Guerlain Chant d'Aromes

I received the dubious honor of a makeup application by a world reknown, New York City based Guerlain makeup artist last October. As he artistically and passionately applied products to my face, we discussed the mysterious world of perfume and makeup. As our fragrance discussion progressed he said these words to me, "You are Chant d'Aromes!" He then hurriedly looked for a sample so that I could experience the lovely scent. I waited patiently hoping to understand exactly what he meant by characterizing me with something I had never sniffed. He never found a sample but I walked away with one of the best makeup looks ever and an interest in Chant d'Aromes.

My curiosity piqued, I posted on a fragrance board asking for a description of this "language of flowers" scent. Most women agreed that I had received a compliment, and they described Chant d'Aromes as cheerful, sublime, lovely and refreshing. You can imagine my delight when I received a generous sample of this from the lovely Songscent of http://pinkmanhattan.blogspot.com/. And then this week, Chaya sent me a generous spray decant out of the blue! Indeed, the universe is conspiring for me to wear this scent.

Chant d'Aromes was created by Jacques Guerlain in 1962, supposedly for the woman who wears fragrance for her own pleasure. Described as a "love token" on many websites, Chant d'Aromes sounds truly wonderful. The first pictured bottle is the reissue of 2005 for the Guerlain flagship store on the Champs-Elysees. To the right, the coveted perfume.

The fragrance starts off refreshing and cheerful. Hesperides, the citrus-y fragrance family, begin the symphony of notes along with honeysuckle. Refreshing, joyful and lighthearted accurately describe the introduction of Chant d'Aromes. Like walking through a garden on a sunny day, these notes uplift the spirit. The stroll is very short-lived. The middle notes of gardenia, jasmine and ylang-ylang, although I do detect them, unfortunately remain in the distant background to my nose. Rather the heart of oakmoss, cedarwood and vanilla, mostly oakmoss, remain in the drydown on my skin. Although I've read that tonka bean, frankincense and vetiver compose the drydown as well, I wish they would make themselves known. Oakmoss certainly is not offensive and it is used in a plethora of fragrances for men and women. I cannot say it is my favorite base note; therefore, I favor the lighthearted top notes of Chant d'Aromes. This is one instance where I wish citrus and honeysuckle molecules were not so small and would linger throughout the day. I would love to try the parfum, as I find the EDT too translucent to distinguish with any detail the wonderful composition of this fragrance.

I appreciate the suggestion that Chant d'Aromes is me, or rather I am Chant d'Aromes. While I enjoy this fragrance for a little while, I continue to search for my signature scent.

My heartfelt thanks to Sali and Chaya for their generous hearts and willingness to spread the joy.

Guerlain Chant d'Aromes is widely available on the web. The .5 oz perfume retails for $199 and the 3.4 oz. EDT retails for $85 although many discounted bottles may be found.