Vol de Nuit

Ohh Jacques Guerlain. How did you compose this masterpiece symphony of the sky and resignation? I wonder... Because that is what I feel and smell wearing it. I have a fear of flying. The first time I entered the plane I said to myself "Either I do it or I die." I beat the fear with resignation. Giving up, because there is no other way...and flying, through the night and clouds. Till you feel sadistic muscles relaxation... That's what this perfume is. Someone said "To understand this perfume you must sleep with it..." Truth. It is a scent that puts you to sleep. Flying you through other places. It's a masterpiece in every single perfumery art aspect. The resignation begins like this! Just look at that! Amazing. Top notes: orange, orange blossom, basil, mandarin orange, rosemary, mint, lemon, bergamot, galbanum, sage and petitgrain Let's just say that this itself can be a nice, fresh and aldehydes flash perfume. I can't describe how much I love Rosemary and Bergamot together. You can literally smell it. Inhaling. So beautiful. Fresh. Like air is. After you beat the fear of entering the plane. Because I am (was) scared of flying. To beat fear you need resignation. No, that is not "giving up." It is accepting the challenge and responsibilities. It's totally surrendering. Middle notes: lavender, wild thyme, dittany, rose, carnation, violet, aldehydes, narcissus, jasmine, bay leaf and nutmeg... I love herbal elixirs. I love it when herbs show their power. Love how they cooperate with flowers! Love how Guerlain put Narcissus and Jasmine under control. Like magician. Putting the spell on them. To follow him and herbs. Again. Flying you to muscle pain relaxation. Sniff some lavender, and let me massage your skin with thyme tonic... The magic of storytelling of the master perfumer. Lost. Long-lasting lost. You won't even notice base... You can't... Do you see anything? No. Night flight. Sharp, cold air. Till you leave your body. Opening your eyes flying into warm sun and clouds. Your nose is penetrated by Base notes: myrrh, spikenard, civet, cascarilla, castoreum, musk, orris, oakmoss, iris, vanilla, ambergris and Sandalwood... Waking you... Have you ever seen an English patient film? I hate Hollywood. It's one of the rare films I have seen. From Hollywood. Ohh the soundtrack is nice. Remember? Ralph is so...resignant. Carnal enough as Germans are. Ralph plays that German spy. This is not Exupery romanticism. It's not. This is real love flying you to death... German flying you. (Ladies knowing German men will understand this.)) "The bottle, which I find quite masculine, was created by Raymond Guerlain in collaboration with Baccarat. The square bottle is made of smoked glass with eight chamfered corners. On both sides, the decoration in relief represents the motif of an aircraft propeller in motion. The name in gilded metal, die-cut, forms the belt of the propeller on a surface. Between the wars, the sky was considered a place of mystery and excitement, evoking exoticism and distant destinations. The square, golden metal cap is a symbol of modernity, as it evokes a famous piece of machinery, the triumph of machinismo and the conquest of the air. This bottle, like many others by Guerlain, is avant-garde as it is the first time it combines metal and glass: it is very much in keeping with its Art Deco period. Its box is lined with an imitation zebra skin. The original bottle is only available in the 60 ml size. For smaller sizes, the fragrance comes in the Jicky bottle. " (Sylvaine Delacourte) The bottle is one of my favourite ones. Robust elegance. So beautiful... P. S: this is not a perfume for girls. Or guys. This is feminine submissiveness. Perfume for females, that adore their pilots... inhaling night flights between their breasts... Because you know. Perfumes should be worn where your natural smell is the strongest. Fly with me, Josephine... Fly

