I am not passionate about Guerlain’s L’Art et la Matière line: so far, they’ve been (mostly) nice, but my wallet does not quake in fear when a new one is launched, as it does when it hears of an upcoming Hermessence. My favorite so far has been the lovely Bois d’Armenie, by perfumer Annick Menardo, but despite the fact that I’ve been through a few samples and small decants, so far I’ve not been moved to buy it.
The seventh and newest in the range, Tonka Impériale, was developed by Guerlain house perfumer Thierry Wasser. As Wasser also did the only one of the group that I seriously disliked, Iris Ganache, I didn’t really get excited about Tonka Impériale until I started seeing glowing reviews. So here I am, joining the bandwagon rather late: this is really wonderful stuff.
Tonka Impériale is a gourmand oriental, and was reportedly inspired (in part) by the construction of Jicky. I’ve seen numerous mentions of L’Heure Bleue as well, but it doesn’t really matter unless you’re a serious Guerlainophile who must find a historical antecedent for each modern release — Tonka Impériale is not a grand perfume in the classic manner; it’s very decidedly a modern niche fragrance, and it fits perfectly into the L’Art et la Matière box.
Tonka Impériale starts quite boozy and rather rich, and for a moment, I thought it was perhaps another take on the Spiritueuse Double Vanille theme. No, it veers off in other directions shortly: a bit of citrus, something strongly herbal and aromatic (that only registers as rosemary because I know it’s listed in the notes), then loads of bitter almond, then dry hay + dry tobacco. By the 15 minute mark, it’s foody and sweet; Sylvaine Delacourte of Guerlain describes it as “between gingerbread and chocolate”, and to that I’d add amaretti cookies drizzled with honey. If that sounds overwhelming, I’ll add that the richness of the opening does not last — it feels nearly transparent on skin, and the bitter and spicy elements counter the sugar nicely. It has less of a “vanilla comfort scent” feel than Spiritueuse Double Vanille, and after hitting a high point on the sugar scale at around 40 minutes, it slowly gets drier and woodier as it continues to develop.
So yes, I’d very much like a bottle. But $235? I have long used the Hermessences as a kind of benchmark — so long as I can get a 100 ml Hermessence for $180, I don’t see why I should ever pay more for anything. Except that they’re not $180 — I just checked. They’re $235. Ouch.1 And now that I think of it, I’m pretty sure others have already pointed that out to me in the comments, so obviously I want to forget. It’s a funny world, isn’t it, when the Serge Lutens line is now the great bargain in niche perfumery? And hey, L’Artisan Parfumeur’s prices aren’t looking so bad either.
Guerlain Tonka Impériale is available in 75 ml Eau de Parfum. The complete notes: bergamot, rosemary, tonka bean, honey, spices, almond, jasmine, vanilla, cedar, pine, incense, tobacco and amber. For buying information, see the listing for Guerlain under Perfume Houses.
1. Although I will note that the great thing about the Hermessence line is that you can get any of them in 15 ml for $36 as part of the discovery sets (four 15 ml bottles for $145).
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LoL! Who’d ever have thought that SL stuff would be considered a “bargain?” Gee, Robin, thanks for putting thoughts in my head! Now, not only am I trying to resist visiting The Perfume Shoppe and buying up a couple bottles of Montales at a discount, but I have to resist getting my greedy hands on a “bargain” bottle of SMLR or NdC…
I am very grateful to our Madame Enabler for my “bargain priced” decant of this fragrance. Wore it to bed the other night for a sweet dream and woke up with still a soft veil of scent the next morning. I’ll need to give it a full-day’s trial soon!
Seriously, the SL prices are nearly the most reasonable around. Oh, and PdN too. I’m having a lot of trouble breaking the $200 barrier. It is just too much.
I thought it was bad enough that I had myself convinced that anything under $100 was practically free, but now I’ve got those around me buying into it. My partner likes Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, and when I said I could find some for “only $180,” I was met with total agreement that that sounded reasonable.
