Okay, so it’s been hot here. Flirting with the 90’s and a bit humid. Hardly as hot as the Valley or Palm Springs (or Valdosta or even Park Avenue) but hot enough for me to go “eh” at the idea of venturing very far from my air-conditioned hovel. Even to an air conditioned mall. Because unlike Dame Joan Collins I am unable to control my sweat glands through the use of method acting so would have to deal with the fact of arriving a sweaty mess at the air-conditioned destination. So I don’t go out until the evening when the shops have closed, or the early AM when they aren’t open.
But luckily Surrender to Chance is a click away and I can try stuff at my leisure in the comfort and safety of my hovel, spritzing myself with an abandon that could cause asthma attacks or anaphylactic shock to the unwary passerby, were there were any.
So this time I delved into some of the Guerlain’s I had never heard of. I don’t need to tell you that Guerlain is a house that has some classics that are (comparatively) cheap as old chips. Which is a wonderful thing in this time of new houses that pop up with scents that smell of burnt popcorn, a randy night in the backseat of a ’67 Corvair, or an evening dancing around a roaring bonfire while eating Froot Loops, all at a price point that makesĀ restored ’67 Corvair look like a bargain.
I don’t really know anything about the Absolus d’Orient Collection except they come in the gorgeous bee bottle, are $240 each
Santal Royal starts off chilly, almost like mint is in there. That immediately fades to a creamy sandalwood with a hint of rose. The roses are just a whisper, like from an open window. This is wonderful- a balance between the warm woods and the cool garden breeze.
Encens Mythique is a bit of a misnomer on me- I get a very ‘perfumy” aldehyde and flowers, which is frankly no bad thing. The incense and ambergris do pop in later and indeed do take center stage but the bright, rosy opening is never far away. And that is a very good thing.
Bois Mysterieux starts with bright neroli and then goes to cedar. patchouli and a little bit of leather. Of course being the one that I immediately liked the best it’s also the one that seems to be no longer around. It’s also the one that’s the beefiest and most “Absolus” of the three
I did like all of these but being someone who sits in an air-conditioned room, alone, dousing myself, I have to write that these made me want for an “More Absolute” version. Screw light and lovely, I want dark and threatening. I want midnight with a thunderstorm and these are more early evening sprinkles. I mean, if they showed up in y Christmas stocking the giver would not receive a bitter look for their thoughtfulness- I wouldn’t even have to manufacture being pleased. But it would be sort of like asking Santa for that vintage ’74 450SL and finding the ’67 Corvair. Mildly, just mildly disappointing.
At least two of these are available from Guerlain at $240. My samples were from Surrender to Chance.
Photos: my iPhone, Pexels, and Wikimedia Commons.
I first met Encens Mythique (then called Encens Mythique d’Orient) at Bergdorf, back in the Jurassic …
omg! It was SUBLIME. Rich, aromatic, sensual. Almost TOO too, if you know what I mean.
Nothing even remotely close to what you’re describing in this new iteration.
Either it changed or my nose is out of joint. I would have loved “TOO too”
I’m currently lemming Encens Mythique Tom, thanks for the reminder.
Portia xx
I am glad I’ve given YOU a lemming rather than the other way around!
Like Shiva-woman I bought the old Mythique when it first came out in 2013 (? and I think there were two others), and I have one (or possibly two) partial back-up bottles. I don’t know … it was one of those that I just got out my Visa in a hazy fog and handed it over. I think it’s so, so lovely. I do like it in slightly cooler weather, though. They have a habit of keeping names while changing formulas/bottles so hard to say how similar it is. I see one on eBay for $550 which … is not what I paid, for sure.
I wish they would stop doing that. It’s annoying.
I wish we had a Guerlain Boutique. Closest one is in Las Vegas and I am not going there.
Tom,
You make all three of these sound very nice. I’ve noticed that you enjoy rose notes. Maybe it was your swooning over Lush Rose Jam? But here again, you’ve picked out the roses. Did you grow up in your New England house with nearby rosebeds? Is there an Orson Welles “rosebud” story in here somewhere?!?
