Samsara Extrait

My mom purchased the one ounce 1989 Extrait Parfum of this for me and I treasure it. First let me say personally I own this and an edp that’s not “vintage” and this smells better and is more to my taste. What I like about this is it’s softer than the edp. In the edp the ylang ylang is very screechy and the sandalwood note is very strong on the dry down it’s fine and I love it. It wasn’t until I recieved the Extrait that I realized how absolutely beautiful this fragrance is. With the parfume the sandalwood note is so good mixed with the ylang ylang it comes off delicate. But what I love best is the Jasmine in this is so beautiful. When I read the story that this was created for a woman who liked sandalwood and Jasmine I wondered why the ylang ylang was so prominent. But this it’s just perfect, balanced! The Jasmine smells so exotic and the vanilla, Orris, iris, bring it together so well. I do not smell peach at all not in this nor the edp. The vanilla and Tonka I smell and I’ve really grown to adore Tonka thanks to this fragrance and a few other Guerlains I own. This to me is a treasure that I wish I could wear on the daily, but I know for me this is for very special days. A little drop on my pulse points, neck, and chest are all that I need. Sillage is moderate and that’s just fine with me. Longevity is amazingly long over 8 hours without a doubt. I love this with the cool weather I think it really shines during the colder months. Though this is so good I would wear a dab or 2 on a nice summer evening. I’m so grateful to own this as it’s one of my favorite Guerlains besides Shalimar and Shalimar Parfum Initial. For me I will also invest in a 90’s edp because you can tell that the sandalwood in this is just insanely gorgeous. I love that this has real Mysore in this you can tell the difference of synthetic verse the real thing at least I can and I by no means have a sophisticated nose. This will last me my whole life I think and then I will pass this down to one of my nieces whichever loves and appreciates fragrance. I could go on and on about all the things I love about this fragrance but I will say this if you can get your hands on the Extrait it’s totally worth it especially if you love Samsara to begin with. I also adore the bottle to me it’s just so pretty. I’m so happy with this it’s my first “vintage” bottle of perfume and I will treasure it. It’s like having a little piece of history. Love!

This scent is deeply dated to some degree, and although I start like this... In that it has powdery, delicate, flowery notes and that an old and chic lady could wear it as a signature! This is just the print on paper.. I wore this perfume for the first time thanks to a miniature with its juice very well preserved... and on the skin, its iris and its flowers were supported by the most beautiful sandalwood. The harmony, the tenderness and the delicacy that it sent back didn't look dated at all...it looked chic, calm and deeply soft for an exceptional woody fragrance without a doubt. I never had the opportunity to smell the edt or edp, but I fell in love with this version ever since. As a guy, I think right now it could be considered niche and marketed as unisex. but that's my very personal view after wearing a lot of vintage women's fragrances in particular. Be that as it may, since this is an extract, its performances are therefore summed up in little projection and an exceptional longevity on skin. I won't really debate the notes, ylang-ylang and jasmine complement each other wonderfully, its iris and sandalwood are exceptional, the latter the star..it's creamy, enveloping and solar in its intimate presence. Also I could not miss a 90 extract (MH 9MA 5) and if its price was modest, its value nevertheless remains intact. This perfume beyond its Sanskrit name has something very Japanese for me, and I imagine in particular the character of Mameha (film 'Memory of a Geïsha') wearing it. It's poetic, from another time when things matured without being rushed, without being modified for profit...like a kind of respect and admiration for Nature and its treasures there. including humans. Samsara, although meaning cycle of life/death of the unenlightened, imposes or at least translates for me the opposite. This perfume gives rise to a feeling of meditation, it is to be in a bubble in which serene joy is possible. It is to allow an awakening and if it is not spiritual, it is olfactory without a doubt !

I own a 15 mL Samsara extrait manufactured in 2004, and wow, is this a stunner! I consider it a play in three acts. When first dabbed on skin, the florals flood my nose. Ylang ylang is most dominant, casting its shadow over the jasmine. As the extrait dries, the fragrance enters its next stage, becoming a bit soapy, like a sandalwood soap accented by florals. (Though I use that imagery, Samsara never reads as straight soap, so do not fear, you soap-averse perfumistas!) Continued evolution and a couple hours later, Samsara's long-lasting final act arrives. This is my favorite part, the dry-down I crave. A divine, creamy sandalwood with minor shades of vanilla and tonka. Simply incredible and, even for those who don't care for the earlier stages, worth waiting for. Samsara is Guerlain's sandalwood masterpiece and, to me, a scent that outranks Chanel's own sandalwood gods Bois des Îles and Égoïste. The only sandalwood I enjoy more? Serge Lutens' Santal de Mysore. ETA: Silly me for initially stating that Samsara outshines Bois des Îles. The BdI EDT and EDP, yes, but it certainly can’t touch this vintage BdI parfum I just got my nose on!

I have a European-release 1988 bottle of Samsara extrait. I purchased it because I remember liking Samsara many years ago when I smelled it in a department store and because I love sandalwood and wanted a heavy dose. However, granted this bottle of perfume may have changed a little with time, I don't detect a large dose of sandalwood here. The notes that stand out are, first and foremost, jasmine, followed by ylang ylang and a peach. I'll admit I was a little miffed by the lack of sandalwood, but I've fallen in love with the florals, especially the jasmine, though the ylang gives it a nice creamy backing. I can see some similarity to Mitsouko in the way the peach and jasmine are done, though Samsara is decidedly sweeter. The extrait has excellent staying power, at over nine hours on my skin. Projection is not very strong but is consistent and about arms-length. Overall, this scent is very floral and a bit serious. It may be too feminine for some men's taste, but it's very well-done and worth a try if you like the notes listed.

Its been sat in a dark draw for a year.i have changed so much as i love this perfume.when i first bought this lovely bottle i took a few whiffs and stuck it in a dark draw.i think i was comparing it to the edp reformulated which i doesnt do much for me.i have a 3/4 full bottle for swops if anyone has a lovable vanille preferably guerlain.i thought id love it as id bought some in the 90s and the memory lingered.it was the first edp i bought as a fragrantica a few years ago.i can smell the lovely delicate notes of the extrait on my wrist wafting up and enspiring me.very oriental.this has to be for winter, sweet lovely warm caressing.now i know i will seek out another bottle.its beautifull thats all i can say .the reformulated would do fine especially if you are a douser like me but the extrait is for wrists and behind ears for close encounters.