Ce Soir Ou Jamais

This was one of my first gateway perfumes, a chance freebie from Sephora. (Thank you nameless sales associate, wherever you are!)The promotional card it came on featured a lady's silouette holding some esoteric contraption, which to this day, I have no clue as to its purpose. I strongly suspect it was selected to mess with people. Marketing aside, as others have noted, Ce Soir Ou Jamais is a lovely rose-centric scent. This is doubly true for the EDP version, which I bought. The rose is front and center, juicy, and in full bloom tucked next to a pear poached in sweet red wine. The EDT is lighter, the rose is fresher, and to my nose the perfume shifts much more noticiably through its various notes. The EDP is much more stable, which is pleasant, but I miss the shimmery dream-like quality of the EDT. Staying power on the EDP is longer, as might be expected, and longer still if sprayed on clothing or hair. All in all, it's hard to find fault with this fragrance unless you simply don't like roses front and center. It doesn't demand much from the wearer, and is far from a simple soliflore. Tonight or never? It's all the same. This rose blooms when she sees fit. Edit: I forgot to add the one and only thing I don't care for: the packaging. I do not have the lovely crystal bag bottle pictured. I have the standard Annick Goutal bottle. For some reason this scent comes with a gold lame bag wrapped around it. It is really quite odd and doesn't fit the feel of the perfume at all. Like a solid gold dancer at ballet recital. Annick Goutal is my favorite perfume house, and while I like the quaint and romantic ribbed bottles, I do wish they would do a little updating.

EDP. Goutal creates the perfumery paradigm of flowers in nature. I grow a rose in my garden that smells quite like this. golden yellow and dense with petals, like a pompom. Bees literally have to burrow inside and disappear. They aren't sweet or honeyed, they are a bit earthy and musky, slightly green. Flowering in Spring and end of Summer. I can smell a lot of lemons! linalool (?) or limonene (?) in the opening, alongside a greenish vegetal nuance. giving this a fresh rose petal smell, like sticking your nose in the rose. This fresh rose note continues throughout. the lemon is strong in this to my nose today, a facet of turkish rose, but too obvious to just be part of the rose, this is an added extra. it makes the scent bright, but to me has a citronella thing going on. Unfortunately, i have no idea what hibiscus smells like in real life. but i suspect it adds to those greenish vegetal, musky petals. the ambrette adds a nice musky warmth and creates a kind of rosehip tea thing later on, as the rose sweetens a touch and becomes slightly fruity. it reminds me of Imogen Rose, this more watery, bright, delicate, petals and musky. lemons dominate today for a good while and didn't last test. Last test this smelt like a grown up rose "perfume". Reminded me somewhat of Grand Amour in essence, not in smell. flowers in a vase, the flower water, the stems in the flower water. A Goutal rose for sure! naturalistic beauty, fresh from the garden.

The first time I smelled it, I thought they confused the labels on the bottles and that it was Petite Cherie. Even the shop assistant agreed with me. The top notes of the two perfumes bear a striking similarity thanks to a common ingredient: Pear! It felt as if they share exactly the same notes, in different quantities. Cannot escape the thought that maybe Annick Goutal would like to give her final and most elaborate creation (CSOJ) a little hint of love from the perfume dedicated to her beloved daughter Camille (PC). But these are just the top notes... Because, here, the combination pear-rose takes a more feminine twist, revealing a first class rose, freshly cut, and not the opulent grand dames like Serge Luten's or Frederic Malle's. It depends on how each of us likes their roses... To tell you the truth, I would have expected a more aggressive rose just from the statement of the name! Maybe the EDP evokes this ultimatum, but I will stick to the EDT, as reviewers claim it is less intoxicating, and more wearable. And rounding off, I'm quoting Elvis: "It's now or never..." (I know- quite predictable and commonplace- but couldn't resist ;-)

I received this in a swap from lovely cisco.It has taken me awhile to write the revuew because it truly is a mysterious scent.I love the dew kissed pink rose .Pink roses r my favorite.THis is truly like walking up a stone path to anold church,covered with ivy where a bright light shines out when u open the door.OUtside there r dozens of natural flower beds with huge pink roses,their little faces,dripping with dew.THe pink is almost neon with pale creamy pink centers.All arround there r hybiscus in different shades of pink and purple from powder pink and lilac to hot pink and bright purple.THe scents waif up towards the heavens,mingleing together ,making one scent instead of 2.The purity of the fragrance,makes it hard to describe.Rarely7,is there a fume that has such true scents of the flowers all the way through without all the other notes to confuse ones nose.It is a beautiful,sexy,calming scent,tha6t yes,u do have to reapply every couple of hrs.But,those hours in between r pure heaven.I reapply anyway,so that is no big deal.BUt,dear prople,u owe it to urself to at least sample this masterpiece,it may leave u speechless for awhile too.

