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.

.25 modern extrait spray review A heavy alcoholic opening and once it settles down the peach rises much like coco edt minus the spices. The ylang adds body to the peach and the green bergamot gives freshness to a substancial extrait. Even in this modern form theres no mistaking this is Samsara. Rich florals iris jasmine and rose open the heart and its synthetic notes are expertly managed. The difference is the woods and a more vanillic drydown than the first formula. The sillage is close to the body like an extrait would but it would also add richness to the edt or edp of your choice. Im delighted to say Samsara survives well in its modern extrait form. Kudos to Guerlain.

Samsara was always a perfume I wanted to love but something in both the EDT and EDP did not mix well with my chemistry. Something in there was too sharp and medicinal to my nose, it never sat well even in the drydown. I didn't want to give up on Samsara and along came a chance to try the 90s pure parfum. If Samsara didn't work for you in those concentrations - TRY THIS ONE. It's absolutely what Samsara is meant to be. It's so smooth and creamy and rich. The vanillic sandalwood comes right out into the foreground, I don't have any other words other than just 'smooth'. It really knocked me off my feet, this is what I was looking for in Samsara.

If you have read my review on the (vintage) EDT, you know how much I love Samsara. Recently I was gifted three 2 ml samples of the original, 1988 (yes, it was released that year in Europe!) pure parfum extrait. To imagine how the extrait compares to any other (good) version of Samsara, add to it half a dozen more dimensions, depth, the creamiest creaminess and the softest caressing darkness you can think of. Imagine the whole thing wearing a corset with push-up bra and a blood red satin evening gown, illuminated by the golden light of hundreds of candles in chrystal chandelliers. This is the stuff of dreams.

I tried this beauty for the first time yesterday. What can I say that hasn't been said already. Smelling it brought me to tears of joy. The most intoxicating opening, and the most beautiful dry down. It is impossible to describe what I felt. You will have to try. It is addictive. And the way it calms my nervous system is therapeutic. The most beautiful perfume I have ever smelled, hands down. I had never had a signature fragrance as I love perfumes too much to commit just to one, but if I had to choose one to wear everyday, this would be it. A masterpiece 😍❤️

Guerlain Samsara Parfum (1989) - rebirth - #jeanpaulguerlain worked tirelessly on this timeless classic. Apart from #chanelboisdesiles this is another reference Sandalwood, every perfume lover should know. Starts with a Bergamot and Peach accord, then its heart of milky Sandalwoood, Iris, Ylang, Jasmine and a Grassy accord. It’s base remains fresh with an Iris-Vanilla-Amber accord as a backbone. The parfum version stays close to skin, but has a more opulent, smoky and creamy rounded accord. Elegant.

I love this so much, I’m going to cry when I’m done with my 15 ml vial. The same bottle is being sold for $200 on eBay and I’m seriously thinking about it. The current Samsara is not it, this is the one with Sandlewood that I love. It mixes so perfectly with the ylang-ylang AND there’s nothing like it on the current market, at least not that I know of. I swear the current Samsara smells different, it’s more sour and slightly sweet. This is truly a work of perfume mastery. Please bring it back!

My mother gifted it to me when I was 13.. I fell in love with it immediately. Very rich, luxurious, deep, sensual, invigorating, gave me a feeling of confidence, maturity and safety when I was wearing it occasionally. Looking at my teenage daughter now, I wonder how on earth could I actually wear it and like it at that age)) Definitely I'm gonna get a bottle as it is still available

Intense warm and piquant sandalwood with a sweet-n-spicy ylang as the next most noticeable note. Jasmine is definitely there, and a hint of narcissus. When people say "masterpiece" about this perfume, they really are correct. It sits easily among the greatest of our era.

I received my 2 ml bottle of Samsara Pure Parfum in the mail on Saturday and just dabbed some on my wrist for the first time today. May I just say that this is the most exquisite perfume I have ever smelled in my soon-to-be 63 years! Thank you, that is all.

