Showing posts with label muguet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label muguet. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

May 1st: Green Floral Touches to Celebrate in Style

There is something about the green floralcy of lily of the valley, the tiny bells echoing the spirit of the renewal of spring, humble-looking and stealthy beneath the grass carpet that adorns the fields anew. The scent of this tiny blossom has inspired perfumers for ages, though it is elusive to capture and has to be recreated via the synergy of other ingredients.


But how did the tradition of offering lily of the valley on May 1st begin? The story goes many centuries ago to the French court of Long Charles IX in fact. On May 1,1561, King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm. He decided to offer the flower to the ladies of his court each year, a fact that was appreciated in its symbolic gesture, and as a result, it is now customary to give a lily of the valley, the symbol of springtime, on May 1. Lily of the valley has become synonymous with May ever since. The Latin name Convallaria means "valley" and Majalis means "blooming in May" (from the Greek), echoed in German as Maiglöckchen, the tiny bell of May.

Paul Dunbar wrote in 1901:

"Like the Lily of the Valley
In her honesty and worth,
Ah, she blooms in truth and virtue
In the quiet nooks of earth.

In the silence of the darkness
Where no eye may see and know,
There her footsteps shod with mercy,
And fleet kindness come and go."



 A selection of Lily of the Valley fragrances to feel all spring-like includes: 

Diorissimo by Dior
An icon. Since vintage is infinitely better in all regards, please consult my guide into how to date Diorissimo vintage bottles. 

Le Muguet by Annick Goutal
Muguet du Bonheur by Caron
Muguet by Guerlain (annual limited edition)
Debut by Parfums delRae
Lily of the Valley by L'Erbolario
Eau de Cologne 1920: Muguet by Jardin de France
Les Fleurs de Provance: Muguet by Molinard
Envy by Gucci
DSH Muguet de Mai
And let's not forget Diptyque's Muguet room spray for the feeling of the first day of May year-long.

There is even a tea flavor, Lily/Muguet by Marriages Freres!

To learn more about the lily of the valley traditions and how perfumers use muguet notes alongside a comprehensive list of lily of the valley/muguet perfumes, visit the link. To see some surprising facts about the scent of this humble blossom, read this article. And to see the annual one-day only Guerlain edition of their Muguet perfume, please click on the link.

Happy May 1st to you!



Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Guerlain Le Muguet 2013: new fragrance edition

On May 1,1561, King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm. He decided to offer the flower to the ladies of his court each year, and as a result, it is now custom to give a lily of the valley, the symbol of springtime, on May 1.

To honor this rite of the season, Guerlain offers its own lily of the valley fragrance, Muguet, once a year for a limited time. Dreamed up by Jean-Paul Guerlain, Muguet is offered as a token of luck, the promise of making the most of each moment. Lively, green and capricious, this fragrance heralds the arrival of spring.



This year's edition, Le Muguet 2013 by Guerlain, will be presented on April 25th as an early spring gift.

In-house perfumer Thierry Wasser mingled notes of lily of the valley (i.e. muguet) in the heart with fragrance chords constructed around freshly cut roses and rich jasmine in a composition that aims to combine freshness with elegance.

The new Muguet fragrance edition of 2013 comes in the "quadrilobe" flacon, a design invented in the early 20th century. The pale green bottle has its neck encircled by pale green silk cord, the ends decorated with the initials G, standing for Guerlain, and a papier mache applique on the front depicting in relief lily of the valley blossoms. The final touch is a pear bulb atomiser which turns this fragrance into a retro-looking feminine accouterment.

Price point (as of the minute of writing): 250 euros.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Guerlain Le Muguet history & pics of various perfume editions, Perfume Raw Material: Lily of the Valley

pic originally via buro247.ru


Monday, January 24, 2011

Guerlain Muguet 2011: News on a Seasonal Release

Guerlain lately re-issues a special edition of their delicate and spring-like Muguet each year as a limited edition on the 1st of May (Traditionally the day when muguet ~lily of the valley in French~ is offered as a porte-bonheur, a good luck charm in France).
For 2011, Guerlain's Muguet will be embottled in the apothecary style flacons of re-issued Vega and Sous le Vent, but there will be handpainting on the glass as well!

