Guerlain Véga

 

The original vintage Parfum (released 1936):

 

 

 

A rich and deep opening with orange blossom, whiffs of orange fruits, jasmine and touches of bergamot in the foreground; all underlined by a backbone of aldehydes. 

 

 

 

The drydown is like walking in a hothouse full of beautiful flowers, with a rich and deep ylang-ylang, as well as a dark and velvety rose in the foreground.  Soon a slightly powdery iris sets in and dominates for a while, to then pass the baton to a carnation that temporary brightens up the whole.

 

 

 

The base seems a delightful sandal wood moving in - the real deal evidently - with some - weak -rose wood asisting the woodsy takeover.  There is a vanilla impression present soon afterwards, but this is a very restrained sweetness on me.  An shadowy ambery musk is added towards the end, but again it is quite weak now.

 

 

 

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection, and a longevity of five hours on my skin. 

 

 

 

This is a gorgeous perfume for spring evenings.  The notes in their natural beauty are rich and vibrant and much more convincing that the new reformulation reviewed below.  The quality of the ingredients is first-class.  I suspect that some of the fresher component like the aldehydes and the bergamot are attenuated by the age of my sample as is the performance, but, nevertheless, this is still a stunner.  4/5

 

 

 

 

 

Review of the reissue of 2005:

 

The opening blast is aldehydes, and lots of them.  Bright....And more aldehydes. Until I get a bergamot that adds even more brightness, together with a very restrained orange blossom and a touch of a whiff of orris injects a darker tone. 

 

 

 

The drydown adds a jasmin that is not so much green that is expresses a more wood/bush element.  Touches of carnation appear briefly. A darker ylang-ylang that arises is of only limited creaminess and is merged with a dark rose impression, which is somewhat nonspecific in character.  The latter two introduce some powderiness into the mix, whose intensity surges with the arrival of a green iris. 

 

 

 

With the iris still on board, the base arrives with an ambery and slightly musky wood note, which has some facets and sandal, of rosewood, whiffs of a gentle tonka and of the iris still being present with it.  

 

 

 

I get moderate sillage, good projection and eight hours of longevity, with the last three hours it being merely a powdery skin scent.

 

 

 

A good spring scent, but many notes besides the aldehydes and the iris lack some vividness, and the base is a bit generic at times.  3.25/5