Lentisque Review

A woody-green composition, Lentisque starts off with the crisp, verdant tones of galbanum allied with some weedy, balsamic notes courtesy of mastic oil. To the perfume’s (and perfumer’s) credit, it transitions smoothly to a lightly smoky vetiver fragrance that’s underscored by some dessicated, pale, cedary woods. Overall however, there’s little here to excite.

Nose: Pierre Guillaume

House: Phaedon
Release date: 2013
Notes (per Fragrantica): lentisque, galbanum, labdanum, woody notes, cedar, vetiver.

Foudre Review

Taking for inspiration the smell of champaca flowers just before a storm, Foudre (Eng. lightning) is a highly textured scent composed around two principal materials.

The first, extending from the head- through the heart-notes is Robertet’s Champaca Olessence: a soft extraction with natural Nerolidol (rather than the traditional concrète) whose delicate floral odour displays facets of apricot jam, lemony magnolia and honied rose. Supporting this, and apparent through the entire evaporation curve, is the spicy, musky, woody, wet-concrete scent of Cashmeran dosed at the sort of levels I’ve not noticed since Maurice Roucel’s Dans tes Bras, where it was used at a massive 25%. As the latter’s name suggests, the molecule has a certain human quality to it and in the base of Foudre this is accentuated with a blend sensuous musks.

The concept is both modern and beautiful, but to my nose the Cashmeran is just too assertive and does the champaca a real disservice. Were I able, I would reduce the former, allowing the floral accord to play a larger part. If it didn’t turn the whole composition too citrusy, I would also consider dialling up the Aldemone for its ozonic note (or look for another ozonic material) since this would better capture the sense of an impending thunderstorm. From others in the line, Guillaume has shown himself skilled at doing the ozonic thing and I wonder why he was so restrained here.

Saying all this reflects my slight disappointment in what I perceive as the disconnect between the promise extended on the inside of the sample jacket and what my nose and brain tell me; had I tested Foudre completely blind, I would certainly have perceived it differently. 

Nose: Pierre Guillaume

House: Pierre Guillaume La Collection Croisière.

Release date: 2015

Notes (per Basenotes): Champaca Blossom, Vetiver, Pepper, Aldemone, Black tea absolute, Cashmeran.

Métal Hurlant Review

I’ve so far been very positive in my assessment of Pierre Guillaume’s Collection Croisière and Métal Hurlant poses no exception. Inherent in the idea of a cruise is a crossing and the two words share an etymological link. Beyond the perfumes’ transportive powers however, lies a shared intersecting of unusual themes. In Métal Hurlant, this novel crossing involves leather and herbal notes.

The herbal complex is arranged around patchouli with agrestic, linalool/linalyl acetate type accents and hints of licorice. This is extended with some powerful (but not overpowering) woody-amber odorants that really enliven the Suede(ral) dominated base.   

The accompanying PR suggests the perfume is intended to evoke the wild energy of a Harley tearing up an open road with the listed notes including rubber tyre, chrome and gasoline accords. Whilst the composition does indeed call to mind the idea of a greasy biker jacket, a (no doubt deliberate) synthetic vibe prevents Métal Hurlant from ever achieving that second-skin wearability of, say, Chanel’s Cuir de Russie.

Challenging.

Nose: Pierre Guillaume

House: Pierre Guillaume La Collection Croisière

Release date: 2015

Notes (per Basenotes): fresh paint accord, rubber tyre accord, leather, chrome, gasoline accord, musks.

Mojito Chypre Review

There’s a palpable sense of fun and adventure surrounding Pierre Guillaume’s La Croisière collection; here’s a perfumer who is not only willing to explore unlikely combinations of smells, but has the technical mastery over his palette to successfully do so.

Mojito Chypre is, as its name suggests, a tale of two accords and opens with a mint note so mentholated one can quite literally taste it (try it and see!). The introduction is startling and, thanks to mint oil’s effectiveness in covering the scent of ethanol, immediate. By the time one realises this might just be a virgin Mojito - there being little in the way of rum, the perfume has transitioned to its fruity chypre phase. Whilst many of the genre’s greats feature fruits: Mitsouko did peach, Colony pineapple, Parure plum, Guillaume’s use of the ester Ethyl Methylphenylglycidate to give an intensely sweet (straw-)berry character is novel. This tutti-frutti berry note extends quite deep into the composition and is anchored by  patchouli - here clean and slightly ambery, and some starchy, hot iron musks. 

Nose: Pierre Guillaume

House: Pierre Guillaume La Collection Croisière

Release date: 2015

Notes (per Fragrantica): lime, aldehydes, strawberry, mint, mojito, rum, patchouli, vetiver, moss, labdanum, vanilla. 

Jangala Review

According to the accompanying press, Jangala is intended to ‘evoke the lush vegetation of a tropical forest after rainfall’. Having made several excursions through the Peruvian Amazon, I was somewhat disappointed Jangala failed to capture the cloying, dank loaminess that, at least in my mind, characterises the environment. If I were to attempt to replicate such a scent, I would possibly be looking in the direction of oakmoss, patchouli, earthy pyrazines and cepes absolute for some funky soil impressions, as well geosmin, petrichor and ozonic notes for that rainstorm effect. At the same time however, I recognise that most people (myself included) have no desire to walk around smelling like a pile of decomposing plant matter. It is perhaps just as well then, that Pierre Guillaume did not attempt a Headspace reconstruction. 

