Aqua Allegoria Gentiana

Of the entire line of Allegorias, this is my best preferred one. Obviously discontinued. After just 4 years. I remember buying it in 2001 when it was first issued, enjoying it with a passion, just to discover in 2004 that it had been put out of production. I did invest copious amounts of money to hoover up every single bottle i could find, in various perfumery shops and on ebay. I ended up with 15 bottles, and won't tell you how much i spent. I am set for life!! This is to give an idea of how I cherish Gentiana. It was an underrated and underestimated fragrance. A floral-green fragrance that reminds me of taking a walk in the garden accompanied by a gentle springtime breeze. Bergamot, orange, and Japanese citrus at the beginning are followed by the intensive aroma of orange and pear, dried orange, like the candied fruits coated in fine granulated sugar. But Gentiana is not that sweety-gourmand type, oh no! It has a peculiar bitterness (the gentiana flower) that stays for hours and counterbalances the fruity notes. To give you an idea, it shares some similarities with Chanel 19...they're by no means the same, Gentiana is way fresher, easy to wear and summer like. My office go-to frag for the summer. I don't see similarities to Pamplelune (i own as well) , Pamplelune being almost only grapefruit and little else. If you have the chance of smelling Gentiana do not hesitate, as there are no dupes for it. Hope they bring it back. Ps: Ohhellozippy couldn't be more on point; the current AAs are planets apart. And not in a good way .

I keep telling myself to stay clear of discontinued perfumes - it's a recipe for heartache and frustration. But do I listen? I do not. This is such a lovely scent for the hot Australian summer. I've been looking for a nice citrus fragrance. I have had Pamplelune as well - that's a very sharp citrus in contrast to Gentiana - if a nose could pucker, it would. Gentiana is more gentle, balanced by the lovely soft florals, but still crisp enough to be refreshing. I love it! The performance isn't terrible. Longevity and sillage have only been moderate on my first try today, but that's Allegorias for you. Could be worse. A scent experiment for you:- If you have a bottle of Angostura bitters in your liquor cabinet, trying sniffing it side by side with Gentiana. Angostura is gentian bitters. This really isolated the gentian note for me, as I'm not familiar with the flower.

i have a long love affair with this beautiful fragrance from the end of the jean paul guerlain era - and am lucky to have a few bottles and a coffret set. so much more than a typical aqua allegoria. with a defined floral accord to the left of the composition, and a remarkable citrus woody masculine accord to the left, the sillage and tenacity are as good as some of my guerlain extraits. i have huge affection for this fragrance. the rarely discussed and unusual study in citrus, genitana <3

The bergamot and lime indeed start the show, crisp and clean. After a few minutes it develops into something sweeter, which I think is the pear setting in - sort of reminding of dried fig (at least for me). I cannot for the life of me smell the gentiana separately, although I know this amazing little flower very well. It grows wild where I come from. I have a lot of allegorias I must say this is my top favourite along with herba fresca.

I just got a miniature bottle of this in a bundle, and it's an instant love. I wish I knew it was discontinued and so hard to find before I tried it, as now I'm gutted I won't be able to get more. I love the intense fruity notes, so sweet, tangy and refreshing, slightly artificial, sort of like opening a cold can of fanta on a hot day (in a good way). I wish the initial fruit burst lasted longer!

Quite distinctive for this range, and memorable. Wish I had a large bottle. I didn't notice pear in it but the gentian is what this is about, gentian in a gentle musky way. Can't stop smelling myself when I wear it. Am saving the last drops of my mini bottle and praying I find it in a bargain bin somewhere. Quietly sexy for an aqua. Drew comments.

This fragrance should have grapefruit and musk voted the top with floral as support and sandalwood in the base. This is in line with Pamplelune with a little more floral and the sandalwood, but it is tart and fruity mainly in the top with a shit ton of musk. I love it like I love Pamplelune. It isn't quite as strongly citrus but still is tart.

It was a long time since I wore it and I did not remember it was a bit harsh at first. When it settles on the skin it is a daydream. So pretty, the little golden rubber band that identifies the fragrance, i don't see it on the new ones anymore. It still smells a little, while the last few drops of my bottle disappear. Masterpiece.

Absolutely stunning vintage scent with refreshing herbs and slightly soapy citruses. It has almost minty freshness with a touch of lemon bon bons and an old-fashioned French soap with citrusy scent. It’s very elegant and refined.

I'm wearing this again today, it's making my day. Guerlain once made an extraordinary beauty like this but the more recent Aqua Allogorias are planets apart (not in a good way).