This smells heavenly soothing. Rounded, smooth, full, peaceful. Surprisingly it smells quite similar to Dolce Vita extrait minus the cinnamon. DV would be the more beautiful sister, Samsara would be the wiser one. I am in love with it! AB

This is MAGNIFICENT The deepest most richest sensual oriental sandalwood I have ever encountered One of the best purchases I have ever made DO IT GO FIND ONE

sweet and different. Memorable scent. Love it.

This is simply my favourite, it makes me fly.

Where does one start when in presence of royalty? With expectation, nervousness or awe? Or with all that is happening in one's mind in those first few seconds of such an encounter? The "double-door" entrance is made by the green citrus notes, with bergamot at the forefront, setting the pace. It may appear somewhat linear during the first few minutes, as a procession of Prussian ceremonial masters. Ylang-ylang and peach most certainly soften the top note, so you will not be able to confuse it with the one from Mitsouko try as you might. Samsara's citruses are more indulgent and voluptuous. Confident without being loud, luxurious without being vulgar, classic without being musty. I can see the red carnation opening the heart, despite the fact that it is not (supposed to be?) there. It may well be the orris and iris blended with narcissus playing a jovial trick on me. All I can say with (my) confidence is that the heart note is the one of spiced florals, in shades of gold and carmin red, - majestic, assured and impossible to tear off one's gaze (or nose) away from. It is so wonderfully multifaceted and nuanced, that the only comparison I can draw is of the perfectly cut gemstone, which, despite its singular/dominant colour, shows the hues and tones under different angles and lighting, that were never expected or perceived until seen in person. The projection builds up as the perfume is opening, - like a flower that builds up its fragrance with its blooming period. Jasmine is of a golden type, on level with yang-ylang and narcissus, with all three remaining distinct but perfectly balanced notes, not squabbling for the prime place or dominance, but walking in step with each other, confident and splendid. I have no sight of violet and rose. It seems to me they are the ethereal additions, and play the roles which I am not sophisticated enough to behold or understand. Be it as it may, I am enjoying all the others just the same. Sillage is tricky to evaluate, with this being an extrait (which I bought at Guerlain's head boutique in Paris) I can only apply it in drops (not by spraying) and I just love the intimacy and exclusivity it affords. The scent is like a crepe-de-chine palatine wrapped around me, so light and weightless and yet impossible to ignore and captivating. It also gives the sense of enigmatic power - for the lucky few who can behold the scent must be allowed closer than the rest. This is a perfect wear for flirting and courting on a warm July night! Unlike so many others the transitions from one note to another, from one step to the next is almost impossible to detect. One is never certain where one ends and the other one begins. I say - this is a sign of the Haute Perfumery which nowadays is nearly impossible to find. I cannot tell you where or when the dry down starts even if my life depended on it. I simply bask in the notes and overtones of the perfume until I finally come to recognise the glint of sandalwood, sultry tease of musk, and unmistakable glow of Baltic amber, cascading from my skin into the air around me. Samsara is a perfume of a 1000 and 1 nights, where the wearer becomes the main protagonist and is announced by the brilliance of Jean-Paul Guerlain's creation executed with utmost taste and panache. For as long as the scent is on one's skin - the fairytale keeps unfolding, colouring the world around with indescribable hues and unforgettable experiences and emotions. It's like a magical lamp which one must use sparingly lest one runs out of the wishes. It is to be treasured, admired and (most certainly) worn when the time for magic and drama is nigh, when one is to be beheld in awe and revered by the rest. I adore my Samsara, and even though the bottle is a dainty one - I know, - it will never run dry.