ETA: You can see the new Muguet 2011 below (pic kindly provided by my reader Rappleya)
ETA2: Upon further research, Guerlain has confirmed that they have updated the design of Muguet 2011 with the one depicted second from top, favouring a sewn label versus handpainting. I admit I'm not particularly enthusiastic on it after seeing the previous design....

3/26/11 update: My faithful and wonderfully generous reader Judy informs us of the latest after seeing the Muguet 2011 with her very own eyes and I quote:
"The new release of Muguet is around 5 ounces, twice the size of the past releases [ed.note: this was amended by other witnesses, bringing the volume down]. Also it is in apothecary-style container, first shown on your site as the new-release bottle , but w/minor changes. The bottle still has the pretty muguet design on the outside. Also, the price is scary, sky-high, around $500, although Bergdorfs is having a "Beauty Week" beginning April 6th, and at that price, if the customer does a pre-sale, the sales person will hold the Muguet til May 1st for the $100 discount."

The design that was meant to be
the udated design for Muguet 2011...

Previously Muguet circulated in the standard quadrilobe with (2009) or without the superimposed atomiser "pouf" (2007) and the flacon fleuri design brough back from 1900 for the Eau de Toilette version for 1999, while the accompanying Eau de Toilette tester of the same year was embottled in the classsic Habit de Fete gold-cutouts style flacon with Millesime 1999 embossed on it. You can find pictures of those attached below.

The concentration for 2011's Muguet is Eau de Parfum and the volume is 125ml for 400 euros.

Previous incarnations of Guerlain Muguet include the following:


Guerlain Muguet flacon (Verrerie Royale de Romesnil) with atomiser for 2009


Guerlain Muguet quadrilobe flacon (Verrerie Royale de Romesnil) for 2007


Guerlain Muguet in flacon fleuri (originally 1900 design) for Eau de Toilette in 1999



"Habit de Fete" design for Guerlain Muguet, 50ml Eau de Toilette tester bottle, 1999


thanks to Wim Janssens and Mr.Guerlain (Ulrik) and especially my readers Rappleya and Judy who helped disentangle this mess!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Distant cousins: Lily of the Valley & Lily~part 1: Lily of the Valley

Although in nomenclature lily of the valley is easily confused with lily and its own varietal richness, the two are completely different flowers and in this scent guide I will try to analyse their olfactory differences, their participation in the bouquet of classic and modern fragrances, the materials used to render them in perfumery as well as a list of perfumes that highlight their graceful beauty. The first part deals with Lily of the Valley or Muguet, while the second part will deal with Lily.

The raindrenched earth after spring showers and the wet foliage remind me of the lyrics by songwriter George Brassens:
"Le premier mai c'est pas gai" / "The first of May isn’t cheerful"
"Je trime", a dit le muguet / "I slave away", the lily of the valley said
"Dix fois plus que d'habitude" /"Ten times more than usual"
"Regrettable servitude" / "A regrettable encumbrance"
Muguet, sois pas chicaneur / Lily of the valley, don't be a quibbler
Car tu donnes du bonheur / Because you make people happy
Brin d' muguet, tu es quelqu'un... / Nosegay of lily of the valley, you’re somebody...
~Georges Brassens, Discours Des Fleurs

May 1st has been inexctricably tied to Francophiles’ minds with one of the loveliest spring blossoms and its neo-Victorian image: lily of the valley (Lys des vallées) or, as the French commonly call it, muguet (pronounced mygɛ). And it’s for a reason: it’s the traditional flower offered on this day and one can routinely see street vendors selling nosegays on the French streets. The tradition goes back to Charles IX who on May 1st 1561 inaugurated the custom.It is also a symbolic gift for 13 years of marriage and is traditionally used in bridal bouquets thanks to its enticing scent.