This first one is for Vintage VdN (See edit 1 for perfume): Got my nice sample from STC of "Vintage VdN" and it simply is of a certain time. My first thoughts were: Oakmoss!!! OMG Oakmoss! Then it was the resins, the spices, the citrus-bergamot, all wafting through with the bitter galbanum and oakmoss. Pungent. Within minutes though, what I was smelling on my wrists was a bit different from the wafts coming up from my decolletage, which was "peachy-citrus" sweetness (a tiny bit Coco on me). Then my second thought was "Tabu"! (Don't hate me out there), but this smells like the "old" vintage Tabu--not Walmart--the "good stuff"). So it reminds me of a time when many of these scents had the oakmoss, citrus (orange/flower and bergamot). This took a while to settle down, and when it did it became a gorgeous primarily amber and civet (to my nose) dry down, some of that famous "Gourlinade" vanilla-esque warmth and skin scent which I suspect is actually the superior sandalwood I'm picking up. This is an absolutely lovely perfume. Now, I do not think it is necessarily "one of a kind"--but it is definitely one for its time; other scents do remind me of this one, and I agree with Rasputin 96 who said that a lot of Guerlain fragrances have a similarity to them. This is not L'heure Bleue, but there is "familial scent tree" on which this is a branch--a very lovely branch on which to perch a while. This an absolute "try"--an "anchor" perfume, and it really reminded me again of the power that is "oakmoss" (yes, it tickled the nose). Silage is moderate after two hours (more than a skin scent) but lasting longevity. I have a 3 ml sample, so I'm half-way through that with one try! If one had "the bottle" I suspect a few spritzes would knock 'em over for an hour or two, and then it would linger more closely. PS - I smelled this the next day on my wrist--longevity quite good. Edit 1: Perfume (new version): While the Vintage is AMAZING...the new PERFUME formulation from 2010? is "good" I'm wearing that today, a sample (large sprays) from STC. The difference between vintage and reform is really evident. No oakmoss but a "leather" smelling sub? Really no galbanum. Nothing too sharp and astringent save for the citrus--more "orange and mandarin"; it goes on warmly spicy ambered, a whisper of its former self and disappears. The myriad notes, the complexity, not there. It's very nice, very warm, still reminiscent of Tabu with leather, and much easier to wear. It disappears in hours and is a skin scent within 20 minutes. Honestly, if I didn't look at the bottle, I wouldn't necessarily think they were related or "the same"--and they are not. If you already like the perfume or the new edt, it would be worth your while to get a sample of the vintage--or take a chance on Ebay even. What there is to like about this one, is going to be considerably more complex, richer, deeper, nuanced, longer lasting in VINTAGE. I was all set to buy a bottle of whatever Vol de Nuit I could find. Now, I'm not. I'm holding out for vintage only....unless, the EDT proves better (that's tomorrow's sample! I'll be re-posting...

Just bought a new bottle of the EDT from NEIMAN-MARCUS online, apparently the only place in the USA that still sells it new. The last time I'd smelled it was in 2006, from a bottle of 1970's vintage. I'm happy to say that it is still very much the scent I remember. Takes off on a brisk cool cloud of bergamot, petitgrain, sharp green galbanum, nose-prickling aldehydes, and lemon; neroli and sweet orange prevent the attack from being too astringent. A heart of iris, jasmin, possibly some ylang, and indefinable whispers of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. At the base, a decidedly oldschool accord of leather and "Guerlinade", that sweetish, vanillic-leaning, slightly Play-Doh like quality we know from L'HEURE BLEUE, with its characteristic notes of iris, almond, heliotrope, sandalwood, vanilla, benzoin, civet and tonka. As plenty have noticed, VOL DE NUIT is a comparatively straightforward, understated and evanescent smell. Not the dense, cascading symphony of L'HEURE BLEUE or SHALIMAR. What pleases me most now is that the indolic qualities of the leather (that slight mothball smell) have not been compromised... it still has that Art Deco, suede-y, leather purse-y quality that I prize. What I notice now that I didn't years ago, is how the almond note in the Guerlinade, with its slight "cherry" hint, is prominent. The spicy iris heart is indeed "carrot-y" as some have described. I also observe how aniseed, in far dilution, unifies the entire perfume. Yet it's so diluted that it merely confers a subtle herbal, "Sen-Sen" quality to the mix, harmonizing with the opening sharp green galbanum. I'm pretty sure the jasmin note has been updated slightly... it seems less "violet-y/winsome" now than it used to. In short, a marvelous oldschool leather, with dry citrus, herbal/aromatic qualities, and a graham-cracker-cozy, almost-sweet-but-not-quite, quasi-Oriental base. To this day, I cannot decide whether the fragrance is a Green, a Floral, a Chypre or an Oriental. It actually partakes of ALL of these qualities, and that is part of VdN's magic. It is probably the grandmother of later green/floral/chypre scents from the 1960's and 70's, such as YSL "Y", Chanel No.19, CREPE-DE-CHINE, DIORELLA and CRISTALLE. Highly recommended. Easily unisex. A tous-les-jours, "feelgood" fragrance. And a perfumery masterpiece. The EDT formula is light enough to wear in the warm months. It has been said that all the classic oldschool Guerlains-- JICKY, MITSOUKO, SHALIMAR, L'HEURE BLEUE, VOL DE NUIT-- are basically variations upon each other, riffs on a common theme, and that's true.

