Picture this: a gloomy day at an Alabama beach, with your chain-smoking aunties vacationing stylishly at a three-star hotel casino. There's a peculiar, nostalgic aroma that’s part mothballs, part menthol-like scent from the ylang-ylang, mixed with "Guerlinade"...
This fragrance feels as if the perfumer, Thierry Wasser, revisited old ideas and materials. It could easily pass as a summer flanker to Shalimar, with a clear resemblance to the Souffle line — particularly Souffle de Lumière.
The bergamot and vanilla notes take a backseat here, allowing the ylang-ylang to take center stage, but without being overly radiant/solar. The patchouli note is impeccable — clean, expertly executed, and balanced by a subtle salt note that adds depth to the composition. The vanilla, unlike in some of Guerlain's other creations, is not overly sweet.
The fragrance seems to tip its hat to Guerlain's legendary "guerlanade" with vintage Shalimar-esque citrus, alluding to a glorious past, though the present reality seems to fall short of that grandeur. This fragrance ends up being regretfully forgettable, with poor longevity that hardly justifies its high price tag. It’s a missed opportunity.
