Liu 1929 Extrait

Liu (Extrait) by Guerlain
Bottle Design Raymond Guerlain
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7.9 / 10 249 Ratings
A popular perfume by Guerlain for women, released in 1929. The scent is floral-powdery. The production was apparently discontinued.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Floral
Powdery
Spicy
Woody
Chypre

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
AldehydesAldehydes
Heart Notes Heart Notes
JasmineJasmine Orange blossomOrange blossom Ylang-ylangYlang-ylang RoseRose
Base Notes Base Notes
AmberAmber SandalwoodSandalwood VanillaVanilla

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.9249 Ratings
Longevity
7.9194 Ratings
Sillage
7.1199 Ratings
Bottle
8.7190 Ratings
Value for money
7.530 Ratings
Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 20.07.2023.
Interesting Facts
The initial presentation in a black bottle known as the Tabatiere (snuff bottle), decorated with a gold label, is inspired by Chinese tea caddies from the eighteenth century and was designed by Raymond Guerlain and made by Cristalleries de Baccarat. The scent was discontinued in the late 1950s. However, in 1994 and 2005, it was reissued as a limited edition in its original Tabatiere bottle, but the scent apparently got reformulated.

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions
8.5
Scent
Susan

59 Reviews
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Susan
Susan
Top Review 25  
Do you need LIU if you own CHANEL No. 5 / EDT...?
That's the eternal question since the two have been on the market together......and to put it bluntly: I still haven't found a conclusive answer even after decades......I'd say yes and no.....

Yes....because they are two completely different fragrances

No.....because No.5 is clearly the more beautiful and sophisticated fragrance (at least for me ;-)..)

LIU is next to the old Chamade one of only two Guerlain fragrances, which I have ever liked......wenngleich LIU it has never made it into my collection........fortunately, I have the old LIU no longer concrete in mind and save me thereby possibly the usual comparison disappointment.......

So now I compare left LIU with right No.5/EDT.......

The direct comparison shows that they are ultimately just two completely different fragrances, which have only their fulminant aldehyde prelude in common.....

But even here, a direct comparison already shows significant differences.....

While in No.5 the aldehydes are wonderfully waxy and and flanked by a fresh citrus, they seem in LIU rather a little pungent and sharp-powdery.....whether this has always been so extreme, I dare to doubt ;-)....in addition, they are clearly longer present and leading than this is the case with No.5 / EDT......

Thus, in LIU the heart note announces itself initially also only subliminally and over a longer period......stets overlaid by the quite dominant aldehydes.......Rose and jasmine create only laboriously the way to the surface, and one notices their desperate struggle almost a little......

No.5 / EDT, on the other hand, glides almost seamlessly into its wonderful heart note and remains there for a long time in all its glory and splendor *sigh & gush* .......

When LIU is then finally arrived in the heart note, the rose comes to the fore.....although the jasmine only slightly more restrained appearance.....this perception may, however, also owe a bit to my aversion to all too clear rose ;-)......

This heart note is ultimately also, the LIU for me as a purchase candidate excludes.......she is too sweet-floral and rose-heavy for me.......even the slow-onset woods assets this impression for me not emphatically to weaken.......sumal now also the vanilla comes......Iris I perceive, if at all, only very quietly......perhaps it strengthens at this point the sweet impression a little....

Also the base of LIU I like so far not as good as that of No.5 / EDT.....

LIU I feel here as much more creamy and less airy-floating than Nr.5 / EDT .....she is woodier, denser and a little more "massive" (if you can say so)

Vanilla is also found in the No.5 / EDT base, but in a completely different way......less sweetish and clearly "refreshed by vetiver".......

Summa summarum: LIU is a wonderful, floral-powdery aldehyde fragrance of the old school.....elegant and feminine.......it is an independent fragrance that shares with No.5 only the aldehydic prelude and the floral-powdery basic character.......

While Nr.5 / EDT is cooler, more permeable, floating and mMn finely differentiated, LIU moves all in all in a sweeter and creamier direction......without being a "sweet" fragrance, however.....