I managed to get hold of a half bottle of AA Gentiana recently. The top notes (grapefruit, lime, bergamot and orange) have pretty much gone from it and I suspect that age and oxidisation have done for it in that respect. Blink and you'll miss them from my bottle. However, this means that twenty minutes in you have gentiana, musk, sandalwood and the tiniest hint of pear. An hour in it's soft but still going, it's pretty, but a bit linear so far. The pear fades first and then the sandalwood takes a back seat as time goes by and you are left with a gentiana and musk mix as the main feature. It takes about five and a half hours before it starts to fade and it isn't weak until nine hours in. It lasts somewhere between eleven and twelve hours on me before it's gone. A nice bit of perfumery.

Aqua Allegoria GENTIANA is a clean and refreshing scent that recalls to my mind memories of Clarins facials (their nonfoaming cleanser contains a good dose of the eponymous note). From the grapefruit, lime, bergamot, and orange top notes, one might expect either sharpness or fruitiness, but neither is detectably present to my nose. The citrus instead softens the floral, as does the also mildly detectable musk, showcasing the gentiane in the best possible light. AA GENTIANA is a unique and gently floral edt that would wear especially well in hot weather. I find its clean neutrality devoid altogether of soapiness. Like Guerlain's VETIVER, this fragrance strikes me as suitable for men or women.

Found a vintage on eBay for my Guerlain collection. Top notes citrus sadly gone for the most part but the middle that stays is lovely. Guerlain quality (old Guerlain, family era, not so sure about what they are offering now..). Mainly gentiana and musk, but what Guerlain does so well is that even if the musk is dominating its never boring and flat, there are lots of other things going on at the same time, its not one note. Wish I could remember what this was like when it first came out. What I am left with now is still a lovely quality perfume, though there are other Allegorias I like better.

It's beautiful indeed. Flowery base with a slight wooden nuance, not sweet, very discreet and composed. And the citrus notes create a fresh, crisp, clean and cold feeling. It really reminds you of a walk in the mountains, where the air is fresh and filled with wildflowers and tree pollen scent. One of the best AAs if not the best one.

I like this, but it took me awhile to decide. I don't get any citrus from it, even when I first put it on. I get a sweet, spicy scent, reminds me a lot of AA Flora Nymphea. It is a pretty scent, but just doesn't work with my skin chemistry. I purchased a mini bottle, which I'm sure will last me a long time!

This is a lovey fresh clean perfume, very pretty and slightly tropical. I understand the clarins facial comment. I Have a well stored unopened bottle still in cellophane if anyone is looking for it.

It opens with a mix of sparkling citrus, sweet candy and a raw grapefruit accent. A drinkable orange soda, with sweet sandalwood and clean laundry moss. I don't take the real pear, but the usual shampoo accord that creeps in with a fresh toilet effect and tames the gentian note. Sweet, fresh, luminous and sharp on the skin, with a notable and persistent good trail. More soapy and musky in the drydown.

I have no idea what gentiane smells like, but this is a hodge podge of citrus and that said flower. For me the notes seem to clash unfortunately.

Gentiana .. Quite sweet and intense when compare to the rests of the Guerlain Aqua series. In my opinion it's more of an oriental/fruity floral than Green floral. The scent is thick as if you walked inside a greenhouse filled with strong-scented flowers--not a field of flowers where the air is well ventialted. It's not a bad perfume but I feel a bit suffocated sniffing Gentiana on my wrist because it's that unexpectedly heavy and dated. Also, there is something quite aquatic and/or mentholish about Gentiana. Smells just like Shower to Shower absorbent body powder widely used in Southeast Asia. It's an aqua with a big projectivity. Lasts a few hours on my skin. I agree with "Aroma rerefill." It can definitely be a unisex scent.

I received this fragrance in a swap and it turned out to be such a gem I couldn't expect! Honestly, I have no idea what gentiana flower should smell like. I've seen them before, but either never got to smell them, or their smell never registered in my head. Anyway, what I get with the first spritz of Gentiana is fresh grapefruit and grass. It's very clean refreshing scent, almost masculine, but not quite so. When it settles, it transcends into delicious grapefruit and floral scent. Sometime later it gets to this fruity stage: it's fruity not in the sense of being sickeningly sweet artificial fruit, but citrus-fresh mouthwatering type, plus clean musk. But mind you, it still retains slight soapy-floral quality. I simply adore this fragrance, the clean musk and citrus wear very nicely, and the longevity is not bad at all. This is an excellent scent for everyday wear.