Songe d'un Bois d'Ete

I'm writing this review without any knowledge about essential oils used for this fragrance production, because for few days I have no access to the Internet so this is completely my understanding of all components and real feeling (without any influences). In the first few minutes when applied it is extremely spicy with overdosed cumin and other typical curry spices as well. All of them are very pleasant and different than I know from other composition. It remind me a little bastard from Diptyque (L'eautre) and slightly Eau d'Hermes. Than cumin is getting weaker and first players are fruits, candied and sweet but not as in mainstream fragrances, these fruits are much more sophisticated and natural, similarly to the Pulp by Byredo. I'm completely in love with this step of its development. Honestly I never ever had perfume with such unusual connection of spicy and fruity elements - for me this is the winer of the herbal fruity category if something like that exists (a new fragrance, not an interpretation we already know). At this position it lasts for many hours - on my skin at least 8. Than fruits are drying, they become resinous without any sweetness, just mystery. At this stage of development the oud emerges and lasts for another 6 hours. The oud is very animalic, dirty and mysterious at the same time. It seems to be balanced by ambergris - fortunately creator don't applied any tonka or vanilla , so the creation remains woody-dry. At this point it reminds me rich and expensive Arabic perfumes that I also like a lot. So Songe D'Un Bois D'Ete is the real journey to the orient, the walk on the narrow streets of the Istanbul Grand Bazaar or seating with friends in the small restaurant in India where vegetarian curry is served and we drink mango pulp with buttermilk slightly enriched with nutmeg. No hurry no freshness no business class, just warm and friendly with touch of love. This is what I got from my lovely boyfriend when he bought Songe D'Un Bois D'Ete as a Christmas and and New Year gift for me :)

It's like wearing two different women who start out in jealous competition, grow up and become more comfortable with themselves and the world, and finally come to love and appreciate each other for their differences. The opening has a densely packed center that reminds me of toasted Indian cumin and mustard seed. I don't smell the cardamom as seeds so much as something like cilantro (the plant the seeds are from) would be dried and then used as a smudge. Eventually-at least half an hour later-this very dense nugget of scent expands like light through a prism, to merge with the other personality. Like Mizz Cindy, I too smell a fluffy sweet dry accord reminiscent of Tauer's L'air du desert du Marocain right at the opening, like a Himalayan kitten that's been adopted by a wild ocelot and is pouncing around and on top of her older ocelot sister. At first it seems like a disaster waiting to happen, but eventually big sis starts to play with little sis, and finally they curl up together for a nap. I've found it to open and develop much the same regardless of temp and humidity. Sillage is moderate, and on me the staying power is very good--the kittens are still curled up and purring a solid 8 or 9 hours later. However, the Tauer actually has bigger Sillage and staying power on me. If you like wood, toasted spice, orientals, or just want to experience a really interesting development you want to get a sample. I probably will get the Tauer and not this because I can imagine wearing it more often and it's not a car payment.. Both layer beautifully with my beloved Bulgari Omnia and with Diptyque Tam Dao.

This won me over from my first wearing of a sample I ordered online. Powerful, somewhat herbacious, sexual oud. And by that I mean once it warms into skin it starts to have that realistic B.O. scent that many of us oud lovers find intoxicating. (I put the 1st vote for Sexmagic similarity because this is the only other scent I've ever smelled such a note in this realistically, which I ADORE.) So I bit the $$$ bullet and snagged a bottle when I finally found one. And... was disappointed! At just one spray all I could smell was OREGANO, SO much oregano I was starting to crave pasta. My heart sank. I put it on the back shelf and left it there, hoping it was just my nose being funky that day, or the weather, or anything besides the scent itself. Brave enough a month later, I took the sprayer off and just barely touched it to my skin, spread it around and went about the day. THERE it is, the deliciously dirty oud w/ just a strong aromatic herbal note sure, but not an oregano-fest. I guess the trick is TINY amounts for me. I adore it. The fact that I had 1st tested from a 1ml dab sample made a huge difference though: FAIR WARNING that it's very different from a full (big) spray that these bottles deliver vs the dabs many will opt for to test! Lasts easily all day and one spray is far more than enough. Eventually traded my bottle as I couldn't get over the oregano vibe, but I wonder to this day if that was just something odd about my detection of the bay leaf note listed in it since no one else seems to have had this experience!

Breathtakingly beautiful, strongly medicinal-antiseptic dark woods with no rose to sweeten things up and the supporting spices and resins held well in check. The wood itself is not barnyardy or 'stinky oud' but a calmer, more reflective, more friendly species, though still very moody and spicy ; it's a very handsome variant indeed, which is just as well, because the other ingredients really are playing third or fourth fiddle, this one is all about the timber . (And maybe myrrh, of course - the more I wear this the more I can sense how much of the magic, especially in the open, comes from that.) It leans more masculine than most Guerlains, but is still far smoother and more urbane than many other 'ultra ouds' sold as unisex. Really exceptionally classy, but also pretty expensive and hard to find, and sillage and longevity weren't what I would want in return for making the trek to source a FB of this. One to get a rich relative or a sugar daddy to buy for you ... but I wouldn't save up my own hard-earned bucks to splurge on it. Still, absolutely wonderful - so I guess I'll have to seek out some generous perfume patron who'll finance this so I can rave about it every day. Very very special. ETA: A dream fulfilled! Finally scooped up a partial from some deluded person who's not as in love with it as I am. Realised, when sprayed on with some generosity, it can hang on in for as long as 8-9h ... and that its opening blast of gorgeous myrrh is nothing short of magic. A woody myrrhacle. Swoon, and dream again...

This happened just a few hours ago. On two occasions the Guerlain Girls insisted to try this and its a attractive scent. I did not buy it, no matter they sprayed my arm gererously with this Songe. I forgot about it and went back to work. A lady who is real particular approached me with other people around and said "You smell really good! I mean really really good". I said thank you and then again someone else gave me a compliment. Even though this was not my person style or signature scent it was probably the largest compliment. The particular people who said this are no nonescense people and it has to take a lot of WOW to get a slight pleanantry. This Guerlain scent is not a typical perfume of choice but surely a beguiling scent. EDIT March 15 2014: The cumin in the opening is very very short lived and vanishes in a couple minutes. The parfume is amazing. dichotomous to the opening the next stage heart and base is so smooth and beautiful. Smells rich and exotictly elegant. Some fragrance on first spritz capitivates but not worthy after first 2 minutes. While Songe is WONDERFUL through and through. Always what is on paper is not what will translate to what scent reveals to the skin. Its a very special composition. 8.9/10 and sometimes 10/10 never less.