Jicky Eau de Parfum

Sadly, this new version of Jicky EDP (my bottle is from 2022) is totally gone on my skin after 15 minutes. I am used to only having to apply one or two sprays of perfume on my skin to make the scent last all day. This lack of staying power is especially sad in this case, since the new Jicky version is heavenly! I have a refill bottle of Jicky EDT from 2013 as well as a bee bottle of Jicky EDP from 2017, and both have good staying power (especially the EDT's, which is excellent). Scent wise, the new Jicky EDP comes closest to the refill bottled EDT, while the bee bottle Jicky EDP is quite different since it lacks the characteristic lavender/rosemary top notes. Often I have layered the refill EDT and the bee bottle EDP to get a "proper" Jicky scent profile, and that is actually how the new EDP smells, although better and more refined. Like a remastered version of the refill EDT plus the bee bottle EDP minus the staying power. The new Jicky EDP opens with perfectly clean and natural lavender/rosemary pared with creamy vanilla and woodsy notes. It is like the whole scent pyramide is compressed to one layer, then the scent dissapears and is gone. In the refill EDT the lavender opening is more screetchy and synthetic, while the bee bottle EDP lacks the lavender opening all together and goes straight to the creamy vanilla/woody/powdery base that is the EDT's drydown. A halitosis note is present in both the EDT and the bee bottle EDP, but not in the new EDP. If I had known how poor the staying power would be in the new EDP I would not have bought it. I am anyhow grateful for having had the pleasure of smelling a perfect Jicky, at least for some minutes. If you find a Jicky EDT grab it, since it is basically the same scent as the new EDP although cruder, ruffer, and dirtier. Edit: Fortunately, the staying power of the new version Jicky has actually enhanced with time. Maybe the content of the bottle just had to mature for some time? I have gotten positive comments on it from a co-worker, so it does definitely radiate after all.

I purchased this latest version directly from Guerlain as soon as I was alerted it was back in stock. I am so relieved to find that I get the lavender just as much in this version as I was in the bee bottle edt. Reading through the reviews had me concerned that I wouldn't. What I am disappointed in is that I don't find the silage and longevity much different from the bee bottle edt, which is why I wanted this in the first place. I was hoping it would be stronger. It is not. Nor do I find the composition that much different. I have found out that the formula code on this latest release is different from the bee bottle edp. It also differs from the bee bottle edt I have. So clearly the formula was change. But to me, this still smells like Jicky. So whatever changes Guerlain made isn't apparent to me. In comparing the two strengths, the edp may have a little more depth and may be a little more herbal compared to the edt, but that could just be my imagination. The edt does seem a little more citrusy and airier compared to this edp., but that's most likely due to the fact that it is an edt and more cologne like. But basically, still the same scent. Really, any difference is so minimal that if I had to do it over again, I would just stick to the bottle of edt I have. Since this fragrance has become hard to find I will keep and wear what I purchased, but I wouldn't suggest anyone else go out of their way to buy this especially since there are still 100ml. bee bottles of edt floating around out there for less than what I purchased a 75ml edp for at Guerlain's site. Also, it is important to remember that perfume is a subjective thing, so while some say they experience weird off notes, like halitosis, fecal notes, or urine, you may not. I never did with either strength. It has always been, and still is, fabulous to me from beginning to end.

Thank you, @Fenissa! Yes, I am in the US (rather ashamed to admit, these days). I checked the French Guerlain website and sure enough, there it it! Yes, it must be supply chain or some such nonsense. Glad the fragrance is still in production! Onward to my review of this fragrance! I was a little gun shy, given the number of people who said the initial notes were cat urine or fecal matter. Fortunately, I got none of that, but I did get a strange aroma from the first spray! Fuel oil - definitely there, but fleeting. It lasts less than a minute and morphs into something spicy and familiar. The best, though, is the drydown, which is lightly soapy and citrusy. It's an unusual scent in that it is nothing like the scents I usually gravitate toward, but as the reviewer Miwawa said, it's something I've grown to crave. So much so that I may have found a new signature scent. Some of the older Guerlain fragrances are heavy and the sillage is HUGE (I'm looking at you, Mitsouko), but Jicky is surprisingly modern for a fragrance that dates back more than a century. I also love the complete lack of Sandalwood in this fragrance, because so many perfumers exaggerate the Sandalwood until the base notes overshadow everything else. This is, to my nose, a very balanced fragrance, full of surprises as it dries down and turns floral and balsamic. Jicky is a surprisingly timeless scent, and I am so fascinated by it that now I'm on a quest to find pre-2021 versions just to see how it has evolved. I think I would find a man wearing this fragrance to be very intriguing. On a man, Jicky would radiate confidence. For me, on a woman, it exudes timelessness and sophistication.

