I will review the three I have owned in order of purchase:

1) Champs Elysees “Too Much” - my first experience with a Guerlain. I was shopping at Perfumania soon after they opened in my home town circa 2004, and was drawn to the pretty bottle. Looking back, I realize it couldn’t have been that amazing, but I was struck by the quality - of even a flanker to one of the house’s flops.

2) L’instant de Guerlain - such a beauty, but alas, a bit boring somehow. It’s a striking, honeyed floral, heavy on the amber and magnolia. Sweet with a dose of rich floral freshness. I owned a 50 ml bottle but rarely reached for it. It would be a wonderful gift as it’s hard to dislike, it just lacks that “wow” factor for me.

3) Gourmand Coquin (Les Elixirs Charnel) - sniffed for the first time at Barney’s in San Francisco. Luca Turin’s The Guide (first edition) had just been released and I had a number of Guerlains on my test list after reading. Saw the lovely bottles on the shelf and sniffed two in the line before coming to this one. I was instantly enamored and nearly ran to track down my (now ex) boyfriend who was less enthused and compared it to Pink Sugar. Though it’s sweet, it was the most sophisticated sweet I’d ever smelled - think rose cake drizzled with rum. Sadly, before I was even 25% of the way through the bottle, the nozzle leaked and dissolved the original box in which the perfume was stored. It turned the sprayer, nozzle, and box into a sticky mess and I could no longer use it. I wrote to Guerlain’s customer service twice and they never responded. The most expensive perfume I’ve ever purchased and the most beautiful bottle ended up in such a tragic state due to its hidden poor craftsmanship. If Guerlain had done the right thing and replaced it, I’d probably have continued to purchase it for life. As it stands, it just makes me angry to think about...

4) Mon Guerlain Florale - an absolute scrubber for me. Though I’d worked my way through several samples of the original Mon Guerlain, which I liked but which lacked longevity and sillage, and had read rave reviews about florale and had hoped it would be my new go-to, it was not meant to be. Ordered a big bottle during a sale at Macy’s, and found myself with a stunningly-beautiful bottle of what smelled like a mix of shampooed carpet and old lady perfume. I hate the phrase “old lady perfume,” but I suddenly understood what people meant. There is an undercurrent of jasmine that smelled quite cheap and chemical to my nose and reminiscent of something very old and linear. I can’t recommend it. (Sorry to anyone I’ve offended, if you love it, I’m happy for you!) Returned.