A Million Jasmine Flowers The extrait version of Samsara is like wearing an entire field of blooming jasmine flowers...I think it's the most concentrated jasmine scent I've ever encountered. The scent borders on being oily, night blooming/nocturnal...white flowers in the dark. On the edges of the jasmine garden are narcissus, ylang ylang, and violet flowers. But oh my the jasmine. Slowly it wears down, and the white flowers become less dense, and the iris becomes more apparent, and of course the sandalwood. The sandalwood is quiet and smooth, and wonderfully creamy with a bit of vanilla, but it is still a backdrop to the floral notes. Unless you are a diehard Samsara fan I don't think it's necessary to seek this out if you already have the EDP. I really like it, but I only wear it to layer a few drops over regular Samsara perfume. After the intense jasmine-floral explosion wears down, it wears rather quietly. It's nice to wear a few drops of this to accent the EDP or EDT.

What a treasure. If youn own this keep it! Whether droplets remain, full ml size or empty! It’s a vintage collectible. I imagine an Aladdin’s type of cave, in the Middle East. I see a Bedouin village. I see arrid landscapes but beautiful culture to be taken in. I see this beauty of a fragrance. So petite in size, however the colour and symbolism and story behind the fragrance and design so majestically grand! A little bottle of magic, with surprises and bewilderment . Big things come in small packages, they say ... On the 6th November 2018 I received a vintage samsara 15ml. Almost 20 years old, brand new in box and the scent is perfectly, perfectly intact!

I cannot abide the opening of this, it almost makes me gag, but I grit my teeth and endure it as I adore what follows. I love the trail on other people, the dryness of the sandalwood. I would love it if I was rating it on the drydown alone. I rarely wear it myself due to the opening, and I think it may be the ylang or jasmine (?) that is way too much for me. But it is something I like to own and to wear at times.

One of my least fave Guerlains. Too peachy and fruity in the top. Sharp. Headache inducing. Ylang, rose, peach, hint of violet and citrus. The violet really rises in the base.

Lovely sophisticated old lady scent. My mom's signature for almost my entire life.

Ho in mio possesso un estratto da 30 ml del 1988. Amore eterno. <3

Samsara The Oriental Vanilla Potion What more could I possibly add to the chorus of praises for this beloved and immortal fragrance? I have been a fan of this cologne for as long as I can remember. The original is still selling and the reformulation is pretty much the same scent as when it was first launched in 1989 by the house of Guerlain. Ostensibly an Oriental, this is a pleasant vanilla based iris fragrance with powdery notes of violets, roses, sweet jasmine, and a fragrant sandalwood and just a touch of incense. Samsara is a magic liquid from start to finish. This is a unisex cologne meant to be enjoyed by both sexes who want to smell not only good but to make a statement. This is downright regal, like an Asian Prime Minister or Emperor of Japan or Chinese dignitary/Ambassador in a ballroom of a great palace. An elegant aroma of sophistication and success. It matches up with tuxedos and evening wear. My girlfriend will be wearing it to this month's Oscars in Los Angeles. The first note to reach my nose is a sweet peach and citrus that is fresh but fleeting. It gets into the florals right away and the fruit notes are never that big a player. The scent is sweet in the way flowers are sweet, not fruit. Some reviewers have brought up the scent of licorice and I can totally smell it but that's orris root which has chemical aroma similar to licorice and to make up/talc powder. There is a feminine soul to this fragrance for sure because it is so floral and has a vanilla base which women love but it has a green note of vetiver, some musk and that kind of unisex flair which I like in fragrances for women but that can easily be worn by men. One reviewer wrote that it smells like Rudolph Valentino and I can see that. It's a classy elegant fragrance for the man with slicked back dark hair, tall dark and handsome, who can tango like the Devil. This is a very beautiful fragrance on so many levels. At the dry down the fragrance turns powdery, musky and has a sort of smoky air. It is spicy, peppery, licorice sweet, vanilla for days, and covered in irises and violets. And none of these scents go awry. They smell wonderful and are greatly paired up. The longevity is superb for the Eau de Parfum but the Eau de Toilette is an abysmal failure. It has such a short life that it sucks to have to keep reapplying. The EDP is what you want. The bottle is a luxurious scarlet red elixir bottle modeled after Buddhist sangha monk ash containers. I don't get the spiritual or Hindu Buddhist connection at all. To me this is a very secular, sexy cologne of the night, of successful men and women dressed up like a million bucks. I will be wearing it to the Oscars as well. My girlfriend and I love to wear the same fragrance as a nod to our passion for fragrance. Highly recommended for fans of vanilla Orientals, florals and Guerlain. You can't go wrong with this fragrance even if you buy it blindly. The opening takes some getting used to though as it does seem to be pretty strong with the fresh startling citrus and the peach and the jump into the florals namely the rose. But afterward it turns into a graceful powder of iris and vanilla scent. An amber holds the whole thing together. Ah what a masterpiece. The nose behind this fragrance was so inspired. What a luxurious and unbeatable scent! I can see why so many people wear it. Soundtrack Por Una Cabeza Tango By Carlos Gardel