Big chypre and Guerlain lover here! I would and have sold my kidneys for the extraits of Mitsouko and L'Heure Bleue. They are to die for. Then I discovered Jicky. And now I understand where they all came from and what it is that I love about them all. Guerlain really has made the vanilla in its fragrances into an art. It's so fine and elegant. Nothing like the syrupy gourmand variations found in many fragrances today (sorry not a gourmand lover). With this vanilla, Guerlain surrounded it with different other things, eliciting different moods. However, regardless of variations, old Guerlain fragrances are like classical chamber music. They depict life as a song that is never hurried or rushed, not overly dramatic though with its occasional ups and downs, and always cherished and treasured intimately for beautiful moments here and there. There is a true love of life, from youth to wise old age, and from tears to laughter. This particular version of Jicky does not last very long on my skin (about 4hrs, though I am not a heavy sprayer) but is quite heavenly with its fresh spices and vanilla. I can't imagine that it would smelt something like this decades ago. It almost seems too light-hearted. I wonder whether the extrait version will be a bit more "dirty". A bit more of human skin and maybe sweat.

I’ve been wanting to add this to my collection for awhile, but was afraid it would be too old fashioned or would be too similar to Shalimar which is not my favorite. When I first applied Jicky to my skin, not gonna lie, I was getting strong Shalimar vibes. But it settled down and turned into its own lovely thing. It’s softer, much more lavender forward, and somehow more modern. Crazy, right, considering its history? I am surprised at how much I’m enjoying all this lavender. I’m a massage therapist, and am subjected to the smell of lavender aromatherapy all day long at the spa I work at. I’ve grown to dislike it. In Jicky, however, the lavender is quite beautiful. It seems to be the most prominent note on my skin. I do also get the citrus, geranium, green, and woody notes. They’re well balanced and complimentary to the lavender. Jicky is totally unisex, in my opinion. It’s not particularly girly, and it definitely does not smell like a man’s cologne or aftershave either. It’s just a nice, spa in a bottle type clean fragrance that’s going to be so effortless to wear this summer. I have read other comments complaining that Jicky smells animalistic. On my skin, I get zero of that nonsense. I only get a clean, summery experience that’s light and pleasant.

This newly reformulated EDP is the only version of Jicky I've tried, so I can't speak to how it compares to earlier formulations. What I can say is that it is simply the greatest thing I've ever smelled in my life. Jicky smells like all those notes listed above, but the way they are blended results in more greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts "X-factor" than in any perfume I know. The overall impression I get is kind of like absinthe mixed with Coca-Cola (which makes sense given the ample lemon and vanilla in both Jicky and Coke). It also has a humid yet clean quality that evokes the balmy, fragrant air of a luxurious spa. But it's so much more than all that, and I struggle to put it into words. Some of the other early Guerlains I've smelled have a sort of melancholy vibe (e.g. Apres l'Ondee, Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit). Not Jicky. Jicky is pure joy. Edit: I finally laid my nose on Jicky Extrait recently, and unsurprisingly it's even better--like an HD remaster of the EDP. Still I'm more than satisfied with the EDP until I can bring myself to drop $300+ on 30ml of the Extrait.

