Perfume Review: Guerlain Insolence and Badgley Mischka
July 30th, 2006
This past weekend I did a mini-sniffage downtown Chicago and came home with a sample of Insolence and a blotter with Badgley Mischka. Insolence is the new creation of Maurice Roucel (the nose behind Musc Ravageur, Lolita Lempicka L, Iris Silver Mist) for Guerlain targeting the younger generation. The notes I was able to find are: violet, raspberry, iris, tonka beans, resins. I must say I was quite surprised to actually like this seemingly yet-another-boring fruity-floral. I’ll be even bolder and state that of all the fruity-florals in the past year or so, Insolence is by far the best one. What I found particularly appealing about the scent is the combination of violet, raspberry, and iris that’s done in a most gentle way, with a candied undertone. It reminds me of Guerlain’s other fragrance - Meteorites - that features the same notes of iris and violet with a touch of heliotrope for a powdery feel. Insolence is a bit more fruity but my nose detects a tad of powderiness, too. It doesn’t really go much further than the candied violet/iris blend but the overall effect is very soft and pretty. The drydown smells like a lipstick. I imagine Insolence will become quite popular amongst any age group as it is not a particularly girly scent that conjures up all things pink and frilly. Neither is it particularly insolent - the name is indeed a total mismatch. For other impressions, please read Victoria’s review and Marina’s review.
My second discovery was the new signature scent of Badgley Mischka fashion design house (whose designs I absolutely adore). It’s said to be released August 1 and be available through September 30 (why I do not know) exclusively at Neiman Marcus stores. My local Neiman’s had a tester bottle only, so a blotter is all I was able to bring home. According to Fashionsquare.com, “the Badgley Mischka signature fragrance is a rich and rare floral that evokes feeling of elegance, sophistication, luxury, and glamour. It opens with the pulpy sensation of Red Wild Berries and Fresh Picked Peach laced with Crème de Cassis. The heart of the fragrance is an enchanting bouquet of sensuous florals that smoothly blends Osmanthus flower, White Peony and Jasmine. The drydown imparts an elegant sensuality with Suede Musks and Indian Sandalwood, while the warmth of Caramel Amber and Patchouli furnish mystique”. I wasn’t sure I liked it much upon first sniff but it sort of grew on me. It is indeed a rich, caramely fruity-floral along the lines of La Prairie Silver Rain but with more pronounced osmanthus and cassis on a lush amber base. Sensual and luxurious and very fitting to Badgley Mischka’s Fall 2006 Ready To Wear Collection. I’m yet to do more skin tests but I’m afraid this scent will have to be a purchase at some point before September 30 as I find its deep, floriental effect too hard to resist for those chilly fall days.
Image source: www.cosmeticnews.com
Entry Filed under: New Perfumes, Perfume Reviews
20 Comments Add your own
1. Elle | July 31st, 2006 at 5:48 am
Badgley Mischka should have had you write the press release for their scent. All the talk of it being elegant and sophisticated went out the window w/ the “pulpy sensation” bit by the person they did choose to write it. NOT appealing, guys. But I am going to have to at least try it for those base notes.
I’m not overly fond of Meteorites, but I do like the idea of a lipstick like drydown. And I’d love to be able to say I like Insolence for Maurice’s sake.
2. March | July 31st, 2006 at 7:35 am
Wow — that is great news about Insolence! I was sure I’d loathe it as just another insipid fruity-floral, and now there’s hope! There IS room in my heart for fruity/florals, and I like Meteorites, so I will have to get busy and hunt this one down.
3. March | July 31st, 2006 at 7:36 am
PS — Insolence — Saks or NM?
4. Marina | July 31st, 2006 at 7:39 am
Must smell Mischka. I really want to like it for the same reason as you do. Red Wild Berries is what is the least appealing to me …
5. Ina | July 31st, 2006 at 8:13 am
Elle, LOL! I’m not sure you’ll like Insolence but it’s definitely worth a try.