PS: I refer here deliberately to the No.5 EDT, because the EDP is not the original No. 5 fragrance and is clearly different from this.....
16 Comments
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Serenissima

608 Reviews
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Serenissima
Serenissima
Top Review 28  
non piangere Liù
Jacques Guerlain was a great opera lover and two works by Giacomo Puccini in particular inspired him to create his most beautiful fragrances, which are still "cult" today.
The story of "Madama Butterfly" we meet again in "Mitsouko" and to the spell of "Turandot" we owe "Liù".
No music/opera lover can resist the charm of the little slave Liù, who loves "her" prince so much that she would rather stab herself out of fear than reveal his name under torture.
Thus, "Don't cry, Liù" (see commentary title), with which Prince Calaf comforts her before his "rehearsal" by Turandot, is also one of the most heart-touching arias Puccini ever wrote.
Arturo Toscanini conducted the premiere of "Turandot" at La Scala in Milan on April 25, 1926. During the third act, Toscanini laid down the baton after Liú died, saying, "Here ends the work of the master."
Puccini died before he could complete this masterpiece; he was not even clear about its ending. One of his students collected the notes and completed "Turandot."

So, too, is this eponymous poetic fragrance hymn dedicated to "little Liù," in which aldehydes play an extraordinary role.
After Coco Chanel brought this firework onto the fragrance stage in May 1921 in her "Chanel N° 5", their triumphal procession in the fragrance world began.
So they also shine in Jacques Guerlain's Eau de Parfum "Liù" and accompany bergamot and neroli, which, fresh and aromatic, thereby also shine and sparkle. They immediately give a special charm to this fragrance creature.
They announce the fragrant appearance of the two protagonists rose and jasmine; both play this sensual part with dedication and bravura; just as expected of them.
A sparkling masterpiece full of sound and beauty is already emerging, which gently and melodiously approaches the finale through woody accents and the powdery iris note.
Warm creamy vanilla and a hint of Ambergold tastefully conclude this elegantly feminine, yet somehow delicate fragrance creation.

Unlike Puccini's "Turandot", "Liù" was composed by master hand from beginning to end.
This signature is also reflected in sillage and durability; to this end, this generation of fragrances is not necessary to lose an additional word.

It is always a great sensual pleasure to experience the works of art of the Guerlain family. They let marvel and enjoy. Each generation has its masterpieces.
Even the younger creations from the "Guerlain fragrance nursery" carry the DNA of this house. I love to go on a journey of discovery there as well.

Of course, the fragrance classics have their own charm; a charm that seems born from the personality of their creators.
And "Liù" is probably a particularly beloved child of Jacques Guerlain.
Who knows, maybe her name is also "love"?
10 Comments
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
DonJuanDeCat

657 Reviews
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DonJuanDeCat
DonJuanDeCat
Top Review 22  
The best copy is allowed on the market!
Good evening, everyone!
Today I come to a Guerlain scent, which admittedly confused me a little at the beginning. Liu from 1929, because the name sounded so familiar to me, because after all it sounds almost like the Lui that appeared in 2017. And if you look at Lui's bottle, you can see that both the bottle and the label have a lot in common with Liu.

Is this the fragrance that preceded Lui? Apparently not,... because Lui doesn't seem to have anything to do with Liu apart from the bottle of that time and the perhaps equally strong Sillage, although I can't go into it any more detail olfactorically, because I still have to test Lui first. That's why from now on I only concentrate on Liu. So... how did it come to the scent back then?

Jacques Guerlain was inspired by Puccini's opera Turandot, or more precisely by one of the female characters in the play, the heroic Liu, which is why Guerlain named the fragrance after this woman.
There are also rumours that Guerlain and Chanel agreed to meet for a friendly competition. Both should create a fragrance that comes closest to the top fragrance of both perfumers of its time, that is, Chanel should try to copy Shalimar while Guerlain should try to get close to No. 5. The winner was then allowed to launch his product on the market. And it seems that Guerlain was the winner, who brought Liu to the people.

So, now I come to the fragrance, I have no more sample of No. 5 of Chanel, but I try to remember the fragrance of Chanel as well as I can, to which this fragrance should resemble so much, while I sniff at this Guerlain!

The fragrance:
Hm... the scent begins with strong aldehydes and is also powdery. But this fragrance is also a little different because I already smell roses and jasmine now and am not quite sure if this was the case with No. 5 right at the beginning. Be that as it may, the fragrance smells of aldehydes, roses, jasmine and in the background of further, not further identifiable flowers that come across a little difficult.
A little later Neroli appears and the sweetness of jasmine seems to mix a little with an amber-like sweetness. The powdery notes come from the iris, even if you have to smell it a little more precisely to recognize the iris, I mean.
Also later the scent smells of aldehydes, roses and powdery scents, as well as the sweetness of jasmine, only towards the end the scent becomes a little softer than at the beginning, presumably because the iris and vanilla gain some strength and thus make the scent softer, while the aldehydes gradually lose some strength.
Everything is okay, maybe a little old-fashioned, but at least nice smelling.

