Perfume Review: La Voilette de Madame by Guerlain
Sniffing in New York was an olfactory feast, and one of the highlights was Voilette de Madame by Guerlain. Try as I might, I found very little background information, other than it was initially released in 1902, and Guerlain has reintroduced it as an exclusive to their Paris boutique in a fancy bottle with a snail design for a very hefty price. I suppose saying we were lucky to purchase it (only 9 bottles were available) would be an understatement, so I’ll just say I’ll cherish my bottle devotedly.
Voilette de Madame is a blend of iris, ylang-ylang, narcissus, violet, and sandalwood. It’s quite powdery in top notes, along the lines of Orchidee Blanche, with a softer iris note and just a hint of violet. The drydown has a prominent Guerlinade accord - a compound of balsams, iris, and vanilla, used in such Guerlain creations as Mitsouko or L’Heure Bleu. The most appealing thing about it is its animalic base against which the flowers are resting languidly. Voilette de Madame means “A Lady’s Veil”, and, while I can’t assert specifically what type of veil is implied, in my imagination I see a tulle face veil. What’s behind this veil is a slightly powdered face, gorgeous, daring eyes, and lips slightly open, gently breathing upon it. Whether it’s bad breath or not, depends on your skin chemistry.
P.S. Just to clarify, we did not pay the hefty Paris price for our bottles. It was the deal of a lifetime.
Image source: courtesy of Mr.Aromascope
25 comments October 24th, 2006