Guerlain Idylle Duet Jasmin-Lilas

I could test this new idylle in Switzerland. I simply fell in love! The focus here is all about jasmin with a crown of lilas, but it's not your usual springtime floral and that's all. I think that many years Samsara and after Jasminora, eventually Guerlain came out with a true fresh yet indolic jasmin to put my brain on my heels. Flanker? maybe, but with a good reason to exist. I'm now a long term Idylle wearer as I had been many years before with Samsara. I wear regular Idylle EdP and I love EdT too. I don't care for Eau Sublime. I swooned for first Duet Rose&Patchoili and I'm swooning now for new Duet Jasmin& Lilas. It seems that I need alternatively a rose-based or a jasmin-based fragrance in my life, but not a flat kind of rose and jasmin. I love this complex scents. This Duet Jasmin& Lilas fuses with my skin and it is so much "me": strongly floral with a soft musky base :-) What really strikes me here is that Duet so strongly reminds me of something of the past. It really has a vibe of old jasmin ladies perfume with a good dose of indolic jasmin, revised in a modern way in Duet. We are not used to strong indolic jasmin nowadays. That smells dirty, like... well, poo&soil? Not a nice idea, I know, but these definitions should be taken like adjectives given to wines. The jasmin in Duet is extremely fresh, cold and uplifting with an indolic back-feeling. It remains so on my skin for at least one hour of pure joy and pleasure. Fresh and erotic jasmin surronded by a soft cloud of lilac. I found that lilac gives a special radiance to perfumes and enhances the performance of other flowers. It smells like wisteria purple-blue hanging flowers that blooms around Eastertime. This is a note that reminds me of EA 5th Avenue, a much cheaper perfume which smells lovely and feminine. After a while Duet becomes more tamed and elegant, a little bit in the line of first Carolina Herrera, but in a Guerlain way. In 4 words: I am in love. I would have bought it straight there, but it was so expensive and I still have a big FB of Idylle EdP and I would like to buy EdT... It was about ChF 131, which is 108 euro or 142 US$ for 50ml! The bad, very bad new for me is the LE matter, why???? I hate, hate, hate when Guerlain discontinue beautiful scents! This means that I can be in love with Duet only for one year and only if I can afford it this year. I don't like this policy. The Guerlain quality has worsened since glorious past. The regular version of new scents are often flatter, then they come out with a suppposed "flanker" that actaully smells better than regular and costs double (as if I could pile up for years to come, haha!). This is just marketing and I don't like this way of teasing customers who are not simply customers but true perfume lovers.

Others have described the fragrance so well: soft, delicate, romantic, classy and gorgeous amongst other adjectives, and I agree wholeheartedly! I would also like to throw in dewy (in its opening and middle). It’s like lilac rainfall and I’m head over heels in love with it. Usually I don’t go for florals but this has been an eye opener for me. I got this fragrance through a swap and I had no idea what to expect since I hadn’t tried it before but I’m just so impressed. Even though it’s a rather light fragrance (relatively), it lasts so long and has pretty good projection as well. I put it on 8 am and now it’s 8 pm and I can still smell the floral muskiness, although rather faintly, but still. The dry down is however not as interesting as the opening :) I’ve seen some bottles around on eBay but for insane prices, and I don’t know if it’s really worth it...if you’re rich then yes why not hehe but if you’re on a budget like me, you can probably live without it even though it is splendid and the best lilac I’ve ever tried.

Idylle Duet is my favourite Idylle! Strong rose strong jasmin with honey sweetness (as oppose to fruity or chocolate sweetness)and a bit of wood. Big sillage and decent longevity on me. Perfect for any seasons and weather but i would say it suits warm springtime the best becuase of it's sparking floral notes! Too bad it is a limited edition. I discover that Idylle EDT has some resemblence of Idylle Duet. Actually i find Idylle EDT a combination of Idylle Duet and Idylle Sublime in different stages of its development. I have brought several Duet neverthelss, for sometimes i want to enjoy the pure simple sparking sweet rose and jasmin for some 4 to 6 hours. p.s. the golden bottle is so beautiful under a warm lighting. Positively adding glamour to any bedroom

I am madly in love with this. On me, it may be one of the best lilac mimics I've ever worn, which is a holy grail scent because of the instant joy it evokes. It sits atop lovely jasmine--not too heady, but still vibrant. It's perfectly supported by the wood/rose and just a touch of the green notes. I feel sublime wearing it: powerfully feminine. The mood it creates is flirty on my own terms, rather than a dark and sultry sexy. If it were a woman, she would have very polished, dewy skin and flush cheeks; sheer, shimmering lips; fluffy, full lashes with a perfect curl accentuating nude and glossy lids; sleek hair; a gauzy spring dress that skims the body; and delicate necklace disappearing into her bosom.

This is complex, beautifully so. Typically Guerlain in that there are so very many layers of notes all coming in and out of your nose's radar. I bought this searching for the elusive lilac. For jasminophobes, this will not upset your sensibilities as the jasmine is quite subtle and does not overpower the gentle lilac. In fact, the whole thing is gentle all the way through. It's not that far removed from the standard Idylle EDT as you move into the heart of the fragrance. If you can't find the duet now it's discontinued, the EDT would suffice. The EDP is an entirely different scent, more focused on the rose.