Ne m’Oubliez Pas

I got a bottle exactly in the month when this launched at the main Guerlain store in Paris without having any idea of it. The gentleman who walked us through the entire perfume collection in perfume form on the second floor (you need to do that if you like Guerlain!) just took this out at the end. On the spot I loved it immediately maybe because my nose was overwhelmed with the Guerlain’s classic line and these gourmand notes were in disconnect with the rest. So in a shopping spree (painful bill as you can think!) I got it. Perfume concentration (only), quadrilobe bottle. Back home decanting it from the quadrilobe bottle into a purse spray was a logistical mess (am I the only one having this problem with those bottles) so I let it sleep. So much, that I only found it back now. And what I smell now? La Petite Robe Noire. Which is almost the only Guerlain I don’t relate to, but which I would buy happily for a daughter if I had one. The notes say plum but I rather smell the cherry stamp on LPRN. It may be the sister, cousin, mother, of the LPRN, maybe, but in any way an extremely close relative. The problem ? : have you seen the price? So if you are in the LPRN fan base, I think you should like this one. Otherwise, it’s very nice, but not at this price. So I will stick with the classics. Sorry. EDIT: ok, I am editing this after 3 days of wearing it as my first review above does not do it justice and it’s not right to leave it like this. In the end, my nose did not trick me totally when wanting to buy this in the boutique. So, what’s changed: first, it’elegant and very well done. It’s quality, elegance, basically projects well done perfumery in the classical way with good ingredients. It is still totally LPRN family and cheery/raspberry jam main note (maybe I have a problem with not being able smell plums) but what makes it interesting compared to that range is the cumin note that brings some dirtyness and the depth. Would I buy it again at that price, probably still no (but to also do it justice on this side - it’s 125ml in perfume concentration or we have many of niche 50-100 ml out there that top the price in only EDP formula).

I get a big whollop of plum from this one - a slightly sweet, fruity, powdery scent with a lot of spices. For me, a lot of rose registers as powdery. It's not overpowering here at all though, the plum and rose meld together beautifully. There's a touch of spiciness in the background that starts off strong and mellows down. I'd absolutely call it a fruity oriental like others have mentioned. It can lean masculine with the spiciness, but I think it's on the more feminine side with the sweetness here. I can see the references to LPRN, but it's much more refined and upscale. It's almost like a beautiful mix of LPRN and Rose Barbare. There's hints of many aspects of Guerlain's other fragrances, Guerlainade is present here in full force. I hate that's it's practically impossible to have the full bottle, what a huge bummer. This scent is really beautiful and I'll just sadly pine over a full bottle when my decant runs out.

Reviewing this again, as the first time was just initial impressions. Ne m'Oubliez Pas is, at least on my skin, an austere rose perfume with a noticeable but not intense plum note and a substantial sprinkling of dry spices - particularly cumin, cardamom and immortel. Moss in the base further adds to the dryness of the fragrance, although this is somewhat balanced by a warm spicy vanilla. Although marketed at women, this scent is completely unisex and will be enjoyed by all lovers of spicy oriental rose perfumes. In terms of mood, this scent makes me think of someone in a black suit, wearing dark glasses, being chauffeured around the streets of Paris in a black Bentley. Smart, quite formal and not ostentatious or overly showy. Class and style in a bottle!

Very good perfume! Something in it for everyone...on first sniff, the whole thing sits somewhere between Habit Rouge and La Petite Robe Noir, with a lot of the fruity-rosy character of the latter with the oddly addictive styrofoam dryness of the former. Go deeper and let the stuff evolve on skin and you get wonderful spiciness from the immortelle and cardamom. I don't get that sour, almost body-odor smell of cumin - but it is spicy enough that there could be some in there. Not particularly tenacious for a parfum, but the only size it's sold in is 125ml, so there's no need to be stingy.

I've just been to the Guerlain 68 store and bought this fabulous juice. Completely unisex, it's a joyous orchestral suite - an oriental rose with soaring notes of spicy cardamom, cumin and cinnamon swooping around it, joined by a chorus of sultry woods and vanilla. This will appeal to lovers of rose, as well as those who love deep, woody fragrances with an oriental blush. I'll report back again once I am on home soil and can give this a proper wearing.