LOL … yeah, it creeps up on you, doesn’t it?
My credit card trembles at such thoughts!
Oh man, I’m going to New York soon and trying Apres L’Ondee for the first time, and all I could think was “I hope I love it, it’s so reasonably priced, only $107…”
LOL! It does seem like a bargain.
I like this, but can’t get past the price. It was even more here in Canada ($275 if I remember correctly). I could get 2 or 3 larger bottles of something else that is arguably as pretty for the same amount. It’s a shame really.
I doubt I’m going to get past it either. Why can’t Guerlain do little 15 ml bottles?
Do you do decants Robin? I know this one has been split a couple of times on the Google Scent Splits group.
Oh yes, that’s how I’m trying it!
Price tag is a little steep, indeed.
I’m going to crawl back over the Hermes website and practice my restraint. I’m still craving a bottle of Calèche Fleurs de Méditerranée so I refuse to purchase anything else Hermes until I purchase that — the sad truth is I’ve wanted this bottle for several weeks now and have been putting it off all the while purchasing four other bottles of perfume that I didn’t really want as much as I want Fleurs de Méditerranée. I need to stop with these impulse buys.
Oh my goodness, ain’t it the truthe?
I’ve done just that – bought a bunch of bottles that I “liked enough” thinking they were a much better deal, all the while longing the one I really loved that I could have had for the price of the others combined.
Yep. I’ve spent about three times as much on perfumes since then. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
Probably the same thing that’s wrong with ME! I’m trying to recognize that tendency in myself whenever it comes up. If I’m tempted to buy a “bargain” (or three), I stop and ask myself, “if price was no object, what fragrance would you REALLY love to have right now?” and that’s really helping in the restraint. I may not buy the one I really want, but it keeps me from buying the one, two or three I’m not crazy about.
Yep. I know what fragrances I want and the sad thing is I rarely buy those. I get distracted by something else that’s at a better price but ultimately just leaves me not quite as happy as I would be if I had just sprung for the perfume I really wanted at the time.
My biggest regret lately has been Pamplemousse Rose because I bought it instead of Calèche Fleurs de Méditerranée because it was $40 cheaper only to find out that despite its loveliness it doesn’t last at all on me. And I’ve wanted the latter ever since.
I really need to stop lamenting this and just suck it up and buy it. $165 isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things. I’m just being stupid.
So I’m not the only one with a case of perfume-bargain-itis. What a relief!
Razz–I am going to employ your method, hopefully it will help me stop these “I like it and it’s a bargain” type purchases!
K’nestra– maybe you should split your bottle of Pamplemousse Rose, Save a bit for youself and put the dollars you recoup into the Caleche FdM?
I’ve done that too. Won’t do it again… I promise.
Oh, is that Caleche at discounters, have you checked?
Sadly, it is not. It’s special edition and only offered at Hermes & in stores at Neiman’s.
Well drat then.
I am contemplating dragging my fiance’ with me over to Neiman’s tonight and buying it, though. I feel I won’t be happy with my recent purchases until I’ve finally caved and bought this. Full price be damned, I still want it. Badly.
OMG, I went to sniff this last night and it was love at first sniff, it has the same of Lyric and it’s only $165.00, it is EDP and it lasts. I received a sample instead of buying and wore it last night and I still get wiffs of it this morning. I really think it’s an all season perfume, and I need it, the bad thing is that it only comes in a 3.3 bottle and well as good as it smells I can see myself going through the whole bottle.
Afraid I might love this, so I haven’t tried it – yet! But if that winning lottery ticket ever comes through…
Yeah. The lottery. Lend me a few $ if you win, will you?
I have been placing all my hopes on the lottery for years. Now I’m thinking maybe gambling might be the answer to all of like’s financial problems. (It’s ok, no need to worry: I have no idea how to gamble, aside from the slot machines. And I’m nowhere near a casino.)
