Guerlain
Guerlain
162 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The absinth and pine needle create an almost shocking herbaceous jolt, green and peppery, immediately cut through by bergamot's brightness and the tart snap of cranberry. You're suspended in that first moment between winter's harshness and fruit-forward sweetness, genuinely uncertain which direction the fragrance will take.
Jasmine emerges like a room warming gradually, softening the herbal edges without erasing them entirely. The plum becomes more prominent now, fleshy and slightly boozy, whilst the creamy tonka and vanilla begin their ascent, threading sweetness through the composition in an almost imperceptible way.
By the fourth hour, Moscow becomes predominantly a skin scent, the base notes—sandalwood, white musk, and tonka—settling into a warm, barely-there sweetness with persistent wood. The projection diminishes considerably, leaving only a whispered gourmand signature that's deeply personal, almost intimate.
Moscow opens with a crystalline bite—pine needle and absinth creating an almost medicinal sharpness that immediately conjures winter air and frost-touched forests. The bergamot and lemon add brightness, a citric counterpoint to the herbal austerity, whilst cranberry and plum introduce a subtle jammy sweetness that prevents the composition from veering into austere territory. This is not cheerful fruit; it's the bruised, slightly fermented fruit of northern climates, tart and melancholic.
The heart softens this bracing opening considerably. Jasmine appears with a whisper rather than a flourish, its indolic floral character working against the grain of what preceded it—a tension that defines Moscow's peculiar appeal. The florality never dominates; instead, it acts as a bridge, humanising the sharp opening and preparing the skin for the sweetness to come.
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3.6/5 (476)