Etymology and symbolism

The etymology of muguet is said to derive from muscade (nutmeg), since the smell of the flower has an indefinite nuance reminiscent to it, which became mugade, and finally muguet. A lucky symbol ~it means “return of happiness” in the language of flowers~ the delicate beauty of lily of the valley is however poisonous (especially its reddish fruit) due to convallatoxine, convallamarine, and convallarine; a brave irony on the part of Creation!
Lily of the valley/muguet (Convallaria majalis) is a herbaceous perennial plant prevalent in Asia, Europe and the Eastern USA, with characteristic bell-shaped little flowers, hence its other name May Bells. But its alternative names "Our Lady's tears" and "Male Lily" are more poetically evoctive: Legend wants Eve to have shed bitter tears after the Lapse from the Garden of Eden which falling onto the ground transformed into the white little blossoms. Another medieval legend wants Saint Leondard de Noblac, a knight in the court of Clovis I (of the Limousin region of France) and patron saint to prisoners of all kinds, to have battled with a dragon (a common medieval theme) in which his shed blood trasformed into lilies of the valley. But although one usually associates the delicate green floralncy of its aroma with females now, the term "Male Lily" has another explanation: It has been a favourite perfume for men ever since the 16th century, to the point that up till the 19th century the term muguet was linguistically used to denote an elegant young gentleman!
Another legend wants the Greek God Apollon to have tapestried the mount Parnassus with lilies of the valley so that the Muses wouldn’t hurt themselves if they fell...Classical antiquity paid great attention to the seasonal celebrations of nature and the zenith of the Roman celebrations of Flora, goddess of flowers, culminated on May 1st.

The role of lily of the valley in perfumery and construction of the accord

Lily of the valley is technically a green floral with rosy-lemony nuance*, whereas lily is a white, spicy floral. The former has known a profound and extensive use in perfumery, despite its resistance to natural extraction methods which yield a very miniscule amount of no great significance. Apart from soliflores (fragrances focusing on highlighting the beauty of one kind of flower), the lily of the valley accord has been adequately used in classical fragrances as a catalyst to “open up” and freshen the bouquet of the other floral essences in the heart, much like we allow fresh air to come in contact with an uncorked red wine to let it “breathe” and bring out its best. The effect is wonderfully put to use in Chanel No.19, Guerlain’s Chamade and Jean Patou’s L’Heure Attendue. Its lack of sweetness is also an important aspect in the creation of masculine fragrances: witness Chavelier d’Orsay, Équipage by Hermès, Insensé by Givenchy and Riverside Drive by Bond no.9 to name but a few.

The reconstitutions of lily of the valley note are based on either combinations of natural essences (usually citrus with jasmine, orange blossom or rose and green notes such as vetiver) or more commonly on synthetics. The classical ingredient is hydroxycitronellal, as well as the patended Lyral and Lilial, all coming under the spotlight of the latest restrictions on perfumery materials {you can read all about them here}. Lilial has a cyclamen facet to it, used in good effect in Paco Rabanne pour Homme. Super Muguet is another lily of the valley synthetic which surfaces in Marc Jacobs for men, as a clean facet under the figs. Kovanol is very close to hydroxicitronellal, which is interesting to note. Restricted by IFRA is also the newest Majantol {2,2-Dimethyl-3-(3-methylphenyl)-propanol}, while Muguesia or Mayol are also used to give this green floral smell of muguet. The name Mayol has an interesting background: it’s a nod to comedy singer Félix Mayol who put a boutonnière of the muguets he had been offered by his girlfriend Jenny Crook instead of his usual camelia on the 1st of May of 1895 before going out to sing!
Phenylethyl alcohol and benzyl acetate (the former rosier, the latter jasminer) as well as dimethylbenzenepropanol also contribute in the creation of bases which are used to render lily of the valley notes. It all depends on which impression the perfumer wishes to convey!
The clean, almost soapy nuances of lily of the valley has been traditionally exploited in soaps, which is why all too often lily of the valley as a fragrance note reads as “soapy” in your perfume. It’s also why it’s terribly difficult to render a convincing lily of the valley fine fragrance that does not evoke functional cleaning products, due to the exagerrated use they make of this aroma in that sector of the industry.