Samsara Guerlain Nose Jean Paul Guerlain Year 1989 Extrait The bottle is a miniature that resembles the picture on this page. It's a dab on bottle which means you have to put a little on at a time on your pulse point in my case the sides of my neck my throat and wrists. This is the same Samsara we all know and love with a longer staying power and a stronger concentration as a pure parfum. Samsara is an Oriental vanilla scent, as popular as it's ever been, a glamorous unisex powdery iris and vanilla amber based cologne from the same house that brought us the perennial favorite Shalimar. This extract bottle is hard to find but you might get lucky and find it from sellers on eBay as I did. Opens with a delectable peach and ylang ylang which is on it's own a fruit-flavored yellow flower. There's more peach than ylang and the peach is ripe and deep but not as fruity as other frags with peach notes that I've encountered. This is a dry fruit kind of peach or apricot. It has a peach scented tea type of smell, with green herbal touches, ever so slightly, green but not mossy. There's also jasmine and citrus though the bergamot and lemon (especially lemon) is not as strong as most citrus top notes. Samsara plunges into a floral heart composed of rose, iris, violet and jasmine. For me this is not all that flowery although it can be with it's pronounced notes of deep violet and iris. To me the color theme is purple with iris and violet taking the lead. This is almost as powdery and violet-centered as Yves Saint Laurent Paris but it has an inky body and a balsamic quality or 'Oriental' feature that Paris YSL lacks. Smells of deep iris roots and a red tea. The dry down is definitely redolent with amber but it's also quite musky and powdery with distinct sandalwood. This smells wonderful, aldehydic, floral and musky. There's also a small dash of incense coming from somewhere, perhaps amber is acting up like a resin. Samsara is not as spiritual or religious as I thought it would be with such a name as Samsara a Buddhist-Hindu term for the endless cycle of life and death. The scent is a G rated powdery 'boudoir' type of scent. Feminine but strong with musk and balsams that can smell good on a well-dressed man in a tux. Totally evening wear stuff. It smells good with your hair pulled back in the style of those Spanish ladies that dance tango. The red color is suited to this fragrance as it smells of bold red lipstick, finger nails and a hot red evening gown. This is sexy. Very sexy. Elegant. Glamorous. Romantic. Alluring. Bold. Mature. Confident. It's the kind of 'grown up' perfume you have to be a certain age (30 and up 40 and up 50 and up) to successfully pull off. Matches up with haute couture. I love this version of the perfume better than the other editions such as the Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum. As much as I like an atomizer to spritz perfume on myself, the dab on is so perfect because I don't have to overdo it when I'm tempted and it hits the spot and blends with my natural skin and smells great. This is the perfect any time of year fragrance to put on right after you dress and you want the frag to be fresh as you enter the party or social event you go to - at night. Once again Guerlain has scored a big success with this perfume.

