Aqua Allegoria Lavande Velours

I'm very happy I've succeeded in hunting down a bottle of discontinued AA Lavande Velours from Guerlain, as I must admit there is nothing similar to this scent in my collection. I'm a die hard fan of lavender and so far my the most beloved lavender parfum is Lavande Eau the Parfum from Molinard, which I find absolutely beautiful and pretty strongnand photorealistic with added note of delightful vanilla (and I'm not very much into gourmand scents). Unfortunately, although it does last on my skin, I quickly become noseblind to this smell and have to put my nose against my wristnto reassure myself it's still present. And, thankfully, it's not the case with AA Lavande Velours, it lasts and I can easily sense it around after few hours from the application. First I was a bit down, as I hate some notes at the opening, a bit similar to my nose as in Narcotic Flower from Maison Alhambra. Probably they are different, but make me struggle for at least one hour, like there is something plasticky or smelling like a car tires. But when the scent dries down, in both cases it becomes absolutely delicious and it LASTS. I can sense it enveloping my body, so I really am able to enjoy it all the time during wearing it, for many hours. Such a bliss! Now to the lavender. It's very beautiful and stays present for all the time, I would even say it really is kinda photorealistic, but only when we speak of a bouquet of dried in the sun lavender stems with flowers, not the fresh ones, but rather sweet and dry, probably thanks to iris note. To the point, it gives me an impression of warm summer evenings of my childhood, spent on hiding in the haystacks in the countryside at my grandparents farm, given it would be haystacks full not only of hay, but also sweet dried wild lavender. It's different kind of lavender note but I love it and enjoy wearing it very much. Pity Guerlain stopped producing it, can't understand this decision, and I would gladly purchase many backup bottles, also to be able to travel in time, back to my childhood years 💜

Lavande Velours is unique in that its a lavender that's carried through not so much by vanilla as is with many classic lavender scents, but rather with violet and orris, which turns about to be the most winning progression to our beloved pastoral antagonist. The linalool and linalyl acetate cross-fading with ionones is oddly stimulating and satisfying, feeling even cool-tinted and feeling almost blueberry-like. The timeline is herbaceous, dewy floral and laundered linens, to parma-violet sweet, growing powdery and woody over its development. I am most surprised by its complexity as compared to others from the Aqua Allegoria line (though this was sadly discontinued many years ago). It has a somewhat dandy feel to it, which of course meets my approval, and I wouldn't blink if this were presented as an reconstructed original formula from the late 19th century.

This one and Gris Clair by Lutens are the truest lavenders i've smelled, and i've used them both faithfully !! I would by no means call Lavande Velours a flowery perfume!! It would also be an excellent choice for those gents who love true lavender! It is deep, extremely warm and very strong. It gets milder after the first half hour, due perhaps to the iris and violet, and sandalwood gives it an earthiness, a woodsy base that prevents it from getting flowery. Magnifique! Gris clair is softer, equally long lasting but for those days when i need a soft veil to soothe migraine.. Equally magnificent perfume! It goes without saying that both are for lavender lovers - period!

I agree with the reviewer here who said that the violet and powdery iris notes are dominating the lavender:) so that is probably why I love it soo much! The opening gives a big lavender cloud but that really disappears fast and gives way to the gorgeous violet , wonderful fragrance ..I had to find a full bottle of that immediately after my sample:) one of the very best Guerlain AA's to me

Lavander, Iris, violets, sandalwood...This is such a beautiful fragrance... If I go to heaven ... or hell...please let it smell like this Guerlain, bring it back, please!

Very comforting lavander perfume. The drydown reminds me of Aprés l'Ondée.

I do love this fragrance, but I do also agree that it is close to perfect for the linen cupboard as well, especially the first ten minutes. From the first spritz a very strong lavender note dominates the scene. I can hardly find any other notes than soapy lavender for a long time. First after ten minutes it actually becomes wearable as a fragrance on my skin and I can detect the violet and some powder from the iris. Still there is some green acridness in the scent, like not only the petals from the lavender was used, but also branches, twigs and leafs were grinded down into it. But a bit later, when the basenotes enters the scene it becomes a well-balanced beauty from the vanilla and silky powdery sandalwood. Now it is a really really pleasant fragrance. I find it a bit hard to use for work and social events, but what's wrong with a multi purpose fragrance? As I also love wearing certain fragrances on my own I can se myself wearing it at home, while I'm gardening, on my pillow for a good nights sleep and on my new washed mangled sheets. I love fragrances with aroma therapeutic qualities and Lavande Velours is now one of them. My social lavender fragrance is still Galliano.

Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria Lavande Velours is a well-crafted perfume. It projects moderately for three to four hours before settling down to a skin scent. It has the hand of Mathilde Laurent's style all over it in that it is a pretty linear perfume and you don't get the normal Guerlain olfactory journey that most of the house's perfumes produce. It opens with an initial sense of purple florals and sweet. Lavender, vanilla, gentle iris and violet unwrap themselves and then the sandalwood follows five minutes later. Two and a half hours in it's a triple floral and vanilla. The fading process begins about four hours in. Some seven hours in Lavande Velours is vanilla dominant with the lavender and purple florals in the background. Eight hours in and it's very faint and you think it's going to die soon, but oh no - no, it sticks around stubbornly with the most remarkable obduracy. In fact, over 24 hours and one shower later I can still detect it on my arm! It's lovely and calming and highly durable. I think it can be worn any time, any season, by both men and women.