Absolutely amazing masterpiece of a fragrance! It hits you with that blast of sweet lavender that some may find challenging - I also find the opening has a strong 'licorice' aspect, that surprisingly hardly anyone mentions. Then a while later the civet comes in quite strong - for those unfamiliar this will smell akin to halitosis (bad breath). But hang in there... then the delicious vanilla & Guerlinade (you'd think it'd be spelled Guerlainade instead, no?). I'd say the most challenging part is probably the first hour or so; but to me I enjoy basically the entire thing. Just something about it CLICKS with me. It's not a simple, "Oh, that smells good!", no no, something clicks with my subconscious or something and I just crave it. Lavender, civet, vanilla, yumminess. It does seem to wear pretty close to skin, but maybe over time the bottle will become a tad stronger. Oh! Also the picture shown above (the new 2021 75ml) has the same formula code to my 2018 bee bottle (at least as of today's date on Guerlain's French site); formula code 09640. Sublime.

Perfumes with high amounts of naturals behave differently than those with primarily aromachemicals. Jicky, like all of their heritage line, is a shining example of the perfect balance of both worlds. It smells just the same as the vintage sample I had, dated from the seventies. Except this modern version has *all* the top notes intact and it makes for an even better experience. A beautiful fougere, through and through, with a tasteful amount of civet musk (very faithful to the real material), resins, and vanilla. Guerlain have always been the best house for naturally sweet perfume, and Jicky does it just right for me. Not as gnarly as some would claim, but I have deer and civet musk attars..so, it's not a bother for me. Moreover, the civet isn't shouty. Very smooth, furry, and warm. Giving more life to am, otherwise, plain fougere. Aimè Guerlain had some serious foresight to create and think this up, and I'm glad he did. It's a perfume you wear because you love it. Period.

I’m reviewing the bee bottle edp batch 2018 Never tried it until recently Heard alot about it and recently I had the legendary fragrances by guerlain under my radar So it was necessary to give this one a try If I had to sum it up it’s an aromatic fougere with hints of shalimars skankiess Not as bad as shalimar mind you but it’s definitely there I’d say most probably the animalic base here was used in making shalimar in the 1900s But I loved this one and I kept overspraying all the darn time it just wouldn’t let me enjoy it for more than 3 hours it doesn’t disappear but it dies down dramatically If I wanted to enjoy this scent I would reapply every three hours and it won’t be a good idea for my bottle since I will finish it faster than changing seasons Performance aside I gotta say it was one of the greatest aromatic fougere that I tried most probably in my top 10 If you like this genre and you won’t mind some animalics it’s a must have

This review is for a vintage formulation. I’m not sure the year; it is a decant from The Perfumed Court. The opening is bright citrus and lavender, but it quickly moves to the heart. I can’t pick out the heart notes easily nor do I want to, although I normally enjoy doing so. Do you spend time at a symphony trying to pick it apart by each instrument or do you experience the performance as a whole? All I will say is that it is unmistakably classic Guerlain. While the opening was sharp and bright, the dry down is soft and elegant. I’m not really familiar with civet as a note, but I don’t detect any fecal or breath note at all. Jicky is a less formal Guerlain than Shalimar or L’Heure Bleue. I dress fairly casually and I’d wear this to dress up a more casual outfit along with dressier accessories and shoes. It could be one’s signature scent. I want to sample the current formulation. If it’s anything like this, I’d love a bottle.

I’ve been working my way through the Guerlain classics --- L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, Shalimar – all complex beauties that don’t give up their secrets on first wearing. Fascinated by the history of Jicky, I had to try it, too, and, like the other Guerlain masterpieces, it surprised me. From reading about it, I expected it to open with a citrusy Shalimar burst, but, to my astonishment, the opening brought to mind (nose?) the spicy warmth of the hot towel my barber puts on the back of my neck after a haircut, sending me out of the shop with an invigorating yet soothing sensation. (Is it all that lavender?) After a while, the Guerlinade kicks in, with a warming but subtle vanilla accord and waves of pure happiness -- and, yes, whispered premonitions of Shalimar. It’s hard to pull apart individual notes, as this fragrance is blended so masterfully. I’m still a perfume newbie – but, today, I’m a very happy one, wearing Jicky.

