Guerlain Joyeuse Tubereuse

Guerlain recently introduced a new addition to their L'Art et la Matiere line of fragrances, Joyeuse Tubereuse.  Guerlain describes the scent as "a freshly picked tuberose" and indeed, the initial opening has a burst of green as if from the broken stem that had been holding the flower a moment before being plucked. This green opening is fresh and creamy and reminds me a little of the opening in Jour d'Hermes. This only lasts a short time and the tuberose enters.

This tuberose is limpid and dewy. Perfumers Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk used a light touch with a note that has a reputation for scaring people away. The perfume displays the creamy aspects of tuberose but none of the indolic, skank, or camphorous notes. Like a tomcat that's gone under the knife, this tuberose is tamed and subdued of aggressiveness without losing any of the prettiness of the floral.  Notes of lily and sambac jasmine join the tuberose. Normally I find that jasmine will dominate on my skin but it stayed in the background; it was the lily I smelled. The lily and  tuberose make a very pretty combination, with the tuberose dominating.

It is around the time that the lily becomes obvious that I also began to smell vanilla. As with the tuberose, the vanilla's touch is light. It serves to slightly sweeten the perfume. I'm imagining tuberose and vanilla flavored marshmellows. The vanilla is not really gourmand but just adds a nice softness to the tuberose. At this point the perfume reminds me a little of Memo Marfa which also has vanilla and tuberose. Joyeuse Tubereuse continues for several hours with this fluffy tuberose and vanilla combo but eventually very gentle base notes of sandalwood and vetiver become present as the tuberose fades. These two notes are particularly quiet on my skin.

This perfume lasted all day but the sillage was slight. I think this would be a great perfume for those who have shied away from tuberose perfumes like Malle's Carnal Flower or Piguet's Fracas because the tuberose is too strong. This perfume is considered unisex and I realize my description may not make it sound that way but if you're a man that loves white flowers I think you would enjoy this one.  Joyeuse Tubereuse is a very nice perfume and I would happily wear it but I tend to like the tuberose perfumes that announce their presence so for now I will admire from afar.

Photo from Guerlain. Sample from Essentials Tangs Singapore.

Guerlain Mon Guerlain

My first attempt at wearing Guerlain's new introduction, Mon Guerlain Eau de Parfum, was not a success. I don't know if it was the fact that it was the end of a warm day and I needed a shower, but the notes just turned into a sweet generic perfume such as can be found on numerous department store perfume counters produced by less illustrious brands. Fast forward to the next day, I sprayed Mon Guerlain again and this time my reaction was much more favorable. Perfumer Thierry Wasser along with Delphine Jelk have created a perfume featuring notes of lavender and vanilla. Lavender doesn't seem to be used a lot these days and has a reputation with some as being fusty or medicinal. I've always loved lavender; to me it smells fresh and invigorating. The challenge for Guerlain was to introduce lavender in a way that would not put off the masses. In my opinion they achieved this by taking a bow to today's mass market desire for sweet or gourmand perfumes.

As I said above, my first experience with the perfume was too much sugary sweetness, but now I think warm skin and  a warm day amplified this effect. One can't ever discount how skin chemistry can shift and how climate can affect the appropriateness of a scent. I suspect this might be more of a cool weather scent for me as in the heat my skin turned it into a sugar bomb with nary a touch of lavender in sight. That's hard for me to believe as now, on my third wearing of Mon Guerlain on this temperate day the lavender is very much present, although surrounded prettily by vanilla and tonka. The perfume ultimately smells like dainty lavender macarons to my nose.

Guerlain classifies Mon Guerlain as a "fresh oriental." I suppose to someone unexposed to oriental perfumes a case could be made but to me it is just too fresh and too clean to be a true oriental. Orientals tend to make me feel like I'm languishing on colorful Persian carpets with hookah pipes and spicy dishes but this brings more to mind skipping through a field of lavender sprinkling sugar crystals among the stalks. The lavender used in Mon Guerlain is a special breed: Carla lavender, which was also used in 2015's Mon Exclusif and Chanel's Jersey. Many reviewers have commented that they don't even get any lavender and I think this is because it's cushioned by the soft sweeter notes of the vanilla and tonka, along with iris which pairs beautifully with the lavender. At times I smell a dry almond note which could be from the coumarin. There are notes of jasmine to add a sweet floral touch. Wassler has a nice touch with jasmine and created one of my favorite jasmine perfumes for Guerlain, Aqua Allegoria Jasminora, sadly no longer available. A sandalwood note in the drydown adds to the creamy texture and as time wears on the perfume becomes like a blurry white musk.

I'm sure there is a market for those who want a gourmand perfume with the refinement of a Guerlain, which tips to the sweet side but doesn't take it too far . It remains to be seen if the lavender note will be liked or if it will be off-putting to consumers. As for the tie in with Angelina Jolie as spokeswoman, I am indifferent to celebrity ties in with products. I neither like or dislike her; I just don't care and to me the endorsement seems a terrific waste of money. I'm sure that Guerlain has a marketing team a whole lot smarter than me about these things who have figured that the celebrity exposure will pay off in the long run. What are your feelings about celebrities fronting perfume campaigns? Yay or nay?

Ultimately I like Mon Guerlain well enough, even though this category of perfumes is not one I normally seek out. The slight touch of lavender makes it more interesting to me, but if you aren't a lavender lover I would still give it a try as others have said the note doesn't stand out on their skin.


Photo and great recipe can be found at www.hintofvanillablog.com. Perfume sample from Saks Fifth Avenue.

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pera Granita

The fragrance house of Guerlain introduced the Aqua Allegoria line in 1999 and every spring a new limited edition version debuts. Guerlain is know for its historic and heavy hitter scents, none with a particularly quiet touch. This was their answer to pleasing an emerging market that wanted lighter less serious scents, while still keeping the integrity of their line intact.  From the Guerlain website:

"Aqua Allegoria is a continuously renewed collection that pays homage to the wonders of nature and beautiful raw materials. Delicate and cheerful fragrances that represent sweet and happy moments."

These fragrances usually feature one or two notes and explore the lighter side of perfumery. Projection and longevity are not what they are about, but that doesn't matter to the fans of the line who look forward to seeing what notes will be featured in the newest version.  The bottle remains the same each year, a simpler representation of the famous Guerlain bee bottle. Pastel tinted perfumes look even prettier in the bottles and add to their light, frothy appeal.

This year's introduction, Pera Granita, or pear sorbet, is meant to represent that refreshing summer treat. On first spray this perfume is a lot of fun. There is a big fluorescent blast of grapefruit, then I get a fruity notes of grape, berries (neither of which are listed in the notes) then at last pear. This big fruity opening is not too sweet and is rather enjoyable. Just as I'm thinking it's a bit too much fruit pop for me and would be better on someone born since cell phone usage became commonplace, it begins to quieten dramatically into a very subtle slightly sweet pear with musky overtones. Listed notes for the perfume are top notes of grapefruit, lemon and bergamot, followed by middle notes of pear, osmanthus and orange blossom, and base notes of cedar, musk and moss.

Pera Granita does not call out to me. I tend to gravitate towards the line's more herbal and citrus offerings, however if pear or fruity perfumes are your thing, this one is nicely enough done. I can see it as a more grown up choice for those younger women who are used to fruity perfumes or for anyone who just wants a fun simple summer perfume.

Photo from the Guerlain website.