SAMPLE .. Guerlain, Guerlarose, Rose, DECANTED SAMPLE from Flacon, Parfum Extrait, Flacon Quadrilobe, 1930, 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, the Empress Sissi of Austria, the Queen of Belgium 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.

"In the 1930s, Guerlain released two floral fragrances by Jean-Jacques Guerlain, called Guerlilas and Guerlarose. These names, like Guerlinade, were a nod to the Guerlain name itself, denoting that there is a special “Guerlain way” of doing things. This does make sense to most Guerlain aficionados, who indeed believe that Guerlain distinguishes itself by a unique and matchless style. Therefore it’s so much the more surprising to learn that Guerlilas and Guerlarose were made by a perfumer who until recently was unknown as their author.

Smelling Guerlarose, and Guerlilas too, we quickly ascertain that they must be some of Guerlain’s most stridently floral and sweet perfumes. Even La Petite Robe Noire feels refreshing in comparison. Yet no connoisseur would dare to claim that the grand master Jacques couldn't have made them. Thierry Wasser’s long list of re-created vintages has taught us that not all of Jacques’ perfumes had the exquisite grace and balance that we find in Après l’Ondée, L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, Shalimar, Liu and Vol de Nuit.

As the name suggests, Guerlarose is all about rose. Often called the queen of flowers, rose ranks high in the Guerlinade signature, present to some degree or another in nearly all Guerlain perfumes. Roses have lemony fresh, honeyed and fruity-floral facets, and smell at once clean, powdery and endlessly romantic. The scent of rose absolute is so rich and penetrating though, that it easily overwhelms the surroundings with its feminine floral trail. Whenever speaking of rose in a Guerlain context, it's tempting to make a comparison with Nahéma. A role model for hundreds, if not thousands of fruity-floral fragrances, Nahéma represented Jean-Paul Guerlain's vision of a rose perfume that was far removed from any rose cliché. Inspired by the stately sensuality of actress Catherine Deneuve, as well as the insistent and erotic rhythm of Ravel's Bolero, he used the newly developed damascenones, together with passion fruit, spices, and oriental notes, to make the rose feel gradually more and more voluptuous, rounded and glowing as Nahéma developed on your skin." Monsieur Guerlain

"Violet, Jasmine and Heliotrope provide a dry, powdery vanilla-like softness and there is just the right touch of almond to anchor it. Guerlarose is a beautiful creation and one of the softest I have ever experienced. I get more the “impression” of rose than a direct detection. A masterly blend of notes that support and enhance the heart essence, never taking away from its statement, but surrounding it with clouds of nuance." Basenotes Review. Jack Twist

Top notes are Aldehydes, Rose, Lemon, and Bergamot
Heart Notes are Violet, Jasmine, and Heliotrope
Base notes is Almond

Guerlarose smells intensely of rose the instant you dab it on. Apart from rose absolute, the top note has lemon and sparkling aldehyde, which work to reinforce the citric facet of the rose. Heliotrope and violet are included to accentuate the sweet and powdery facets. The almond base makes the perfume very gourmand.

Offered here is a chance to purchase a small decant of this fabulous perfume that is now so rare and hard to find, that the opportunities to acquire some get lessened with time. So gorgeous, so feminine .. for me, perfection!!