Oh Jicky! Jiiiiiiiickyyyyyy. 🥰. I waited for you to arrive on my dusty Kansas doorstep from Belgium. The moment your package arrived I hastily opened it and tenderly removed you from your newly pressed and labeled box: like a yellow gem. I removed your hat and sprayed your misty golden......wait......WAIT! 😂. WhAt Is ThIs?! 🤭 I got hay bales and barnyard delicately sprinkled with lavender and hot stale breath. What is this concoction? 🧐. Am I in the Wild West? I smell warm skin from a bovine mistress eating sprigs of grass in a lavender field. I was SHOOK! 😂. Then you dried down to the most beautiful softly lit sunset of radiating warmth: the kind where the heat makes the horizon wavy like vibrations. I smelled lavender and vanilla resins mixed with golden grains blowing in a delicately cooled breeze. Jiiiiiicky.....you’re stunning and don’t ever let anyone tell you different. What an experience! ❤️

I am overjoyed to have received my bottle of Jicky. It is so hard to get a hold of it where I live and when I saw it was on sale online I made my best purchase of all times and I knew it was not even a blind buy because the notes are so accurately described that it was exactly what I expected. I have been looking for a signature lavender perfume for the longest time. I tried Chanel Boy, Jersey, Chloe Lavande, and a bunch of more masculine fragrances like Ferrari Pure Lavender. And my search is finally over now that I found Jicky. It is very unisex, easy to wear, velvety, agreeable, nostalgic yet unique. I get compliments all the time. And the beautiful bee bottle<3 So happy to add this to my Guerlain collection. Also, I have combined it with Herba Fresca and Jersey by Chanel and I recommend doing that because they go together so well. 10/10.

Well.... I don't actually own this yet, but I do own most of the classic Guerlain fragrances from Les Légendaires collection, just not Jicky. Currently reading the Phryne Fisher series of detective novels, and since Phryne wears Jicky, I decided it was time to add it to my collection. Imagine my surprise when Jicky wasn't available on the Guerlain website! The rumours must be true, and the fragrance indeed has been discontinued. I bought a bottle from another vendor immediately, before the price becomes prohibitive. In other words, I really can't review this fragrance yet! It's sad, though, to learn that such a classic, groundbreaking fragrance has been discontinued. I'll review the fragrance when my shipment arrives, but meanwhile, if anyone reading this is a Jicky fan, you'd better order a bottle now before it's too late!

Very interesting. I'm a guy and will definitely wear this. It's got enough of a fougere almost aftershavey character, and the slight animalic note, to be masculine and perfect for spring, whereas it can be readily adopted by women as it's soft, slightly sweet, and not bitter/harsh. Don't know if there are aldehydes in this, but I definitely get a fizziness. It's got a light spicy herbal quality (the lavender?) that's a little minty. The animalic note gives it a richness...it can be a little dirty, or even smell almost edible. I sampled this Les Legenderies version for the 130+ year history and because I read it was crafted to smell more like the original version of the late 1800's, but I really like it so I got a full bottle off fragrancenet. Great for a guy wanting something vintage, fresh/light and kind of mysterious.

I’ve been exploring a sample decant for about a week, and now I’ve plunked down my coin for a full bottle of the EDP. I’ve found my new daytime office scent, which gives me just enough of a funky, foxy (civet) vibe to let me know my melodramatic, artistic self still exists as I’m working a civil service day job to pay my bills and support occasional scent habit binge buys. I love the herbal bouquet, because the herb garden at The Cloisters or New York Botanical Garden are where I long to be, sniffing deeply to clear my head. Nick’s civet note comes out to play just for a moment until she disappears back into the hedgerows. I don’t think I’ll annoy my coworkers. Jicky is fun, and not offensive at all... just a little eccentric.

Review for 2021 formulation: This is the most tranquil, most velvety, and most pleasant perfume. I have no idea how long lasting it is, since I just received it in my mail box. But who cares? Really, there is nothing like it. Mind blowing. Jicky is the mother (or the father?) of all gourmands. You name them: Shalimar, Habit Rouge, Angel, La Vie Est Belle, Hypnotic Poison...etc. 132 year old perfume??? Man, you must be joking! And, above all, it can fit all: day, night, winter, autumn, men, women...everything. Thierry Wasser is indeed the best nose in the whole world. Guerlain stands above all niche and mainstream houses of perfumes, no matter how expensive they are. A Guerlain is a Guerlain. Period!

