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!!

Sparkling, lively and feminine. This is not your grandma's rose. I was also introduced to it by way of a Sephora sample; it fast became my go-to evening scent for spring and summer. Oh, and the object the silhouhetted Annick Goutal is holding on the sample card is a blotter clip. Perfumers use it to smell different notes

This IMO is everything a true rose fragrance should be--no more, no less. It's the cream of the crop. This fragrance is the embodiment of a true, grand, passionate romance. If you are a lover of roses, you can't possibly go wrong with this choice. It's Scarlet O'Hara and Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind!

I find this to be a very intriguing perfume. Ce Soir Ou Jamais has contradicting characters. Coy and seductive, youthful and mature, fresh and deep, foreign and familiar..Interesting how I smell pear/apple ish note yet its not shown on the notes. Very interesting interpretation of rose.

Such a beautiful perfume! "Ce Soir Ou Jamais" is one of the best rose fragrances I have ever come across. It makes me think of a beautiful white rose blooming gloriously in the sun; I can also detect a hint of citrus and pear. Very elegant and feminine, a must have for rose lovers.

Gorgeous scent, albeit quite similar to Rose Splendide. I wish it had a bit more longevity, considering the price tag. The smell itself is absolutely beautiful though.

Candied rose petals with very ripe pear, a hint of apple and sweet wine. It's so delicious but not in your face food kind of smell. Coy and romantic.

Gramma shamma you dimwits. This is a gorgeous juicy fresh rose with an intoxicating drydown. Gives classy woman. Just beautiful.

This fragrance is amazing ..I reccommend the edp because sadly the edt doesn't stay on very long.

i smell rose, and a fruit, like a pomelo. A pomelo is a big citrus fruit in asia.

I've always been enchanted by the house Annick Goutal. Her creations strike a whimsy in me that cannot be replicated by any other house. There are some Serious fragrances by Annick Goutal, but the vast majority are infused by this singular note of ephemeral JOY. Ce Soir Ou Jamais is an excellent example of a perfume that is both mature and whimsical. It is very difficult to describe. The rose is intense, but slightly fruity and gummy, as if in a currant accord. It smells most similar to a combination between Annick Goutal's Quel Amour! and Tea Rose. The sillage is incredible, but in a rounded, controlled, and serene manner. The amber is not noticeable until hours into the drydown, but Ce Soir Ou Jamais is STRONGLY fixated, much more so than more of Goutal's creations. Thus I can firmly vouch for the lasting power and sillage. Ce Soir Ou Jamais smells NICHE, lady-like, and expensive. But there's a lightheartedness to if that might not appeal to a perfume snob who takes herself too seriously.

There is a distinct pearish/apple scent in this.It is difficult to tell where the apple(?)ends and rose begins sometimes.It is not that I don't like apple and rose together. Apples are memebers if the rose family so they blend very welk together. It is a bit too rich.It is a very deep rose. Not delicate but not abrasive. It is very warm and sweet. If you want a unique deep rose scent then perhaps you would like it. There is nothing sparkly or airy, it is wet and sticky. Altogether, I do like it. It brings the image of sweet red lipstick kisses to my mind. Since I associate scents w colors, this is what I would wear with a burgundy dress or other deep colors. Very romantic. However I don't like the opening, or some of the dry down, I like the last bits of it where the sweetness is more subdued and the wonderful muskyness comes out. It is a definitely a "skin scent". It is a very true rose.

Simple. Sophisticated. Intimate. Mysterious. I always feel beautiful wearing Ce Soir Ou Jamais. This perfume is something that I would wear on a balmy spring or summer's evening, or on a cool day during autumn. Evocative of romance, Tonight Or Never has an old-fashioned elegance, that's been updated with the modern hibiscus flower, which prevents it from smelling dated. On my skin, there's a wonderful hibiscus-rose scent that has an almost sticky velvet-like sweetness. As it dries down, it becomes softer, cleaner and rosier, and develops into a more vintage-smelling rose. The amber gives a lovely warmth here. The perfume has soft to moderate sillage and a lovely sweet rosy projection which surrounds me in a little bubble. Longevity is about 7-8 hours, which is excellent for an AG perfume. One of my favourites.

