Néroli Outrenoir Guerlain 2016

No other fragrance has bounced back and forth between my "Wish List" and "Tested" folders as often as Néroli Outrenoir. The base is simply a dream: creamy, minimally mossy-green and with a tiny hint of vanilla. And the wonderfully smoky tea! Nevertheless, the bottle will probably not be joining my collection. Why? Because a constant lemon note hovers over everything. And citrus fragrances are simply not my cup of tea. Of course, that's not the fragrance's fault, as it even has "neroli" in the name. Nevertheless, I wanted to test it because I love Guerlain, the base notes appealed to me and I wanted to venture out of my comfort zone.

The fragrance starts with a green, slightly bitter note that is reminiscent of fresh, green orange leaves. I think that's terrific! The citrusy neroli orange note is also immediately present, which remains throughout and unfortunately bothers me. After a few minutes, the fantastically smoky teenage note sets in, which makes me literally revel in the fragrance. As soon as a slightly warm creaminess is added, the fragrance has enchanted me again. Unfortunately, the omnipresent cloud of lemon that keeps wafting towards me makes me turn up my nose again and again. Sometimes it even has a slightly pungent effect on my skin, which is not nice at all. In a nutshell: top at the start and base, unfortunately a flop in the middle.

Well, I could have known beforehand that the fragrance was ultimately not for me. It is and remains primarily a citrusy fragrance, which was clear to me from the outset, which is why I still rate it well. Because of all the citrus fragrances I have tested, this one is the best. It manages the balancing act between fresh and warm excellently and I would even wear it from time to time (well, maybe once a year, but even that is a big compliment for a citrus fragrance from me!) If it were cheaper, I might even consider a little bottle. At this price, however, I only ever keep a small sample with me, for those days when I want to enjoy the lovely smoky teen note and feel the need to sniff the atomizer.
And I've learned (once again) that my skin and nose don't like citrusy notes on me, so maybe I should just accept that. But I'm probably still in the repression phase...