I swear everyone wants everything instantly these days. That is partly why so many don't understand Guerlain fragrances. They are not prepared to sit back and allow beauty to develop. Jicky, like every other Guerlain fragrance, needs time to be loved and understood. It's from an era of no online shopping, no internet, and no mobile phones where everything is at your fingertips. Today's 'instant hit or throw-away' society will clash with anything that provokes depth. My advice to anyone struggling with Jicky is to be patient, even if that means waiting to try her again when you are older, or in a different frame of mind. I can promise you this; she is worth waiting for.

How lovely it is to smell the classic Guerlain’s and see that most of them still smell beautiful and true to themselves! With the exception of some that have suffered a bit (Samsara), the vast majority are completely worthy of your time and money. Jicky, which is a personal favorite has gained volume while still smelling beautiful. I have a refillable Habit de Fete edt and would not hesitate to purchase the current edp as the edt, -as beautiful as it is- is extremely fleeting. The new edp manages to enhance the volume without falling into aromachemical woody pitfalls. It’s essentially Jicky vamped up! Great job Guerlain, and especially Thierry -fairy godmother- Wasser!

I adore this iteration of Jicky, but the performance is sadly lacking, even when not compared directly to the original versions. I get about 5 hours before I need to reapply on a cool day, less than 5 hours on a hot day. That said, it's just so beautiful I don't care about the poor performance. On a Jicky day like today, I will need to respray quite often and that is fine. I love the fresh opening and the dry down. Rinse and repeat. It's so uplifting and joyful. Ordinarily I would hate having to respray a fragrance like this, but I love how Jicky makes me feel and that is all that matters. Gorgeous stuff and 100% unisex. A Guerlain masterpiece.

sooooo good! so old school it feels almost modern. i don't get any if the fecal notes people mention but there is a slight leathery funkiness that gives it an edge. the bergamot is so fresh and the lavender and rosemary are a bit screechy but in way that perfectly counterbalances the sweeter base notes. a bit rich and flamboyant but not loudly so. i find it very energizing to smell in the morning. worth noting when i smelled this on paper i though it was horrid. very harsh and astringent. on skin it's a completely different scent and I'm so glad i good that leap of faith. i find paper testing to be pretty much worthless after that experience.

Arctic Mom, at Guerlain, EDP and EDT and extrait are very different concoctions. Sometimes, EDP is stronger than EDP and more long-lasting (this is the case of Habit Rouge - EDP is more diffuse and sweeter, while EDP projects for a long time and is more citrusy). Samsara has the same story. In its EDP concentration, Mitsouko has more vetiver and a very masculine vibe, while EDT is sheer and more pleasant. Insolence EDT is a fruity monster, EDP is woodier and contains more vanilla. But, no matter what you will choose, a Guerlain is a Guerlain. I still have the conviction that this house is, pure and simple, the best in the show.

This is for the reformulated version in the Les Legendaires bottle. How can a perfume smell SO different on the skin and clothes? On my clothes, I get the beauty that is Jicky. I get the Guerlainade, the complexity and elegance - stunning! On my skin, I get skanky halistosis as soon as the top notes vanish. Ugh. I kept wrinkling my nose each time I sniffed my wrist. Also, it vanishes very quickly on my skin - the dry down was barely there. Oh the clothes, the staying power is a lot better, with a vanilla-based dry down. At least it works well on the clothes!

Well, this is clearly a scent that grows on you. When I first got it I was overwhelmed with the dirty civet, and I just could not understand how anyone would want to smell like that 😂. But... something kept me coming back to it regularly, and slowly over time I have now grown to crave this scent! The vanilla, the citrus, and the lavender are beautifully blended... but the key (for me) is to spray it lightly, because the civet, which is what makes this unique and interesting, can easily get overpowering.

