Fragrance Review: Guerlain – Insolence

More often than not, I find that a fragrance’s first released version (aka the “pillar”) tends to be its very best rendition. No, it’s not because I’m cranky and hate new things; but it may be because the original concentration is how the perfumer(s) conceived the scent in the first place. Transforming a velvety EdP into a sparkly EdT or vice-versa is a bit like a translation – working on it with care helps a lot, and may lead to great results, but even so, sometimes… something gets lost in the process.

For example… remember my less than enthusiastic review on Insolence Eau de Parfum? Well…

Review

Released in 2006, Insolence (Eau de Toilette) precedes the Eau de Parfum by 2 years, and, my, I really should have tested it first. Both versions were composed by the same perfumers, Sylvaine Delacourte and Maurice Roucel, and have very similar notes… But what a difference I get between the two, and it sums up to this: transparency.

While I did like the violet note in Insolence EdP, I found it too dense, too “relentlessly sweet”, muffling the other (few) notes and making the fragrance feel flat and tiresome. Well, in Insolence EdT, the violet seems to have its “weight” reduced to about 70% of the EdP. And this small difference allows the composition a vital sense of “breathing space”.

Here, I can smell the opening red berries (raspberry-led, in my perception), as well as the fresh hint of orange blossom. The iris also shows up a bit more, and this time manages to give the accord a soft hint of “make up powder” vibes. Yes, the violet is still the unquestionable star, and it’s still very much sweet and powdery – but there’s more to the scent as well, and the result is so, so much prettier!

Fragrance Impressions

Notes: Violet, iris, orange blossom, red berries.

Colour Impression: Lilac.

Evokes: An Edwardian lady promenading in the park in an elegant lilac dress; powder puffs; violet macarons served in floral-painted porcelain.

Similar to: Guerlain Insolence (EdP); Annick Goutal La Violette; Guerlain Après L’Ondée.

Season & Occasion: Perfect for Spring, casual-dressy – very feminine and ladylike.

Conclusion

Insolence Eau de Toilette is less opaque than its EdP version, but “70%” of a handfull of sugary powder is still far from a light, airy fragrance. I’d suggest one to apply this scent with a soft hand, lest the whole thing becomes a choking, medicinal-syrupy cloud of lilac destruction (I mean it folks, spray with caution. This is strong!).

But I do get it now – why people feel enchanted by this fragrance, why it is deemed so pretty, and feminine, and unique, and fairytale-worthy. Insolence EdT is indeed very sweet, but it has a sense of charm evoking of make-up puffs, and Edwardian dresses, and antique decorative arts – as well as, yes, the violet candies that one gets from the heavier, flatter EdP.

Some fragrances smell gorgeous in any version (see my enthusiastic reviews of all Chanel Nº5s), while others seem better fit to one concentration or another. In the case of Insolence, I find that the Eau de Toilette definitely works the best.