Mon Guerlain Florale

As a collector of Guerlain I was curious about the Mon Guerlain line, but as an admirer of their more exclusive and classic fragrances (Mitsouko will always have my heart, and so many of their L'art et la matière scents are to die for), I was also highly skeptical of these new offerings. Though I admit I was a bit drawn in by their amazing ad campaign featuring Angelina Jolie (whose vibes I appreciate more than her acting skills), what finally tipped the scales was all the fanfare Mon Guerlain was receiving for reinvigorating interest in lavender as a key note in feminine perfumes. My first Guerlain love was Jicky, which also foregrounds lavender, though the olfactory harmonies are vastly different, and certainly more of an acquired taste nowadays. I had also already sampled YSL Libre, with ambivalent impressions. Since many have said that Libre was trying to capitalize on the immense success of MG's lavender renaissance, I was even more intrigued. So I decided, with great eagerness, to give the Mon Guerlain line a try! Sorry for the lengthy preamble! As for MG itself, I've managed to test the EdP, the EdP Intense, Sensuelle, and Florale (the extrait sounds lovely but it seems devilishly difficult to find). I haven't yet been able to sample the Bloom of Rose iterations, but I'm a bit tired of the direction rose has taken in mainstream perfumery recently. The original MG was nice but too unremarkable, too demure. I actually really liked the Intense version, but the there was something about the tonka and patchouli that were a little too stifling for me. The Sensuelle was nice, and I was surprised to actually find the lavender a bit stronger in it; however, they really amplified the sweetness in that flanker, to my dismay. It was the only one that registered as slightly artificial to my nose, and the performance wasn't great. Florale, however, is absolutely delightful. Some have called it the least interesting of the group, but I find it the most sublime, the most well balanced. Lavender and vanilla is, at bottom, a jarring marriage: the dry, crispy, aromatic lavender does not exactly jive with the smoothly sweet depth of the vanilla. In the original MG, this gap is bridged with a powdery iris-tonka-jasmine accord. In the Intense, the iris is dialed down and the tonka amped up; they are both powdery notes, but iris tends to be more light and leathery (sometimes soapy) whereas tonka leans more dark and earthy. In the Florale, however, the tonka has been removed entirely, leaving space for a luscious floral accord of iris, peony, and jasmine. The result is a powdery-indolic-fresh triad that unites the lavender and vanilla. Warm sandalwood rounds out the edges, and some fruity notes (some citrus and peach) give it a crystalline clarity. Taken together, this is an immensely welcoming, balanced perfume. It does lean a bit more feminine than its sisters, but who the hell cares? Its a gorgeous fragrance. The drydown is superb, the sandalwood, vanilla, and jasmine stealing the show in a slightly sweet, warm embrace. Better than average lasting power and sillage, and the bottle is cute, with a nice heft to it. I love the metallic guilloché band around the neck! There's something fearless in all of the Mon Guerlain scents (Angie really was the perfect choice), but Florale has a tenderness to it that makes my heart melt. For me, this works year-round, day or night. Oh, how I wish I could try Mon Exclusif!

Lavender Fairy Queen! I found this to be exactly as described in many reviews and also quite different. It is hard to explain, I had a kind of travelling time with it. My journey started with a solid like and ended becoming love. Nice, mh? So, here is my story: First, the topnotes are mindblowing beautiful to me. Lavender and some citruses, transported by a kind of flowery wind. But at the first day I had to struggle with the middle notes - I also got the high pitched, metallic note some others have mentioned. But, after a few days, this note was gone. Or better: it revealed itself as a citrus fresh flower note mingled with some kind of flowery vanilla, nearly like orchids. I think, it is the ylang-ylang mixed with hedione and vanilla and only a hint of citrus. Sounds strange, but it's beautiful and reminds me of the way how vanilla was done in Hypnotic Poison Eau Sensuelle. In the base there is the loveliest sandalwood, sometimes reminding an incense stick trace (but a high quality incense stick it is...). What I like most, is that travelling with Eau Florale is like visiting former times of my life, since I have worn some Guerlains before, always in special times of my life. So sometimes I get a trace of "Jasminora" in the early middlenotes (reminding me of starting a new life in a new country), a whisper of Shalimar in the basenotes (worn in a very special fall at university) and the softness of the flowers mixed with vanilla and iris resemble L'instant (worn in a summer of love...). So, for me, Eau Florale is always a bit different, but also still the same. It carries memories of the past, but is still something new. So, for me it is love. What else? But I have a big heart for many perfumes...;) Last not least: For me, this is not so office appropiate. You can wear it to office, it is gentle enough, but you shouldn't. Because it is sensuelle in both a fairy tale and demure way. Your collagues could fall in love with you too easily...

