Guerlain Rose Nacree du Desert: fragrance review

Arabian perfumery is no stranger to the amorous coupling of rose with oud or saffron. Guerlain is no stranger to opulent florals with woody underpinnings highlighting their thorny beauty (just witness Nahema, a lush fruity rose and Rose Barbare, a chyprish, woody one). Imagining the two directions -Arabian & Guerlain- combined gives you an idea about how Rose Nacrée du Désert smells like. But that is only the beginning...

According to perfumer Thierry Wasser, Rose Nacrée du Désert is a mysterious fragrance one can lose their heart to, thanks to its very formula. "Mystery often comes from intense and deep notes such as patchouli or oakmoss. Chypre perfumes also can reveal a mysterious character because one can perceive notes which are sometimes woody, sometimes ambery or floral. And of course the more a fragrance makes us dream of far away lands, the more it is laden with mystery too!" This is why Wasser reveals he searched for a Persian rose that was difficult to harness and rendered even more cryptic thanks to its alchemical alliance to woody notes, such as oud and patchouli.

Rose and oud are a trend we're going to be seeing a LOT of in the coming season. Already there are quite a few perfumes with the exact combination (the ubiquitousness of oud notwithstanding), such as those below, as well as Midnight Oud (Juliette has a Gun), Rose Oud (Kilian), Rose d'Arabie (Armani), Mirroir des Voluptés (Thierry Mugler) or Portrait of a Lady (F.Malle) and we're going to witness even more.  Fine by me, as this gothic style of rose is simpatico to my sensibilities (I told you I had trouble with liking too prim or Victorian roses, didn't I? This is why the rose-patchouli dewy woodiness of Voleur de Roses is among my favorite rose fragrances.)

from L to R: Oud Ispahan (Dior, 2012), Velvet Rose & Oud (Jo Malone, 2012), Rose Nacrée du Désert (Guerlain, 2012), Al Buraq, by Al Haramain.

Arguably therefore the less "original" in the trio (vaguely reminiscent of Amouage Epic for Women for its treatment of rose and oud) Rose Nacrée du Désert,  Guerlain's take at the Damask rose and oud combination, is at once dusky and velvety, gothic, dusty and with a beautiful sheen like hammered gold. The sweetness is pervading, even more than the previous Déserts d'Orient examples, with nuances of loukhoum rosewater and copra powder enrobing the yummy delicacy.
The mouth-watering gourmand quality is very Guerlain; rose and sugar are eager bedfellows with passionate results. The woodiness of patchouli and oud are brimming with promises of sensuous adventures in a land of buried treasures in the sand; full of mystery, full of languor.

The Guerlain perfume bottles of Les Deserts d'Orient are adorned with Arab-cript calligraphy down one side, the French names down the other side. They are the tall, architectural style of the collection L'Art et la Matière with the antique gold overlay on the sides holding 75ml of perfume. The concentration of the fragrances is Eau de Parfum for tenacity. Prices are set for 190euros/AED990 per bottle. The perfume is available exclusive in the UAE and the Guerlain flagship store. Also via the connections of Wim in Parfumerie Place Vendome in Brussels.

still from Pretty in Pink by John Hughes starring Molly Ringwald via jbtaylor.typepad.com/
pic of bottles of various brands in middle by parfums-tendances-inspirations.com

Guerlain Songe d'un Bois d'Ete: fragrance review

Songe d' un Bois d'Été is perfumer Thierry Wasser's offer to the chthonian deities, a prophylactic philter for safekeeping from all miasmata. Simply wonderful rendition of the oud/aoudh perfume raw material, with none of the synthetic Band-Aid note that often creeps us in modern compositions touting the precious essence as a protagonist, Songe d' un Bois d'Été (i.e. Dreaming of a Summery Wood, part of Les Deserts d'Orient trio) is balanced and magnificent from all angles and can become a special man's ~or a woman's who loves woody somber compositions~ scented amulet.

Straddling the line between contemporaneous sensibilities and antique exotic traditions, it has the patina of aged woods and bronze artifacts hiding in some cave in the desert, yet its Frenchiness is undeniably there too; its exceptional craftsmanship is immediately evident, its restrained balance the work of experienced hands and a Swiss organized mind. You can read Guerlain in the fine print, even if the capitalization is in Arab calligraphy. There is no excess, no overindulgence, but an ornate "abaya" cloth which hints at the contours it hides, an oil painting in saturated burnished tones. Like Encens Mythique d'Orient, it proves Wasser's maturity and heralds good things for Guerlain.

The most Arabian-inspired in the newest Guerlain trio, this intensely woody fragrance smells alternatively parched and sweetish, revealing different facets throughout the duration on the skin; somewhat medicinal at times too, yes, but with smiling mien following the sobriety, like dark leathers laid in the sun underneath hanging dried herbs (I smell laurel and myrtle). Indeed the opening of Songe d' un Bois d'Été is balmy, pinching the nose with its herbal, aromatic, sunny quality, balancing the powerful woody elements of oud and leather pungency to follow. There is an indeterminate spicy, ashy-green segment, reminiscent of crushed cardamom pods that enter Arabian coffee and chocolate desserts (indeed a hint of chocolate can be attributed to the rising of patchouli from the base) and a stamen or two of leathery saffron (reminiscent of the treatment in Cuir de Lancome).
Mingling with the aromatic top notes, this spiciness provides the piquancy needed to lift the composition. The progression is somber, diffusive and saturated, (burnished cedar and Iso-E Super take a big percentage of the formula), with intense notes of oud chips burning (the note is reminiscent of the Mona di Orio perfumes oud ingredient), myrrh resin and lush jasmine sambac; the latter lightly sweetens the proceedings with its narcotic floral facets. Not necessarily the most innovative or driest leather fragrance (that would be Guerlain's Djedi), nor the greatest woody to ever come out of the house (that distinction probably belongs to Derby), but it is so carefully composed one can't help but admire it.