Just wanted to add to the discussion, I emailed Guerlain in the US and got this response, 2/11/2026: "Thank you for reaching out to us. We regret to inform you that this item has been discontinued and is no longer available for purchase on our website. We understand this may be disappointing, and apologize for any inconvenience. However, you may still be available to find it at select Guerlain retail stores or authorized resellers." Absolutely heartbroken.

@ sycomore85 The comment below...seriously? Like, were you THERE at the said Palace of Versaille in that period? There's a point at which someone's imagination gets carried away and becomes detached from their ability to smell, process and reason. Jicky is a refreshing, classy, versatile perfume of great quality, complexity and pedigree. Hermes releases them also. I don't need to play make believe to get it, just expand my horizons and sample a lot.

This is simply beautiful. I love the freshness in the opening. Does not morph very much, with drydown being just a deeper tone. As I have never tried original or other reformulations of this legendary perfume, I cannot compare, but will enjoy this latest version for what it is - classic, elegant and sophisticated, although obviously on the lighter side. Looking at notes listed for previous versions, I would not have wanted the heavier spices anyway.

I have the edp version. A really nice fougere with some floral, on the dry down I get more of the wood notes and some sweetness, with a little civet in the background. I'm not getting any of the vanilla on my skin . Not disappointed though, this stuff is a great fragrance that does scream older gentlemen/classy . I can see why Sean Connery wore it along with habit rouge. It will definitely find a spot in my weekly rotation

I tried Jicky for the first time over the summer, then immediately bought a bottle for my birthday. This is a fantastic composition and THE quintessential feminine lavender. While crashing and burning with Libre and all its flankers, this classic was right under my nose! So beautiful and aromatic, I feel like a woodland nymph every time. Signature scent worthy!

Had to visit this beauty once again! 🥰. This smells like Kansas to me: home. Walking down a country dirt road, picking wheat stalks, and watching the cows chew on grass. The citruses, halitosis, and vanillic balminess combine to form something so stunning and distinctive! (2021 version)

Such a beautiful clean scent. It reminds me of freshly ironed sheets and also (weirdly) of how the real fur coat is smelling. Fresh luxurious fragrance. Main notes that I can detect are aromatic herbs, lavender, musk and some tender vanilla. Follow me on IG: scent.guide

@chomolulu I find your reference to poor elderly women to be despicable and dehumanizing. I can only hope that you might reflect on your words and look in the mirror. Appalling comparison. You should be ashamed of yourself.

So chic. SO chic! Are you cool enough? Do you have the sang-froid to carry this off? The je ne sais quoi? Bergamot, lemon and rosemary on a bed of vanilla and soft wood shavings. Just too good! It's all in the attitude.

@Bedhead, Jicky is still available to buy from their official website in France. It has been in production since 1889. Are you in the USA? Perhaps some supply issues are going on. It has not been discontinued.

History in a bottle. Very special scent. The first thing it reminded me of was the scent of "Aramis" from Aramis!? I like Jicky as a spring, summer scent.

Looove this one. Guerlain never missed!! I really like how this one has great longevity and has the scent of corporate 90’s working women <3

I have only smelled the EDT bee bottle version of this before. Comparing the two I actually like this version better. The bee bottle Edt version for me was a little bit too light. It emphasized the citruses and the Rosemary more and the dry down was nowhere near as indolic. This version opens with a really bright and beautiful lavender and rosemary combination and the two of those combined creates a very aromatic accord. It's kind of like the wake me up before you go go Accord. That whoosh that aroma will wake you up in the morning. It would make this the perfect office fragrance. Especially if you're not much of a morning person like myself and need a little extra help to get moving. And are not a coffee drinker lol. As this goes along you get this greenness from a fern accord. I know what real ferns smell like I've been around them my whole life. Know what they smell like in the woods. And Guerlain got that fern accord right here in my opinion. Ferns have a green a dark green and very humid smell to them. Like a humid fog or water smell combined with a deep greenness. The citruses in this one are toned down which I appreciate. I smell the lemon and it's a very fresh high quality lemon that they use here It smells like it came from Italy. The dry down is full of that deliciously indolic leather accord blending beautifully with the resins woods and the Guerlain signature vanilla. If you cannot handle really ripe leathers/civet I would not even attempt this. Definitely unisex for sure. It's a shame that they're taking this off the market but today's crowd wouldn't go for a fragrance like this. This is old school elegance and sensuality in my opinion but also works in an office setting but maybe in like 1960. When people still dressed smart and didn't think sexy was the smell of eclairs.

