Nizzsh

I am a great L'Heure Bleue admirer and an even greater Guerlain devotee, and I was very, very critical of a fragrant interpretation of this classic little treasure. What was the point, why and -OH HORROR- surely they weren't going to discontinue production of the original...?

Today I finally had the chance to spray the fragrance. First sniff... Guerlain DNA! Unmistakable. Wonderfully reminiscent of orange blossom, airy and sweet. After about an hour, I think I can perceive my beloved Guerlinade in ethereal form. Soft and beautiful. An airy, powdery iris sweetness. As though the particles of a luxurious body powder were dancing in the evening sunlight of a Mediterranean residence.

After another hour, there was sunlight on tanned skin. Warm, skin-like, powdery, very close, softly shimmering. Delphine Jelk has delivered and yes! We absolutely need this interpretation of the original idea behind L'Heure Bleue. Guerlain's wonderfully unique olfactory romanticism could not have been transported into 2026 any better.

In a proper Turkish spoon salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and green peppers are chopped so finely that you can scoop the salad with a spoon), a good amount of lemon is essential. If you're lazy or don't have a lemon handy, you use Fersan lemon sauce. Unlike the classic German concentrate from the lemon-shaped bottle, this one contains a lot of sugar.

And this is exactly where we find Sugar Lemon: sour-fresh, a bit sweetener-like sugary, super artificial yes - but maybe better than no lemon at all? In the salad definitely, on my skin okay for a quick fresh up, adding that certain crisp. There are better and more authentic hesperid scents out there. No development is perceivable, Sugar Lemon is there, sourly fresh, and then it's gone again. As a shower gel from the same line, this is very, very pleasant at 35 degrees under a lukewarm shower.

When I wanted to step out into the big wide (field sales) world in 2013 after several years at a renowned niche perfumery, and thus started at a company based in Berlin, whose owner also ran an exquisite little perfumery, the brand Agonist stood in the mirrored shelves of that store.

The slender bottles with the white lacquer on the front, the very minimal black lettering, and the colored savings at the bottom of the bottle immediately caught my attention.

It was winter, Charlottenburg was covered in snow, and I was in Berlin for training. During the day, I served in the store, read through the materials of the brands I was to represent for my new role during the quiet times, or helped translate the English-language leaflets of a very cool skincare brand. The store played loungy, slightly melancholic, very well-curated music. It seemed to glow in a muted green-gold, and through the illuminated round mirror on the wall, I saw the moody Berlin winter weather. It was already dusk, and Eric Satie's Gymnopedie No.1 was playing from the speakers.

I reached for Liquid Crystal and sprayed it on myself. It seemed to merge with my skin, my dark green blouse, the even darker green floor, the softly golden-tinted mirrored shelves, the light of dusk, and the little white snow mounds outside, my aching heart due to terrible heartbreak, the black leather of my boots, the memory of the blue-packaged cough syrup from my childhood, which tasted sweet and bitter and burned in my throat at the same time, the melody of Gymnopedie No.1, and forever created in the synapses of my brain the association with that melancholic Berlin afternoon. I still have a tiny amount of this beautiful scent, which catapults me back 13 years with every sniff. A truly emotionally charged little water.

I love neroli, I love jasmine, and white flowers in general. And since I no longer sell in niche perfumeries, I am no longer too proud to indulge in mainstream designers - not that PP has actually been an outstanding success in the mainstream.

Just yesterday, I dug out my remaining 1/3 bottle of Pure Poison from the depths of my perfume collection, and today I was already on the lookout for a good deal on a new bottle. This can only mean one thing: I love this scent! This deliciously sweet, brightly sunny clean blend of my 3 favorite white flowers is something I absolutely want to wear on my skin until at least October. Pure Poison is enveloping, clean, and seems to vibrate warmly. It is present and noticeable, although the longevity is rather modest. For me, it's a typical perfume that you can spray on throughout the day again and again without it becoming too much. Also excellent for layering.