Instead, Jangala starts off camphorous and verdant with eucalyptus providing a cool, herbal spin on the ozonic coconut theme of Entre Ciel et Mer and Paris Seychelles. As some ambery sweetness and cardamom begins to emerge, the fruitier green notes assume a remarkable likeness to stewed cooking apple. There’s a a very dry, woodsy note that occasionally emerges too, but it is fleeting and for the very great part remains unobtrusive. 

A surprise gourmand. 

Nose: Pierre Guillaume

House: Pierre Guillaume La Collection Croisière

Release date: 2015
Notes (per Fragrantica): Eucalyptus, cardamom, ginger flower, palisander rosewood, sandalwood, coconut, vetiver. 

Paris Seychelles Review

Perhaps the least interesting of the current collection, Paris Seychelles is based around a similar suntan cream accord of lactonic coconut and salicylates as Entre Ciel et Mer, but here marries it to a very clean, frangipani blossom that has additional spicy, lily and woody nuances (coming from Robertet’s lovely Lisylang Heart fractionation). If the Seychelles are represented by this Gauguin-esque portrait of island life, then Paris must be identified with the ozonic/metallic ring that comes off its back. 

Nose: Pierre Guillaume

House: Pierre Guillaume La Collection Croisière

Release date: 2015

Notes (per Fragrantica): white flowers, frangipani, salt, lily, coconut, monoï oil, galbanum, pepper, petitgrain, ginger. 

Entre Ciel et Mer Review

Entre Ciel et Mer is perhaps the most convincing olfactory portrait of the seaside I’ve yet come across; a panoramic snapshot of glistening, lotioned bodies arrayed before an expanse of blue-green ocean.

Opening with an ozonic pear note atop a suncream accord smelling of sweet, oily salicylates against a fatty, lactonic green floral background (here including Lyral), the fragrance soon darkens as the mossy marine tones of seaweed extract (Robertet’s new Seaweed Pacific Colourless DM maybe) assume prominence. In contrast to the 90s style aquatics whose heavy reliance on Calone gave them a warm, stagnant rockpool feel, Entre Ciel et Mer seems much cooler and becomes progressively drier as the distilled algae is linked to a herbal complex that in turn connects with a pale, woody-amber (Ambrox type) fond. It’s never rough though, thanks in part to a considerable musk chord that’s, truth be told, just a touch too laundry detergent for my own taste.

Nose: Pierre Guillaume

House: Pierre Guillaume La Collection Croisière

Release date: 2015

Notes (per Fragrantica): water splashed leaves, lavender, pear, white thyme, algae, litchen, ambergris, cedar moss, sandalwood from New Caledonia.

Long Courrier Review

Long Courrier sees Pierre Guillaume back on familiar territory with his signature chocolate orange over pale woods chord (Cadjméré, Daimiris, etc). This time, the gourmand quality is amped up with with plenty of vanillin and contrasted with an aldehydic, ozonic-watery note of trimethyl undecylenic aldehyde. 

The combination of edible and aquatic works to destabalising effect, threatening to push the composition over from novel to gimmick.

Longevity is so-so.

Nose: Pierre Guillaume

House: Pierre Guillaume Croisière Collection

Release date: 2015

Notes (per Fragrantica): salt, orange oil, cacao pod, elemi resin, cedar, vanilla, musk.

Daimiris Review

For Daimiris, Pierre Guillaume revisits his citrus and chocolate gourmand accord from Cadjméré (Parfumerie Générale, 2007). Where in the latter, it is blended with a sweetly sensual lactonic complex, here the deserty theme is married to a saffron/hot pleather note with additional tobacco and phenolic nuances. As unions go, I find it unconvincing.

Nose: Pierre Guillaume

House: Laboratorio Olfattivo

Release date: 2009

Notes (per Fragrantica): saffron, cardamom, rum, iris, ‘daim’ candy accord, amber, musk. 

Esvedra Review

Smelling Pierre Guillaume's Esvedra, I was immediately put in mind of Trussardi's Trussardi: at the top, both are dominated by a delicious, crisp verdancy backed by a bitter aromatic/coriander accord that borders on the urinous. Guillaume relates the greenery to a 'fractal' (fractionated?) vetiver, though I confess I get none of the peanutty associations that come at least with the Haitian variety. To my nose, it's green more in the direction of galbanum with cut-grass accents.

Disappointingly, the wonderful effect is very, very short lived. Within a couple of hours all that remains is a sensual, delicately powdery musk fond built around the captive base Nevenolide (also used by Guillaume in Papyrus de Ciane). 

Nose: Pierre Guillaume

House: Laborattorio Olftattivo

Relase date: 2011

Notes (per Fragrantica): vetiver, musk, petit grain, lemon, coriander, Nevenolide.

Isparta 26 Review

Isparta is dominated by an intense Turkish rose note that's surrounded by the honey and dark fruit / berry-like qualities of damasc(en)ones. Helping to drive the scent down the Oriental path is Ambroxan, the balsamic, labdanumesque qualities of which are furthered by a blend of sticky resins and incense. A generous amount of patchouli meanwhile, provides a counter to the scent’s sweetness and as the perfume develops, the latter's dusky, earthy qualities become more apparent, culminating in a caliginous woody accord with roasted-coffee and oak mossy nuances, as well as some oud-type facets stemming from cypriol. 

Overall, Isparta’s rose-patchouli-incense-Ambrox(an) theme is strongly redolent of D. Ropion / F. Malle’s Portrait of a Lady (2010).

Nose: Pierre Guillaume

House: Parfumerie Générale

Release date: 2014

Notes (per Fragrantica): red berries, rose, peru balsam, calamus, patchouli, olibanum, benzoin, agarwood, ambroxan, moss.