Thursday, May 19, 2011

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Jasminora Eau de Toilette

I knew Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria Jasminora ($59) was coming. I've been eagerly awaiting it for months! It has landed at Sephora, and it exceeded my expectations. If it weren't for all the heavenly fragrances I own, I could live in Jasminora.

The fragrance centers around a jasmine flower from the southern Italian region of Calabria. This flower's rare and precious spirit is elevated with notes of white freesia and lily of the valley. The freshness of green notes adds a crisp, quality, while in the base notes, a resinous amber accord joins white musks that linger on the skin to prolong the sensual aroma of jasmine. It is, in a word, divine - a blend to please floral fans, a blend of some of the most beautifully fragrant flowers on earth, jasmine, freesia, and lily of the valley. They all shine in this new, limited-edition fragrance. What was Guerlain thinking when they made this a limited edition?

The notes listed are bergamot, cyclamen, galbanum, jasmine, freesia, lily of the valley, musks, and amber. Sephora, where I purchased mine, categorized Jasminora as floral, fresh, and sensual - prefect descriptors for a fragrance that transports me to a garden, without any notes that don't belong there with me.

Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria fragrances are considered summery fragrances, sheer fragrances that can accompany you as you move from casual wear to beach wear. I would wear this fragrance anywhere at any time of year, but those who like to lighten up for summer will find Jasminora a perfect choice.

I've been hovering over the Guerlain counter at Neiman Marcus, hoping it would arrive there. Instead, I found it at Sephora. I ordered it the second I saw it. I had one of those yippee moments. My second yippee moment came when it arrived. I smelled the bottle, sprayed Jasminora on the paper padding Sephora had in my shipping box, and quickly realized it was safe to spray. Jasminora is me and mine!

It's definitely light, but still intoxicating. I have to spray my arm with it, because my nose wants to dive in. That's what fragrance should do to us, right?

I'm trying to help you spend money at Sephora (not always my goal) because they have a terrific 500-point bonus right now. The Too Faced eye shadow palette is incredibly nice - a fitting reward for all the money we spend. That's where you can find Aqua Allegoria Jasminora now.

Photo at top courtesy of Sephora

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh this sounds so me!!! You are really tempting me! I'm just starting to explore fragrance and only have two bottles of perfume right now and one happens to be one of the Aqua Allegorias.

Eileen said...

Jasminora sounds delightful. And, as we all know, the true test of a really great fragrance is not being able to pull your nose away from your wrist :-) I always have to smile when I see a woman walking in the mall with her nose stuck to her arm. I wonder what it is that has captured her senses. I remember once seeing a group of giggly young teenagers emerging from Sephora all the while smelling each others arms and exclaiming over the different scents. It was a silly moment, but one that made my day.

As I've gotten older, I find myself gravitating to lighter, more floral scents. I guess that's in reaction to all the scents like Opium, Cinnabar, and Giorgio Red that I wore back in the golden days of excess. ;-)

Charlestongirl said...

Hi PerilouslyPale!

If you like these notes, and you want light and wearable (meaning you won't drive anyone out of an elevator before the right floor), you will love this one!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Eileen,

Reading your comment reminded me of elevator clearing fragrances, such as Red. It was so noxious that I would flee!

It is fun to smell our arms, even if we are no longer kids. I am smelling a CREED fragrance as I write. :)

lovethescents said...

Although I am not a fan of several of the Aqua Allegorias, I was pleasantly surprised by Jasminora. It's a very easy-to-wear fragrance and because it doesn't have great longevity, like most AAs, you don't have to commit to it all day :-) The jasmine is whispery soft and not at all indolic. I'm glad you love it too!

Another surprise from Guerlain, for me, is the new Elixir Charnel Floral Romantique....way less heady than the other Elixirs!

Thanks for a delightful review!

Charlestongirl said...

Thanks, Lovethescents! I'd like to smell Elixir Charnel Floral Romantique. Some of the notes are right for me, but the woody base worries me. That's one I wouldn't order sight unsmelled. :)

lovethescents said...

Hi Charlestongirl, the Floral Romantique base isn't woody to my nose...you'll have to test it out. I'll send you a sample :-)

Charlestongirl said...

Thank you! If I can't find it here, I'll take you up on that. :)