Rose Absolue
The house of Annick Goutal Paris introduced this rose in 1984. Things were simpler then. It was okay for a rose perfume to just be a rose. This perfume is comprised of roses from Turkey, Bulgaria, Egypt, and Morocco, as well as Rose de Mai and Damask Rose. It is a beautiful true rose fragrance but if you're looking for more than that you'll be disappointed. Those who love rose and find it a calming, beautiful fragrance can appreciate this one as a high quality representation of the flower.
Rose Splendide
This rose was introduced in 2010 and at the time its scent was said to mirror the fragrance found in Annick Goutal's lovely luxury skin products. The Annick Goutal website describes the scent: "A bucolic walk in the garden drenched with morning dew. A rendering of the flower's soft and fresh, green and musky facets." It's true that this is a very fresh, green rose and never ventures into the opulence of a "bedroom" rose. The first few minutes on my skin Rose Splendide presents as very peppery and vibrant. It is fresh and appealing but I'm left a bit mystified as pepper is not listed as an ingredient in the perfume. Perhaps it is just how the greenness manifests itself on my skin. In any case the perfume evolves to smell like the leaves, branches, and twigs on the rose plant. The green holds court for a short time and then the rose scent itself makes an appearance. This is described by others as a pink rose, as it's more like a soft tea rose rather than a rich red winey rose. It is a very different take on rose and is appealing enough that I've considered buying a bottle. On Fragrantica people mention all sorts of notes, so this one may be best tested before buying.
Rose Pompon
This is the newest rose by the esteemed French house. The perfume was created by Camille Goutal
and Philippine Courtiere and released in 2016. It is classified as a fruity floral and the ads seem directed toward a younger market. The bottle is sweet with its pretty pink juice.
The fragrance opens with a fruity freshness, featuring notes of raspberry, black currant and pink pepper. The rose appears, plus the addition of peony adds to the sweeter, younger appeal. The fruit is subtle. This isn't the fruit blast of some more mainstream brands to be found on department store counters, but for Annick Goutal, this is much closer to mainstream fragrances than they've ventured in the past. But never fear, this is the house of Annick Goutal after all, and it keeps within the bounds of good taste and never comes close to being a sugar bomb. There is a soft musk drydown, mixed with the fading rose and fruity notes. This is very nicely done for the fruity floral family but is still a little sweet for my tastes, but then, I'm definitely not the demographic they are aiming to appeal to with this fragrance.
Ce Soir Ou Jamais
Ce Soir Ou Jamais (tonight or never) was created in 1999 and the main note in this perfume is an opulent Turkish rose. My husband once brought me home a little vial of rose essence he bought at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul and this perfume replicates the richness and the deepness of that rose scent. It has added notes of hibiscus and ambrette. I have no idea what hibiscus smells like as any I have been around are scentless. The ambrette adds a warmth and further depth to the perfume. Some people talk of a boozy opening when describing this perfume, and it does have that red wine feel through the richness and slight fruitiness of the rose note. This perfume has excellent longevity on me. A full 24 hours later I can still smell a strong rose note if I put my wrist to my nose. Annick Goutal scents sometimes have a reputation for going off at a fairly young age. I can't speak for all the scents but my bottle of Ce Soir Ou Jamais is ten years old and still going strong. This is my favorite of the roses listed here and the only one that I own a full bottle. This is the prettiness of Rose Absolue with an added omph, but it never gets too complicated and it projects rose, rose, rose. It's definitely worth a try if you enjoy rich rose scents.
Top photo unknown source on Google. Other photos from Annick Goutal website.
3 comments :
While I consider myself an Annick Goutal fan (I have several bottles and decants, and enjoy wearing these perfumes), somehow I managed not to try three out of four perfumes you reviewed. I remember that Rose Absolue turned very soap-y on my skin, which some of the rose-centric perfumes do. And the rest just were not around to test but I didn't feel like ordering samples online. I wish Nordstrom in my area got the brand back (they used to have it but then it disappeared).
Yikes, Undina, reading your comment I saw I misspelled Absolue. Thanks! I'm lucky when I'm in Singapore there is a big department store, Tangs, which has a really big selection of perfumes to try. At my home in Texas it's more the department store brands. What are your favorites in the line? There are many I haven't tried yet.
Actually, I didn't notice the misspelling - I just copied the name from my database after I went there to check, which of the Annick Goutal perfumes I tried.
My absolute favorites are Petite Cherie, Heure Exquise and Ambre Fétiche. I also like and sometimes wear Encens Flamboyant, Musc Nomade, Myrrhe Ardente and Nuit Étoilée.
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