Monday 16 November 2015

Guerlain's Ne m'Oubliez Pas

The Guerlain "Exclusive" lines have always existed to push the "creative audacity" of the company, in the way that its founders did. Mainstream fragrances are currently almost devoid of individuality, because that is what the majority of the public want, and an easy to wear perfume is an art in itself. Whilst Guerlain is adept at creating these, it is not what they are most famous for. In the past the company always pushed the boundaries by exploring new techniques and materials, and these limited releases are where they get the chance to spread their wings once more.

Most fragrance houses have an "exclusive" line, but what it usually means is that it is exclusive to a few stores in each country. So when the news broke in September 2015 that Guerlain would be producing a new "exclusive" just for its Paris boutique on the Champs-Élysées it was met with mixed reactions. Would it eventually be rolled out to other countries? Would it be a reworking of an old perfume? To answer these questions I went to Paris in search of Ne m'Oubliez Pas.

So, the Paris "exclusive" is exactly that, it will only ever be available in the Champs-Élysées boutique. Whether this means that it will gather enough fans to keep it permanently in production is another question, but that is the chance that you take when you make something truly "exclusive". Also, other recent releases have seen the archives raided with Vetiver Pour Elle becoming Carmen Le Bolshoï and even Jasminora becoming Cour des Senteurs Versailles, but happily Ne m'Oubliez Pas is a brand new creation by Thierry Wasser.

Formalities over, let's look at the perfume itself. Described as an Oriental Spicy Woody, the first hit is a wonderful citrus freshness, but almost straight away it is joined by a delicate note of spiced plum. This is where the numerous references to "jammy" notes come from because when it joins with the vanilla, a little later, that is when the magic happens. At this point though everything goes a little topsy turvy because we plunge down to the base notes before the heart comes to play.

For the root of this perfume think Encens Mythique d'Orient with an extra dose of oakmoss. It is a seductively sexy blend, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's some labdanum lurking in there as well. I could happily stop at this point, but the centre of the fragrance is waiting to be revealed. The rose is given an extra kick by the cinnamon and carnation to stop it becoming too, well, "rosey" and an immortelle flower seems to sit almost to the right of it providing a little extra support. Guerlain describe it as "seductive, mysterious and surprising", and for a change their description is spot on.

Named after Guerlain's famous lipstick from 1870, Ne m'Oubliez Pas is fittingly presented in the historic quadrilobe bottle and €500 gets you 125ml of Parfum. Pricey, yes, but worth it.

2 comments:

  1. I'd love to try it and I'd love a reissue of Quand Vient La Pluie.

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    1. It was re-released as Place Rouge in Moscow. There may still be some available at GUM department store.

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