6. Ina | July 31st, 2006 at 8:18 am
March, it’s indeed pretty. You might like it if you like Meteorites. It was at Nordstrom’s.
7. Ina | July 31st, 2006 at 8:19 am
Marina, it’s not really too heavy on berries. It’s a floriental. I think you might actually like it.
8. chaya ruchama | July 31st, 2006 at 9:56 am
Hello, folks-
Insolence is at Sak’s , as well…
I’m trying to be fair about it- that said, it has a very soft, retro feel to it that I can’t quite place [these brain farts are driving me CRAZY!]… powdery, and sweet.I’m not wild for the EDP, I’ll have to see if the parfum varies, but this one, if properly marketed, should sell off the shelves with younger girls…
The berries are ok, but there is no crispness or tartness that I think would improve it- and a woodier drydown would be nice.
The jury’s still out on this one…
I agree, Ina, it’s a fruity floriental, smells a bit like the 1930’s-40’s
9. Ina | July 31st, 2006 at 10:00 am
Thanks, Chaya! I didn’t see it at my local Saks but I bet it’ll be there soon. It’s sort of along the lines of Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose, in the drydown, don’t you think?
10. Judith | July 31st, 2006 at 10:14 am
Fruity florals are so not my thing! And the Insolence definitely sounds like a no-go for me. As Elle said, you do make the Badgley Mischka sound appealing; I will try to smell it somewhere, but I don’t have high hopes:)
11. Ina | July 31st, 2006 at 10:19 am
Judith, you might like Badgley Mischka but I can’t guarantee that.
12. March | July 31st, 2006 at 5:24 pm
Fresh from my research!
The Insolence smelled somewhere between Meteorites and Terra Cotta to me. And I don’t mean that as some terrible criticism — it definitely smelled Guerlain-ish without the Guerlinade, if that makes sense. But the name is just silly. It’s the sort of thing that should be called Innocence, but nobody wants Innocence any more, do they? They want something girly and juvenile pretending to be Insolence … and what is the point of that? If I’m wearling something called Insolence, I think it should smell like Bandit. Or Fifi.
13. Ina | July 31st, 2006 at 6:13 pm
March, I totally agree with you! I don’t get much of Terracotta, though. But I do think it’s Guerlainish. The drydown still smells like lipstick.
14. Katie | July 31st, 2006 at 7:43 pm
I wasn’t even aware that Badgley Mischka was going to get into the fragrance game. Huh. Sounds like it might be okay, though the Silver Rain allusion gives me pause (I found that one dull and smurfy.) Will be interesting to try, though, from the sounds of your description.
15. Ina | July 31st, 2006 at 8:28 pm
Katie, Badgley Mischka has actually intrigued me quite a bit. I can’t wait to obtain a sample!
16. violetnoir | August 1st, 2006 at 10:36 am
Meteorites is a wonderfully happy fragrance, so I must try Insolence. I love that bottle, too.
Hugs!
17. Ina | August 1st, 2006 at 10:52 am
Robin, you might very well like it, just be prepared for more sweetness.
18. The Scented Salamander | August 11th, 2006 at 7:55 pm
Hey Ina, I came around to doing my review of Insolence today. I discovered something interesting while giving it an in-depth sniff and apparently Sephora is confirming my impression.
19. Ina | August 11th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
Helene, I’m off to read it!
20. Aromascope » Marc J&hellip | October 16th, 2006 at 12:02 am
[…] Violet - bergamot, peony, orchid, labdanum, orris, cashmere accord, violet, cedar, vanilla, musk, gingerbread. My favorite of the three, Violet starts out with anything but violet - a predominantly gourmand, cashmere-like floral on a soft woody base. A fascinating take on violet as it’s often combined with either rose (Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose, Guerlain Insolence) or cedarwood (Shiseido Feminite du Bois, Serge Lutens Bois de Violette). But violet and gingerbread? It’s actually really good! Perhaps, not quite full-10-ounce good, more like 1-ounce good, simply because I’d only reach for it in cold weather, and would most likely not apply it liberally as it’s quite potent and lasts well. […]
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