Saint-Germain-Des-Pres

Saint-Germain-Des-Prés is another aromatic, full-bodied "cologne" from Celine featuring neroli - similar in style to Parade and Cologne Français. Instead of the straightforward citrus-vetiver of Parade and dominant fig note of CF, SGdP is a more unusual take on a similar scent profile but is still a breezily elegant everyday freshie. Refined and well-rounded, it is pared-back but luxurious. SGdP is led by its neroli note, green and orange-tinged, fresh but softly floral. I am partial to neroli in summertime scents, and no-one does it better than Celine. Petitgrain adds its distinctive green woodiness, complementing the neroli to perfection. It becomes sweet and powdery as it develops, with heliotrope giving it a featherlight yet sensual sweetness. The dry, airy vanilla rounds it out to perfection. I love a citrus-vanilla accord, and this is a wonderful non-gourmand example. The orris follows, giving a lipstick-y nuance to the drydown alongside the vanilla and heliotrope. The orange tinge from the neroli lingers until final fade, making for a cohesive, well-blended scent. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is a feminine-leaning transeasonal daytime scent. My favourite of Celine's colognes so far, SGdP is beautifully put-together, classic in style yet original - certainly more sensual than the aforementioned Parade or Cologne Français. High-quality, creative and effortlessly elegant, this is very French. 4.5/5.

I didn't like it on first sniff at the store. Little did i know that days later, i would be constantly whipping the card out from my purse and sniffing it like a deranged bozo. My husband was concerned with this unusual behaviour. I assured him that i was feeling fine and just needed to shell out $300 for this luxury juice to stop embarrassing him in public. Now my new bottle of Saint Germain Des Pres sits together with La Peau Neu (also from CELINE), as my two new favourites after discovering that Hedi Slimane can do more than ZARA-inspired clothing. It starts green, sharp and slightly upturned. There is no lavender in here, but I somehow smell it. Seconds later it turns powdery and soapy, almost an antiseptic quality to it. But an expensive antiseptic, if you will. Slowly it rounds off to a fuller and more weighted creamy scent, though the combination of another note shape-shifts it into something I can't put my finger on - it's definitely not a basic b*tch vanilla. It is aristocratic, clean and noble. It smells like luxury shower soaps. This is not a dark and voluminous vanilla. Neither is it a cupcake, girly vanilla. I think about a freshly pressed and finely tailored linen blouse with a ruffle collar, straight from the laundromat of a 14th century mansion. It is a going-out daytime scent, to smell clean, put-together, expensive.

Definitely agree with reviewers below Mozzaa and Ferra_Verto! This is a hidden gem among the Celine lineup. Background, my favorites are ZouZou in the number 1 spot, followed closely by Black Tie, Saint Germaine Des Pres (SGDP), and Dans Paris. SGDP starts out with a bitter and green Petitgrain that I love, which then slowly fades into a Neroli and powdery Heliotrope combo. A slight sweetness follows from the vanilla, but the green aspect of the Petitgrain still remains. This is as Mozzaa below puts it, so effortlessly chic and so sophisticated. I love the beautiful wafts I get from this throughout the day, it does smell like an expensive soap but not in an aledhydic or clean musky way, it's like a creamy/powdery soap, but not baby powder. It's so hard to describe, and I find that none of the Reminds Me Of section is accurate at all. This smells nothing like Cologne Celeste which I also adore. Nor does this smell anything like any of the TF Neroli Portofinos, which I also like. This is super unique and I am so happy to have it in my collection. Perfect for the spring and summer, but not a huge projector or one that will fill the room. This is classy French perfumerie at its finest. Not loud, not too much of any one thing, it has that dare I say, je ne sais quoi factor.

Each time I wear Celine Saint Germain, I fall deeper and deeper in love with it. The opening is unmoving, and likely why this one gets overlooked so often... But the drydown, my god, it's heavenly! Neroli-vanilla-marshmallow scents tend to be cloying and sickly sweet (LDBS, Sintra, Oriana, etc), however Saint Germain retains it's fresh-green composure yet transforms into a sweet, but not too sweet vanilla. It's actually pretty clever how Celine took the ever popular neroli & marshmallow accord, and elevated it into something that smells luxurious, chic, and easy-to-wear. Also FWIW, my experience with Celine fragrances is that they get stronger with time. So if you're having issues with longevity just let your bottle sit a little longer. My bottle is a little over 1.5 years old and I am getting much better performance now vs. when I first purchased.

A soft, gentle but grown-up citrus-powder perfume with some original twists. The opening is distinctly green from the petitgrain and neroli and I love this green-ness, it’s almost elemi-like. It’s combined with a soft-as-baby's-hair, buttery orris root and a calm, almondy heliotrope. Drying to an airy, powdery scent as the green slowly fades. For me I find Saint-Germain-des-Prés works best in winter or cool early spring where the powderiness of the heliotrope and iris is held in check a little. While heliotrope can sometimes be shrill there’s nothing harsh about this one and it’s my favourite in the Celine line-up, though I’ll admit it’s not really my kind of perfume so I don’t wear it that often. Today, a blowy, wet December morning, it’s perfect. The marketing does make me laugh though when it refers to "the insolence of petitgrain". Please