Gauloise

How about a fragrance that can cut through the smoke? Gauloise, named for the intensely perfumed cigarettes, was sort of the 80s answer to Molinard Habanita or Caron Tabac Blond, but with this forgotten treasure, its all green and rosy with generous celadon-hued mossiness. Both green fiends and oakmoss fiends would surely delight in Gauloise, as it is the junction between verdant 70s aldehydic chypre and a sensuous floral muskiness buttressed by the hallowed Evernia Prunastri. The invigoratingly sharp opening transitions into a crisp rose and a jasmine with facets that remind me of distant cigarettes - the way to cut through the smoke is to meet it where it is. This stage is what I hoped ELDO Jasmine et Cigarette would be like, but it felt short of my expectations. Besides, Gauloise is far more complex, as this stage evolves further into a somewhat herbaceous, powdered, cool muskiness, ooh la la! Oakmoss does its work as a fixative, extending the florals and greens right down to its base, and persists for hours, without ever feeling like it's worn out its welcome. Not only would I rank this as one of the top ten best mossy fragrances, but also that bottle: the milky glass and jaunty, minimalist design makes it one of my favorite bottles as well. C'est si bon!

So I've just received this perfume today. I may come back and edit my review once I've had more time to wear it. I first just tried this by giving my wrist a splash. It was difficult to smell after 2 hours. I then decanted a small amount into an atomiser - this was a good call. Smells much stronger and lasts longer. Have been wearing it for about 5 hours now and it still smells moderately strong. This reminds me of Hermes Soie de Parfum - they share a few notes, including oakmoss, bergamot and aldehydes. I really like this - it smells clean, green, spicy. I'd describe it as classy, bright, with a little edge. Unisex, for sure. I lucked out and got a 100ml bottle at a stupidly low price. If I find another deal, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another bottle. Speaking of the bottle, it is now my favorite perfume bottle in my small but growing collection. I adore the milk glass - my friend said it's a monolith. The dark blue band in the middle is in surprisingly good condition for its age. I love the shape and opacity. I'm so pleased with this perfume - feel very lucky to possess it.

This is a lovely and unique fragrance; On the opening, it was a little smokey with pretty powdery aldehydes and I could detect a soft hyacinth which I am really fond of. After 30 minutes or so, still faintly powdery and floral but now the moss, green notes and spice are singing and it melodious indeed. I think I could wear this anywhere and most anytime except in the dead heat of summer here in the southern united states when I stay with fresh spicy green-floral frags. NOTE: When purchasing a decades-old vintage fragrance and you think it might be bad upon opening, I advise that you take it outside and, if you have the volume to do it, spray out a few full sprays. I also put this one in the fridge after I did that because it was warm when it came in the mail. These small techniques really paid off for me or else I might have trashed this after the first whiff on a tissue!

I have had this for a few years, but as I have so many other fragrances, and only this ONE bottle of Gauloises, I tend to always be "saving" it! To answer Action, I'd say the closest perfume to this is the original YSL Rive Gauche. It's a rich aldehydic floral with a jasminic character. There is nothing in the scent which would bear a relationship to Gauloises cigarettes. Perhaps it would still be around today with different branding... A lovely scent, worth seeking out.

I bought this shortly after it was launched, in the pictured bottle. The casing is cool: it's milk glass with a plastic top and reminiscent of the breezy French pop zeitgeist of the era. The contents, however, are pretty square. In my replacement vintage edt, powder dominates, and through the powder there's a little spiciness, like that of carnation, and a little mossy green. Try as I might, I detect no hyacinth, and I have fresh stems in front of me for comparison. Gauloise is nostalgic for me, so I'm happy to have my white bottle back, but if I had no carefree, early-high school memories attached to it I'd give it a pass.