Oh, I am so in trouble. Recently purchased decants of both Tonka Imperiale and Attrape Coeur from my favorite splitster – Daisy – and now I want bottles of each! LOVE THEM! There’s no way I can spring for a $235 bottle, let alone $460. Yikes. And yes, there are still bottles of Attrape Coeur at Guerlain shops – just contacted Claire in Vegas, and he has four in stock – $225 a bottle. At least it’s 4.2oz, not 75ml, but still.
So…anyone have a partial bottle of either of these that they want to off-load???
Oh yes, I forgot, attrappe coeur is another lemming!
Is it very powdery?
Z: to me not powdery at all, very ambery floral, and I would say, vanillic, but it’s so hard to describe. It’s lovely.
I agree, Attrape-coeur is a great fragrance, complex in the traditional Guerlain style, a soft amber with an iris-violet heart and a touch of peach on top.
It *is* being discontinued, so I’d advise anyone who was considering a purchase to get a bottle (I’ve now got two back-ups) while there are still stocks, though it seems it’s still in fairly good supply. A cheaper alternative for people who’ll be travelling is the Vol de Nuit Evasion sold in duty-free shops (at least it was until last Christmas, I haven’t taken a plane since): it’s the exact same concentrate, but in eau de toilette, and much more affordable (got two of those as well). Can you tell I love it?
Thanks CC — I never know how to get the real story on what’s going on in the perfume world. I also have backup Attrape Coeur –with discontinuations and re-formulations I’ve become a terrible perfume hoarder! (is that bad?)
Cough.
WHEW is it HOT in here… (fluffs t-shirt).
I get loads of jasmine (though I could swear it’s ylang, even though ylang doesn’t appear in the list of ingredients). Not powdery at all IMO.
I thought Guerlain said that they weren’t discontinuing Attrape Coeur??? Has anything changed?
I thought they discontinued Attrape Coeur….but I always seem to be the last to know….does anyone know about this? And an SA said they were also discontinuing the Voyages line as well. I never know where to get the real information.
Well, the SA – Claire – over at the Vegas shop said this in email:
“It is true that Attrape Coeur has been phased out of the Parisienne Collection, however, I currently have 4 left in stock.”
Someone else said they recently purchased a bottle at Neiman’s in SF. So, it seems if Guerlain is discontinuing it, there is still stock left in some stores.
Ouch, two of them you need! That’s tough. I’m pretty good…I’ll hopefully forget all about TI by the end of next week and move onto to something I can afford.
Karin – why don’t you host a split of A-C then?
I’ll buy-into that! You’ll have to contact me though since I don’t have membership in the splits group… mollyseb at hotmail dot com
Not sure I want to host…though I do prefer to have the bottle. Hmmm…will think on it. Hosted one split a few months ago – 31 Rue Cambon – and it was a nightmare! I must be split handicapped cause there was perfume everywhere!!!
A – C shouldn’t be too hard since it’s in a stoppered bottle, not a spray. But then I’m the one with a kitchen that has smelled like Champagne de Bois all week…
Hahaha and we thank you for it, dear Rapple!
Rapple—you know the top on Champagne de Bois unscrews, right? Or was it more of an “cat” related incident? It’s gotten so I put a chair right near where I’m working so the “overly curious” can see without attempting a flying leap into the middle of everything.
Aw hell naw! Someone would be locked in a room if unstoppered *anything* was being fiddled with.
I’m embarrassed to admit *how* it happened… I had the filled vial in my hand, got a wee bit distracted, and turned my wrist over to sniff the fragrance on it (not CdB, but I can’t remember now what it was). OOPS – I hadn’t put the stopper in yet! So CdB all over the counter. I can still smell it faintly.
Joe – you are absolutely right! The boys were locked in the powder room.
