Champs Elysees Eau de Toilette

An elegant, fresh, understated fruity floral, perfect in Spring and early Summer. Opens with a beautiful violet note that is in perfect harmony with a juicy peach. The opening on me is more fruity than floral, with peach, melon, and black currant. However, it is really the almond that is the star of the opening show. A soft almond that is a little bitter, a little sweet, and a little toasty; ending slightly woody and vanilla. Overall, one of the best openings I know, with a complete chord struck from the first notes, a rich peachy violet supported on an almond-vanilla foundation. The anise is very light and unobtrusive, flitting in and out, pairing briefly with the almond. I don’t get much melon on me, which is probably a blessing. The heart opens as a big floral, and remains floral throughout, but the juicy sweet peach lingers on, merging with the lilac and mimosa. This is a very mimosa laden fragrance overall, but the lilac is strong as well, and pairs with the lingering violet note. The rose balances it all beautifully. I don’t get much LOTV, just a slightly clean soapy white floral note. For me, this is all about balance and composition: the flowers create floral chords, with individual notes that come and go, similar to listening to an orchestra play a complex work, and suddenly hearing clearly a violin or flute. As far as the hibiscus: there is only one hibiscus that is fragrant, and it smells nothing like this. I believe this must be a “fantasy note” in Champs Elysees, I smell a tart, tropical floral note. The drydown is typically Guerlain, all vanilla and sandalwood goodness, here paired with almond tree and cedar, giving it a lovely resinous nutty effect. Overall, it is a little creamy and powdery, has excellent longevity and silage, and is a perfect choice for professional settings, especially in Spring and Summer. As Pitchlara noted in her review, it is a wonderful fragrance for folks living in the tropics and sub-tropics. It holds up extremely well in heat and humidity, and survives daily torrential rains in the rainy season, while remaining fresh.

The EDT of this perfume is delicious and beautiful! The EDP is far too sweet and loud so I prefer this softer subtler quiet lovely scent. I got it for free as a gift from a girlfriend who had gone to the Guerlain store in Paris France. The first spritz is a sweet fruity melange of peach, currant and anise. Comes through as fruity with a touch of spice, like a soft cinnamon or a fruit cake. I like currant and peach notes so to me the opening is wonderful. Most fruity floral fragrances start off with citrus so for this citrus free opening to start off with mainly anise and currant is a refreshing change. The peach is not very big. The floral heart is mostly mimosa and violet, and way in the background some white floral notes of lily of the valley and white rose. The florals are sweet and powdery. Because of the violet, there is a powdery cosmetic air like a retro talc powder in a boudoir. Feminine and classy. The florals are like a gauze like a little cloud of floral scents in purple pink white and yellow color specs. The richness of the florals eventually subsides and at the dry stage I am picking up on almonds or almond tree with another woody note the cedar wood. There is possibly amber and a touch of soft musk. There is also vanilla. The perfume is romantic and feels like you have to wear her for dress-up formal affairs, fancy restaurants and or romantic cruises. The aroma is not long lasting I guess because it is a toilette. On me it lasts no more than 3 to 4 hours but I don't mind. The scent is intimate and sits close to the skin and does not radiate very much. If you like fruity florals, powdery florals, slightly spicy florals and vanilla, this perfume does the trick. It reminds me of a kind of fragrance version of Parisian macarons. It evokes the image of a pretty French girl having cookies and macarons and sweets and feels like walking out on an open air market in Paris with a bunch of flowers with their floral scents wafting in the air. It's great for spring and summer. I can't tell you how much I like Champs Elysees.

This was my first 'real' fragrance back in the day, and I fell in love with it at first sniff. I was in a little suburban pharmacy in a sprawling grey shopping centre, and then suddenly the world turned into cream-coloured velvet. Heaven! I didn't even have to debate with myself about whether or not it was coming home with me -- C-E was my new best friend, and we'd be going *everywhere* together. I just knew it. I hurried home after work that evening, ready to bathe in my beautiful new velvety elixir and spend the night luxuriating. Hmmm, I thought, in my cloud of mimosa. Maybe I'll see what that perfume book I bought the other day has to say about this one, so I can understand the scent a little better! Out came Perfumes: The Guide. And there it was -- Champs-Elysees, Guerlain. And I read... and my beautiful cloud of velvety mimosa wonderfulness quietly drifted to the floor. The review is uncomplimentary, to say the least, and to my very uneducated and confidence-lacking nose, looking for signposts to better understand this particular fragrance, I have to admit that LT's review ruined Champs-Elysees for me, for a good few months. Not his fault of course, but mine for letting it magnify what were apparently negatives. I wanted guidance and influence, and I got it, so it was my own fault. This story has a happy ending, of course! Some time later I decided I didn't care what he thought; if my taste was plebeian, then plebeian and happy I'd be. And so I adore my Champs-Elysees, and I wear the heck out of it. That lovely quiet time between bath and bed is my favourite time to spend with it. I mostly get pure mimosa powder, that turns into something a little soapier and a smidge sweeter. I see all the listed notes and I search for them, but nope. Fluffy mimosa all the way. The scent of contentment and quiet luxuriance. Heaven. <3

Unless it's purely a body-chemistry clash, I don't know how anyone could hate this fragrance. Sure, if it's not for every day, all situations, or every mood, but this scent is like joy in a bottle. Perhaps it's the general hatred for anything fruity and bright, since the fragrance world is overloaded with so many overly bright, fruity florals now? I was around for the launch and at the time there was a lot of worry about what the future held, but also still a good dose of hope. In recent years, some days do feel like a dystopian sci-fi novel. Perhaps humanity is currently unable to feel such hope? Or perhaps those people find a thrill in proclaiming all things passe? Ah well don't mind that and let this bottle of joy lift you up. On my skin, fruity notes rarely smell very fruity beyond the first few minutes. Instead, they tend to brighten all the notes in the mix and that is the case here, with the floral notes turned up to volume 6 instead of 3 even though I'm wearing the EDT. It reminds me of my parents bringing fresh-cut flowers from the garden into the house at the peak of the season--somewhere between spring and summer where we lived. When the breeze blew just so, you'd be greeted by a tickle of vibrant florals, dancing to you from a room away. If this scent were a person, it would be a calm and grounded person with a twinkle in their eyes and a sincere, easy smile. Here, fashion matters less than feeling, so it is any person you love who loves you in equal measure, so that your own eyes twinkle back. This is for all ages and all people who can experience joy and love. And yes, I have smelled this on secure, confident men and it was a delight.

For something so delicately well made this has long lasting power! I have been looking for a perfume I can wear for daytime without offending other people's olfactory sense. This is kind of blind buy as I didn't check it on my skin first before buying this but I just can't let go of this last bottle in my nearby pharmacist's I have been reading the review on Champs Elysees for quite some time now and the reviews are so reassuring that I just ended up buying this one. First I advice not to smell it straight from the bottle as it is quite strong I was almost put off by it. I tried it on my bare shoulders one rainy and breezy July afternoon not too hot here in London right now. Beautiful creamy floral notes comes out not so much of the fruity ones on me but I don't care this is the real deal. This made me smell and feel so girly yet self assured. Will get you noticed quite easily without begging for one. Unlike some of the perfumes that comes out of the market right now Champs is not overly complicated but this doesn't need to be it's beauty comes from being understated yet elegantly delectable. I'm so glad I bought this.♥