I have a sample of the new 2021 formulation, and I can't compare it to the earlier versions, unfortunately, which I've never tried. Vanilla and lavender is just an unbeatable combination, and it's amazing to me how this can be so similar to fragrances like the various formulations of Pour un Homme, and yet also be so incredibly different. This opens with strong rosemary, lavender, and citrus, and it gets pleasantly funkier as it goes on (the vanilla, I should note, is something I could only smell in the drydown, and then only vaguely). I am weirdly disappointed not to be able to sense in the funkiness, though, the infamous "fecal note" (I wonder if they've replaced the original civet with something else, since it's not listed in the pyramid above); but on the plus side, I can easily imagine wearing this just about anywhere, except in hot weather. It is absolutely a unisex scent, despite its classification by Guerlain, and it does not smell old-fashioned to me. But the sillage is not strong, and the longevity was a bit of a disappointment. Still, I do like smelling this quite a good deal.

the same vanilla and powdery iris from shalimar but with lavender, longer-clinging bergamot top and mothballs. it smells like the tough, tyrant great great matriarch of a wealthy family. she just sits all day in her room but decades behind her is power and control over her career and the family's legacy. the drydown eventually softens with the same doughy, powdery amber that shalimar also has. aka the guerlainade. im not sure if its just a legend that shalimar is just an accidental vanillin-overdose of jicky, but smelling them side by side convinces me that its true. it also shares similarities with lotion pompeia by l.t. piver but lotion pompeia is much more soapy, lighter, more cologne-weight in a way that the top notes are sharper and thinner (neroli and herbs) and it doesnt have that powdery vanilla-amber guerlainade core.

It hits you with every herb, spice and wood you've ever encountered first and I was questioning everyone's sanity, who actually likes this stuff...as if someone peed on old herbs next to me and I had to smell it all. But then the dry down happens. Oh wow, I'm addicted and cannot stop smelling my arm. It's a fantastic woody, spicy floral. But you do have to endure the old mothball, peed herb phase first...wait for it. I promise, you will be rewarded. So basically don't spray this on freshly just before leaving the house. Your neighbours might call the pest control otherwise. Spray it on about an hour before...and you'll be fine.

Personal note, it’s the only one I can wear after a fight, the best to embrace my hurt emotions. The aromatic lavender is parenting me (the serious lavender can do that) and gives me the strength to repair myself when the progressive mature sweetness is like a discreet friend who knows when to be silently present.

Tried this in a shop - at first it was genuinely too animalic, my mother in law said it made her nauseous. It's very off-putting. However after about 30 min it mellows out significantly and is very pleasant, more closely resembling a vintage Jicky I have at home. So, it's worth giving it some time to dry down.

Although the notes don't match, I thought of it as the bigger bolder sister of Chanel Pour Monsieur EDT. Both gorgeous chypres.

This smells exactly like artificially grape-flavoured candy.

If you like lavender scented baby powder this is for you.