Actually I did grow up with roses. And lilacs and peonies and LotV. But I do love a good rose scent and was on the board that chose the Beverly Hills Centennial Rose that was planted in Will Rogers park across from the Beverly Hills Hotel. We chose a salmon pink floribunda to refer to the color of the hotel and yes, I made sure we chose one that smelled good and spicy.
Your childhood flowers are a gorgeous mix. How incredible to be part of the honored few that got to pick that designated rose. Love how you snuck in a civics lesson there!!
I lost all interest in Guerlain years ago. IMO they went downhill after selling to LVMH. There was some overlap of good perfume coming out, but that gradually trickled away. I see Guerlain now as cheap and tacky – a version of the emperor’s new clothes.
Now to get off my high horse and get some Papillon Epona to sniff.
Luckily they still have the old ones. They aren’t as potent as they were (neither am I for that matter) but they’re there and they aren’t even that expensive (comparatively)
The old Guerlain still has the highest number of perfumes that I love. I’m always amazed by the Guerlain family of perfumers and their creations. And though they may not be as potent now, they are pretty spectacular. š š
Checking the UK Guerlain site Santal Royal is now referred to as an Absolus Allegoria! Itās packaged in a black glass AA bottle. It is still listed as an EdP.
The other two you tried have both been d/ced.
The line up now includes Cuir Intense, Rose Amira, Patchouli Ardente, Epices Exquises, Oud Essential as well as the Santal.
They retail at Ā£164 for 125ml.
I do enjoy Santal Royal but itās a favourite of the Uber tanned, Turkish toothed, trout pouting 20 somethings which has meant I have never bought a bottle
These were okay, I didn’t dislike them but I thought if you were going to pay Uncle Serge prices why not just get uncle serge?
I like the sound of Encens Mythique.
Sadly (maybe?), never managed the back of a late model convertible growing up. Wasn’t what we did. However, if someone gifted a Corvette or Mustang (both older models) I don’t think I’d say no.
Encens Mythique was the one I like best, but it’s been done by about 12 others in similar ways (my tea hasn’t kicked in yet so don’t ask me for names) so I don’t need it.
I never did the backseat either. I only had two convertibles that had them and the one in the FIAT was a joke. As it is I have to origami myself into the FRONT seat of the BMW if my neighbor parks too close to open the driver’s door past the first bump stop..
I wanted to add that back when I bought my bottles of Encens Mythique, they were twice what they are selling for now, so I think there was definitely a repackaging to a North American/European clientele and a reformulation making it lighter, brighter, and cheaper possibly with synthetics, but prettier–to be sure– with that Bee bottle!
I would have liked that one soooo much better..
Encens Mythique sounds like it was reformulated. I purchased two bottles, one as a back up, years ago, probably within a year of its inception. It is a lovely, smoky rose incense, my all-time favorite, being simultaneously dark and ethereal. There is nothing aldehyde in my two bottles. There is a whisper of rose and elemi and then darker resins and a hint–very light–of smoke. A sweetness, not cloying, hangs in the incense. It’s fantastically rich and elegant and saturates your clothing, skin, etc. The scent lasts and lingers for days. I’m anosmic to a lot of larger synthetic molecules, and to my nose, there is little that is synthetic here. I’ve tried the other two in the series and did not favor them as much. I find it interesting they’re in the bee bottles. One of my bottles was clearly targeting a middle eastern market in a tall rectangular bottle with Arabic script. The other is in English– neither a bee bottle.
Now that reads like something that would have caused the credit card to magically levitate. You were smart to get a back-up.
I bought my Santal Royal at the Paris Guerlain and though fragrances don’t stick with me as they used to do, Santa Royal sure does stay with me all day. It’s very Middle Eastern and lovely. Try it in a Guerlain store? I think it’s not performing as I would expect for you.