OMGoodness I am in ROSE NIRVANA! If I close my eyes, its almost as if I have transcended as a Queen into the palatial, lush, Kings rose garden. The paths in this mysterious garden are lined with silky smooth, pungent, ohhhhh soooooo SWEET Turkish crushed rose petals. On this magical garden stroll I detect wafting breezes carrying in sexy spices, and musk maybe from a nearby spice market. It's as if they are floating in on angels wings especially to grace this beautiful gardens presence. This heavenly fragrance is intensified and warmed by the heat of glorious sunshine. The aroma from the wine in the glass I carry mingles with the Roses and spicy musk in perfect harmony. All in all...a decadent olfactory treat. My experience with this Frag from start to finish has been divine. In my mind you must be a rose lover extreme to appreciate this vividly colorful, rose perfume. It is not for those who like to dabble with a rose scent... It is for those no matter what their age, live to rebel in a glorious rose fragrance. Sillage was great. Longevity was good A tad pricey but worth every dollar spent. Could even become my signature scent?

I understand that so many people love this, and I love it too! But the images I am feeling are very different! I don’t get lady-like or soap or tea-time linen at all. To me, this is a magical medieval rose in a secret garden full of snarly vines and tangly branches, hidden and glowing behind the wine-berries -- a mystical rose that is like a jewel that has sprung from the earth. The boozy opening sets a surreal atmosphere, like the slow thick languid movements in a dream. Then the rose emerges in a clearing, sparkling and glistening like a pink ruby, and contrasted with the wine, it is rendered very fresh and bright. I find that the perfume shifts and hides and reveals the rose again and again, as if I see it gleaming behind the vines and branches as I walk towards it... If you've ever seen the Unicorn Tapestries at the Cloisters in New York, you'd understand -- it's as if those tapestries have come to life and the elements are moving and have taken on the bright colors of shiny, newly-dyed, living thread. Absolutely spell-binding, and one of my top three roses ever.

Oh, this is a beautiful rose perfume! I have the edt, which is not very long lasting, but while it lasts, it has nice projection. Sadly, I have to respray it every couple of hours.... The Turkish rose is very different than Stella, or Chloe, or fresh roses. It resembles a bit the Bvlgari Rose Essentielle edp. It is sweeter and humid, and actually I feel it lacks the "green" component. It's only the flower, not a single leaf or stem is part of this. Sweet, very juicy, with honey undertones. Indeed it reminds me of rose sorbet or rose confiture... ( a desert made from boiling rose petals in a sugar syrup). It is not a gourmand though. Feminine, delicate, womanly, so romantic! Maybe just a tad old fashioned, like a love affair that is profound and defying the modern fast times... it feels like it doesn't quite fit in... and surely not to be worn with running shoes, jeans and tees. Wonderful with red lipstick, a pastel colored dress and a lot of kisses all over!

Another love of mine from Goutal! I have many rose fragrances, but this one may just be my favorite. It's so refined and though I'm sure the usual naysayers will claim "old lady", I'm okay with that. To me it's ultra feminine, and deeply romantic. I struggle to identify anything beyond the gorgeous, powdery rose! It's similar to Rose Splendide, which is more fresh and green. But when I imagine what "rose" smells like, this is what comes to mind. Someone else mentioned a similarity to the rose in Joy, and I agree! I also get pretty decent projection and longevity on skin and even more on clothes. I hope that the new bottles and change of name do not damage the brand. I love Annick Goutal fragrances! PS - mine is the EDP ________ Does anyone else detect a pear note in this? I could swear it's there and not in a shy way. I don't know anything about the individual characteristics of different rose varieties, so perhaps it's just a fruity aspect of Turkish rose.

One of the most complex rose soliflores I have ever smelled or probably ever WILL smell. I think the complexity is what makes it so hard for people to decide how they feel about it. Because you are never quite sure what you are smelling. It is like a olfactory grab bag the entire time you are wearing it. This is the last fragrance created by Annick Goutal before her death and it has been said it was 10 years in the making and contains over 160 notes. And almost every one of them were kept a secret. This is a mysterious fragrance and if you enjoy solving puzzles you will enjoy playing "find those notes" with this. I have worn this off and on for years and still can't decide how I feel about it. I have a love/hate relationship with it at times. But that pretty much describes passion...a thin line between love and hate. Annick Goutal bottled that feeling and doused it with rose.

Mmmmmm..... have to agree with two previous reviews the top note does seem to include pear! And I also found just a scant whiff of liquorice on the top opening. The hibiscus hit my nose quite pungently and this is where I needed patience! Soonish after came the warmth of a tea rose - sublime, reminiscent of sitting in the garden on a warm summer afternoon and every so often getting a scent of the roses close by! For me this is a day into evening perfume! But I can see people only using this for the evening! I did notice that when I had thought it had gone for the evening and I was sitting around I would suddenly experience another whiff of rose - quite unusual....!! This is a wrist sniffer for me - just to get the soothing scent of rose, breath in, close eyes, raise shoulders and dream of that garden! Just because it is rose - don't think old ladies!