Years ago, I was on historical Guerlain trip and this one was the most intriguing and mysterious of them all. Still in production but only die hard guerlanophiles know about it. So when I saw it, I bought it. The perfume lady told me that they receive one or two bottles per year and that she had no idea how it smells, no tester. I had no choice but to open it right then and there. She politely said that it was for an acquired taste and I said that I loved it. I had the impression of finding the long lost friend. You must love your greens and appreciate the developing character of the oldies to be able to enjoy this gem. After few hours, I had this feeling like when you're in the presence of an old married couple that is still crazy in love. You bathe in their deep understanding, acceptance, love. It's not the endorphin, hormonal, fleeting or blind. It's still an acquired taste, it smells classic, or dated, and the complexity is staggering. I always discover new facet when I'm wearing it. Over the years I shared several samples with a note "It might take some time, be patient. It's worth it." And every time, sometimes after months, people understood what I'm talking about. So yes, it's challenging. When you are in owe, it's almost impossible to describe the subject. The words seem inadequate. The opening is galbanum citrus bite. Old fashioned and quite perfumy. It's difficult to distinguish separate notes because they are blended seamlessly. The flower bouquet is very powdery with dominant iris, orris and narcissus. The drydown is plush woody delicately spicy vanilla perfection. All along its development it's woody, green, powdery and delicately spicy from the beginning to the end, but the balance between them is changing constantly. It's also changing depending on seasons, temperature, humidity. I find it quite masculine and barbershop-ish but only in summer. In winter it's so wrapping, it almost purres. It makes me think of fur, silk, diamonds, pearls, opera, champagne. But also of flappers, dancing, jazz, speakeasy. One doesn't exclude the other. I can't wear it every day, it's too special. In one word, exquisite. PS: The bee bottle just came my way. It's perfectly recognisable but it seems diluted. This might be the age, my previous bottle not yet empty, has some age to it. The oriental Guerlains get seriously better with age, and VdN has more or less oriental drydown. So, I will know for certain after 6 months, a year. If it gets more rounded. I know people who wait that time before using every new bottle of l'Heure Bleue or Shalimar.