I think your boys are more energetic than my old ladies….and I can’t lock Maxie in the powder room—she’ll howl the entire time like she’s caught in a steel toothed bear trap….very distracting. A chair for viewing works very well for her. Keeps the peace, as it were.
Haha yeah my kitty babies would howl and become very perturbed if I locked them away from me while decanting. One of my “overly curious” likes to jump right up on the table and stick her nose in the bottle (decant bottle or original) and I don’t have the heart to push my little perfumista kitty away….what can I say?
No accidents….YET. (And hopefully none of my splitters are/were severely allergic to cats…)
can you hook me up with this person? I definitely want to get some Attrape Coeur before it is discontinued. I am new to it (just over a year) but I LOVE it! How can I contact this person? Thanks.
Is this creature with grey fur and whiskers sniffing my wallet a lemming? Are they so quick? This one has a lot of Imperial bees embossed on his collar… Sigh!
I so want to try this! I love your review, though the words almond and amaretti should kill this pet instantly!!
But I long so much to enter into a Guerlain boutique, smell Tonka Imperiale (me Jicky girl!), discover bois d’arménie (please review that one too! These reviews make me dream!), and thouroughly test VDN in extrait, to ponder the opportunity off a FB purchase… Oh, and of course I would approach queen Shalimar pure perfume… Purrr purrfume…
So, 235$ means how many euro lunches should I skip?
If you do not like almond, really do not think you will like this! If that helps.
The lemming here says it helps…. a bit… A tiny tiny bit…
aside from the vanilla/almond note……I get NOTHING akin to Jicky or L’Heure Bleue or maybe I’m misconstruing the “similar construction” idea— (So tell that wallet-sniffing-lemming to go lay down and sleep it off ) I’ve noticed our tastes in perfumes are quite dissimilar : I cannot abide Jicky or L’HB and I love almond, vanilla and gourmands….I wish I could send you samples without incurring the wrath of the Italian postal system…sigh….
Oh thank goodness – I do not care for almond. I guess the dead rodent on my carpet last night was this lemming, then.
yup, one lemming down 80 ba-zillion to go…..
You make them sound so cute, instead of the pure evil they are!
mine travel in packs!!
This is a wonderful scent.
Yep.
Robin: I will agree. This is *dreamy*.
Like you, I’m not sure I’d know there was rosemary in there if someone didn’t tell me. It’s like an amaretto cookie, as you say, but not as sweet as something like Rahat (which I actually like also). And just a hint of bitterness, though it’s very gourmand.
I can’t help but wonder if Iris Ganache would still strike you as too *sweet* if you tried it now — I think it’s strong and brash, but “sweet” somehow seems the wrong descriptor for how it hits you over the head (and I do love it, by the way — but not liking it is of course ok! I’m really not trying to convince you!).
I wish I were home so I could dab a drop of Tonka Imperiale on right now. But I think I’d better make my small decant last forever — when you compare the price to 100ml of Hermessences like that, the price of these seems positively ridiculous!
No, I can sort of see the point of the Jicky structure, but only sort of — it isn’t really fresh & cool for more than a few seconds, whereas Jicky has that decided contrast between the bergamot/lavender and the civet/vanilla.
I really disliked IG. It wasn’t just the sweetness (and I’m not always against sweetness)…it was something about the combination of notes. Blech. It would be a real shocker if I ever did an about face on IG. Weirder things have happened though, LOL…
White chocolate and iris is an awfully odd combination. I’ve never tried any of this series, though, and for my future children’s college funds’ sake, that is probably for the best.
Yeah. Wait until you get the kids through Harvard.
I think the point of Iris Ganache is that some iris concretes *do* have a chocolate facet: I have a sample of iris butter that smells like chocolate so much I couldn’t use it with my students to show them what the iris note was… That said, whatever the point, it’s not a scent that I’m crazy about.
What’s funny is that I don’t get chocolate at all from IG (even when searching for it.), but in the opening, something that reminds me very much of latex house paint.
And if that isn’t strange enough, yes, I like it.