Fragrance Review For Vintage 1989 Samsara Extrait By Guerlain Top Notes Green Notes Peach Ylang Ylang Bergamot Lemon Middle Notes Iris Violet Orris Root Jasmine Rose Narcissus Base Notes Iris Sandalwood Tonka Bean Amber Musk Vanilla For me the vintage '89 extrait pure parfum is the best representation of the fragrance. Samsara as the more powdery Eau de Toilette and the perfume spray bottle is good too, and among my many reviews I wrote one for that version which is the reformulation and which I likened to an elixir of life, a Buddhist potion, the spiritual transformation of Siddharta Gautama into the Buddha. Samsara in Buddhism and Hinduism is the cycle of life, death and rebirth, which for the Hindus is unbreakable but for the Buddhists the way out of it is through enlightenment and nirvana. With such a strongly suggestive Buddhist name like Samsara I wanted more out of it. This is supposed to be an Oriental but the vanilla and powder, on me, give this fragrance the effect of a typical 1980's luxury powder. It's still very beautiful, elegant, and my kind of perfume. I wear this for dinners and formal evening events. Samsara's opening is a peach and ylang ylang which harmonize beautifully. It is not 100 percent similar to the peach-ylang in Arpege but one can argue that it has the same sort of fragrance. It is not terribly fruity so this peach is soft and subdued, allowing the ylang ylang flower to take over. As the scent progresses more florals come into play, namely the iris and violet. There are two notes of iris. This is a heavy iris, too. It's mostly iris in fact. The powdery root of orris is also an iris scent. For whatever reason, this iris has the smell of a sweet licorice root. I said it before and I'll say it again. Samsara smells like Twizzler LOL But that's not bad. Good thing I like Twizzler and licorice. The iris and violets are heady, intoxicating and enchanting. They leave a bluish purple powder cloud of scent wherever you go. This has a nocturnal feel, like an Asian Empress or Geisha who has put on powder and violet based perfume to attend a tea house and to serve Westerners some tea. Guerlain specialized in this comfortable, cozy domestic type of "tea" scent. We remember Mitsouko and that's totally a lemon tea scent. But Samsara is more floral and more powdery, with licorice and violets not too far from smelling like the gourmand classic Lolita Lempicka. The vanilla in the dry down gives the scent a sweetness and femininity but because this scent has stronger "rubber" or "burnt wood" aspects coming out of the woods/sandalwood, this scent can be unisex and guys can rock it too. A touch of musk and amber finish up this fantastic fragrance. Samsara is eternal. It's a fragrance to take with you into your next life.

Wow... ok – this was a surprise. I bought this blind on the strength of many, many reviews I’d read online. Everything I read had made me believe this was most definitely a fragrance for me. So today my first 2ml Pure Parfum sample miniature arrive (I’ve also ordered a decant of pure parfum and a 100ml EDP plus another 2ml will arrive as part of a collection of Guerlain miniatures – did I say I’ve developed a perfume and online shopping addiction!!)... I immediately dabbed it on my wrist a couple of times and inhaled... I had no idea what to expect really but it seemed much milder than I expected to start with! Maybe I didn’t really apply enough? I was being so careful not to use too much as I was expecting a bit of a monster from the reviews... anyway, it just seemed remarkably quiet – And as for the fragrance? Well, my first instinct was ‘old’! Having just re-read previous reviews, I now understand the reference to ‘old furniture and antiques’ that popped up a few times – that seems very apt to me now actually. I can also understand the references to this being a comforting fragrance... as it settles down I can also visualise old Asian antique stores and furnishings that date back through generations. When I was sniffing my wrist I was getting a very soft, old, florally fragrance (I’ve since washed it off my wrist) but now that I’m sniffing a dab of the fragrance on a tissue, I’m getting the sandlewood with tinges of spice and flowers that I can’t identify... it’s a very atmospheric fragrance to me though – it’s old Asia. Being lovers of anything Asian, my husband and I have spent many hours wandering through markets and antique stores through-out Asia and this fragrance is taking me back there. I’m not sure whether I want to actually ‘wear’ the fragrance though which is rather disappointing to me as I was so intensely excited about it! Anyway, I intend to continue to get to know this perfume in all its intricacies... Worst case scenario, I’ll have plenty of it to fragrance our home!

