I have been thinking all week about how much my expectations color my attitudes towards new fragrance releases, and how hard it can be to evaluate perfumes with a completely open mind. Context isn't everything, but it matters; sometimes, it matters a great deal. If Guerlain's recent Angelique Lilas had been released as a pillar fragrance (i.e., as a major release like L'Instant or Insolence), I would have been horrified. If it had been released as part of Guerlain's L'Art et la Matière line (Cuir Beluga, Rose Barbare, Angelique Noire, Bois d'Armenie, Iris Ganache) I would have been more horrified still. As an Aqua Allegoria, well, I still don't love it, but it doesn't upset me. I like the Aqua Allegorias, but I don't expect them to be masterpieces. If they are fun, wearable summer scents, that is enough.

By the same token, if Angelique Lilas had been released by Paris Hilton…

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