I bought this one blind and I knew it was a risky purchase, but I wanted to have “the oldest perfume in the world produced continuously” out of anthropological curiosity, I suppose. It didn’t disappoint me. It isn’t as wearable as L’heure Bleue I got for similar reasons, but I see how I can enjoy it in the right frame of mind. Jicky is surprisingly masculine. I usually don’t like unisex/masculine scents on myself, but this one isn’t bothersome. It reminds me of my father’s embrace and feels warm, safe, and nostalgic. I can only compare it to a retro aftershave or barbershop cologne. When I smelled Jicky for the first time, memories have flooded my head. My grandfather’s cardigan, my dad and his car, velvet case for the green sunglasses he wore when driving, summer trips to lavender fields, holidays at the seaside. Apart from these associations with male family members, there were also a lot of details that I completely forgot, but Jicky somehow hooked them up and fished out from the depth of my memory. There is a reason for it. We must have had a lot of colognes at home that my dad got as gifts but didn’t like. I gather most of them were fashioned after Jicky one way or another. We used those discarded misfits for a variety of wild purposes: - to clean the stereo heads of our cassette player - to disinfect cosmetic tools like tweezers - to soak a small torch for fire cupping, which my mom used on us to treat cold (yes, really) - to slather on our skin as sunburn relief (nineties were wilding) So yes, I suppose Jicky is a grandfather (I don’s see this fragrance as “her”) for so many other scents that filled the 20th century all the way to the 90s. Yet it’s still somehow unique. On top of all the memories, for me, it conjures up images of film noir: men wearing hats and long coats, glamorous and sophisticated women, fitted clothes, sculpted hairstyles, quality fabrics, brooding music and cigarette smoke in the air. I get lavender, rosemary, a touch of vanilla, and a lot of residual cigarette smoke, like when you smell curtains after someone smoked at an open window. Still, not too much to bother me. I am very confused by the mothballs, halitosis, zombies, and skunk associations of other reviewers. This is, of course, a tricky scent – not sweet and fresh crowd pleaser, but bad breath? Wow. Our noses are indeed unique and unpredictable. The bottom line: don’t blind buy unless you feel very adventurous, but give it a chance at the store – this might take you down your own memory lane.

This is the only fragrance from Les Legendaires line that actually gives me grandma vibes, and not in a good way. It smells like medicinal herbs, spices, and stale clothes. Like the breath of an aging day drinker who's trying to hide the smell beneath the freshness of citruses. It's not a glam chic grandma, not a relaxed grandma, it's a neglected grandma with health problems who's struggling to maintain good personal hygiene and cleanliness at her musty house. I normally have no problems with any of the individual notes appearing in this fragrance, even animalics, in fact I usually love them, but how they are blended together in Jicky and how they sit on my skin just doesn't work for me. Saying all that, I recognize that my perception is very personal, and that there is something good about Jicky that other people will appreciate. I encourage you to try all Les Legandaires especially if you love vintage style fragrance, I think they are all a must-try, but be careful with blind buying because not all of them are what they seem.

My impression of this scent has changed. It strikes me differently each time I wear it, which I found fascinating, but it isn't always good. Sometimes it smells herbal but thin. Sometimes it's slightly woody, a touch floral, with unidentifiable citrus notes. Just now, all I could think was "Bad breath!" That might be some of the skanky, animalic notes other people notice in it. It wasn't my favorite, and now, sadly, I think I don't want it at all. Learning about fragrances has convinced me that there are notes some people sense, some don't, and some experience differently. That's clearly the case with a complex scent; our brains combine notes in ways that don't perfectly match. That's expected. But some components, like the one that makes cilantro lemony to my husband and metallic to me, are different off the bat and make the same scent almost unidentifiable from one person to the next. I wish it were possible to borrow someone else's nose for a while. The world of fragrances would be magnified exponentially.

Starts out by smelling like rubber and mothballs, and what you might picture the worn, scented depend’s of an elderly woman to smell like. Turns into something a little better, revealing some commonalities with Shalimar. Very odd scent, to me, and slightly nauseating, likely due to the chemicals it’s made with these days. These are only first impressions. It’s a fragrance that’s more than worth a try. I have found, after a long dry down that a beautiful scent is left on clothing. Now, a day later I am beginning to appreciate the beauty of this fragrance. There is a warm, soft Fougere quality about the dry down with a little vanilla that makes this perfectly unisex. I am starting to like the mothball effect as well.

I can definitely see where all the others have taken inspiration from this scent. I am reminded of thousands of fragrances from the 70s to early 90s. I get the quality and the artistry; I just don’t get the aural and appeal. It’s ok, I just don’t care for it. This makes me think of Sally Fields being vaguely entertaining and okayish in some 80d all female ensemble film. Then years later you’re hearing about how nuanced and ingenious her acting was in this film so you return to it thinking you’re going to see some revelatory performance...but no, she’s just okayish.