Aqua Allegoria LAVANDE VELOURS, as its name promises, offers a thick blanket of lavender. Lavender lovers will rejoice in the presence of this scent, which is strong without being overwhelming. But this is really all about lavender, moderated only slightly by violet, iris, and vanilla. Although it is a full-fledged edt, I sometimes spray LAVANDE VELOURS on my pillow before going to sleep for very sweet dreams. (It also seems to calm my cat, who has superior powers of olfaction...) I awaken in the morning to find myself still cradled in lush lavender. Lavender serves another functional purpose as well: it fends off mosquitoes without poisoning the wearer. Be sure to take a heavily lavender-laden spray such as LAVANDE VELOURS with you on your next trip to Africa!

I just got this in the mail. The scent is definitely very floral and green. No sweetness but it's not bitter neither which i like. I dont like bitter scent which smell like i'm wearing medicine. Very strong with a lingering scent and it smell as if the flowers were right under my nose. I smell the floral notes first then the sandalwood second. Very little vanilla which it's not sweet like other fragrance. The floral noted last a good 4 hours, then it lighten and you can smell more of the sandalwoods. This is also my first niche fragrance, so it's a good introduction which makes me more excited to tried more niches from now on.

This is discontinued, but I scored a mini off ebay, as I'm a lavender obsessive. Lovely true lavender-essential-oil to open, with a background of something else ambiguous (to my nose). If I hadn't seen the notes pyramid, I would have said that something was half lilac, half blueberry. After a strong opening, this disappears shockingly fast, even by my low standards as a 4711 fan. Honestly there is no drydown - it's just completely gone. I'd probably buy a bottle at standard Guerlain prices, but the markup from the vintage sellers is too high to contemplate given my longevity complaints. Alas.

Very peculiar perfume! I am not so much into lavender but this one - as almost all Aqua Allegorias - is really well blended. The lavender starts off very prominent and with this medicinal, almost harsh accent. You must like it, otherwise it is a tad too strong. And it lasts! The drydown is gorgeous: the iris shows up and gives this velvet powdery note. All in all it is a fresh fragrance where the lavender and the iris are a perfect match. Excellent staying power. A pity it is discontinued!

This is pure Lavender at it's fineset Lavender is known for Positive qualities like releaving insect bites headaches and insomnia and it's calming. to me this is more up lifting then calming so i don't agree with the calming aspect of Lavender. At first 10 minutes lavender drowns out the other notes the drydown is an a little dissapointing because it's very hard to detect the other notes mainly for the dominace of Lavander but i do smell a faint vanilla note but that's all.

Absolut lavender, at least in my skin. I can smell violet about an hour after spraying it, but lavender still dominates the overall sensation until I shower again. And it's a sharp, almost savage lavender, so I would really love this on a man. Lavande Velours and Anisia Bella are the most long lasting of the whole Aqua Allegoria collection.

I've tried and tried again with this one, but it is always disjointed and strange. It might work with a more floral type of lavender, or with a greener, earthier violet. Lavande Velours has a medicinal/herbal lavender (like rosemary), and an intensely sweet violet; together, they smell like cough syrup.

The violet (especially) and iris come through much more than the lavender on me, lovely and powdery and so feminine. Yet another favorite of mine from the Aqua Allegoria series.

It's one of the most elegant refind lavendel-scents I've tried. Powdery & yum. Very calmingly sensual.

I still have my original bottle. It could just be my bottle but it has always smelled like a botched fragrance. My bottle is from when it was first released. I love lavender and have gone through litres of lavender eau de cologne in my life. This is not even remotely as good. There is nothing "velvety" about Lavande Velours. It is harsh, loud, and terribly unpleasant.

I'm a big lavender fan, but this scent profile just isn't very good imo. Big fan of Serge Lutens Gris Clair. Even Yardley's English Lavender is better than this. Tom Ford's Lavender Extreme, better. And just about any Fougere with well blended lavender is better than this.

E' una delle fragranze alla lavanda più particoli e più belle che io conosco. E vi assicuro che ne conosco tante, perchè adoro l'aroma della lavanda e uso l'olio essenziale di lavanda in tanti modi, da sempre. La trovo molto femminile, anche se la definiscono "unisex", morbida e carezzevole. E' una lavanda molto seducente, in cui l'aroma fresco della pianta di lavanda si fonde con quello dolce e carico del legno di sandalo, dando vita a qualcosa di unico. Oggi, in ufficio, sono rimasti tutti estasiati da questo splendido profumo..e dire che ne ho spruzzato solo un goccino sul foulard... Mi hanno detto che il suo aroma riempie la stanza, trasformandola in un luogo da sogno... Direi che non è poco ! E' superfluo che io dica quanto sia incavolata che questa meraviglia non sia più in produzione !!!!