Elixir Charnel Oriental Brulant

An almost unpleasant laquer scent starts this fragrance (maybe the styrax?), or so I thought at first, I love that this site lets you edit reviews. This has really grown on me, and I think it is pretty much the ideal Shalimar for me. I have tried and tried, but I love this more than the classic Shalimar, it is just frankly more lovely. The alcohol-y beginning lasts about 5 minutes until the scent settles into something amazing and warm and subtle. Shalimar-like without the lemon/citrus and heavy powder, more similar to the drydown of Shalimar, the wearable aspects of Shalimar- Elixir Charnel Oriental Brulant is a very guerlain smelling smoky tonka bean/vanilla fragrance. I don't like it as much as the Guerlain Gourmand Elixir but it still is an honor to have in my collection, and I really enjoy wearing it! Not sure I would repurchase, but its just keeps growing on me the longer I have it.... A very subtle, light and pretty powder here for me with a very dark vanilla. I love these Guerlain Elixirs beyond words- it sounds dramatic but it's totally true! As for it not being unique, I disagree; I haven't smelled anything like this besides the already mentioned vague resemblance to the drydown of Shalimar. This is much more wearable than Shalimar in my book and I reach for it MUCH more often, but if you love that scent I would suggest a sample of this one. Lasting power 24+ Shalimar lovers who hate the citrus opening will go nuts Elixir Charnel Oriental Brulant... I have found the new, more expensive guerlains beat the crap out of their cheaper older counterparts. For me, this is the perfect shalimar and Angelique Noire is much better than Champs Elysees. I don't know if I can go back... If anyone wants to get this fragrance off their hands, i would gladly trade for it. Go through my 200ish perfumes and tell me what you want samples/bottles/decants of for trade. Just send me a message if you're interested!

If I could choose one perfume to wear for life, forgetting about money, I would choose Oriental Brûlant. Since its release almost 10 years ago, everytime I wear this perfume I realize I had forgotten about its magic, in the base notes! The top notes are quite gourmand, between orange and almond, maybe borderline too sweet, but the perfume quickly interacts with the skin to give the most gorgeous guerlinade, vanilla + tonka bean + resinous notes + skin = heaven. Some describe this as a younger Shalimar, and I would agree, it is a lot easier to wear and smells very modern at the same time, not soapy and not too powdery. I like to apply it at night, and the base notes are still present the next morning. It projects quite well without ever being strong or overpowering. This perfume manages to surprise me every time, the drydown is just out of this world (my other favorite drydown being Vol De Nuit extrait), anyone can pull this off easily (and I'd love to smell it on a man, if he likes sweet perfumes), it lasts incredibly well and leaves a nice sillage. To me this perfume summarizes Guerlain these last 10 years, a more gourmand direction, while clearly inheriting from Shalimar, L'Heure Bleue, Jicky with the complex evolution and base notes. (I am talking about a 2010-ish bottle, don't know about reformulations) And now it is being discontinued/in a super expensive new bottle, I don't understand this decision at all and I think it will be a long while before I fall for another Guerlain (last time it was Parfum Initial l'Eau, already discontinued!).

This is a lovely, modern take on the Guerlinade. It starts with a slightly spiced, subtle and sweet citrus (I've seen some reviews describe it as giving a bit of a holiday vibe because of that, which I agree with). This clears fairly quickly and segues beautifully into an almondy, coumarinic, vanillic, musky delight. There's some of the scent of styrax (the true liquid of which I kind of feel smells somewhere between sharp vanilla, cinnamon, permanent Sharpie markers, and leather...a hard to pin down note that's beautiful when well integrated!!!), but it's definitely tamed and tempered by the cuddly Guerlain-ness. It feels very much at home with the l'Art et Matieres line in aesthetic--the almond-tonka of Tonka Imperiale, the "chewy" and bittersweet vanilla of Angelique Noire, and the plush sueded/heliotropic feel of Cuir Beluga. I just might like it better than all of those individually, however, in terms of wearability and comfort. The tradeoff, of course, is that it's not quite as bold as any of those. You smell this and think that it really should be one of the scents Guerlain should have readily available at all times. It's a shame that it's not.

At first you get a rather strong dose of benzoine which smells sort of "chemical" but not unpleasant. Just strange. Almonds (or tonka ?) mingle from the beginning, too. A delicious perfume, really ! It is sweet, pleasing and seductive. Perfect if you are on a date with certain plans of spending the night :-) He/She will not be able to resist. OB develops softer, milder in the drydown but still sweet and almondy. The name truefully suggests something smoky. OB overall reminds me of a harem with lovely women eating delicious sweets and the room is perfumed with smoke. Oriental Brulant is not as smoky as Fumerie Turque/Serge Lutens, not as sweet as Loukhoum Parfum Du Soir/Keiko Mecheri and not as almondy as Baiser Du Dragon/Cartier but having less of each superbly mixed a big "more" was the result. OB is a gorgeous oriental-gourmand scent. Longevity is great, I applied it in the morning and still noticed whiffs of it on me at about 5 in the afternoon. Sillage is medium, it is not a loud scent. Unfortunately, OB is part of the exclusive "Les Elixirs Charnel" collection. The price is a true nightmare (around EUR 170-175 for 75ml).

