Après L'Ondée Eau de Toilette

If you're wondering how a perfume can evoke tactile sensations, start with one of the earliest masterclasses in modern perfumery, one of the longest running perfumes currently in existence celebrating its 120th birthday in 2026: Apres L'Ondee. If you're fortunate enough to try the extrait - very, very fortunate - then definitely do so, but if not, like most of us, the EdT offers the lesson in impeccable form. "After the Rain Shower" has this beautiful tactile effect of smelling wet. Place a couple sprays on your skin, dive right in with your nose, and smell what can only be described as a wet flowerbed after a rain shower. Or, perhaps wet skin after a wash with a gentle floral soap. There is very little that could be perceived as musk in Apres L'Ondee, so wet skin is not exactly a great description, but a wet flowerbed also gives the impression that Apres L'Ondee is maybe a petrichor perfume, which it also is not; there is no earthiness/soil/forest accord to be found here either. Masterfully executed blending of high-quality materials evoking violets, carnations, and cassis are responsible for this effect. Nestled on a bed of silky-smooth iris and very, very gentle and dry vanilla, there is sweetness to Apres L'Ondee that doesn't immediately call-to-mind sugar or other typical sweetness. To reuse sort-of inaccurate descriptors again, earthiness or petrichor comes to mind when describing this sweetness, like you are smelling the "sugars" released from flowers and the flowerbed after a good rain shower. I sprayed this on myself before going to work one early and dark morning, and, of course, ended up sitting still in California traffic for nearly 20 minutes. So I took that time to reacquaint myself with Apres L'Ondee, taking deep sniffs off my arms and hands while sitting in my car. Normally, sitting on a highway would cause me to get frustrated and stressed out, but I believe it is physically and psychologically impossible to feel stressed while actively breathing-in Apres L'Ondee. Sitting there in the dark of my comfortable car, slowly watching the sun begin to peak over the horizon and release its colors of pink, blue, and gold, smooth jazz playing on the radio, I could've had a blissful nap right-then-and-there. Just as the name suggests, "After the Rain Shower," it's washed something away (any form of stress or tension). Some people aren't going to like this perfume, mainly because those few are going to get too much old-school/vintage powderiness making them think of a grandmother, or something. That's understandable. But, if one can get past ageist bias of judging a perfume by dating it - yes, it's old, but it's been around for 120 years for a good reason - I think they will find the feelings of serenity I always get from Apres L'Ondee.

Après l'ondée has been reformulated a few times since its release in 1906, and offered in various concentrations. The only version I know of is the eau de toilette released in 2021. More concentrated versions are no longer produced because they do not meet current IFRA standards. It's composition is derived from that of Voilette de Madame (Jacques Guerlain, 1901), a perfume built around violet. Jacques Guerlain further developed this formula in the creation of a more "material" perfume, notably by accentuating the marshmallow accord: L'Heure bleue, launched in 1912. This nuanced and delicate fragrance is intended to evoke nature — or its symbol, the garden — after a downpour. It attempts to reproduce the calm and serenity found in grasses and flowers soaked in rain, but now bathed in the rays of the sun that breathe new life into them. Après l'ondée was created at the turn of the 20th century, in the midst of the Belle Époque, in a context of peace and social, economic, technological and artistic progress and in a general atmosphere of optimism. Jacques Guerlain was very found of Impressionism, and he would have been influenced by this art movement in his olfactory composition of the time. As a matter of fact, we can easily feel an effect of this style in Après l'ondée. In the context of urbanization and increasing modernization at the turn of the 20th century, wearing a perfume such as Après l'ondée was probably seen as a way to take a break from the frenzy of the modern and urban world. In the opening, we feel a very fleeting smell that could remind us of rain, but after only a few seconds, a green note appears, modulated by violet leaf and blackcurrant bud, then illuminated by bergamot and lemon. Very quickly, the floral notes take over, especially that of violet, with its sweet and very slightly earthy side. Spicy notes of anise and clove subtly nuance these scents, then the heliotrope comes in, tinting the fragrance with an almond note that gives Après l'ondée a strange comforting marshmallow effect, accentuated by a vanilla note that warms the skin. Without us realizing it, the orris root had been present for a few minutes, emphasizing the earthy, woody, humid but above all melancholic side of the fragrance. Without being at the forefront, it supports the composition and sets the tone of this great perfume of the 20th century. The notes of the current eau de toilette, reworked by Thierry Wasser and Sylvaine Delacourte, are: top: lemon, bergamot, anise, blackcurrant bud, violet leaf, neroli; heart: violet, rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, carnation, mimosa; base: iris, heliotrope, vanilla, benzoin, styrax, sandalwood, musk.