This is for the vintage extrait bottle pictured above. This is so much softer but much longer-lasting than the EDP and EDT. These extrait formulas really demonstrate how dilution actually increases the sillage and projection of a perfume. I never thought I would get along with Samsara after hearing it described as an 80s vanilla/sandalwood powerhouse. But this version, atleast, has more in common with Mitsouko and L’Heure Bleu than it does with any gigantic 80s perfume. I get that strange Mitsouko peach in the first 30 minutes. My nose doesn’t really read it as peach even though I know that’s what it is trying to convey. It has the bitterness of peach skin and the acid of a real, unripe peach. This is not, nor is it supposed to be, sweet canned peaches or peach candy like alot of contemporary fruity florals might be. But I wonder, does anybody else have issues fully grasping the Guerlain peach accord? I always feel like there is a gap or a piece of the puzzle missing when I smell it. Anyway, it continues to remind me of Mitsouko as it becomes increasingly floral. Just beyond the ylang, narcissus and jasmine though, I smell that familiar humid/woody vanilla mixed with orris and heliotrope. The unmistakeable signature of Guerlinade. This sandalwood and abstract floral heart phase is my favorite part of Samsara and it lasts a few hours. There is nothing pushy or 80s-smelling about it. It’s more like being slathered in expensive hand cream. It’s gentle, feminine and even breezy in its expression of oriental woods and sweetness, thanks to the lift that the floral provides. Samsara fits well into the Guerlain canon, carrying on the unique character of classics composed 70 years earlier. However, with the updated daytime appeal of a cashmere coziness, a plush sandalwood and iris finish that may have been the first of its’ kind. Must try for fans of comfy sandalwood scents like Cashmere Mist etc. This is the classy, quality version. 4 out of 5.

I was able to test the parfum in the cube 30ml spray bottle at a dept store and was told that this is now being discontinued by quite a few shop assistants. This is resinous and deep - perhaps less so than when i previously tried a few yrs back. The jasmine is less indolic compared to the EDT in the red bottle (before the bee bottle) and the sandalwood is less heavy than the EDP in the red bottle (just before the bee bottle too). I thought the parfum would be overpowering but its really well done and no where as strong as the shalimar parfum that i tried on the same day. Unfortunately im unable to wear the EDT and EDP due to headaches and was able to wear the parfum. As for the bee bottle ones - they are so much weaker and the EDP reminds me of the EDT in the previous red bottle. The parfum lasted all day but sillage was close to the skin. Very nice, deep smelling.

I purchased this from a chemist. A full 7.5mL bottle from 2004, I could gather. Now, the EDT and EDP didn't work for me. hsheep was right. TRY THIS if the others don't work for you. This is so, so special? Every time I smell this I die a thousand deaths. It lasts ages and behaves like I've been led to believe a parfum should. Close to skin, but so much more romantic and intimate. The EDT lasted well, but became a skin scent like THAT. The EDP just didn't last on me and also was a bit too big for me. This is just right. Sandalwood presented in a weird way, jasmine and ylang making a full floral, vanilla making it well bodied. Way too good for me. Or perfect for me, because I (and all of us) deserve this luxury.

There are a lot of sample boxes of this stating 'perfume', sold for low prices as being miniatures. Looked this up and it seems that these miniature bottles contain the actual extrait. They do smell different then the EDT and EDP, much better. I guess these were made first batch of Samsara but you can easily find them now from people who were collecting at that time. Does anyone know if they contain the extrait for sure?

I'm a guy. I love this juice.The Opening is a bit harsh but it settles down to loveliness.

you girls are just awesome with your stories <3

Simply a must for any Parfumista .