Annick Goutal Nuit et Confidences: fragrance review

Nuit et Confidences is the most typically sensual, sweet, and stereotypically "evening" of the series originally named Oiseaux de Nuit and later renamed Les Parfums de Géraldine, after the moniker Annick Goutal took in her 1970s modelling years. Nevertheless it is not the darkest one -that is rightfully Tenue de Soirée which I reviewed here.

via pinterest

Drunk (as in intoxicating, for lovers) vanilla forms the heart of the fragrance, soaked in rum and with a slightly almondy marzipan texture at the edges of this fragrance's spectrum. It is set with white jasmine, more innocent than carnal. I'd call Goutal's Nuit et Confidences a cross between rich, multifaceted vanillas like Spiritueuse Double Vanille (Guerlain) and the darkness of Eau Duelle (Diptyque). It is intended for occasions when a lack of imagination is required. This trait almost promises a best seller, and yet it was not meant to be. However, it is like a topaz in gold-bronze tones, suggesting the diamond qualities of a diamond in cognac tones: even if it does not approach the mentioned examples in strength of character, it exerts its own attraction. 

 Like the moniker "nightwear" in the series, the fragrances do not betray the quality of Goutal perfumes, even if the perfumer-stamp of the first and middle releases, which established the "small brand for exquisite perfume lovers," has since changed from Isabelle Doyen to Mathieu Nardin of Robertet.

 

 Les Parfums de Géraldine, of which Nuit et Confidences is part, are available in 30ml (1 fl.oz), 50ml (1.7 fl.oz.), and 100 ml (3.3 fl.oz.) bottles of Eau de Parfum concentration at select stockists

Annick Goutal Etoile d' une nuit: fragrance review

 Étoile d'Une Nuit is the delicate "boudoir fragrance" that the viewer of period TV series fantasizes about - fragile, nostalgic, sometimes stuffy. However, Goutal does not plan to join the banality and convenience of ready-made "cosmetic powder" perfume bases, which are precisely the ones that risk anesthetizing the noses of the unfortunate males who will come into contact with them. Instead, the brand looks back to her older lacy fragrance La Violette, creating the most delicate of the "night birds" quartet. Here, she retransmits that ethereal atmosphere of La Violette together with the frambinone molecule to "cut" the excessive old-fashionedness. Light musk, of superior aesthetics, subtle, clear, not at all like harsh detergent, fills the composition, imparting cleanliness and a clear powdery and light skin scent sensation. It is closely related to Kenzo Flower and its powdery-violet aura.

pic via pinterest

Goutal perfumes possess that je ne sais quoi that we admire about femininity in older paintings, movies, poems, literature... and this is no exception. It is subtle, but discernible, and in an era when the gender borders have expanded, it is rather retro, but not in an obsolete way. It is pearlescent and ethereal. It has its own charm. And charm has always been at the very heart of the Annick Goutal brand. Dainty, delicate, beautiful, and with the innocent love of a budding young woman opening her wings to the world. 

 Like the moniker "nightwear" in the series, the fragrance does not betray the quality of Goutal perfumes, even if the perfumer-stamp of the first and middle releases, which established the "small brand for exquisite perfume lovers," has since changed from Isabelle Doyen to Mathieu Nardin of Robertet. Les Parfums de Géraldine Etoile d' une Nuit is available in 30ml (1 fl.oz), 50ml (1.7 fl.oz.), and 100 ml (3.3 fl.oz.) bottles of Eau de Parfum concentration at select stockists. More info on the official Goutal Paris website.

Annick Goutal Tenue de Soiree: fragrance review

 Goutal Paris has been through a few changes in the last few years, which we have been following with the rapt attention of someone journaling a favorite artist's track. From changing hands to redirecting their aesthetics, the Goutal brand has surprised fans with its rebranding, but also disappointed some of the acolytes of its distinct style. A quartet of their fragrances, of which Tenue de Soirée is the object of this review, deserves more attention, as it didn't get the interest it merits when they first launched. 

via pinterest

The series under Amore Pacific was initially called Oiseaux de Nuit (Night Birds), a name with inescapable and erotically-charged Anais Nin overtones, and was later renamed Les Parfums de Géraldine, following the heritage of the deceased founder of the house, Annick Goutal, who made a career under that name in the 1970s. 