I think Vol de Nuit is best taken in context of its time. The fact that VdN was one of Jacques Guerlain’s last perfumes. It was made in 1933, when the world was settling into an economic depression. The Great War was over, the hedonist/flamboyant 20s were gone, and JG was almost 60 years old. When I first tried VdN I was underwhelmed, but I wore it several times, and read about it, and every time I appreciated it a little more. I am very happy that Guerlain/LVMH has decided to keep this perfume in their catalogue, and (for now) not charge a fortune for it. VdN is quiet, conservative, restrained, but you get to know it, very moody. It’s a woody perfume, there are hardly any florals present, and all the other notes are background noise to the substantial wall of wood. What I smell is mostly petitgrain, sandalwood, a tiny hint of vetiver and oakmoss, accented with narcissus, edges of galbanum, flints of iris, and powder. For a long while too there is a distinct accord of old fashioned Johnson’s Baby Oil, and I have to say this, but it smells like baby oil that you’ve rubbed over someone you’ve already had an hour of sex with, it has this skin/skanky vibe to it. L’HB is supposed to be the emotional perfume, and while I adore it, I think that VdN is much, much more emotional. It makes me feel kind of sad, and wistful, an unhappy sense of things changing and not going back to the way they were, yet it also has this boundless feeling, of something about to happen, a hint of opportunity. And, and even better it makes me feel grounded, and certain, like I can handle whatever life or the world is going to throw at me. I know this is categorized/marketed as a women’s perfume, but it doesn’t need to be, I don’t see why a man couldn’t wear it, it is not ornate or overly floral at all. The sillage is very soft, it really is a skin scent, and it lasts 6 or more hours, depending on how much I put on. A kind Fragrantican sent me a large decant of vintage EDT, and I do think that it’s a little more green with galbanum, especially after the first hour, but other than that I think that the differences are minimal, and the new bottles on VdN ‘work’ about the same, ie the strength/sillage are similar. Anyway, I am so glad that I have this perfume, it makes me feel my age, in a nice way. (This is for the EDT.)

I probably can't do this one justice seeing as there are numerous beautiful reviews that reflect my exact feelings on this perfume, but I will try... And I must thank Conifer lover for the generous sample! When I first dabbed this on, I could smell bright aldehydes and citrus. Delightful. There is a touch of animal and I could have sworn a little civet brushed his tail ever so slightly against the perfume bottle. The iris blooms beautifully against the orris root and it's quite prominent to me. For someone who does not like soapy scents but loves iris (it can be hard to find an iris I like), I think the iris is really lovely here. For a moment there the iris completely dominates, and I'm in heaven. I can't say I'm familiar with narcissus/daffodil but I can tell it's there because the iris is not alone and I don't get much violet or jasmine during that first half hour or so. The base is a really pretty musk decorated with oakmoss and sandalwood. I can also appreciate the gorgeous, green, resinous canvas upon which this entire drama unfolds. I can't say I find the scent that spicy but there's sort of a spicy "aura", if you will towards the end. To me the dry down is soft, a little powdery, earthy, green, and with almost an incense vibe in the background. It's clearly a classic and a well executed, well thought masterpiece that will continue to be highly regarded over time. I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to test this beauty. It's not something you throw on to buy groceries. It's something you intend to wear with a certain feeling in mind and a mood that evokes sort of a haunting yet comforting mystery. Very nice.

I wore this today so decided to write a quick review (still under the weather and currently exhausted to sorry if it makes no sense!) I have worn this a few times now and find it a difficult scent to pin down - it seems ethereal, like a cloud or aura of gentle scent that feels both exciting and comforting. In the opening i find it very "typical old guerlain" - it has "that" guerlain smell that I find in l'heure bleue, shalimar, mitsouko and chamade, but in vol de nuit it is greener, greyer, more foreboding. It lacks, to my nose that slightly medicinal anise like note of L'hb in the opening, the spice of shalimar or the warmth of mitsouko, and is probably most similar (to my nose) to chamade for the first few minutes, perhaps a little more green? For some reason the first 10 minutes make me think of heavy thundery rain clouds. Then suddenly it is like the sun breaks through the clouds, or maybe we gain altitude and break the cloud cover and this becomes soaring, powdery, the comforting aura I mentioned before. Longevity was very good - 12 hours after application I could still smell it faintly on my skin and more strongly on my clothes. It was inoffensive in that although there is some sillage - I myself caught occasional whiffs it was not challenging or offensive and felt no need to compete with anyone elses fragrance or personal space. It portrayed exactly what I wanted - Elegance, self assured, quiet confidence with a touch of soft femininity. Very nice, this has gone up in my estimations as it made me feel so good today. Definitely one to try for lovers of other older guerlains. Beautiful.

