My last visit to the Guerlain Mothership Boutique in Montreal was as wonderful as I’d hoped. The sales associates are always delightful, and full of delicious Guerlain product knowledge. Imagine their happy surprise when I sit back in a comfy chair and basically beg them to lay it all on me. Every tidbit, every ounce of Guerlain goodness. I had to get a bottle of my beloved Guerlain Apres L’Ondee as mine was getting dangerously low. I was thrilled that the unicorn of the current Guerlain collection, Mon Precious Nectar, previously only available as a very limited run of 35 500ml crystal fountain bottles, the “Fontaine Imperiale”, available for $9,000 each, was now available in the Parisienne Bee Bottle collection. They offered me a very generous sample of this, indeed, very precious nectar, which was more than enough to try. It is quite concentrated to my hypernosmic nose, although I know there are some out there that find it soft. Yikes- not me. It is cushy, delicious and divine, but feels like parfum or extrait to me. It does dry down much softer than the top notes start out, but it needs about an hour to reach that gentle level of preciousness.
So. The scent. It is a floral gourmand, which basically means lots of delicious jasmine, orange blossoms, neroli, sweet and delicious orange and petitgrain essence, layered all over the cushy vanilla amber and sandalwood base that only Guerlain can do so masterfully. It is like jasmine floating in a brandied honey mixture, maybe with a pastry on the side. I would wear this for very special occasions, and I would wear it sparingly. It is gorgeous and beautiful, with a sweet pureness not often encountered in perfume. Some say there is a soapy note in the dry down. I suppose I get a bit of that, but it is mostly sweet flowers to my nose. If you enjoy the Guerlain Aqua Allegoria scent, Jasminora, then you simply try Mon Precieux Nectar. The jasmine notes are very similar, with Mon Precieux Nectar being more complex and richer. Conversely, if you prefer a lighter less gourmande jasmine, try Jasminora!
This is the perfect perfume to go with Coco Chanel’s quote “Wear perfume where you want to be kissed”. Or in this case, devoured. Wear with caution.
Verdict? Love.
Guerlain Mon Precieux Nectar is available exclusively from Guerlain Boutiques and select Guerlain counters. Neiman Marcus in the US carries it. A 125ml Parisienne bottle is around $270.
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