Iconic Lily of the Valley fragrances

The definitive lily of the valley fragrance used to be the masterful Diorissimo (1955) by trismegistus Edmond Roudnitska who is said to have planted a bed of them in his garden, so as to study the smell attentively and to evoke the indefinable atmosphere of spring. Lily of the valley used to be the lucky charm of Christian Dior himself, who always sew a twig into the hem of his creations to bring them luck. The juxtaposition of virginal, celestial greenness in the lily-of-the-valley crystal tones of Diorissimo with only a hint at improper smells through the deep, warmly powdery aspect of civet and indolic jasmine in the dry-down is nothing short of magical. Alas, the latest formulation of Diorissimo has taken away that animalic warmth, leaving it with only the clean facet.
Roudnitska himself however had been quite appreciative of the pure and delicate innocence of Muguet des Bois (Muguets of the Woods) by Coty (1942). Guerlain’s seasonal limited edition of Muguet is a rich, sweeter rendition that is partly inspired by the original Muguet of 1906, while Le Muguet by Annick Goutal (2001) is an ethereal and sharper interpretation, quite true to the blossom, if only rather fleeting in Eau de Toilette (alas the only offering). Début by parfums DelRae is an intensely lovely and sylphid-like lily of the valley composition by Michel Roudnitska, which shines like ivory pearls on a long smooth neck. For those who prefer a soft and creamy treatment of the note, I suggest they try Muguet de Bonheur by Caron (1952).

Fragrances with prominent Lily of the Valley notes (in alphabetical order, click links for reviews):

Acaciosa by Caron
Anais Anais by Cacharel (along with lily)
Antilope by Weil
Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca by Guerlain
Aqua Allegoria Lilia Bella by Guerlain
Be Delicious by Donna Karan
Capricci by Nina Ricci
Chamade by Guerlain (along with hyacinth)
Clair de Musc by Serge Lutens
Climat by Lancôme
Dazzling Silver by Estee Lauder
Début by DelRae
Dior me, Dior me not by Dior (limited edition of 2004, along with sweet pea)
Diorissimo by Christian Dior
Eau d’Argent by Montana
Eclipse by Parfums De Nicolaï
Envy by Gucci
Helmut Lang Eau de Cologne and Eau de Parfum (discontinued)
Jessica Mc Clintock by Jessica Mc Clintock
Koto by Shiseido
Laura by Laura Biagotti
Lauren by Ralph Lauren
Le Muguet by Annick Goutal
Le Muguet de Rosine by Les Parfums de Rosine (discontinued)
Lily by Dior (limited edition of 1999)
Lily of the Valley by Crabtree and Evelyn
Lily of the Valley by Floris
Lily of the Valley by Penhaligon’s
Lily of the Valley by Taylor of London
Lily of the Valley by Winds of Windsor
Lily of the Valley by Yardley
Miss Dior by Christian Dior
Miss Worth by Worth
Mughetto by L'Erbolario
Mughetto by Santa Maria Novela
Mughetto di Primavera by I profumi di Firenze
Muguet by Cotswold Perfumery
Muguet by Guerlain (limited edition, launches for May 1st only each year)
Muguet by Molinard
Muguet by Slatkin
Muguet de Bois by Coty
Muguet de bois by Yves Rocher
Muguet de Bonheur by Caron
Muguet de Mai by Roger & Gallet (discontinued)
Odalisque by Parfums De Nicolaï
Remember Me by Dior (limited edition of 2000)
Sampaquita by Ormonde Jayne
Tiare by Chantecaille
Urban Lily by Strange Invisible Perfumes
W by Banana Republic
XS pour Elle Paco Rabanne

*In a study on the headspace of lily-of-the-valley flowers using GC-MS and GC-sniffing/GC-olfactometry techniques, Brumke, Ritter and Schmaus from the company Dragoco (today Symrise, Germany) identified some 23 compounds contributing to the lily-of-the-valley fragrance, among these several newly detected trace constituents. The odorants could be divided into floral-rosy-citrusy notes: citronellol (9.6 %), geraniol (8.4%), nerol (1.3 %), citronellyl acetate (1.1 %), geranyl acetate (3.3 %), geranial + benzyl acetate (0.96 %), neral (0.02 %), benzyl acohol (35 %), phenethyl alcohol (0.78 %), phenylacetonitrile (3.0 %), farnesol (1.9 %) and 2,3-dihydrofarnesol (0.88 %), green-grassy notes: (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol (11 %), (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate (7.8 %), (Z)-3-hexenal (trace) and (E)-2-hexenal
(0.18 %), green pea and galbanum-like notes: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (trace) and 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (trace), fatty, waxy, aldehydic notes: octanal (0.15 %), nonanal (0.1 %), decanal (0.07 %) and fruity, raspberry notes: beta-ionone (trace). In another study of lily-of-the-valley, phenylacetaldehyde oxime was identified (source Bo Jensen).