I recently got a sample of this, and think I will be ordering a fb soon. I like it much more than Rose Splendide which smells like marshmallows mixed with a bit of rosewater on me. This opens with some citrus, then I get the rose, turning musky as it dries down. I'm not a really big fan of rose fragrances but I want at least one in my collection - think this will do very well! EDIT: I did get a fb of this, but don't like it as much as the sample - this is the 2nd time this has happened with an AG fragrance. Its nice enough, and I will wear it but probably not very often. The citrus seems to be more pronounced, and I get an underlying sourness from start to finish that doesn't mix well with the other notes.

An almost strange rose scent. There is a bit going on here. Lots of rose, but it is very thick, with something going on underneath that suggests a potent ripeness. This is a bit musty and spicy all at the same time. And yes, there definetely is that strong wine red note as well. Very warm. This strikes me as rose but not as a floral for some reason. It is unique though. I like it but I don't know if I love it yet, a big challenging. I do like this for winter because this is not a springy floral, it's rather heady and viscous. I have the EDP, which lasts about 4 hours on me. I understand that the EDT is different, but I hate it when perfumes are here and gone in a hour.

I was intrigued by the description of "boozy roses" that someone posted on here. When presented with the opportunity of purchasising a bottle of the EDT AND the EDP (in the lucious glass bag-shaped flacon), I had to take advantage! Between the two, I prefer the EDP as it has a slight edge to its longevity over the EDT. To me, this is a very rich scent that reminds me of pears poached in mulled wine surrounded by my favorite rose (Chrystler Imperial). I have started a collection of rose perfumes, and while I only bring this one out on occasion, I would have to say that it is my best "diva" perfume. It is impossible for me to feel less than glamourous in this scent.

Ce Soir ou Jamais was the first Annick Goutal fragrance I fell for and it remains among my top five all-time favorite fragrances. To me, as the previous reviewer has pointed out, this fragrance contains pear in equal billing to rose. It's as if one stirred rose liquor into a teacup of pear nectar and inhaled deeply. When that vanishes, a slight trail of light musk lingers. The EDP lasts considerably longer than many other AG fragrances, about 4-5 hours on me. The Turkish rose is soft, but vibrant and youthful, and would appeal to incurable romantics at heart, regardless of age; (especially those like me, over 60, but not done yet, heh, heh...)

I've just received a bottle of it. I don't understand how people could smell pear in this fragrance and not notice the rose. On me, it smells like an absolute rose bomb! It is similar to Woolzies rose essential oil, which I used to use for making cosmetics. Extremely potent, musky Turkish rose. The initial 5 minutes are certainly hard to endure. Yet it does subside into a more peaceful, musky rose. To me, this perfume is slightly old-fashioned, more so than the rest of Goutal's fragrances. If you are not a fan of rose fragrances, or they smell like "grandama's soap" to you, then it's best to skip this one.

This was my very first Annick Goutal fragrance. I think I got it in 2005 and today I looked at the pyramid for the fist time. For me it always smelled with white / red sparkling wine mixed with with some fruitiness. I never recognized rose in it. Sweet but not too much, very balanced, festive and uplifting. I find it quite unique and I never met another fragrance that was similar to this. I like that it is a great evening fragrance but it's very intimate at the same time and has a special close to skin aura.

This opens with a very heady rose, large and voluptuous, at the peak of it's fragrance. As it dries down it softens into a powdery rose with the hibiscus making a brief and tangy note during the heart of this perfume, but that fades away all to quickly in my opinion. After the hibiscus leaves there is a bit of something sweet that mixes with the rose but nothing much to remark on with my chemistry, it becomes a very vintage scent on me. Though it is a pretty rose, it is to old fashioned for my taste.

Pretty deep rose which does remind me of SL Sa Majeste la Rose in its progression from bright, realistic garden rose with a little green, that sweetens and becomes almost a honey-d dried rose petal smell. I also get a vey slight cumin-y smell, giving the AG the slightest bit of funk in the drydown. This one is less assertive than the SL, not quite as strong, which I prefer. If you love rose perfumes, will probably enjoy this one. Probably don't need both if you already own one of those.

Modern and old-fashioned infusion. The opening is the modern part of the scent, lively rose aroma with pear and hibiscus. Unusual but pleasant opening with the impressions of freshly picked rose smell. This bright moments are runs away and the modern rose scent turns into a nostalgic, a bit bitter, musky- ambergis oriental rose attar scent. Truly turkish delight aroma with a pale lemon nuance. I think it's easy to overdose, so maybe better if you use it just with light hand..