I have been longing to sample this for years, and I finally got a teensy decant--well worth the sawbuck or so that I paid for it. It's close enough to L'Heure Bleue that I don't feel that I absolutely require it as part of my scent library, but I do really love it. The anise note gives it that slightly medicinal, fin-de-siècle feel--it makes me think of Band-Aids a bit, and maybe certain old-timey liniments--but the other floral notes (violet, oh the violets and irises!) keep it from smelling too antiseptic or clinical. It's more of that slightly bracing, lavenderish effect, and it complements the iris and violet beautifully. I might buy a bottle of this when I run out of L'Heure Bleue, or if I get a good deal on it. I love it, but it's expensive enough that I might just buy a larger decant next time. The bottle is pretty, but it's the same bottle my L'Heure Bleue is in, and I need to trim my perfume budget. Update: this wore away within a couple hours and isn't even a skin scent anymore, four hours later, but it is an eau de toilette, and my skin wasn't prepped, so I will still consider it moderate, if perhaps a bit on the weak side. I do love it, but I sprayed a bit of my L'Heure Bleue on my other hand, and that one is an EDP. No, they don't smell the same--Après l'Ondée has a much stronger anise note, and L'H B smells more incensey, at least on my skin, not quite smoky but also not unsmoky--maybe like an incense you just put out, one that is still smoking slightly from another room--and it projects and lasts a lot better. Of course, it's an EDP, so it's probably unfair to compare them, aside from fragrance-wise. I wouldn't say I prefer one to the other, per se, and they both have their pluses, but because I don't like to spray spray spray all the time, I would have to go with L'H B, the less ephemeral scent, at least until they bring back the EDP version of Après l'Ondée, which seems unlikely. Both lovely fragrances, though. I have yet to smell a classic Guerlain I didn't at least like.

I have nothing to say that is different from all the praise this has gotten. The only thing is that this is way more iris than violet. Like an extremely realistic and pure iris in the same vein as iris silver mist, but less heavy and earthy and more clean. Edit: after a week of wearing and having the luxury to buy real viola odorata flowers, i must say it is on the more realistic side now. Its still much more heavy on the iris, which doesnt matter since i love iris. A sliiiight hint of anise. Its also wet and humid smelling. I’ve noticed violets smell much more animalic than i initially thought, since most violet perfumes smell so clean and dusty. It has the same level of indole as sweet peas, but with a powdery and more rounded off profile. It indeed smells of grandma perfume which is amazing and i never knew a flower could capture the smell of a grandma. Realizing i might have grandparent issues.. The opening of l’heure bleue has a more accurate interpretation of the real violet, since its slightly animalic and decidedly purple. But that one quickly becomes tonka carnation and anise centric. Insolence is NOT AT ALL like violets. On my skin its much more sweet candy berry like, which i find more similar to violet syrup. But at least violet syrup tastes like what these flowers smell like. Insolence is much more candied berry esque and i dont enjoy that. I wish i did. Its always on the edge of being good but it ends up as the opposite of what i want. Out of the guerlain violets, i think apres l’ondee captures the essence the most but still ventures off into different directions (which is the point and doesnt weaken the beauty of this perfume). Now my mission is finding realistic violet perfume

Après L’Ondee edt was originally launched in 1906 by Jacques Guerlain. This new edt was launched in 2021. Unfortunately I haven’t had a possibility to try an old one. This beautiful classic scent is delicate and tender. It’s clean and powdery with Iris and Violet but there is a bright sparkling breeze which is somewhat opposite to the overall melancholy feeling which the scent is sharing around you. This is very calming and charming scent. Vanilla is softening it in the base keeping it cold anyway. I don’t see this similar to L’Heure Bleue in any kind of way except Iris note and glamorous whiff from the past. “Created six years earlier, Après L’Ondee has more watercolor and pastel aspects than L’Heure Bleue.” For me Anis is not dominating - I have seen people who think that it’s too strong note here. Guerlain’s Carnation accord combines notes of Rose and spice. This is very vintage style and I’m totally in love with these kind of scents nowadays. It’s not overly soapy anyway nor baby vibes heavy. Après L’Ondee is not so long lasting on the skin but spraying on clothes you can make it last easily all the day. I’m very curious about Insolence too. I think I need to add it soon. Thank you for reading, I hope my review was helpful. I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG and/or YouTube (English subtitles): @ninamariahperfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