SAMPLE .. Guerlain, Jasmiralda, Soft Jasmine, DECANTED SAMPLE from Flacon, Parfum Extrait, Flacon Bouchon Fleurs, 1917, Paris, France ..

The House of Guerlain is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world. It was founded in 1828 when Pierre-Francois Pascal Guerlain opened up his first perfume store on 42, Rue de Rivoli in Paris. Pierre-Francois composed and manufactured custom perfumes with the help of his two sons, Aime & Gabriel. His unique approach was to personalize perfume for a specific person, place or event. Honore de Balzac commisioned his own eau de toilette during the writing of Cesar Birotteau, and the periodical La Sylphide, le Journal des Elegances, scented each issue with a different fragrance by Guerlain.

Guerlain catered to the high society of Paris, and obtained a very loyal following. The perfume house was so successful that Guerlain decided to open a flagship store at 15, Rue de la Paix in Paris in 1840. The house was at its peak in 1853 with it's fragrance Eau de Cologne Imperiale. This perfume gained Guerlain the prestigious title of His Majesty's Official Perfumer of France. This in turn led him to create perfumes for other royals such as Queen Victoria of England, Empress Sissi of Austria and Queen Isabella of Spain as well as other crowned heads of royalty.

Pierre-Francois passed away in 1854 and his sons inherited the perfume house. Aime became the master perfumer, a tradition that would be upheld for the next master perfumer in lineage. Gabriel managed and further expanded the house. Aime, created several fragrances for the perfume house, these include Fleur d'Italie, Rococo, and Eau de Cologne de Coq and his greatest creation, Jicky. In 1914, Guerlain moved to 68, Champs-Elysees Paris.

The business was then handed down to Gabriel's sons, Jacques & Pierre Guerlain. Jacques became the third master perfumer and created many fragrances in his lifetime. His creations include Eau de Coq, L'Heure Bleu, Apres L'Ondee, Shalimar, Vol de Nuit, Ode, and Mitsouko. These perfumes were so successful that some are still sold today. Jacques grandson, Jean-Paul Guerlain is the fourth generation master perfumer and has authored several perfumes and men's colognes including Vetiver, Habit Rouge, Samsara, Nahema, Jardins de Bagatelle and many others.

Launched in 1917, Jasmiralda has long been discontinued. It is a distinctively soft and romantic floral, completely different from the other more animalistic Guerlain perfumes. Jasmiralda is presented in its wonderful bottle, the flacon "Bouchon Fleurs" which was used for Jasmiralda and Mi Mai exclusively.

"The name is anything but bourgeois. Jasmiralda is a contraction of "Jasmine" and "Esmeralda", the young, gypsy street dancer who lived among bohemians in Paris in Victor Hugo’s novel. As the name suggests, Jasmiralda is worked around jasmine, the star ingredient in any floral composition. While jasmine is present right from the beginning, it starts out with fresh, but very mild citrus notes of orange, bergamot and neroli. The opening is so light and gentle that the strength and tenacity of what comes after is highly unexpected. Slowly, the jasmine grows in volume and meets with rose and violet, yet it remains light and bright. This may mainly be due to the fact that Jasmiralda contains a remarkably high dose of vetiver whose dry, grassy and warm scent serves to temper the whole composition. In fact, the main theme of the perfume appears as a soft jasmine-vetiver accord. Had it not been for Jacques Guerlain’s beloved amber and animal musk, which are certainly there, Jasmiralda would probably be classified as a woody floral.

The lightness and ease featured in Jasmiralda, despite its strength and tenacity, is extraordinary. We think of Guy Robert’s characterization of Jacques Guerlain, saying that "by some magic, Jacques Guerlain was able to make rich products seem light and fresh." Monsieur Guerlain

"This gorgeous scent opens with a fresh blast of jasmine and vanilla, sweetly intertwined, and oddly reminiscent of the luscious L’Heure Bleue of five years earlier. The rose is supportive, never intrusive, as are the lovely violet and musk. The orange notes of neroli and orange blossom add to the initial sweet impression.

The stars are however the jasmine and the vanilla/tonka bean combo, which continue to weave their way through the heart and dry down, where the civet mischievously joins to add an animalic impression, bringing this already luscious parfum into the realm of sexual intrigue. A quite superb Guerlain creation, particularly for those who are fond of jasmine and vanilla, but also for those in love with L’Heure Bleue". Basenotes Review, Jack Twist

Jasmiralda is housed in a clear, wide bottle known as 'Bouchon Fleurs" (flowered stopper), which was first made for the perfume Mi-Mai as well, with its oval shoulders accented by convex indentations on its edges and ringing its tall neck. The semi-translucent glass stopper, held in place by a pink string, featured tiny carved flowers which echoed the rustic charm of the bottle's label design.

It is classified as a soft floral perfume for women with a dominant jasmine note. It is so light in the beginning that one doesn't get it until the dry down, when it springs into life in a sweet and gourmand way. The sweetness of the Vanilla and Tonka Bean really come forward at the finish. It is absolutely breathtaking and lovely!

Top notes are Jasmine, Neroli, Orange Blossom, and Bergamot
Heart notes are Jasmine, Rose, Bouvardia, Violet, and Benzoin
Base notes are Vetiver, Amber, Oak Moss, Vanilla, and Tonka Bean

Offered here is an opportunity to buy a small decant of this lovely and long gone perfume. Decanted carefully from this ultra rare bottle, it is a really ancient treat from years gone by. So utterly light and feminine!