Mon Guerlain Florale is simply stunning! I have been enjoying it for the last week. And I have been smitten! Upon first application there is a burst of Bergamot mixed with such a wide array of floral notes it is hard to pick them out. Within a minute the Lavender becomes most prominent just as it is in Mon Guerlain but here I find a just a tad stronger. The legendary Guerlain signature Vanilla holds the bouquet together at this point. Just beautiful! Then after a couple of minutes the vibrancy of the Peony and powder of the Iris becomes noticeable. As does some other floral note that is honeyed and musky. It is Neroli. This is the Neroli I remember as a child. My hippie Aunt Mona wore Neroli Oil. I love it here. When it is combined with the abundant Sambac Jasmine this juice is quite hypnotic while one is experiencing this layer. In the next layer I start to detect the same amazing Sandalwood here that is in Mon Guerlain and the most beautiful Ylang-Ylang as well. Together they perfectly ground this mostly Floral composition. The dry down is a soft Floral with nuances of Vanilla and Sandalwood. Very nicely done. I would say Florale is similar to Mon Guerlain but it has its own character. There is no Benzoin or Tonka in this flanker making it lighter, more sparkling and a little less cloying. A great alternative for Spring and Summer. I also have to compare it to Chanel Gabrielle. This is like the older more confident sister of it. I know there is no Lavender in Gabrielle but this seems to be what Gabrielle was trying to become. I love them both but Mon Guerlain Florale is just a little more...well...just more! The sillage is huge at first then it becomes more moderate. The longevity is about five to six hours. I highly recommend this if you want a beautiful floral that performs. My new baby! I give Mon Guerlain Florale a 10/10+++

Color me surprised! Sephora substituted this sample in my latest order, and I figured why not try it since it was free. It was only the iris that I wanted to smell, otherwise I wasn't interested in a more floral Mon Guerlain as I tend toward warmer and darker perfumes and already have Mon Exclusif. But I honestly think this is the best among Mon Exclusif and the Mon Guerlain line. WOW. The notes are in perfect harmony, as in the Guerlains of old. This is a Champs-Elysees-esque floral bouquet centered on lavender instead of lilac and mimosa - so smooth and uplifting. MG Florale is slightly more masculine and aloof than the original MG, with the addition of iris and possibly some white musk to cool off the lavender. It is still very feminine too if you can imagine, just more sophisticated than Mon Exclusif and Mon Guerlain. The vanilla harmonizes the fresh bouquet in a dusky, dewy sort of sunshine. Though the lavender tempts me to think of this perfume as a light-medium purple, when I strip away all expectations it actually evokes a milky jade. What's more is that Florale has the best performance. When I run out of Mon Exclusif I will be replacing it with this one. It is a little more grown-up, and the rose-gold accented bottle is so classically beautiful. THIS IS WHAT MON GUERLAIN SHOULD HAVE BEEN. There would have been no need for flankers if it were so.

Initially purchased it for my mother but she didn’t enjoy powdery scents, i decided to keep it for myself as i really liked it. At first, it felt odd since i never wear powder scents but as time went on it started to really grow on me. Going through the comments i noticed how some people failed to mention how strong the powder note in this is- Maybe it’s just me but i was surprised to see vanilla and citrusy notes in this as i never sensed it, the most prominent notes to me were powder, white floral and maybe a bit of lavender and jasmine. The longevity is insane, i’d apply it on my coats in the winter and only felt the need to reapply every three days or so. I don’t think i’ve ever purchased a perfume this strong. The sillage was pretty strong but it’s what you would expect from or desire in a perfume. I would say it’s very spring-like maybe wintery too, it has a coolness to it. I personally loved it but i wouldn’t recommend it for anyone looking for a more mature, warm or even seductive scent. The best way to describe it in my opinion is very youthful maybe even child-like, clean, more suitable for the daytime but also winter nights, it can be a little overwhelming but it gets a little fainter as time goes by and you getting used to it, it reminds me of a cold empty white room.