I didn’t think I liked gourmands until I fell in love with this. It is so comforting, not too sweet, and pretty masculine to me. I too will have to make my sample last because I can’t afford a full bottle. Although it is a big bottle – it would last forever, right? (justification, justification…)
To me, anything bigger than 30 ml reads as “last forever”!
Does that help?
It would last forever if you never wore it
Robin – I’ve about decided that we’re Evil Scent Twins. Invariably I’ve hated (or at least disliked) the scents you love and vice versa. This can be a good thing though IMHO. I’m a committed Guerlie Girl, and I hated this! And of course, it wouldn’t come off of my skin for something like 36 hours!
Oh dear. Robin likes, you hate…and just when I’d convinced myself that nothing from the house of horrors warranted testing ever again. Why can’t I stick with that conviction?
Clearly your only recourse is to sniff EVERYTHING!
YES YES, sniffing everything *is* truly the only option!
heheheh careful—they’ll start calling us the Dangerous Duo
Too late!!
I think there’s a big difference in the classic Guerlain line (the stuff I love) and the newer L’Art et la Matiere line, which is done by a variety of outside perfumers. Well, except TI was done by Wasser who is now the in house perfumer.
Oh, and Boo, I thought I had gotten rid of my sample of this, but I found it the other night, so will gladly send it along.
I still need to get into gear and package up your stuff. Hopefully this weekend!
It’s very useful to find an evil fragrance twin, yes! And that’s the law: if you hate it, it lasts forever.
Robin, for a nice Tonka-centric fragrance that won’t break the bank, try Les Neriedes Imperial Opoponax. It may not be as refined as TI, but the very reasonable price is agreeable.
I found TI to be closer to Habit Rouge overall, but I suppose I agree that the herbal component is somewhat Jicky-like.
The Les Neriedes IO is nice, yes…like it ok but not dying to own it. Figures, given that it’s a fraction of the price.
You know, given my general avoidance of anything that smells of shaving cream, I was surprised by not hating the Nereides IO. It was nice.
This sounds very nice. I hate the whole “Paris exclusive” thing, though, and having to jump through numerous hoops just to try those fragrances so who knows when I’ll get to sniff it.
I remember thinking how expensive the Hermessences were when I got my bottle of Ambre Narguile and it was £100. Now they are £140! Good thing that those samples are pretty generous and of course the travel sets are great especially now that you can mix and match the fragrances.
These are not really Paris exclusives though…in fact, Neiman Marcus has them online (although apparently out of stock at the moment). But still, it’s a PITA since not all stores have them to try. And Hermes is so generous with samples, Guerlain is not.
Alas, I don’t think these are available in UK. Perhaps Guerlain think we are close enough for a trip to Paris. I’m not 100% sure though, because as well as not being very good with samples, they also won’t answer my queries. It’s like they don’t want my money
The L’Art et la Matière aren’t Paris exclusives, but they’re sold only at Guerlain counters and shops. Sometimes the roll-out is gradual though, with stuff coming out in some countries before others.
There are very few true “Guerlain counters” in the US though…most stores carry only a few of the scents, and even those with true Guerlain counters often have nothing that Guerlain calls “Exclusives” on their website, and often not even the full range of the more widely distributed scents. It is not a well-distributed brand here.
Ditto, Robin. My local Guerlain counter currently doesn’t even have a VdN or Nahema tester. There’s better counter in the nearby city but I’ve never seen any of the more exclusive lines in UK. Perhaps they are available somewhere in London but, like I said, I don’t know because whenever I tried to contact Guerlain to ask about the stockists they never bothered to reply.
So for now my money goes to the likes of Chanel and Hermes. Or Dyptique, who I got in touch with last week regarding that new Vetyverio and who sent me samples because I’m some distance away from the nearest stockist. With a customary handwritten note.
Abyss, yes, I’ve also had nice experiences with Diptyque’s customer service.
