Guerlain | The Scented Hound

May 16, 2022
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Guerlain Insolence

WHAT I SMELL: Insolence (eau de parfum) opens with an ambered violet that quickly begins to turn creamy. It’s slightly thickened and very pretty without being soft and demure. Soon after, a more rounded vanilla and berry note comes forward and is added to the creamy concoction which feels like it would make for the perfect body lotion. After a short time, the vanilla helps to move the perfume to the sweetened side which is a combination of candied and floral sweetness. Here, the perfume really begins to radiate and grow in strength. The addition of a sandalwood note helps to bring the sweetness down to earth while creating a wrap of warmth around the florals. In the end, the perfume settles with a lightly sweet powdered vanilla’d violet resting on a subtle base of sandalwood. Insolence is a “nice” perfume.

From the Guerlain website:

This fruity floral fragrance highlights an unprecedented powdery duo of violet and iris, given a modern edge by a dash of berries.

The Eau de Parfum Insolence showcases an overdosed, high-voltage violet: a triumphant violet that registers at the opposite end of the spectrum from the shy whisper usually used to treat this flower in half-shades and shadows. This dazzling violet rubs shoulders with a timeless, chic and feminine iris.

Top note is Violet; middle notes are Wild Strawberry and Orange Blossom; base notes are iris, Vanilla, Tonka Bean and Sandalwood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A perfume that “Pat” would wear in the 1970s. It’s not offensive, it’s lightly girlish, yet slightly mature and her husband thinks she smells “swell”.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE INSOLENCE: sweetened, effective, pleasant-enough

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT INSOLENCE: A Tea-Scented Library

BOTTOM LINE: Insolence is a pleasant enough of a perfume. But I’m not sure that it’s enough. To me, it’s an everyday perfume that doesn’t feel like something that I would want to wear every day. And that’s too bad because I love my Guerlain perfumes. As I said earlier, Insolence is a “nice” perfume.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Fruity Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $135 for 75ml eau de parfum.

January 25, 2021
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

Guerlain Habit Rouge Eau de Toilette

WHAT I SMELL: Habit Rouge opens with a bright and sparkling mix of citrus highlighted by a clean barbershop lemon. It feels neat, brisk and fully energetic. After a short time, the citrus begins to mute and a warmth begins to wrap itself around the lemon with a light creamed sandalwood at the center. The perfume still retains its barbershop vibe, but instead of just coming out of the barber’s chair, it feels a bit more like one has prepped for a night out with a great aftershave. As the perfume continues to develop, a light floral note gives the perfume a bit of a softer and more rounded feel. After some more time, the perfume dries, flattens and becomes more herbal and vanilla-woody. Habit Rouge has a proper feel, but not so much as it feels too buttoned up or uptight. And in the end, it’s a perfume that’s easy to wear, gentlemanly and perfect for the office or for any occasion.

From the Guerlain website:

Habit Rouge Eau de Toilettes is a classic of elegance, glorified by the freshness of citrus notes.

Created in 1965, Habit Rouge was the first oriental fragrance for men in perfumery. From the moment of its launch, this tribute to Guerlain’s passion for the dressage of horses created an element of surprise with its scents of sensual and bold vanilla. An oriental that is by turns citrusy, warm and accented with vanilla, it expresses the genius of contrast and well-mastered emotions.
Habit Rouge embraces a dandy man who dares everything. combining sophistication and refinement. He lives his life fervently and distinguishes himself with a trail of extreme sensuality.

With its modern geometry and mastery of form, Habit Rouge has an eternally elegant French appeal.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Classic man of the mid 1960’s.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE HABIT ROUGE: tailored, reserved, mature

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT HABIT ROUGE: Bespoke Unit, Bois de Jasmin, Olfactics

BOTTOM LINE: I can’t believe that I’ve never reviewed Habit Rouge before even though it’s been part of my collection for years. It’s probably because it’s one of the perfumes that I take for granted as a workhorse and don’t wear when I go out for the evening, but instead reserve it for running errands and working out where the citrus and florals come front and center with the sun and heat. Habit Rouge makes it easy to smell fantastic no matter what you’re doing.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Citrus
Nose: Jean-Paul Geurlain
Classification: Masculine
Expense: Prices vary, but it can be found for around $50 for a 3.4 oz. eau de toilette.

November 9, 2020
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

November Surprise – Vintage Guerlain Chant d’Arômes Eau de Cologne

I think most of us would agree that 2020 has been a challenging year at best. The year for me thus far seems to have come to a crescendo in October. October ended with the 3rd Tropical Storm/Hurricane of the season, thankfully none of which caused too much damage besides record setting amounts of rain. Some friends found their houses leaking with water damage and/or flooding. Ours managed to maintain. But at the same time, and during storm 3, we had to move out of our house because we sold it. Yes, people do buy homes in foreign lands during a pandemic. And yes, we too were surprised. Add to the stress of moving, our movers decided at the last minute they could not store our belongings as they said they could. That’s a challenge because there is not any climate controlled storage here in Merida and the heat combined with antiques is not a good combination. So, at the last minute we were able to find a rental that worked out perfectly. But as 2020 keeps giving; two weeks prior to our move on a quiet Sunday afternoon someone decided to run a stop sign and broadside our car. Thankfully we weren’t hurt, but the car is still on the shop. So needless to say, this is why I haven’t posted in a month. It has been stressful to say the least.

But now it’s November, we’re settled into our beautiful rental. We’re starting the process for building our new house which is to be completed in a year. We’re happy and healthy and we have a new President-elect which will hopefully bring promise for a better 2021. So no complaints because we have plenty to be thankful for. And add just a bit of a cherry on top to it all, I managed to find an unopened vintage bottle of Guerlain Chant d’Arômes. I love the vintage Guerlain colognes and this is no exception and a great way to slide into November and a promise of a new beginning.

WHAT I SMELL: Chant d’Arômes opens with soft and lightly sweetened florals which are greeted with bright aldehydes. There’s a light powder and a slight metallic edge that seems to drift off rather quickly as the soft, light and bright florals take center stage. The perfume is more of a collection of flowers than of compartmentalized notes. The florals meld together to make for a spring bouquet of warm and enticing beauty. Never harsh, nor too strong, the perfume is softness personified.

From Fragrantica:

Guerlain Chant d’Aromes was created by Jean-Paul Guerlain in 1962. This is a fragrance for a woman which wears perfume for the sake of her pleasures only. It is a floral bouquet that talks a language of flowers. This perfume contains natural essences and belongs to the ‘chypre’ olfactory group. The main notes are aldehydes, gardenia, mirabelle, jasmine, cloves, honeysuckle, ylang-ylang, heliotrope, benzoin, oliban and vetiver.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Contentment.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE CHANT D’ARÔMES: light, happy, innocent

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CHANT D’ARÔMES: The Black Narcissus, The Non-Blonde, Perfume Shrine

BOTTOM LINE: Chant d’Arômes is a soft and pretty perfume that is infinitely easy to wear. In reading other reviews of the perfume, it seems like the EDT and extrait have essences of peach, which I don’t find with the EDC version. Instead, I just get a delightfully calming spread of innocent florals.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Chypre Floral
Nose: Jean-Paul Guerlain
Classification: Leans feminine
Expense: Varies for vintage