Rue des Lilas Phaedon 2011

Here, Pierre Guillaume found a muscular way to link muguet and lilac through a note they have in common.
Usually associated with orange blossom and jasmine sambac, indole gives this duoflore a strange kind of beauty, like a Star Trek alien who is attractive - but not something you’d want to cosy up to.

Rue des Lilas was a Bloom bestseller when re-issued in 2016 and it’s hard to see why it was deleted in the first place.
But like Flora Nerolia, and Fleur du Mâle, it suffered the fate of indolics that refuse to lie down and play safe.

Growing up in the northern outskirts of Europe granted me a childhood with not to many spring blossoms, especially not spring blossoms with prominent scent. Lilacs was one of few. Maybe that´s why I haven´t found a single perfume with obvious lilac note that I really like and care for. This far, nothing have come close to the real thing, the lilacs blossoming in my grand mothers garden close to the northern polar circle.

Until I tried Rue de Lilacs that is. Rue de Lilac is the first lilac heacy fragrance that reaches and acyually also manage to touch my heart. The opening is a masterpeice in fragile beauty. Piercingly high tuned lilacs underscored with some aldehydes and also a dash of tart citrus. The opening is somehow creating the feeling of lilacs blossoming in the last snow fall for the season. (Which is absolutly possible where i come from)

After a short while softer notes of lily-of-the-vallet chimes in, deepens the experiences, making it soft and caressing, but still with that piercing emotion in the background. Piercing and powdery at the same time, that´s not bad, I have for sure not encountered that in many perfumes. This way of handling lilac note makes Rue de Lilacs a modern lilac scent, suitable for a wide (but somewhat romantic) audience. Rue de Lilas is a must try if you still haven´t found a lilac scent that you like (or love), and for lovers of lilac it could very well become a wlecome addition to other lilac scents.

I feel totally comfortable when I wear this, and I can see myself buying a FB of it or at least a split (anyone interested???). Lasting powers isn´t that amazing, but decent enough, after all it´s only an eau de toilette.

The first approach. I get lily of the valley and a dreamy hint of musk that joins the blooming lilac bushes. The lily of the valley smells like my wonderful Coralie and the musk almost exactly like in Soliani's Il Vs Iris, which I wore just yesterday. A fine, cloud-white, slightly creamy musk note that makes me think of white bed linens in the spring sunshine.

Of course, my eyes grew wide. A scent like my Il Vs Iris, only with lily of the valley and lilac? This must be one for me. Absolutely. Before I dared to wear it properly and risk losing my heart completely, I first searched to see if Rue des Lilas was still available. I initially found no options on my phone. Limited edition. It was so clear. But I didn't give up and continued researching. On the PC. And I actually found several online shops that still offer it and even ship to Germany.

So I applied Rue des Lilas and just wanted to enjoy the magic of this fragrance. And then it happened. There. A discordant note. Amidst all the lily of the valley muddled
white blooming beauty, the blooming, green lilac, and the pure, white musk, a small, nasty aroma chemical pinched. Just a tiny bit at most. Because the scent is delicate. I sprayed a few times and after 2-3 hours, not much of it is noticeable anymore. It still has this tiny bit of unpleasantness. And I believe it could be ambrocenide or a relative that wants to spoil this nearly perfect beauty a little. I've unfortunately noticed this several times with Guillaume's fragrances, that reissues and reformulations no longer correspond entirely to the original formulation and have sometimes received additions that are no longer fully in tune with my wavelength. So unfortunately here as well.

It could have been so beautiful: A scent that still exists. For under a hundred euros even. But it seems it simply isn't meant to be. Such a shame.

I still think it's great, no question. Nevertheless, it will not become mine. With heartfelt thanks to Gandix for the testing opportunity.

This is my first comment here... As a coastal person (by birth), I often lack the right words for feelings. Not to mention scents and their analysis. But here, a fragrance has made me smile. Not with loud cheers, but with a friendly, content, almost soulful smile. This soft, delicate, subtle, yet defining lilac hits exactly the sweet spot. I recognize three of the four fragrance notes well; I believe I can sense the rosewood. The scent is not complicated.
For me, it's a little miracle that will surely accompany me for a long time. It's a shame that it's no longer available.