Thanks to a waay-beyond- generous perfume pal this Christmas, two of my favorite Parfumerie Generale scents returned delightfully to my radar in a hurry. And they are helping keep me warm and cozy during these waning days of winter.
First up was the spicy, creamy and exotic Parfumerie Generale Indochine. Benzoin, pepper, cardamom, honey and thanaka wood create a scent that manages to be comforting, sensual and slightly edible, all at the same time. Another plus: I’ve found it pairs nicely with the Kenzo Amour lotion. They share a certain creaminess and the note of thanaka wood, which makes them very simpatico.
And my sweet friend also sent along some Aomassai, which I had worn and loved ages ago. But back then when my sample was gone, as often happens, I wound up forgetting about it. But its deliciously burnt caramel, toasted-nut-and-grass-vibe was just so mouthwatering and darkly delish, that I zipped on over to Surrender to Chance and got a small decant of it. I was a bit wary, as I’ve had some significant scent differences between dabbed and sprayed. Happily though, the Aomassai was every bit as yummy sprayed as it was out of the vial. And I’ve enjoyed Coze, Cadjmere, Tubereuse Couture and Papyrus de Ciane from Parfumerie Generale as well, and probably a few others whose names escape me right this sec.
Speaking of yummy, founder Pierre Guillaume is quite a confection for the eyes, as Portia pointed out on one of her posts last year. Yep, the total package for perfume lovers: A gorgeous man making gorgeous fragrances — what’s not to love?
The Parfumerie Generale line is pretty big and has some wonderful scents, many of which I’ve yet to sample. Which ones are your favorites? Which ones do you want to try?
I don’t think I’ve tried anything from this line, but wow – Indochine and Aomassi both sound amazing! Lately I’ve been really interested in finding some more gourmandy scents to love and both of those look like they would fit the bill! I guess this is a sign that I need to check out PG!
Hi, Sun Mi! Do give PG a whirl — you’re sure to find something you like. Surrender to Chance has samples of Aomassai and several other PGs, but no Indochine, alas. Luckyscent has those, I think. Let us know which ones you tried and which you like best.
Musc Maori and Coze. If someone wore Musc Maori, I would eat him or her.
Whoa — now that is one ringing endorsement!! I must try that Musc Maori ASAP! It would be fun to have DH nibbling at me (or vice-versa), ha! And Coze is great, too.
The only full bottle that I own by Pierre Guillaumme is Indochine and I have a small decant of Coze. I have also sampled Cadjmere, Isparta, Felanilla and liked them all. Good looks and talent.
Oops Guillaume
Ah … great taste there, Petunia! 😉 (Love your screen name, BTW!) You’re the second person to name Isparta, so guess I need to get hopping and try that one. Thanks!
I have only tried Isparta up to now but i found it to be wonderful – a beautiful Powdery jammy, musky rose, patchouli and oud. A bit sweet to start off with but dries down beautifully. i need to investigate this line more.
Jump right in, Pats — we’ll be right there with you in the PG sample pool! BTW, the Isparta sounds lovely.
The first scent by Pierre Guillaume I’ve tried was Grand Siecle Intense, a great bitter citrus. After that I sampled Yuzu ab Irato and L’eau Rare Matale.I liked all of them but somehow all scents were alike – tea, citrus, herbs. Ok, it was my choice 😀 A total flop was Mojito Chypre. It smelled like a cheap bath bomb.
The one I’d like to try most is Bois Naufrage. According to the reviews it must be fantastic.
Hi, Neva! Not to worry — with any line, you win some, you go “so-so” on others. I’ve not sniffed any that you mentioned, but I, too, have heard great things about the Bois. I’m in to try it, too.
Ahhhh, yes, eye candy making nose candy. What’s not to love? (Yes, I know there is so much more to Mr. Guillaume than his looks, but come on)!
I have and love Papyrus de Ciane, L’Oiseau de Nuit, Coze, and Cuir d’Iris.
I love so many more that I do not own yet, but will… Iris Oriental, Brulure de Rose, L’Ombre Fauve, Cadjmere…
and have even more on the to-try list, too many to name but for starters, Tubereuse Couture and Cologne Grand Siecle.
I’m a fan.
Sheri, love your “eye candy” comment! And he’s obviously a very smart and very talented man, too boot! 🙂 You have some great scents there, several of which I need to try soon. You could spend days (weeks even!) sampling everything he’s created.
Parfumerie Generale Indochine is one of the line that I have wanted to try, as well as Felanilla and several others. I have tried Louanges Profanes and Drama Nuui and like them both. I’m not sure that I would want FBs, but decants, yes. I plan on sampling more from Perfumerie Generale. I find that if I like some of a line, I often like a lot more , and vice versa.
Maya, I love decants as well! I only do FBs unless I ADORE the scent, and even then, only rarely, usually because of the $$$. Must try the Louanges and Drama very soon. Thanks!
Hey Ann,
SO MANY!! I really like Pierre G’s style. It seems to work excellently on my skin and with my chemistry. There are quite a few FBs around here including (but not limited to) Indochine, Coze, Brulure de Rose, Cadjmere, Tubereuse Couture and Felanilla. I also have a couple of the Huitieme Art series.
Met him in Paris in January. SWOON!
Portia xx
Wowza, Portia — lucky you to have met him! I bet he is a very cool guy. And I love several of the Huitieme Art ones too (Myrrhiad comes to mind). So glad you stopped by!
I really like Arabian Horse (a website exclusive that I’ll buy one of these days) and already own Felanilla. If you consider his other lines I also own Dzhari and Manguier Metisse
Oooh, oooh, Rena — I should have tried Arabian Horse ASAP from STC as I love horses so much! And yes, I’d forgotten that he’s got several lines.
The only one I’ve tried of theirs is Hyperessence Matale, and I hated it. Hated. It. But I should give the line another try.
So sorry to hear that, Heidi. I’ve not tried that one. But don’t give up — there’s bound to be one or more that you will like.
I have Iris Oriental, which is rich, heavy, and a bit sweet. It has fig honey, cardamom and olibanum that give it density and heft. I’ve also got Papyrus de Ciane which is very green with lots of galbanum, grassy notes.
Hi, Dina! I think I did try the IO a while back, in “an all-iris, all-the-time” phase, but I really need to go back and revisit. And can’t wait to pull out the lovely PdC a little bit later into spring. Thanks!
Wait. “until I VISITED a large cat santuary.” I didn’t rescue one. Ugh…..more coffee!
Not to worry, Deb! You had me grinning up a storm there for a bit — my first chuckle of the day. Thanks!
My favorites are Cedre Sandaraque, Aomassai and Tonkamande. I used to love Felanilla until I rescued a large cat sanctuary. The two shared too much in common.
Howdy, Deb! I’ve not tried the Cedre and can’t remember the Tonkamande, but I do recall the Felanilla wasn’t too much my thing. Gotta love that Aomassai though, right?
It seems I’ll have to dig in!
Please do, Solanace. There are so many scents in that line that you’re sure to find one (or maybe more) to love. And the nice thing is, that even though there are quite a few scents, all are thoughtfully done, not slapped together any which way.
I agree with you on Coze and Indochine – they are amazing but the staying power at least on me is no – existent.
Oh, no, Marianna. Do try them with a similarly scented lotion (or even an unscented one) and see if that helps. If not, well, a chilly day is the perfect excuse to spray often 🙂