Liù 
Guerlain (1929)

I discovered Liu in the Guerlain Boutique on Champs Élysée. At first wiff I got enamoured with this golden aristocratic blend of blossoms , warm vanilla and fresh aldehydes. True french elegance. One of this artworks that can never go out of production without the world losing sth great. Luckily Guerlain knows this and keeps it in the collection of the Légendaires.
Class in a bottle

A gourmand powder puff of No5.
Liu is not a patch on the Chanel, either as a blend, or artistically, and it’s not the best of Jacques Guerlain by any means.
But it is like the sumptuous Lyra (Maurice Roucel, 1993) so it can’t be that bad.

(A sample swap and likely not the original formula.)

The original formulation:

The opening of a rich dark and velvety May rose, a bergamot and a smoldering neroli - the latter two brightens things up a bit - and a fresh breeze of aldehydes - results in a very idiosyncratic and voluptuously delicious start - delicious!

The drydown keeps the rose as a leitmotif and adds a lovely jasmine that adds a slightly powdery undertone to the whole mix, And is joined by a very restrainedly spicy orris which darkens a bit more and adds more depth to it. Whiffs of dark chocolate are present at times.

An ambery vanilla adds some more sweetness in the base, and a times the amber appears to gain the upper hand, which results in the sweetness never becoming too intrusive. There is a subtle sandalwood present, but it provides more of a woodsy background than and lasting sandalwood aroma.

I get moderate sillage, good projection and nine hours of longevity on my skin.

A rich and refined scent for colder spring or warmer autumn evenings, this is a well-crafted, intense but nonetheless luxuriatingly elegant creation. Whilst the choice of ingredients is not wildly original and the use of aldehydes became a bit of a craze in the days if its release, the quality of the said ingredients is high, and the performance respectable. Overall 3.75/5.

EDT, vintage...

Gorgeous aldehydes here! Powdery, feminine rose. Iris becomes prominent nearly right away. Dusty stuff, this is. Other floral notes mix in, mingle. Iris seems to shine the most, to my nose... A few hints of a buttery something, and then some jasmine. This, is how I think of, and what, I think of, as a true Guerlain, and how their classics stand the test of time. Everything just flows smoothly with no choppiness. They don't make them like this anymore.

Gentle vanilla, amber, and a note like a cream-soaked wood comes later. Beautiful!

Liu by Guerlain is one of those golden, radiant, juicy and opulent floral bombs, rich in petals, powder, aldehydes and Mittel-European sumptuosity. Classic and sophisticated, soapy and distinguished - not a skanky "bitchy" chypre for sure, rather powdery, floral and aldehydic. It reminds me of both Chanel n.5 and Chanel Bois des Iles, although Liu smells somehow more dry, simple and bright. Beautiful for sure, nonetheless: full of grace and neoclassic opulence, perhaps a little "academic" as regards of the adherence to a sort of cliché, but undoubtedly pleasant, well made, crisp, cozy and refined. Bold sillage and long, perfect persistence. The perfect gift for any self-confident and elegant woman.

8/10

Wow, Liu is seriously beautiful. I know people say this is boring, or a copy of Chanel No. 5, but I have to say that I find this extremely enjoyable and sensual on its own terms. It combines the snowy, sharp aldehydes of Chanel No. 5 with the warm vanillic Guerlainade of the far dry down of Shalimar, and along the way also manages to reference the slightly dirty/Cussons Imperial Leather soap-y feel to Cuir de Russie. The Chanel-esque aldehydes add a sprinkle of starlight and lift to the heavy, dry, velvet base typical of Guerlain oldies. It is simply delightful and delicious. Mind you, since I own either full bottles or decants of the three perfumes I have just mentioned, I am unlikely to be putting this on my buy list. Still, to anyone who is a fan of the classic Chanels and the old school Guerlains, I think you would really savor this. Hearkens back to times when perfumes were put together with thought and care for both execution and raw materials. Sorry that this review is not terribly descriptive - I find it difficult, especially with my beginner's nose, to describe the older Chanels and Guerlains in an adequate way.