 Tenue de Soirée is the most suggestive, flirtatious, and subversive of this series. The hint of blackcurrant liqueur wraps the chocolate patchouli of the composition in the pleasure of night romance, revealing it in a silky garment (with leather straps) full of promises. The sensuality is close to that of Bottega Veneta's eponymous and sadly discontinued fragrance, with hints of eroticism rather than overt displays of flesh. Notes of powder, vanilla, and the freshness of bergamot (which unexpectedly emerges AFTER the scent of edibles has subsided, like dewdrops of the first dawn) make Tenue de Soirée fragile, sensitive, truly lacy. It is feminine without clichés. The sweetness and bitterness are distributed in equal amounts in Tenue de Soirée and do not betray the quality expected of Goutal perfumes.

The perfumer is Mathieu Nardin and the concentration is Eau de Parfum, available in 30, 50, 100 ml sizes.

CLEAN Soft Laundry: fragrance review

 

Perhaps philosophically speaking, clean sheets and laundry scents bring on a sense of control, and maybe this is what lured me into CLEAN Soft Laundry. We yearn for control in so many areas of our lives that it seems tidying up the house and doing laundry is an occasion where that control can be exerted without much resistance. Visiting a spa is another association: fresh warm towels, fluffy and soft, and comforting. Elation. 

 The problem, however, with many of those fragrances in the "clean" genre is that they might project as sharp, piercing, too detergent-like. They are, after all, directly inspired by the scent of laundry detergents, and aim to replicate that moment of happiness—the moment one opens the washing machine and is overwhelmed by the sheer cleanliness of the freshly washed load. And the iconography of them all is associated with blue skies, starched white (that almost blinding white that never hints at cream), and poised ladies who enjoy their own existence rather too much. 

It might all get back to White Linen by perfumer Sophia Grojsman, though that aldehydic composition highlighted soapy notes in a somewhat different retro way. Aldehydic scents, those built on the sequence of so-called fatty aldehydes (C10, C11, and C12) as demonstrated in Chanel No. 5 Eau de Toilette and a group of other classics, from Chanel N°22 and White Linen (Estée Lauder) to Calèche by Hermès, are usually mentioned when the topic is "soapy." 

There is also something about the dryness and clarity of muguet notes (lily of the valley) that enhances the feeling of clean starchiness in a contemporary formula. Pure cuddly soapiness and freshly showered skin also lure in innocent by-standers into making one appearing more sympathetic. They project friendly vibes and bring tokens of peace. Perfect for when out on the prowl wanting to appear totally innocent like a baby, but also magnificently presentable. CLEAN Soft Laundry interestingly is not like the usual sharp detergent-like olfactory profile, though it's certainly a specimen of that genre. It is rather close to Pure Grace by Philosophy, the brand that made ripples in the pond (no pun intended) in the mid-2000s with their light, airy, soft, and unintrusive fragrances before the advent of the gourmands. Perfumer Steven Claise is officially mentioned as the nose behind CLEAN Soft Laundry, and his portfolio shows a penchant for making this sort of scent: Marc Jacobs Cotton Splash 2016 and Charlie White Musk (1997) are both credited to him. 

The composition benefits from aqueous notes, which had been long associated with marine fragrances from the 1990s, and yet there is a different ambience here. Urban and yet radiant, bright and yet soft, like an Eric Satie composition. The scent is lightly floral and airy, like that of the ingredients Numpheal and Florazone. It translates as dewdrops on a freshly washed line of linens in the wind and is ever so slightly sweetish and calm. It's the familiarity that beckons. The fruity note du jour of pear adds a juicy component but never veers into fruity territory. It almost feels like fruit from a terrestrial tree where sparkles of soap and light garland the produce, and where the scented air feels ripe with oncoming rain and electrical forces. And yet... softness. Calm. And zen-serenity. In many ways, CLEAN Soft Laundry is true to its name, and this is precious indeed, especially in the turmoil of international events we're witnessing right now.

Guerlain Vetiver Parfum: short fragrance review

 

Vetiver Parfum by the historical house of Guerlain is another success by perfumer Delphine Jelk, after Habit Rouge Parfum. She managed to bring something new in a classic by the venerable French house.

 Their older classic version of Guerlain Vetiver has been the reliable fall-back-upon fragrance in summer of many generations of men and discerning women. Women? Yes, besides this humble writer hereby, we can cite the supermodel Elle McPherson as someone who has graced her glorious form with Vetiver by Guerlain as her signature scent for many, many summers. 

 The newest Vetiver Parfum version came in 2024 to spice up the proceedings (literally, it smells spicy up top, piquant and quick-witted) and to amplify the smoky facets that were lurking in Chanel Sycomore's previous attempt to do a similar thing (I am referring the Eau de Toilette edition in Les Exclusifs collection). Now that the Eau de Parfum version of the latter seems so oddly diluted in comparison and so inexplicably expensive, the Guerlain edition will fill in the gap. I'm grateful.