Perfume Review: La Voilette de Madame by Guerlain
October 24th, 2006
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
Entry Filed under: Perfume Reviews
25 Comments Add your own
1. Victoria | October 25th, 2006 at 12:19 am
I find it very beautiful, but I can see what others find skanky about it. The narcissus note gives it almost a farm yard, rotten greens quality, although it is quite subtle and only serves to lift the heft of sweet floral notes.
2. chaya ruchama | October 25th, 2006 at 6:16 am
Skanky?
From your description, it sounds salivatingly formidable…
And who, pray tell, is this WE ?
I dearly wished I could have been part of the Sniffa process, but I couldn’t be trusted in NY.
Congrats on your purchase !
A propos of serious skank, I recently re-smelled the Cuir de Russie created by Creed for Errol Flynn-
Dear Heavens ! WHAT a honk !
Now that there is some world-class skankerooo- nothing comes quite close…
3. March | October 25th, 2006 at 6:41 am
AAaaaauuugh!!!! Now I can’t decide AT ALL. On the one hand: Cait (who has high tolerance for animalic notes like in Patou) found it filthy — and not, I surmised, in a good way.
Then you come along and describe the opening as “powdery” which I HATE in general… but Guerlain powdery is different. (Like L’Heure Bleue powdery?) And the dirty bits sound wonderful. Then Victoria continues to slay me with her “farm yard/rotten greens” description…
I wanted to be there desperately, but I was busy getting caught up before the Big Cheese left for his monthlong “heart of darkness” tour of Myanmar yesterday…
Do you think I’d like it?
4. Judith | October 25th, 2006 at 6:43 am
Well, I am part of the “we,” and I LOVE it!! I do find an animalic-skanky undertone in there, but it’s beautiful, not unpleasant: it has the sexiness of good vintage perfume–something that you don’t find in new releases. True love!
5. Marina | October 25th, 2006 at 8:25 am
Want!…but know that probably will never have *deep sigh*
6. Sara | October 25th, 2006 at 9:14 am
I, too, am one of the “Voilette Nine” and I get an animalic vibe slightly but no skank. I agree with Judith–there is a wonderful vintage vibe and I am so happy I bought a bottle. My only Sniffa purchase is truly a winner.
7. annE | October 25th, 2006 at 10:24 am
Now I’m wishing I had gone to the Sniffa; I didn’t know you were going to be there, Ina!
This one sounds absolutely gorgeous. I don’t suppose Jason would find another bottle hiding somewhere if I asked him very nicely? Your review has me ready to purchase unsniffed. Well, I would if I could.
How does this compare to, say, Jolie Madame? Any similarity at all? (JM is one of my faves.)
I’m looking forward to hearing more about your latest discoveries, too!
8. eaumy | October 25th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
Not only did I get one of the nine bottles, but I got it for free as a GWP. How cool is that?
Ina, I’m so glad you reviewed this. I’ve been sniffing Voilette, trying to figure it out but to no avail. It doesn’t strike me as dirty or skanky. But I do get a surprising note of Johnson & Johnson baby oil in the dry down!
It was wonderful to meet you and I hope that we cross paths again soon.
9. Ina | October 25th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Victoria, love your farm yard association! Definitely agree.
10. Ina | October 25th, 2006 at 3:05 pm
Chaya, it’s not really skanky, it’s moderately skanky.
11. Ina | October 25th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
March, yes, I think you’ll like it. It’s only powdery for the first few minutes. There’s just nothing like it.
12. Ina | October 25th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
Judith, agree on the good vintage perfumes! I simply adore it.
13. Ina | October 25th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
Marina, don’t despair. They might introduce it in regular bottles.
14. Ina | October 25th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
Sara, this was my best Sniffa purchase as well. It was super nice to meet you!
15. Ina | October 25th, 2006 at 3:09 pm
Anne, I decided to go sort of last minute. As for Jolie Madame, I can’t actually recall what it smells like. As far as I know, they might have a botlte or two left but only as a GWP if you buy 1 oz of parfum or Nuit d’Amour.
16. Ina | October 25th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Nancy, it was wonderful to meet you, too! Did you get 1 oz of parfum then?
17. Sara | October 25th, 2006 at 4:45 pm
Same to you hon! I wish I could have stayed longer. I am so glad I got to meet you!
18. violetnoir | October 25th, 2006 at 9:43 pm
Just as I was shaking my fist at the formidable House of Guerlain (did you see boisdejasmin’s review on Nuit d’amour?), you come along with this post Ina and have me swooning again.
Dang!!!
Hugs!
19. Ina | October 25th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
Robin, Nuit d’Amour doesn’t even come close to Voilette de Madame. It’s truly swoon-worthy. Nuit d’Amour is formidable.
20. Cait | October 26th, 2006 at 3:01 am
I loved this one when I visited le 68. It was the most interesting thing I smelled on that visit or in a long time. It smelled poopy and I loved it.
21. Elle | October 26th, 2006 at 6:52 am
SOB!!!! I called Paris and they only have the snail bottle. The woman I spoke to seemed quite sure it would not be introduced in any other bottles. I’m *praying* she was just completely out of the loop and any day now regular bottles will be introduced…but she seemed quite sure of her information. Back to sobbing….
22. Ina | October 26th, 2006 at 9:16 am
Cait, LOL! But I have to agree.
23. Ina | October 26th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Elle, wah!! This is not good, not good at all. We must write a petition!
24. Aromascope » Best o&hellip | December 29th, 2006 at 2:10 am
[…] Voilette de Madame by Guerlain - exquisite animalic floral that has no rivals. […]
25. Aromascope » Stoned&hellip | March 21st, 2007 at 11:00 pm
[…] Before I dwell on the scent, I’d like to mention one peculiar fact about Stoned: it’s said to contain diamond dust. I’m not sure exactly what that means and how it affects the fragrance or why it’s even necessary in perfume. To be honest, I’m puzzled. Nevertheless, I choose to blindly follow my nose which declares over and over again its unconditional love affair with Stoned. It’s amusing at times to observe where your nose takes you. With Stoned, it took me to the paths well-traveled, so to speak, for I kept finding more and more similarities with some of my other favorite perfumes. This chameleon of a scent first resembled Voilette de Madame by Guerlain. Later it was Orchidee Blanche by L’Artisan. Then all of a sudden the drydown became almost a dead ringer for L’Air de Rien by Miller Harris. Upon further sniffs, I got Bois d’Armenie by Guerlain and Cashmere for Men by Cristiano Fissore. At this point you might say, “Forget it! It’s hardly worth it”, and you’ll be much mistaken for, despite its kindred spirit, Stoned is a scent of its own merit. Moreover, it’s multifaceted and multidimensional. The initial sweet, powdery notes of heliotrope and rose create a baby-powder-like effect but it doesn’t end there. The real transformation happens when labdanum and musk enter the scene - we get some animalic action. The drydown has a slightly dirty, mossy undertone which gives it a soft vintage effect. All that combined with the excellent staying power, truly funky bottle, and a hefty price tag makes Stoned unbelievably irresistible: you’re stoned indeed. […]
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