Songe d' un Bois d'Été is that rare thing: an predominantly oud wood fragrance that doesn't need to be unpleasant and bitter to tout its exoticism, to mark its seal of connoisseurship, to establish itself as niche. It simply exhales quality and mastery all around and is a delightful addition to any discerning perfume wardrobe. Admittedly a little bit masculine for most women''s tastes, but none the worse for it.



The Guerlain perfume bottles of Les Deserts d'Orient are adorned with Arab-cript calligraphy down one side, the French names down the other side. They are the tall, architectural style of the collection L'Art et la Matière with the antique gold overlay on the sides holding 75ml of perfume. The concentration of the fragrances is Eau de Parfum for tenacity. Prices are set for 190euros/AED990 per bottle. The perfume is available exclusive in the UAE and the Guerlain flagship store. Also via the connections of Wim in Parfumerie Place Vendome in Brussels.

Painting by Corrodi Hermann David Salomon, Arab Carpet Merchants

Olfactive Studio Lumiere Blanche: new fragrance

Olfactive Studio is a niche brand of quiet quality founded by Celine Verleuve and becoming a Facebook phenomenon, producing fragrances that create inquisitiveness and the desire to explore. Encased in simple style bottles with handwritten-font labels, they highlight the juice inside; artistic, original and bold in personality, their tag line is "inspired perfumes".

 

A mild and enveloping perfume, Lumière Blanche is their latest offering; a comforting cocoon, between milky mildness and cold spices. It evokes the sweltering heat from the sun at the zenith, which erases colors, leaving only a blending white hue; it surprises with its spicy freshness.

 For its creator, perfumer Sidonie Nacesseur from Robertet, " Lumière Blanche is a fragrance with beautifully contrasting hot and cold notes", a whirlwind of light and freshness followed by milky mildness and a distinct, warm and sensual end note.
 Top notes are cardamom, cinnamon and star anise; middle notes are iris, cashmere wood and almond; base notes are musk, sandalwood, cedar and tonka bean.

 Available in Eau de Parfum concentration in bottles of 100ml/3.4oz.

Watch an interview with Celine Verleuve (in English) on previous releases of the brand.

Guerlain L'Heure Bleue 2012 Centenary Edition: the 100th Anniversary of a Classic

100 years ago...One beautiful late afternoon in 1912, Jacques Guerlain felt something so intense that he could only express it in a perfume. L'Heure Bleue was born in honor of that uncertain hour of dusk suspended in time.

 

 The centenary of this iconic fragrance is celebrated by Guerlain with a special edition. The Baccarat maison are responsible for the crystal and the house of Gripoix for the bijou adorning the neck of the special 2012 edition extrait de parfum Guerlain is issuing in celebration of their timeless classic.

L'Heure Bleue is offered in the emblematic "quadrilobe" bottle (penis gland cap and all!) ~created in 1908 for the Guerlain perfume Rue de la Paix and subsequently housing almost all the fragrances of the house~ in this year's Special Anniversary Edition. Exceptionally blue, deep and magnetic, dyed by the artisans at Baccarat. Blown, cut, polished and engraved by hand, this giant bottle of 490 ml of extrait captures the emotion of a dazzling work of art craft and is offered as a unique memento of the magical hour, enhanced this time by a unique jewel. This jewel on the neck of the flacon was designed exclusively by the House of Gripoix. It depicts a bunch of violets in molten glass crystal ciselé in 24-carat gold, wrapped around the neck of the bottle to twinkle in the dusk. L'Heure Bleue, dressed as a shower of stars, is revealed in an elegant leather case.

 A reformulation (not necessarily a bad thing, seeing as L'Heure Bleue has been dramatically changed in the recent batches) is under way too for the new coffret, offering a new 2012 edition in Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum and Extrait de Parfum. Thierry Wasser offers a new version: The powdery base notes are irresistibly endearing, as the L'Heure Bleue lovers like them so much. Under his leadership, the scent is sweet, illuminated with new freshness and modernity. The white musk mingles with iris. Heliotrope is combined with orange blossom accents to make it more marshmallow-like, powdery but with a gourmand note like a veil.
The old version will be still available alongside the centenary editions in all concentrations for the fans.

Thanks to Sylvaine Delacourte for her information on the new edition. 

Vero Profumo Mito: new fragrance

“The warm air is pervaded by a pleasant sensation of white flowers, jasmine and newly blooming magnolias, garlands of moist moss, aromatic leaves and proud cypresses. Slowly the fragrance rises. Up, up, higher and higher still, to join, all of a sudden, the crystalline jets gushing in the fountains and resting on the mirrors of water in the garden. Millions of miniscule water particles intertwine to create a shining, perfumed veil that rests on the cold marble shoulders of countless statues: gods, nymphs, fauns, dragons and mermaids. Time has stood still in the garden: yesterday is today is tomorrow."


 This is how perfumer Vero Kern presents her newest fragrance (after the masterful Kiki, Onda and Rubj in extrait and in eau de parfum), Mito, a white floral with green, mossy and freshly spicy nuances. Mito is out for launch later in the year.

Illustration:   Sofo Berdzenishvili.