“The desert could not be claimed or owned — it was a piece of cloth carried by winds, never held down by stones, and given a hundred shifting names before Canterbury existed, long before battles and treaties quilted Europe and the East ... All of us, even those with European homes and children in the distance, wished to remove the clothing of our countries. It was a place of faith. We disappeared into landscape.” ― Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient Vol de Nuit makes me inevitably envision a flight over the desert as one would imagine when reading "The English Patient". Sky and desert - nothing in between but the wind and yourself filled with a void of thought, calmness and peace. To describe Vol de Nui in means of notes is rather tricky, it's like trying to catch smoke, whenever it reaches your grasp it melts away through your empty hands. There is a large dose of galbanum for sure, vanilla adding up to gorgeous soft, dry and warm amber. Yet there are cool spices, maybe cardamon and herbacious greens like sage, a lot of oakmoss and I think I do get a hint of narcissus. There is a typical Guerlain duet of citruses, but they do not seem very prominent to me. The feeling of the fragrance is a mild powdery amber on top of elegant oakmoss and spicy greens. It wraps around you like a very sheer veil, it stays a long time while being very close to you. If I attached the adjective "feminine" it is not in the frill&feathers way, but a cool, sophisticated style. This is a very special scent to me. I sprayed, I sniffed and fell head over heals for it :-)

To me this smells similar to "Shaina" by Atelier Delteil, from the 70's or 80's I think. I should say "Shaina" smells like "Vol de Nuit" because "Shaina" was made much later. They are both woody orientals, one (Shaina--basenotes labdanum and fir resin...smells powdery resinous similar to Vol de Nuit) is a bit more modernized but still has a powerful, classical feel. I own "Vol de Nuit" in the extrait version and it's one of my prize possessions. I used up an edt 93 ml bottle in about six months. I could not keep my hands / nose off it. I have about 20 ml extrait left, a version from about 7 years ago, give or take. The extrait is for special occasions, or really happy moments, I am looking to buy another edt soon. I love spraying perfume for application, even with a pure perfume -- the effect feels the most complete. Like dabbing is for contemplation, spraying is for immersion. I found out about "Shaina" after reading about Atelier Delteil in Luca Turin's original 1994 Parfums: Le Guide and then finding a reference on his blog. I wish Fragrantica would also add Nicky Verfaillie Parfums ("Grain de Sable", "Grain de Folie" and "Grain de Passion") from the late 70's early 80's...such an interesting period in perfume history! Nicky Verfaillie parfums are also mentioned in the preface to the 1994 Le Guide. My French is rudimentary but I could decipher these recommendations...Oh, to be able to write reviews with such confidence! To experience smell like that. Perfume is amazingly substantial for such an ephemeral product.

I was amused to read a mention of Timeless, as I used to wear Timeless years ago. And there is a similarity, but of course, VdeN came first! Vol de Nuit is exceptional. I adore L'Heure Bleue and Mitsouko, and this is another palace built on the same gorgeous, solid foundations. Hour after hour it changes... repeated sniffing just gives more depth and more character, one is always discovering another facet... really that's part of my love for these original scents, they offer new facets as they age on the skin. It's almost coconutty one minute, next minute the carnation, the narcissus, the civet, and so on. And such good quality, not ostentatious, not striking - but unchangingly top-class. The powdery drydown is beyond wonderful. I could wear it every day and never tire of it. My bank balance says otherwise, so the EDT is fine for me right now, but I will be getting the EDP - like any work of genius, it will be wholly worth it. Please Guerlain, never stop making this :) UPDATE: Many reviews (including Luca Turin's) recommend this without saying what it smells of. The drydown is a spun-sugar cloud of violets and rose, iris and musk, entirely feminine and beyond pretty, and it can move me to tears. It's seriously and exceptionally good. Only Chanel even comes close. I would say, the drydown is like wearing a ballgown. If Katharine Hepburn wore it, I don't know how Howard Hughes ever left her. One of the most beautiful scents ever made xx