This is my HOLY FREAKIN' GRAIL SCENT. I mean just thinking about sniffing it is making me swoon. Oh my gosh, it's perfection. This is definitely top 5 of all time. I am completely obsessed. It's oriental heaven. And the cost? 100000% worth it. It lasts ALLLLL day and I can NOT stop sniffing myself when I wear it. It's literally oriental (and a tad gourmand) perfection in a bottle. Look NO further. At least try it. You'll thank me later :) What does it smell like? It smells like the most sophisticated, resinous vanilla ice cream in existence, made by a French chef who probably dotes on Marie Antoinette or someone. Lovely edible oriental. The styrax just makes the whole thing so rich and beautiful. Stunning. I have no idea on earth why people are voting this to smell like Bois 1920 La Vaniglia, which smells like a vanilla Yankee Candle mixed with church incense. Ugh. And L'Instant Magic? Lovely, but it smells like almonds and baby powder- literally nothing like Oriental Brulant. There is literally nothing like Oriental Brulant. Sorry! Darn shame they discontinued this beauty!

I have waited a while before reviewing this because I wasn't sure what to say about it. The first ten minutes of this almost smells strange to me, I can't put my finger on what the note is. The first time I tried this I didn't think I would love it but wow it has really grown on me, I am finding that I crave the warm creaminess of this and have now worn it for about a week without tiring of it. It is sweet but not as sweet as Tonka Imperiale, it is smokey but less so than shalimar, it is creamy but not as smooth as L'instant. It definitely has that guerlainade base that I find suits me so well. It is like a mixture of all my favourite Guerlains. I know that some consider this a boring and a lightweight fragrance but I am absolutely in love with this, it is gorgeous and I plan to purchase a FB. Sillage isn't huge but that's ok with me because I prefer to wear my perfume, not have my perfume wear me. Longevity is amazing, I can still smell this the next day. A 10/10 in my book.

This is without doubt vanilla, yet I wouldn't place it in the gourmand category as it doesn't smell edible in any way. This is indeed purely the base of Shalimar, it's not smoky, citrusy or coarse like I myself find Shalimar to be. It's a very musky, thick, slightly powdery and almost hairspray like vanilla with salty heliotrope/almond like facets. It's even thicker than creamy - it's balmy in texture. Furthermore, I don't find this very sweet, the vanilla is elegant, mature and grounded. Very classic and timeless scent. I have smelled many perfumes quite similar in scent, for example Vanille Exquise by Annick Goutal, so it's not groundbreaking in its composition, but none that compares to the powerful presence, quality and sillage of Oriental Brulant. I see the comparison to Hypnotic Poison but they share only the almond, this is much muskier. It stays close to the skin yet lasts and lasts, it's undeniably a very high quality fragrance.

I adore this. It actually is easier to wear than Shalimar, or maybe it's just more familiar. It reminds me of my grandmother. So, when I wear it, it is a very "very" comforting feeling I get. I feel protected and loved. Nobody did that better than my "Nanny". I find that many of the Guerlain line just work well with my chemistry. Which is hard to do. Sometimes you read all the notes in a fragrance, assume they will work, and they are out of balance, linear not working. These elixirs are my favorites. Coquin Gourmand, Angelique Noir and Asian Brulant are 3 favorites of mine. I've gone through countless bottles, so that should speak volumes. I would love to try the others in this line, but sometimes I branch out to other houses, but I always and I mean always come back to Guerlain. They do fragrance like no other, and I might add.....makeup :) Love love love....Hope they continue to make these beauties. IFRA stay away!

A positive emotional scent. There is something very evocative about this wonderful scent. Smells amazing on its own or can also be layered with Cuir Beluga. Very romatic and comforting scent. Sillage is smooth. This composition was formulated with care and that is very clear on the top,heart and base notes. Well done my beloved Guerlain. XOXOXOX Guerlain my true love. This is not similar to another fragrance. Just the right sillage and so beautiful. Update: I have received more compliments then on most any other perfume. Some perfumes a lot of ladies will praise. However, This little tiger, Oriental Brulant is captivating by gentlemen ,politly asking what am I wearing. OB is a true masterpiece that can be praised. Nicely done and a rarity to find such a winning scent that is not unisex. Guerlain my hero, Oriental Brulant, more powerful than botox . My dearest confidant has become the Guerlain counter : )