Muguet pic via mes-passions.over.blog.net
Adrien Barrère, illustration of F.Mayol, chromolithographie via imageandnarrative.be, Diorissimo bottle via Dior

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

New Guerlain Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus and Shalimar Flower: what's happening at Guerlain? (and a footnote on Muguet)

As if La Petite Robe Noire, on which we had reported and commented at length on these pages a little while ago (here is the link if you missed it), wasn't enough, Guerlain is issuing this coming spring a couple of flankers that have me wondering a bit about what exactly is happening in the venerable house that I so love. In the interests of reportage and juicy commentary however, let me plunge into more details, nevertheless.

First there are two flankers: on the iconic Shalimar and the newly re-issued Eau de Shalimar. They are tagged "Flower" and if that reminds you of Kenzo with all that powder which is also a trait of the classic Shalimar, then I can't blame you! It's uncertain if they are merely limited edition bottles (it seems so) or if they also entail rejinging of the jus for a new scent; and I would welcome official corroboration on that score.

Eau de Shalimar Flower in Eau de Toilette and Shalimar Flower in Eau de Parfum concentrations are limited edition versions of the legendary Shalimar, "created to celebrate the most bewitching and sensual note of the classic fragrance: vanilla blossom. Protective of its own rarity, it only blossoms for a few hours at sunrise. In awe of this quiet, intimate moment with vanilla flowers Guerlain set out to capture a second of eternity, etching its blossoms on the Shalimar bottle for two limited editions.[...]The vanilla blossom on the voluptuous neck of the bottle underscores the perfume’s intensity, then appears in a precious, radiant hallmark - first in midnight blue on the glass of the bottle, then in gold on the packaging which shields its mysterious blossoming from observation". [1]

If it entails a new scent formula, it would be a little ironic than in a category which Guerlain literally lain the path on with their bare hands (ie. that of good, delectable vanilla) they feel the need to bring out a flanker that sounds like it is playing with something that is a redundancy. There is already the darkly boozy Spiritueuse Double Vanille in their line, which recently joined the permanent collection due to public demand, and Shalimar highlights vanilla pretty well in both the classic version (no matter how tampered it might be with through the years) and in Eau de Shalimar where it goes for the more lemon-cupcakes-accord. Wouldn't the talents of Thierry Wasser ~who had such fond memories of his fathers' driving gloves as to quote them as a constant inspiration in an interview which appeared at the time he was appointed in-house perfumer for Guerlain~ better be used elsewhere, if so?
If, on the other hand, it is only a matter of specially-made bottles (and it is hinted from the above that it could as per my "reading" of it) which will circulate for rekindling the desire for Shalimar, why are they necessary at a time when the new commercials with Natalia Vodianova have already brought Shalimar in the limelight and the eye of a younger crowd who could be easily seduced to try a proper perfume like this through this fashionable and tastefully done Paolo Roversi campaign? Wasn't it enough? Wouldn't all that energy, budget and talent be employed in a new fragrance that could become a new classic?

Anyway, until we make sure, here are the shopping details:
Shalimar Flower Eau de Parfum 75ml retailing for $123, available in March through Guerlain boutiques exclusively.
Eau de Shalimar Flower Eau de Toilette 75ml retailing for $97, available in March through Guerlain boutiques exclusively.

The news on a Mitsouko flanker however are slightly more alarming: Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus (Lotus Flower) is definitely a new fragrance with a different scent, as the info states "In celebration of the 90th anniversary of its creation, Jean Paul Guerlain has developed Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus, a fresh reinterpretation of the fragrance with a special fleur de lotus note". [2]