This is so beautiful. Oh my. But I could cry... because I can barely smell it. Noooooooooo I want to sob my heart out. Why????? I have the only accessible version -- the 93 ml EDT refill. At first it's like Shalimar a bit... then thick medicinal green spicy, then a gorgeous sweet woodsy powdery vanilla. But seriously weak... with 6-8 sprays on clothes and skin. And all these stages/smells in about 40 minutes. I just can't afford a parfum... and buying vintage on eBay (if cheaper) scares me after I got a "turned" or diluted Shalimar parfum. :( :( :( Plus I'm not a dab-on perfume kind of girl... I love to spray. I do have some hope... because as crazy as it sounds... what I smell (in the drydown of Vol de Nuit) is very similar to Dark Woman by Police and that is very cheap, and I have a couple bottles already. Misted on my pillow, I get this mossy/musky antique smell that I enjoy, reminds me of Mitsouko a bit, but more medicinal. Overall, I'm still super disappointed because I know this is a beautiful perfume. :( I must like to torture myself... haha... because I got a 1.7oz older bottle (the rectangular bottle) and I think it's more potent than the refill... but I only have 50ml and it's hard to find... lol.... This smells so good. It does smell "old" (which I like) and it has a musty Mitsouko vibe... and the drydown smells a lot like Shalimar... overall I still LOVE This... and I'm going to get that extrait somewhow.... ;)

Beautiful and unique. It's a very cool, night-air green cologne somehow folded into a lightweight powdery-warm oriental that, smelled together, comes across as chypre. Cool air and warm breezes wrapped together. Like going out for a cruise when it's about-to-storm on a summer night, with the window rolled down but the heaters on. And you simultaneously accelerate and close your eyes despite risk to your mortal life because it just smells so... fragile. One thing about Vol de Nuit I don't read enough is that it is funky-animalic-indolic. This coming from someone who simply cannot find fragrances animalic enough. But Vol de Nuit has a seriously authentic musk kick (by route of an indolic daffodil) off the top that is so! satisfying. It's like a sting, or a crack of lightning on that summer night. And from there it's the smell of fields and flowers cooling after a hot day (galbanum, hay, grasses, lilacs), a rising earthy powderiness (patchouli, galbanum again, moss), and that fascinating interplay or warm and cool currents. Yes I perceive a lineage across the green chypres (no19, Scherrer, Silences), but the almost out-of-place Guerlinade (Jicky, Heure Bleue), here matched to a powdery patchouli, gives Vol de Nuit an inimitable mystery. Sometimes shoulder-to-shoulder with Mitsouko (and a select few others) for most beautiful and evocative smell in the world. (Based on modern EDT in the white box. No performance issues.)

I have a teensy decant that I purchased so that I could finally smell this beautiful fragrance. I put some on before bed last night, inspired by the name, which means "Night Flight" in French (or Flight of Night if you think that sounds better). I was surprised that the iris notes were not more dominant on my skin. I got a very green floral, almost a chypre, with a particularly beautiful galbanum/daffodil/citrus accord that reminded me a bit of my precious residue of vintage Miss Dior and also Private Collection by Estée Lauder; I didn't get much iris from Vol de Nuit, which surprised me, although the powdery orris note came through reliably. I do think this is certainly full bottle worthy, but I have other holes in my collection that require plugging first. I'm also surprised that this is categorized as "woody," despite the plentiful woods in the base (but most Guerlains have some wood in the base, yes?). To my nose this reads more like a classic chypre-oriental, or maybe a green-floral-oriental. When I think of "woody" fragrances, I think of very sandalwood-forward scents, and this ain't that. I do love it, though, and in some ways I love it as much as Samsara, if not quite as much as my old standby L'Heure Bleue. I'm not sure about the longevity, but Vol de Nuit was going strong for a few hours after I put it on, and then it slipped away like a thief in the night while I slept. That seems very on brand!

