Smells Like a Monday #8 - Guerlain Boutique at Epcot

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent most of last week down in Florida. While I was there, I got a chance to slip away and play at Epcot. Even though it was ridiculously hot and my sunglasses steamed up the moment I stepped out of the hotel, I had a blast! The food in the international pavilions is fantastic, and I had fun on the rides. If you're ever there, I highly recommend Soarin. I really did feel like I was flying!

And what does any of this have to do with perfume? Well, the venerable perfume house of Guerlain has its largest US boutique right in the middle of the French pavilion at Epcot. And on a fine sunny day last week, I got to spend a fun morning in it.

Most people best know Guerlain for its classic Shalimar, launched in 1925 and still very popular today. However, this perfume house has been around since 1828 and is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world. They have created more than 300 scents and many hold them in high esteem.

Guerlain is one of my very favorite houses, so when I stepped into the pavilion and saw their round, three-tiered table of perfume bottles sitting in the center of the floor, I felt a little thrill of excitement. First I visited some of my old favorites such as Eau Imperiale, Chant d'Aromes and Mitsouko. Then I found myself testing the scents I've never owned or never tried. There was the bracing clean scent of Vetiver pour Elle, the happy lemony freshness of Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat and the mysterious sophistication of Vol de Nuit (I want!).

The ladies at the shop are French and have trained at the flagship boutique in Paris. They were very helpful, and I enjoyed discussing the history of various scents with them. In the end, since it has been so very hot, I decided that my souvenir of Epcot would have to be something a little lighter. One of the ladies there brought out a bottle of a scent that she said was originally inspired by the gardens at Epcot and had been exclusive to this location until spring 2010. As soon as I tried this one on, I knew it would be perfect. It smelled of white flowers and honey on my skin and was pretty without being overpowering. And it was:

Flora Nymphea!

Flora Nymphea is a new scent in the Aqua Allegoria line, a limited edition line that Guerlain adds to each year to celebrate different scents found in nature such as rose, anise, mint, etc.. This scent has a little citrus to lighten it, but mostly I smelled orange blossom and honey as it settled into my skin. It's a soft floral and very wearable. And if you're interested in wearing Flora Nymphea yourself, you no longer have to go to Paris or Epcot to get it. It can be found at select Guerlain counters or ordered from here. I had a wonderful trip, but I'm glad to be home.

Smells Like a Monday#5 - Eau Imperiale

Guerlain is one of my very favorite perfume houses, and since I haven't talked about any of their scents yet, I figured I'd fix that little omission. Eau Imperiale(also known as Eau de Cologne Imperiale) is the first Guerlain I ever wore, and it's still very dear to me. I discovered it in law school. Someone in my legal clinic wore it, and I thought it smelled refreshing and hopelessly sophisticated all at the same time. So, of course I had to try it.

What followed was a comedy of errors as I went to our local Belk and asked the saleslady for Eau Imperiale. She gave me a rather incredulous look and stated, "But that's a men's perfume." Seriously, from the look on her face, you would think I asked for Eau de Litterbox. I felt a little less certain of myself by this time, but I still troddled off to the men's department and found a tester of Eau Imperiale.

Just as I recalled, it was total bliss in a bottle. While I could see a confident, sophisticated man rocking this scent, it is also quite feminine. The citrus and floral notes blend together to give it a refreshing crispness that reminds me of every determined, clever and slightly old-fashioned heroine I ever met in fiction. Not a bad image for meeting the world head on.


Eau Imperiale is an oldie but a goodie. It has been in production since 1853, and was created by the House of Guerlain in honor of France's Empress Eugenie. It contains notes of bergamot, orange blossom, lemon, petitgrain and neroli. Though not mentioned in the official description, I also detect what I think may be rosemary in this one. It's a beautiful floral citrus, and it's the sort of light scent that is almost impossible to overdo. It's perfect to wear to work or simply relaxing on the weekend. And isn't the iconic Guerlain bee bottle lovely?