Guerlilas
Guerlain (1930)

The lilac that appearance from the first moments of the opening is bright, sunny and light - very different from many darker lilacs I know, but exuding unmistakably a beautiful aroma for the lilac blossom. In the background I get a bergamot that enhances the bright character of this duo of opening notes.

The drydown is a floral fest - less less bright but getting it truly right. A slightly more somber chord is struck by a lilac note, whereas a traditional jasmines adds extra depth. A muguet that is on the brighter side supplies just the right amount of sweetness to complete the floral character of this stage without ever being cloying or intrusive.

The base notes begin with a gently sweet heliotrope, which starts to develop just before the base notes arrive and continues well into the later stages. This is again a light heliotrope and befitting the general levity of the whole. Subsequently the base adds deer musk, but is is very weak on me and of a nigh perfunctory nature on me, as is the cover I get. Both are hardly notes on their own account, but function as support structures to give the florals, especially the lilac and the heart notes some additional complexity.

I get moderate sillage, adequate projection and a splendid ten hours of longevity on my skin - a lightweight but impressively long-lasting.

This is a beautiful lilac, unexpectedly bright and elegantly vibrant, supremely suitable for warm spring evenings. The lightness is sublime, although maybe a bit too ephemeral at times, the blending is done beautifully, but the whole lacks a bit of texture at times. The quality of the ingredients is of the highest level. 3.75/5.

GUERLILAS (1930)

Since lilac oil does not reproduce the flower's scent, I am always wary about approaching a soliflore, whose raison d'etre must be synthetically reproduced.

Guerlilas is a masterful blend of the lilac impression and the vanilla aspects of heliotrope, plus a bright, sharp, mint-like burst of muguet to balance. The jasmine and violet round out and soften the experience. The base notes of deer musk and civet do not intrude, but simply anchor the lilac/muguet blend.

The over all impression is very spring-like, given the gravitas of an aroma that classically conveys remembrance. The best known is of course the remembrance of Abraham Lincoln's funeral cortege in Walt Whitman's masterful “When Lilacs Last In the Door Yard Bloomed.”

Top notes: Lilac, Bergamot;
Heart notes: Jasmine, Heliotrope, Muguet, Violet;
Base notes: Deer Musk, Civet

This is a scent for a refined woman, a woman of substance and of experience. It is gentle, soft and warm, as it also denotes strength of character and maturity.

Guerlilas is a successful reproduction of the scent of lilac, lacking only the ephemeral sweetness of fresh blooms, something I have never known a lilac oil to reproduce. Long discontinued, but still available from private sellers on the internet.