A charming dusty smell--think a wooden chest with linens, papers, photographs, dried flowers, and other assorted artifacts that's gone undisturbed for years. Took me a bit to come around on this one. I decidedly like it now but it's perhaps not the most immediately favorable thing to smell on a person, like taking a whiff of a laundry hamper scented with last week's perfume. Not too surprising I suppose, as a composition of yellow flowers and iris and airy incense can be predicted to paint in pastels. Very comfortable and pleasant but I'd say it isn't at all sexy. It's sweetened from below with a blurry base of sandalwood and vanilla that persists deep into the dry down, reminding me in this respect at least of Samsara, although that one is much bolder. Unfortunately, Vol de Nuit is best experienced in the parfum concentration. I'm no stranger to allegedly weak-tea reduced-concentration versions of Guerlain's classic extraits, like Apres l'Ondee and Chant d'Aromes, but usually I disagree somewhat. I think those two, at least, perform about as well as can be expected in their bee bottle incarnations. Not so with Vol de Nuit. The EdT is consistently disappointing. Even when freshly applied, it's watery and barely-there. It's nice, it smells like Vol de Nuit, you could definitely do worse, but it's very weak and transparent. The parfum is great however and, in my opinion, the only way to fly.

I remember reading somewhere that many people believe this is one of the best perfumes of all time. I agree, and it is tied with greats such as Shalimar and Mitsouko for that honor. I have trouble describing the individual notes, except to say that it is quite complex and high quality. It has that warm, amber, comforting note of Shalimar and Mitsouko, but unlike Shalimar it is not lemony at all. It is not as mysterious and earthy as Mitsouko and the color the scent evokes for me is more of a spicy cinnamon as opposed to an almost black red for mitsouko. It is likely that when it was first created that, because all perfumes then were so heavy, the idea of a night flight smelling like this seemed logical. To me, now, it spells too heavy and spicy to really evoke flight. It is not really subtle and airy. It smells more like Fall to me, or a spice market-- there is none of that heavy tuberose and other oppressive florals of some older perfumes. It also just smells beautiful-- I know that a good reviewer could use better words but it's just simply. lovely. It is lovely all the way through, beginning to end, and I love how the dry down smells, hours later. It is definitely a perfume to savor (and spray lightly). I think it is unisex and would be super sexy on a man. It is just sexy in general. Edit: my bottle is about 20 year old, so I think my version is much stronger than the current version.

Vol de Nuit--what a lovely, classic fragrance. Right off the bat, my skin smells of vanilla, soft woods, a surprisingly sweet orange, and delicate spice. As the liquid settles on my skin and melds with my chemistry, I really get the wonderful galbanum, more woods, spicy carnation, and some bright florals (though I can't necessarily pinpoint what kind). I am a novice when it comes to Vol de Nuit, but upon my first round of sampling it reminds me very much of Mitsouko if you replace the peach with vanilla. They share the spice, resins, and greenness. I love that show Downton Abbey, and Vol de Nuit seems just like the kind of thing that Lady Mary would wear. For those who don't watch the show, she is a quintessential English Lady. She is very classy and holds firmly to tradition, but she is also quite attractive and stylish and will sometimes quietly break the rules and reveal her true self, rather than the facade she normally hides behind. While all the other English Ladies of the 30's may have stuck to their rose and lily perfumes, Lady Mary would pull off Vol de Nuit nicely. Vol de Nuit is indeed classic in the sense that it is certainly French perfumerie at its best, however, I see it as being totally Boho Chic. Stepping outside the box a little bit, going out to a club; a little drinking, a little dancing....Great, whimsical perfume for loosening up and living a little.

