Sables. Annick Goutal.

Perfumer: Annick Goutal e Isabelle Doyen.

Notes of wild everlasting flower, vanilla, Indonesiana and Madagascar pepper, Mysore sandalwood.

Once upon the time, in a summer holiday break, Mrs. Goutal and her husband were enjoying a beautiful landscape on the gorgeous island of Corsica. It was a hot noon, and the dune sand were steaming, all spotted with everlasting flowers.

Annick Goutal's husband, Alain Meunier, impressed of the impregnated aroma of the heat reflecting in the dunes blended with the scent of the inmortal flower, asked his wife to create a perfume for him that would smell like that hot afternoon.

Annick Goutal spent more that 5 years but that is the result.

A representation of the "Immortelle flower" (aka everlasting flower), the helycrisum: a dune shrub with a distinctive rubbery, maple syrup aroma, not an easy note for sure...

The oficcial launch was in 1985, and It's funny to see that during the developtment of perfumery industry, it appears it own predecesors,as this perfume was a reference for "Eau Noire" or "Opone" by Dyptique, (John Galliano, I caught you copying!), but even so, I'd stick in "Sables", because it just exudes originality, comparing other releases in the launching date.

The three perfumes share similar openings:
Dry, dark, gothic, overdoses of smoky sandalwood, the pepper notes that smells to me like saffron, really, and then the rose accord in "Opone", here, is subtitued by a syrup ambery helycrisum and vanilla accords.

I can detect a litle of licorice and curry, just on the opening. I assume is the mixture of everlasting flower and the vanilla.

Later, it's just like "Eau Noire" by Dior. Well I must correct, it's the opposite way: "Eau Noir" is a vague copy of "Sables".

In fact, spraying both in each wrist, don't detect any difference, apart than "Eau Noire" is slightly more vanillic and softer.

There's here too that particular raw, smoky smell of non threated leather, that you can easily detect at the Marrakech Zoco. Moroccan raw leather.
There's a prominent smell of burnt woods, like the smell of a bonfire, and the remaining black logs. There's something that I like about it but I don't know... In my skin still a wispher of curry and (I think) dissected lavender?
I'm puzzle, I may have to give it another go!.

I'm wearing today, and It's such a grateful experience, remains warm and heady, and create a aura surround you that make some people ask or turn around when you pass by..

Anyway.

Thumbs up!.. It deserve it!.

Copyright © 2007 . All rigths reserved.

Eau D'hadrien. Annick Goutal

Perfumist: Annick Goutal & Henri Sorsona.

Countains: lemon, grapefruit, lime, citron ylang-ylang and cypress wood.

This fragrance is after "CDG Soda", my favourite citric perfume, so far..

It is light, simple, natural and sherberty.

I just love the mix of cypress wood and prominent zesty notes.
I found it very cheerful, even now, in freezing winter, when, in Madrid, we doesn't raise the 2ºC during the day.

This one starts frozen and citrusy, prominent lemon, citron and lime, followed by the ylang ylang,a subtle added flower note, very difficut to find, bringing a warm feeling.

After two hours, there's a emerging evocative wood, a lovely cypress in all its glory: resinous and green, coniferus and alive...

The is no a single negative thought about it.

The lasting power i superb.. I enjoy this scent for hours.

This juice is rather subtle and linear. A must have for zesty lovers, that enjoy, as me, a simple energetic splash of well made citrus blend. It's elegant, classy, but exhudes at the same time modernity.

Copyright © 2007 . All rigths reserved.

Vetiver. Annick Goutal.

Perfumer: Annick Goutal & Henri Sorsona.

Notes of cognac, fucus, iodine, vetiver, patchouli and vanilla.


For a non domesticated nose, the initial olfactory picture on mind would be a seaweed scented plasticine.
For me this perfume is a challenge.
The unusual opening of cognac, fucus and iodine, just blown me away.
I know so many people find fucus kelp aroma hard. It’s in fact, in my nose, is just the same green, salty, kind of balsamic accord in the opening of the glorious “Secretions Magnifiques”. The same touch of rubbery salty aura surrounding although. But in this juice, the vetiver reacts quickly fading off the medicinal touches, and blends with the cognac, a strange, (I have to say) note, never raised before in perfumery, but quite pleasant and in balance in this fragrance, that eliminates the metallic scent of the fucus too.
It’s actually, a versatile perfume: sharp and kind of aquatic sometimes, another times very earthy, dry, even moody. It represents in a very natural way the spirit of the vetiver root indeed.
I don’t smell vanilla (Good, good, good!), but I do find hint of warm patchouli on the drydown.
Annick Goutal?s “Vetiver” is quite linear, subtle and calming. It’s more close to skin perfume, and develops nicely with a decent longevity.

Copyright © 2007 . All rigths reserved.