Why Why Why Why??? Is. This. Gone?????? Guerlain, I've held my complaints about your "new" direction. I've even bought some of those new direction perfumes. Can you please now give me back my Oriental Brulant? Pretty please? But not if you screw it up like you did with Feve Gourmand. Seriously, tea? That you can actually smell? Sorry, off topic. Please, everyone email Guerlain. Call. Clog the communication lines with pleas for this lovely fragrance. If you think I'm nuts, try to get your nose on a decant and you can see how far Guerlain has traveled from her Motherland. This is now in my had section. I used the last of my bottle (well I've got a 5 ml decant back up for emergency sniffs) on Thanksgiving. Now I'm thinking my guests weren't worthy. :)

Oriental Brulant (OB) lovers unite! Let's get someone to make this glorious elixir again. Guerlain needs an army to tell them, we shall say of Guerlain, why oh why, are you so stubborn in keeping this masterpiece from us. Bring it back as you did others, bring it back sooner rather than later. For who knows what is going to befall us before we get to have this diamond encased in heavenly metals such as surrounds King Tut's dagger, which laid on his bosom in his sarcophagus along with his other treasures. Of all fragrances, this is one that reaches from our soul to the sky, in which we can only convey its richness in moans. It is far too glorious to describe in mere words. Oh Guerlain, please I mutter....please bring this back.............

Yes, it's pink and it has gourmand notes, but don't be fooled - the styrax note is very prominent and this dry styrax grip on your throat will last throughout the development; almost sour (tangerine) aspect as a contrast to the pink coloured sweetness. No succulence here (Brulant), but dry sweetness with a hint of oddness. Thankfully, it is what makes this perfume a serious and extraordinary composition (besides being an exclusive Guerlain), a quasi-gourmand with lots of character opposed to many frivolous, sweet pink-coloured examples in this category. And for sweeter, more supple, less challenging "pink" Guerlain exclusive - Gourmand Coquin would be more adequate choice.

Oriental Brûlant is a soft and warm Oriental Gourmand scent. It is powdery, nutty and buttery (almond and tonka bean), sweet (vanilla), and styrax gives it a unique amber-like resinous/balsamic quality. Oriental Brûlant is quite smooth and pristine with a cozy and comforting vibe, making it an ideal choice for the fall and winter. It shares some similarities with SDV and Tonka Impériale and is another classic and timeless release from Guerlain. Without a doubt, my favorite fragrance from the now discontinued Les Élixirs Charnels line (I own it in a 125 ml gold bee bottle from the Paris boutique). I love Oriental Brûlant and it is among my top five Guerlain fragrances!

the sexiest sophisticated perfume in the world (imo) -- and this includes the name, bottle design and color of juice, concept, and most of all the perfume...all of it together gives a very romantic idea that i think mixes well with any body chemistry and the idea of "sexy" in it's carnal senses (there's that french artist orlan who makes 'carnal art')...carnal to me means an acknowledgement of the fullness of the body...i don't mean to laud a perfume that is no longer being made and selling for very high prices now on ebay etc...it's worth a sniff for study if you can find a sample or decant (smells sweet-smoky, resinous-spicy, and citrusy-mandarin to me)

Like the reviewer several reviews down from this, I too could choose this perfume as the only one I would want if I could only only have one! I'm IN LOVE WITH THIS PERFUME and by the way, this layers beautifully with smokey myrrh perfumes such as Mitzah by Dior, Myrrhe Imperial by Armani Privee. I can get 12 hours on my dry skin! Can't say that about many frags. I'm really surprised to see only 3 people have it as their signature scent because if I ever have one, this will be it. It's SIMPLY STUNNING! What a shame it's another victim of discontinuation!

I have a decant of this and recently purchased bois d'armenie. They are 80% similar. This one smells more gourmand and sharper because of the tangerine note. The bois d'armenie smells more powdery and softer, more rounded, but the drydown is quite similar. So far I haven't encountered any other fragrance that smells similar to this. So if you want, you better get the bois d'armenie as that one is already discontinued too. Good thing they are just discontinued recently so there's probably still some in stock at the boutique.

Thank you to xrayer for this lovely swag of samples! This is softly musky, spicy and warm. The sweet spices waft in after the initial balsamic, slightly smoky wave. This one stays in the background on me - beautiful and alluring and oh so soft and come hither moreish, would adore a full bottle of this someday! (PS Smells a little Christmas pudding like on me!)

So Guerlain it hurts. It's just painfully good. It smells like the woman I'd like to be in 10 years. Indeed, it is the olfactory equivalent of admiring your mother dressed up for a special occasion when you were a child. Those occasions that had her looking so unfathomably elegant that it made you wish you could be even half as glamorous some day.

Oriental Brulant is one of my naughtiest fragrances ;) It's sweet, but not too sweet, it's musky, creamy, resinous, a little salty, a little boozy and very very warm. A come hither fragrance for sure (at least on my skin). I'd go further than that, I'd call it a gourmand version of Boudoir!

Oriental Brulant has an opening resembling some aged preserved Chinese tangerine peels with soothing, slightly savory sweet and balmy accords. It's sweet, balmy and vanilla base notes made me feel calm and relax for hours.