When it goes on, because of the sweetness, the top notes smell like lily -- a really sweet, green, grassy lily with an odd sour note, oh, then you realize the sour note is the rose, a really sour green rose like sniffing the cut stem and leaves. As the sweetness goes away, the rose takes over. This is not jammy or sweet. It's not the lovely rose scent many adore, this is dry dry dry rose petals in a keepsake box years after someone gave them to you. I love rose scents and really like this one. I have a decant. I don't LOVE it where I would wear it often and bathe in it as I do SL La Fille, Lush Imogen Rose, Tauer Rose Flash or Perfumer's Workshop. But this is a nice change in my rose rotation. If you are a rose lover, it's a must sniff because it's different from all the other roses out there, including no oud. LOL

This is my absolute bargain of the century find. 100ml for AUD$20 inc. postage from eBay, slightly used with no lid, blind purchase. And, it's lovely! I'm not usually one for florals, I only need 2 sprays max. of this, but it is just so uncomplicated and honest. Rose from start to finish with a delicious wine & pear note in the beginning. Like being served a wine poached pear, garnished with rose petals, on fine bone china and crushing the velvety petals between your fingers. The scent is intoxicating and you raise your fingers to your lips. Later, like reclining among bruised petals on fine white cotton sheets with a friend not yet your lover but could be. Tonight, or never! Wear it in spring, wear it to weddings, wear it with wild and romantic abandon. Just need to find a lid!

What a lovely rose perfume this is. I purchased a box of 20 samples of this in edt formula (shown on this page) for a steal of a price on Ebay. I figured I'd try one sample, and if I didn't like it, I would spread the love around. But I love this. It a lovely soft tea rose freshened up with hibiscus and softened with ambrette. I love photorealistic floral perfumes, and this smells as if I just picked a rose from my garden still covered with morning dew. Though light, it remained with me most of the day. I now want to try the edp to see if I can get that powder that some here mentioned. That would really move the needle in a big way for me, but I also adore this as it is now. It's so refreshing! It's really a beautiful take on a tea rose perfume.

This is Petite Cherie's older sister.. Similar strong punchy pear opening, but Ce Soir ou Jamais is more full-bodied and floral. The dry down is still fruity, but powdery/musky rose is the prominent note. It's a pretty, fruity, powdery rose fragrance. The powdery dry down reminds me a bit of Guerlain's L'Instant Magic. I am a sucker for Goutal's pear note, so I love this (along with PC). As with all Goutals, the scent is fleeting - but I'm ok with that. My batch is from 2021. Here in the UK, you can get Goutal fragrances in this bottle design for half price atm as Goutal has discontinued this design and reverted back to the previous vintage packaging.

This is a stunning rose soliflore. This smells exactly like pure red velvetly rose petal flesh from the garden. Similar to a real rose in the sunshine, as your skin warms the fragrance actually blooms on your wrist. Texturally the rose becomes slightly powdery with time but otherwise it is fairly linear. The EDP has excellent staying power and moderate sillage. You will catch the scent of yourself every now and again and marvel at your good taste in perfume. Similar in realism to PWS Tearose, Ce Soir Ou Jamais is a gently powerful rendition of the rose flower and would be an ideal alternative for rose-lovers who find Tearose too strong.

rose with a floriental flair. The "musky" scent in this is musk mallow aka ambrette, a plant, not an imitation of musk (real musk is an animal product and I find the imitation to smell like animal too, and my cat agrees. I didn't like the musk note in Rose Splendide but I really like the musk mallow in Tonight or Never.) Just enough amber for me to place this in the amber category with all my other favorite ambers. Now I know I like musk mallow because I just smelled a musk note and a musk mallow note with the same rose note from the same brand and I hated the musk but love this.

My long-since interest on fragrances started from smelling the nature when i went hiking/climbing, and when i smelled roses in my garden. Well am not a fan of pure rose smell in perfume, prefer smelling it from the living rose. But this one from Goutal stole my heart! The roses here smell so realistic but still elegant and polite. Not on your face rose as The Perfumers Workshop did with Tea Rose. Maybe the amber and musk mallow prevent Ce Soir Ou Jamais from being a boring natural rose perfume. Mine is the vintage one. Big love.

(This review is for Eau de Perfume) CE SOIR OU JAMAIS is a delicate tea rose blooming in the garden on a beautiful and calm summer evening. The tender heavenly scent fills the warm summer air. I walk out in the garden. The time stops as I am entirely captured by its timeless beauty. The rose in CE SOIR OU JAMAIS is so tender and natural but it is not simplistic. This scent has certain level of complexity that makes it absolutely stunning. Masterfully done rose scent! I highly recommend it for rose lovers.

Beautiful Rose Solifore. I like this better than the Goutal Rose Absolu I sampled. Ce Soir has better longevity w/out sacrificing the smell of pure rose. Reminds me of warm June days and evening smelling my Grandmother's rose bushes. If you love the smell of just roses and want it to actually last, you can't go wrong here. Tonight or never. Love the name in English. This smells like roses and wine. Absolutely gorgeous. Love.

We had perfect smelling Turkish roses in our garden. The first 40 seconds there was a fresh pear coming by. She disappeared and the Turkish rose appeared. I smell the sweet rose from my fathers garden, Early summer, deep aroma, sweet yet green. Every 5 minutes this fragrance is changing; from sweet to green-fresh. Great composed!!