Two things strike me as odd: First, isn't it a little sacrilegious to rejingle Mitsouko of all things? Since the original is already rather unrecognisable because of the -necessary alas!- reworking of the formula in order to meet with the standards recommended by the IFRA regulations on oakmoss and allergens, isn't this attempt to provide an aqueaous* note rather antithetical with the rich character of this legendary fruity chypre which is exactly so celebrated because of it? The light blue bottle doesn't bode well with me personally (blue so often means a screetchy ozonic on the perfume counters...) However since Vol de Nuit Evasion was completely unrelated to the older classic oriental Vol de Nuit smell-wise, and utterly lovely in its own right, I am very willing to believe that we might have a similar case here with Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus.
[*The lotus flower "note" -a reconstitution (?) since no natural is extracted usually- is one of the materials which are used in order to render watery notes and was very popular in the perfumery of the 1990s. Watch out, those acqueous notes are in for a big return: you heard it here first!]
Secondly, it's a little odd that Jean Paul Guerlain is still referenced as the creator of new juice. I realise that some creative control still applies and his approval is asked, naturally ~it's only good manners and courtesy to his illustrious history and lineage after all~ but what happened to Thierry Wasser and Sylvaine Delacourte? Aren't they at the head of fragrance development? Now that we're at it, La Petite Robe Noire is credited to Sylvaine and Delphine Jelk, I hear [3]. Again, what about Thierry? I hope official info becomes available on those pressing points and when they do I will announce them and comment on them with more informed views.

Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus Eau de Toilette 60ml/2oz will be available in May retailing for $100

And for those who have been hankering after the customary issue of Guerlain Muguet on the 1st of May (lily of the valley/muguet is the traditional flower to be offered for May 1st in France and Guerlain had issued limited editions in the past to honour that) , this year's edition includes jasmine, Turkish rose, lemon and sandalwood in a 60ml/2oz flacon retailing for $350, available in May through Guerlain boutiques exclusively.
Now that hydroxycitronellal and Lilial are heavily restricted I wonder how they will be able to render an intense lily of the valley note (something that is also a pressing concern for the latest Diorissimo batches), but that remains to be seen, I guess. The price however has relaxed a tiny bit, as the 2007 edition was $285 for only 30ml/1oz in a Bacarrat bottle!

We will return...


Painting Ancient of Days by William Blake
[1][2][3]info & pic via Beautyalchemist.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Guerlain news for fans

With a house as venerable and as under the fire (recently) as Guerlain one can only hope for the best. So the piece of news I am posting today is intended to inspire rather than dampen hopes and to instill anticipation rather than cause an anticlimax.

First of all the new addition in the "L’Art et la matière" line will be Iris Ganache, distributed at exclusive spots and Guerlain boutiques starting at mid-June. The name alludes to an iris laced scent that might hide a sweet gourmand note reminiscent of the homonymous chocolate french delicacy. Sounds very promising indeed. We'll just have to wait and see when it is finally available.

As to the re-issues of illustrious past glories of the house there has been some talk about Ode, but nothing conclusive as yet. I will keep you posted.

There are also two new body oils conceived by Sylvaine Delacourte, who is director of perfume creation. Garden Sensuel and Oud Sensuel are two perfumed oils inspired by the Middle East, destined for men and women respectively. They aim to capture a happy medium between a carnal oriental sensualism married to the parisian classicism of Guerlain.

The 2005 creation of Jean Paul Guerlain Plus que Jamais is finlly entering the Parisiennes line as a "grand classique" (a term with which some disagree on this particular fragrance) encased in the famous napoleonic bee bottles, available at Guerlain boutiques. I guess this makes its former Baccarat bottle a valuable collectible, so keep this in mind if you do possess one such bottle.

Also, on May 1st a Lily of the valley (Muguet) based parfum will be issued as a commemoration of the lovely french tradition to offer this flower on that day.

In addition the "Home collection" will include an Eau de Lit (bed and linen water) fragranced with orange and four home fragrances: Bois des Indes (=indian woods), Hiver en Russie (=Winter in Russia), Contes Tahitiens (=tahitian tales), Boudoir Vénitiens (=venetian boudoir)
They sure sounds interesting and what could be more luxurious and decadent than using a Guerlain home fragrance instead of all those middle of the road things that can look so tacky?

Last but not least, the "Aqua Allegoria" line, after a rather mediocre course in the last couple of years (despite some lovely offering in the first throes after its launch) is introducing Mandarine-Basilic and Angélique-Lilas, the one greener and fruitier and the other more romantic and floral.
Available at major department stores late in spring.

"The proof is in the sniffing!" like we always say at Perfume Shrine.

Assorted info thanks to cyberpress and Mario Girard.

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