Baiser de Russie

An appealing and agreeable gourmand vanilla. It is plush and cuddly and so absolutely pleasant, but with just a slight enough edge (that hint of pine, sour fruit, and a touch of ethyl maltol sweetness etc.) to make it more distinctive than the Body Shop. I could imagine wearing a luxurious lotion smelling like this. I do wish as a perfume that it had more of a "top mid base" journey and maybe a little more darkness or woodiness. Given the price and rarity, it's hard to justify seeking it out, but I also feel like it's the kind of scent you could make your elegant easy reach. In other words--I'll probably never own a bottle but feel like I'd go through one quickly if I lucked into one. If you miss this dearly and haven't explored Mon Guerlain (particularly the extrait) deeply, you might find what you want and need of Baiser in Mon Guerlain--lavender aromatics caramelized with a judicious use of ethyl maltol, a sweet plush vanilla drydown, clean musks. For me, Mon Guerlain is missing the herbal astringency Baiser de Russie has to make it more universal and more interesting. If I was in charge, I'd swap this out for Mon Guerlain in their mainstream stable and I feel it'd sell just as well (if not more) and scratch the same itch.

Although this is totally a part of Guerlain's "sucrinade" frenzy, Baiser de Russie shows how to REALLY create an elegant gourmand. The main note is caramel, the same one you get in all of Mon Guerlain's flankers, but less screechy and far more well blended. First you get some fresh pine and a slight "berry" scent (I can't say I find the note to be specifically "cranberry"), and then this scent becomes a lovely caramel-vanilla game with a delicate spicy twist towards anise/absinthe. What makes it magical to my nose is actually how it becomes a skin-scent instead of a sugar-bomb. Once this elegant sweetness becomes an intimate companion and not a delegate tooting its horn to let everyone know you entered the room, you realise this is just the right amount of sillage you need from this beauty. Otherwise it could become too harsh and too loud. Practically, the perfect scented choice for wintertime. Longevity is actually very good.

Very very close to Moscow EdP (2009-2014) - only 1 or 2 minor (and neither mentioned for previous Moscow) ingredients had to be dropped due to IFRA regulations, a Guerlain SA told me. The opening is so nice with a woody-sweet citrus - the pine needle scent is gorgeous - and a plum which remains present way beyond the opening. Then vanilla and tonka play with a great jasmine underlined by non invasive berries, before settling down to a sweet woody-musky skin scent. A must have for those who are nostalgic of Moscow and the Voyages Olfactifs series. Some of my friends perceive it as slightly watered down vs. Moscow, but on my skin it was clearly denser during an arm to arm confrontation, with a longevity of 10h (vs. 8h for my older Moscow), but this is not to be taken for granted for everyone. Note for editors: the bee bottle is classical "white" (transparent), only the juice is green (pine needles and absinthe)

Beautiful and refined, yes I can smell the notes slightly, a pleasure but so darn weak and short lived. Honestly I am quite shocked as I usually like my fumes light but well, this is *very*light for the money..... I imagined it would be of decent strength and tenacity, if it’s a Guerlain of this class.. ( and price).. Not that it smells the same, it does not, but the “air”, the attitude, the overall impression is similar to Instant Magic, same peaceful grace with some shimmering notes, soft and pleasant, not a sharp edge in sight. And finally, presentation is lovely, the box is huge, the hand atomizer pump work well but dispenses a very small amount of fragrance (much less than a regular sprayer.)

I mean damn! The bar measuring rod. With Baiser, I leveled up, I feel important. Leave it to Guerlain (aka the curator of compliments) to have us all trending in the right direction. The medley of vanilla, plum and pine is a bizarre combo indeed but the oddity of aromas gives this ownership power(something worth having). The entire fragrance is gently shaved to give you a sense of buoyancy. Qualitatively, this is something women will be drawn to and not at all contrarian as the notes suggest. The last time I ignored gender marketing was when I bought Gourmand Coquin(another Guerlain product). Impossible to dislike and it does smell like Moscow. -BLIND BUY WORTHY-