Some of the Guerlain SA’s are pretty generous. Both Alena and Jason at BG’s have been great!
But you’re a customer, right? Hermes will send samples to most anyone who calls (or give them to anyone who walks into a boutique), in my experience Guerlain does not do that -> if you’re a preferred customer at BG you get all kinds of stuff, otherwise forget it.
Wow! Now I feel special! lol!
I’m laughing at myself now, do you know that? I didn’t even smell this one, since I hate Vetiver Tonka so much, and tonka can smell really weird to/on me. So now you’ve made it sound like something I’d really like.
The dollar amounts … yeesh. For me, $150 is about the level at which I really start debating how much I love it. Which rules more and more things out
Of course I get so much in samps/decants that I’m routinely shocked when I find out how much a bottle of something is.
Was going to say give it a shot…it’s nothing like VT. Then thought you know, why bother…you’re not going to buy it either.
I have not sniffed this one! And although I know it gets a lot of love from some, I’m not feeling compelled to try it….for some strange reason
. Or perhaps I’m entering into the “I’ve-already-got-too-many-lemmings-to-list-so-I’d-better-slow-down-on-sniffing-new-things” phase? LOL I wonder how long that will last!
Who knows…make it last as long as you can, I say!
Mjr17, I think I’m in that same phase. I’m going to put it on my “to test” list, though, so I don’t forget later!
Robin, you hated the Iris even more than my…(embarrassed)..gasp…Cruel Gardenia?
This sounds like it would be yummy on a man. What do you think?
Oh, my bad: I keep forgetting that there is one I never even tried, and that is CG. I ought to try it, but it did not sound very good so I didn’t go through any extra bother to get a sample.
Oh, and adding yes: it would be yummy on a man!
Really want to try this now — it sounds so interesting! But at that price, I’ll be praying that I don’t love it!
Keep your fingers crossed!
The more I learn, the less I know. R, I fully expected you to be lukewarm about Tonka Imperiale (a little too sweet to start, average the rest of the way) and here you are, loving it. Guess I was projecting. And I thought that you’ve probably really liked Iris Ganache, especially when I read that you like VC&A Bois d’Iris, another rich and sweet iris. (More projection on my part.) Shows you how wrong I can be!
More and more, I’m finding price a relative thing. If something’s really quite concentrated, lasts for ages (ideally) and smells gorgeous, I figure that ml for ml it’s good value even if it’s premium-priced (within reason
). If it’s the opposite – light, fleeting, smells cheap ‘n’ cheerful – then even if it’s “the new free” it’s not really worth it. Too bad it still doesn’t stop me from making mistakes.
Even if my budget is quite limited, I don’t look that much at a perfume price (maybe I should?).
All perfumes are so overpriced, that their cost bears almost no relation with the actual cost of the juice. Wether your are paying all the extra $$ on marketing and Ad campaings (the mainstream) or you’re paying the luxe-exclusive fantasy (the niche), I think the mark-ups are mostly in the same percentile range.
I agree with Robin, if a perfume makes you dream, if it is rich and complex and and is made of quality ingredients (anything can be said about Guerlain, but they indeed have access to some of the best matières premières!) then I would save my $$ from insipid bargains and finally splurge!
I am much more easily shocked for the price of some watery citrus colognes, that say the same things we know all over again at five times the usual price…
Glad I’m not yet 100% predictable!
P.S. (I’m never good at saying everything right the first time) I didn’t mean to sound as though I was being critical of your likes and dislikes. In fact, I think I better go back and try Tonka Imperiale again. Sometimes I’m too quick to shoot an expensive potential lemming.
This sounds pretty good. I wonder about your description of the top notes (or at least the citrus/rosemary part) because that sounds like a close match to Bois 1920′s Come de Luna which, in my humble, know-little opinion, had the best top notes I ever smelled and descended quickly into dryer sheet territory. So I have to go to my Nieman’s and try this.
