I'm on a classic kick lately. There were a few Chanel days, but there's no doubt Guerlain is my biggest love of the old houses, and among the Guerlains, my preference is for the iconic perfumes. The ones that are older than my grandma.
Among the new ones, I like some more than others with no rhyme or pattern. I should have lusted after Spiritueuse Double Vanille, but it doesn't rock my world the way Cuir Beluga does. I like Bois d'Armenie better on my husband and the masculine Coriolan on myself and can't stand L'Instant in any version or formulation. Go figure.
The 2007 special limited release of Quand Vient la Pluie is among my most favorites. It feels like an updated take on the classic theme, L'Heure Bleue for the generation of "yummy", a somewhat Angelified Guerlinade. I shouldn't like this heliotrope and praline confection which is so gourmand you can practically taste the macarons, but I adore it. My skin kills most of the floral parts, except for a hint of orange blossom, and goes straight for the candy. It's girly, it's pretty and it makes me happy on a gray and windy day.
Retail-wise, Quand Vient la Pluie was not meant for normal folks. Someone at LVMH decided to give us two options: an EDP in refillable crystal bottle for over $400 and an utterly obnoxious 500 ml set of the extrait de parfum that includes a bottle, a refill jug and a funnel (and a lifetime or two to try and use it all up). The target audience is obviously oil tycoons and mafia bosses, not the average perfumista, but these huge bottles were born for splits, which is how I acquired my large(ish) decant of the parfum. Quand Vient la Pluie is available from Guerlain boutiques. I don't remember seeing it at Bergdorf the last time I was there, but then again I wasn't looking for it. The Paris store still had both versions last summer.
Image: http://www.sybarites.org/
Among the new ones, I like some more than others with no rhyme or pattern. I should have lusted after Spiritueuse Double Vanille, but it doesn't rock my world the way Cuir Beluga does. I like Bois d'Armenie better on my husband and the masculine Coriolan on myself and can't stand L'Instant in any version or formulation. Go figure.
The 2007 special limited release of Quand Vient la Pluie is among my most favorites. It feels like an updated take on the classic theme, L'Heure Bleue for the generation of "yummy", a somewhat Angelified Guerlinade. I shouldn't like this heliotrope and praline confection which is so gourmand you can practically taste the macarons, but I adore it. My skin kills most of the floral parts, except for a hint of orange blossom, and goes straight for the candy. It's girly, it's pretty and it makes me happy on a gray and windy day.
Retail-wise, Quand Vient la Pluie was not meant for normal folks. Someone at LVMH decided to give us two options: an EDP in refillable crystal bottle for over $400 and an utterly obnoxious 500 ml set of the extrait de parfum that includes a bottle, a refill jug and a funnel (and a lifetime or two to try and use it all up). The target audience is obviously oil tycoons and mafia bosses, not the average perfumista, but these huge bottles were born for splits, which is how I acquired my large(ish) decant of the parfum. Quand Vient la Pluie is available from Guerlain boutiques. I don't remember seeing it at Bergdorf the last time I was there, but then again I wasn't looking for it. The Paris store still had both versions last summer.
Image: http://www.sybarites.org/
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ReplyDeleteIt sounds heavenly, but $400?!? In this economy?!?
ReplyDeleteKind of off topic, but does Guerlain make a chypre? Or a green perfume? I'm more of an old skool Chanel girl myself: I grew up on #5 EDT -- it's so bubbly to me, just like Perrier-Jouet!
ReplyDeleteI keep reading about this Guerlinade, but I can't figure out which one I should try. I do save my gourmand tendencies for the kitchen.
Mandy, I really don't know what they were thinking. And if we thought this was bad, they are now releasing a huge crystal bottle for $9000. Even in a good economy I'd much rather see small bottles with a sane price tag.
ReplyDeleteShirley, Guerlain make one of the best chypres ever, Mitsouko. Also, one of the Carnal Elixirs (available at Bergdorf and Saks NYC) is a chypre. As for green, Sous le Vent is as green as it gets. I also love the masculine Vetiver and find it easy to wear.
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