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Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic Gift Set
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic puts mandarin orange and basil in the same breath, the fruit sweet and thin-skinned, the herb green and peppery, and neither one allowed to take over the other. The effect is clean and slightly savoury, closer to a kitchen herb cut over fresh fruit than to anything heavily perfumed.
Green tea holds the heart, dry and faintly bitter, which keeps the citrus from going candied and gives the middle of the wear its coolness. Sandalwood is the base, soft rather than dense, just enough to settle the mandarin and basil onto skin. The scent moves from bright fruit and herb through cool tea to a quiet wood, and it reads fresh, green and aromatic the whole way, with only a light sweetness to it.
Thierry Wasser composed it for Guerlain in 2007. Guerlain was founded in Paris in 1828 by Pierre-Francois-Pascal Guerlain, with its first boutique on the rue de Rivoli, and the house's great scents came from its own family perfumers: Aime Guerlain's Jicky in 1889, Jacques Guerlain's Shalimar in 1925, Jean-Paul Guerlain's Habit Rouge in 1965.
It has moderate longevity and moderate sillage, so it sits close and wears quietly rather than announcing itself, which suits a working day well. Spring and summer are its natural ground, though it holds up through autumn and winter, and it is as comfortable on a casual afternoon as on a night out. It comes as a gift set. It is the kind of scent worn for the pleasure of it rather than for effect.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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