a bath with some almond scented bath gel, a really rich strong scent and from that time onward the sort of heliotrope/almond/light accord really clicked in my mind. After that, all of the other scents that were inspired by ALO (like Malle's L'Eau d'Hiver and Cologne Blanche by Dior) made total sense.

I cherish my bottle. Last time I went to replenish it (this is my 2nd bottle) I had to buy it at Saks, the one on 5th Avenue in NY. Here in Miami, it's not in stores.
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post #39 of 40
3/27/13 at 7:08pm
I have tried AlO twice and each time could not come to terms with it. I'm sure there's a magic to it, as there is with L'Heure Bleue which I finally 'get'. There was just too much of an anisic tone to it for me. Smelled medicinal and strangely depressing.

Well done, SG, for your reviews. You certainly have a good nose. I find it annoying how I cannot smell individual notes in things even after a few years of sampling and wearing. I have to take it on trust that those things are therePerhaps when I finally conquer the tobacco demon, I may gain the ability to discern the subtleties.
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post #40 of 40
3/27/13 at 7:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiliB View Post

I have tried AlO twice and each time could not come to terms with it. I'm sure there's a magic to it, as there is with L'Heure Bleue which I finally 'get'. There was just too much of an anisic tone to it for me. Smelled medicinal and strangely depressing.

Well done, SG, for your reviews. You certainly have a good nose. I find it annoying how I cannot smell individual notes in things even after a few years of sampling and wearing. I have to take it on trust that those things are therePerhaps when I finally conquer the tobacco demon, I may gain the ability to discern the subtleties.

Hey Lili!

As my review showed, I could not find the pleasure in Apres L'Ondee. I do love L'Heure Bleue and find it calming and relaxing. I'm positive the vintage version is even better, but ALO did not mix with my chemistry very well at all. I am truly disappointed that I am unable to wear it well.
I don't think my nose is better than anyone else. I think it's finally maturing somewhat.

Thanks

southerngardens
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