I am not a big rose scent person, but I am surprised that I actually find this one quite pleasing as an elegant rose scent. The initial opening is slightly strange as it gives off a beer vibe with a slight sourness (people who do not like this find it similar to "drunk vomit".....), but after 30-60min on my skin it turns into quite a pleasant rosy scent with a slight depth, making it neither too light nor too heavy.

I liked this perfume quite well, seeing the notes I have the impression of not having tested the same perfume at all. For me, it's clearly super ripe and juicy pear, that's what struck me when I smelled this perfume. According to my memories I do not remember the rose at all, but really an overdose of pear Tiktok and Instagram Mhd.scent

A beautiful, bright summer scent. Every time I smell it I have to hide a smile because of my scent associations - an elephant has walked through the rose garden;)to me it really smells like crushed roses - greenish, juicy, rich rose fragrance. The staying power is awesome (for Goutal) - at least 5 hours (and I'm reviewing EDT)!

Its lovely. Wet, honeyed Turkish rose. The honey-ness coming from the musk mallow/ambrette and amber rather than a sickly honey note. Rich, velvety and wet, all at the same time. Quite sensual too, flowers and bees. Privately sexy rather than overtly so. I like it very much.

Everything has already been said in previous reviews (freshly crushed tea rose, romantic, etc) so I will just add this: To me this smells like turkish rose petal syrup! If 'Quel Amour' is velvety, this one is definitely silky smooth. Very elegant, calm and soothing.

This Annick Goutal fragrance lasted about two to three hours on me - which is a bit longer than many other AG perfumes I've tried. It is mostly a very sweet and succulant true rosy scent - very enjoyable on a hot Summer day.

At first I thought the sample I got somehow had gotten Petite Cherie in it instead of Ce Soir - by the notes this was not the smell I expected. I have a serum with Turkish rose oil. From the serum I know that the rose is very sweet, but it's still clearly rose-smelling. What I get from this is honey and overly ripe pear - my brain is able to categorize it as being rose only after I smell something that definitely doesn't contain rose. When I was in high school, we made esters in chemistry class. This smells like the ester that smelt pear... fragantica MUST have forgotten to list it as an ingredient! Although this fragrance is quite sweet, it's also quite fresh. After a little while, the smell gets a little animalic and a little bit salty. This saltiness kinda reminds me of...pee. I'm not a big fan of this fragrance - it's not quite what I prefer, but it's... interesting. Especially in that the rose smell projects further than the honey-pear-like smell. I can't actually smell the rose unless I'm a certain distance away from the source of the smell. Interesting. What I like to do with this perfume is mixing it with Annick Goutal's Rose Splendide, which is a very green rose fragrance. The result is very natural, tea-party-in-a-rose-garden: fancy ladies drinking tea with honney, sunny day, the gardener is cutting roses. I would suggest trying to mix the two perfumes some time - I like the result and you might too.

I had written off Annick Goutal fragrances in the past as being underwhelming and short-lived and I've just had my sentiments reinforced. I was hoping that Ce Soir Ou Jamais was going to be a richly seductive rose soliflor, but it's a limp, watery squirt of wilting rose petals. It's like the perfume you attempt to make as a child with some rose petals and an old jar the garden with some water. In the summer sun it turns rancid but adults humour your cuteness and let you put the stangnant mixture on their wrists then tell you it smells "lovely". It never does. This has a similar weakness and unfreshness about it. There's no strength nor conviction with Annick Goutal fragrances. They are never 'out and proud' nor "here, queer, get used it it", as they all seem to be confused whispers of the amazing brief that they originally intended to be. Others have mentioned the wine note, but it's a whiny smell rather than a winey smell. But my main gripe is the rose note; I adore a true rose but this is more geraniol and citronellal rather than a true rose. This is not a bouquet of lush roses. I'm done trying with wishy-washy Annick Goutal.

The bottle is very attractive, but that's about it for me. I got a sample of this after trying in store so that i can give it a proper judgment. And my proper judgment is pretty much my initial one; no. To my nose this was pleasant but like freshly cleaned powder room pleasant, a spa's powder room if you well. I wouldn't wanna walk around smelling like that. passing.