The Sillage and the shelf life:
The Sillage is strong, because the fragrance can be smelled immediately with the first sprayer, also for others. And for a while it also remains well-smellable, so that you really don't have to get close to it to smell the scent of one.
I also found the durability quite good with over ten hours of endurance.

The bottle:
Soo... with such old fragrances there are (or were) of course a lot of flacons, including the bottle that looked like today's Lui from 2017. The most recent, however, seems to be the Guerlain-typical bee flacon, which is decorated with bees and other patterns worked into the glass and looks great as always. On the front you can see a label with the name of the fragrance, the lid is gold-plated and round and on the neck a nice bow was attached. So as always a successful and beautiful bottle.

Soo people, this fragrance now smells like No. 5 of Chanel. Even if I don't have No. 5 in my head anymore, I would say: Yes, it actually reminds me of No. 5, especially because of the aldehydes. Maybe you could say here what many also think, namely that Liu would smell like a nice mix of No. 5 and Shalimar.

In any case, it is a nice women's fragrance, but today it may look a little old-fashioned and therefore very mature and therefore nothing for the younger girls. He looks elegant, for nice nice evenings,... but biteable he doesn't make one,... yeah, you're lucky I won't drool now, hey he :DD

It is worth a test, especially if you like scents like Chanels No.5 or Guerlains Shalimar etc., because it is possible that you wouldn't be able to do anything with such scents. Because some people told me that the scent would be really strong and the scent was not their thing at all. Yeah, it's just a tryout here.

I wish you all a nice evening, and if I should not publish anything tomorrow or so here for once, then I wish you a nice weekend! :)
5 Comments
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
8
Longevity
6.5
Scent
Gelis

161 Reviews
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Gelis
Gelis
Top Review 10  
Head too strong, heart and base too weak
"Liu," unfortunately, doesn't elicit gales of enthusiasm from me:

Top note:
Long-lasting aldehydes, whose hairspray note is fortunately somewhat softened by powder.

Heart notes:
Rose and jasmine have a hard time asserting themselves against the top note. Then, however, I have for a too short while a beautiful floral-powdery scent in the nose, with the woody notes of the base already hinting. For me, the best moment of "Liu".

Base note:
As the heart notes take their leave, the vanilla beckons shyly, dragging the even shyer iris behind it, striding over a woody base.

Sillage:
The top note is still clearly in the room, quickly retreats to half arm's length and at the latest in the heart note phase my nose hovers directly above the wrist. Exception: after the dog walk, I pull open the zipper and it surprises me - at this point - a beautiful surge of heart notes. The sillage testifies to everyday suitability, but actually "Liu" is probably not meant that way.

Durability:
Although the fragrance is overall subtle, it is quite durable. After 10 hours, I can still perceive a touch.

Comparison to Chanel's No 5:
They are similar in that they are floral powdery scents. The differences for me are 1. that in No 5 the aldehydes fade away within 30 seconds and due to the accompanying top notes, No 5 is much fresher at the beginning; 2. that the lilies of the valley create this clean note of No 5, which I find so successful because not too intrusive; 3. that the base note seems warmer due to amber. Overall, No 5 (EdT, EdC + EdP) is more present with me.

Conclusion: the aldehydes are too much and too strong for me. It was a matter of luck that I caught the beautiful heart note moment (apart from "after the dog round"). The base is too weak for me.

I thank Izayoi for sharing
3 Comments
10
Bottle
5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
10
Scent
Callas

54 Reviews
Callas
Callas
3  
Turandots' hero
Liu is the name of the heroine in the last Opera of Puccini's "Turandot".

I am enthusiastic about the scent.
As mentioned by other Parfumos in Germany, he closely resembles Chanel No. 5. He is dry, dark, but not very floral, more bergamot Jasmin Woody amber, leathery and wonderfully powdery.

Liu is my hero.

I was allowed to test Liu vintage and say big thanks to Mojo2000.
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