However, that price is pretty yowch-y. I too use the Hermessence collection as my benchmark and Hermes is kind enough to give us not only 100 ml but the option of travel sets. I was briefly thinking “VCA’s Muguet Blanc should be my graduation gift to myself” for when that happens, but I think I’d rather go full hog and just get a whole bottle of Vol de Nuit parfum. If you’re going to go expensive….
A quick note: When I bought my bottle of BdR last summer (I think), it was 230+ with Texas’s heart-warming 8.25% sales tax. I don’t want to do the numbers right now but I think your benchmark might have increased on ya. (I think it’s $210 but I don’t want to be quoted on that.)
It is not like Come La Luna at all, as it turns out, or at least, I didn’t find it so.
And yes, the Hermessences are $235…
Yeah, I’m not sure something so Italian could come out of Guerlain but it sounds worth a try.
I read the whole article, I promise! My brain must have been shifting gears too slow or something.
No worries. It was sort of hidden.
I thought the price policy is the same as Hermèssence? I checked the US web page of Hermèssence, and the 100mL bottle is too 235 dollars.
But seriously Robin, Tonka Impériale is so fascinating in your article. I have got to try this. Thanks!
Yes, I do say that above — they’re the same price, although you get a few more ml from Hermes. Do try the TI!
The notes of Tonka Imperiale just called out to me the first time I read them, and it is the only one of the Matieres that I ordered a vial of from The Perfumed Court. And I LOVE it! It is just winter coziness and yumminess! Great review Robin.
I was in Atlanta over the weekend and popped into the Neiman Marcus at Lenox Mall, and the Guerlain counter there has the Matiere line and the Elixir Charnels, among the other classics. Much better stocked than my NM in Tampa!
Oh, nice! My local NM has a pretty basic Guerlain counter, hardly worth stopping at.
Of all the Guerlain’s L’Art et la Matière line-Rose Barbare and Sous la Vent are my two favorites, but still haven’t been full-bottle worthy. I so wanted to like Tonka Imperiale, and it started out nicely, but then developed into a horrible saccharine/sweet mixed with latex, of all things. So off to the next scent, money saved!!
My Q2 total is blown anyway, so it’s a very good thing
Ouch, latex! Yes, that’s a money-saver
Oh how i wish I hadn’t missed this yesterday!!
I love, love, love TI and am SO grateful I was in on a recent split!! The decant arrived along with, like, a trillion samples when I was visitng my mom and most of the things she admired, I gave to her – but NOT this one. Oh no. She wasn’t happy about it either. I called her greedy. LOL
LOL — poor Mom, now you have to buy her a bottle! Or she has to buy you one, maybe…
I’ve been loving this decant so much that an FB somewhere down the line has definitely crossed my mind, so more sparklies for Daisy’s enabler badge.
And it has certainly been an atypically cool spring here in Michigan so I’ve had plenty of crisp nights to wear TI and just get lost in the snuggly warm spices and sweetness of it.
Of course this wouldn’t be so bad if I haven’t also fallen in love with Iris Ganache, have a couple Montales I’m hoping to scrape together the funds for and am trying very hard not to think about Penhaligon’s take on orange blossom. *buries head deeper in sand*
It’s really *just* sheer enough to wear even into hot weather, I think — but perhaps I’ll be proven wrong.
Keep that head down!
I liked this a lot at first, but then an anise note creeped in that bothered me. Need to try again I think.
I love anise…not even sure I would have noticed!
Robin, I just checked and as of June 11 the Hermessence gift set is only available in four scents. It looks like they phased out the others in that size. Bummer.
I wouldn’t assume that just because they’re gone from the online store…Hermes has always removed things from the store when they’re out of stock (for a time many people assumed Hiris was discontinued, then it came back). But anything is possible…
Thanks for your reply, Robin. I’ll keep an eye on their website and email them if necessary–after I make up my mind which four I’d buy.