First, a big thank you to the wonderful Bettany87 for providing me a generous decant of this perfume (EDT). I sing in a choir for over 5 years. One of this year's projects was to present, in honour to the International Day of Music (1st October), the whole fantastic piece of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. There were 275 persons acting in total, including me, so it was such a big thing as you can imagine. We did so many exhausting rehearses, but finally the day arrived. And the chosen perfume for such a big event was Vol de Nuit. Its mysterious mood would pair perfectly with the dramatic theme. I brought the decant with me, and put 3 spritz just before we entered the stage. It was heavenly. While singing with my whole heart and soul, soft whiffs of Vol de Nuit were arriving to my nose. It's perhaps the most abstract perfume I've ever used. It's very difficult to describe the real notes. All I know is that it is very powdery, a tad green, woody and earthy. Vanillic at the drydown. Very subtle floral notes were detectable as well. The perfume couldn't have been more well-chosen: it's one of the most magnificient scents I've ever had the experience of sniffing. It's a mysterious, nostalgic, solitary, thoughtful perfume. Incredible on windy nights. Amazing on both men and women. And I believe my perfomance was even more magical with Vol de Nuit.

Guerlinade perfection, in particular the vintage extrait. While this does have an intriguing and angular galbanum/narcissus opening and definite cinnamic spices along its journey, in many ways, the drydown is one of the best exemplars of an unadorned (or at least not overly adorned) Guerlinade--the doughy orris root and powdery ionones, sweet vanilla and tonka, woods, and light animalics. You can obviously smell this imprint in the other classics, but Vol de Nuit is rather subdued and the Guerlinade is not as masked as it is in say, the bolder L'Heure Bleue, Shalimar, and the like. VdN is more contemplative, autumnal, and spare. I'm eager to try the newest version in the bouchon coeur bottles, since I've loved the most recent Jicky, but the non-extrait concentrations have always struck me as just being rather thin. Modern parfum versions (90's and later) I've smelled capture this dynamic, androgynous beauty fairly well. Smelled side by side with a vintage extrait, though, (a 70's rosebud one in particular) the modern does smell fine but also thinner and sharper, whereas there is a sueded, plush, sumptuous feel to the vintage extrait. Whether that's attributed to the particular older nitromusks, more prominent costus root (which is very perceptible to me), or civet, I'm not totally sure, but it is a thing of true beauty.

This is my second review, this time not the modern EDT but a decant of the real deal. WOW. They seem like different animals and the vintage perfume is far more interesting and evocative It is much more dry and woody and a bit sharp. (I guess it is the galbanum, which I realize I rather like.) A reviewer below said it made her think of the desert and the movie of the English patient, which I now totally get! I'm (sadly) not a nose, but even I can tell it is not really like Timeless, which I do have and think is lovely. This "real deal" decant of Vol de Nuit is not sweet and comforting, it's for a different type of person and I can see why Katherine Hepburn wore it: it is sharp and dry, a little smokey, then has this subdued lovely dry down. Some describe this perfume as "cold," but to me it would suit a person who is not cold at all, but very independent yet tender hearted. The dry down is sweetly warm and comforting (a bit like Timeless, there). VdeN is sort of like a night flight in the 30s, eh? Back then, very few people actually flew. So, you'd need to be an independent and brave soul to do that, and then you'd experience the mysterious beauty of the world below at night, and then (dry down time) you'd probably feel some happiness and relief to be home on the ground. What a treat to have a try of this.

"Musky Green Suede" most of the time I look and look (sniff and sniff) and spend so much money sampling ultra expensive niche scents. here I am this evening wearing Vol de Nuit which I’ve had for at least 12-15 years and it blows everything out of the water. Vol de Nuit doesn’t smell like it’s list of notes. For me it evokes green musky suede. Luxuriously powdery suede (but the “powder” is suede-y not like baby powder and actually it’s more musky than powdery if I’m being precise). Yes, it smells classic and vintage but only slightly because so many niche fragrances are coming out with all these trendy leather, earthy, woody and suede type scents. if you just buy ALL the Guerlain fragrances you’re all set and never need anything else. most of them have a certain plushness though, so you have to dig that kind of density. And Guerlain is almost never linear so sometimes you need to ignore the first 15 minutes (ignore or exalt, totally depends). God Bless the House of Guerlain. Give me plush and potent any day. #TeamGuerlainForever Vol de Nuit signifies individuality to me. The woman or man who wears Vol de Nuit might have a strong sense of individuality and a rebellious nature.