Angel was a huge success for Thierry Mugler. It continued to sell long after the fashion line fell out of favor, and even after the fashion line disappeared altogether in 2003. So it's no surprise that the flankers have been many. Some of them did quite well on their own (Angel Innocent was so popular it ended up with its own line of flankers) and many perfumistas loved the Garden of Stars series, especially the Rose Angel.
In 2007, Thierry Mugler released Angel La Part des Anges. Perfumer Françoise Caron had reworked the original Angel juice, adding dried fruits in the opening and amber in the base. Then they'd put it through an aging process devised in collaboration with cognac firm Rémy Martin, whereby it was aged in cherrywood casks for a period of weeks (some sources said 12, others 23). They sold it in Parfum, in a Swarovski studded bottle, at $220 for 10 ml.
I smelled it at Bloomingdales that year, and was quite taken. Not for a moment did I consider spending that much on it, but months later I was still thinking of it — a sure sign that something ought to be in one's collection, no? So I was very excited last year when I heard about the then-upcoming Angel Liqueur de Parfum.
What exactly the difference is between Angel La Part des Anges and Angel Liqueur de Parfum, I can't say. The Liqueur de Parfum is an Eau de Parfum in a Swarovski-free bottle, so costs considerably less than the La Part des Anges in Parfum ($98 instead of 220). Supposedly, it is aged for only 8 weeks (whatever) and there is no mention this time of Rémy Martin (ditto). Perhaps, in the end, it is not quite so fabulous as La Part des Anges, but as they weren't giving out samples of La Part des Anges and my memory is less than stellar, I'm none the wiser, and hey, the Liqueur de Parfum is pretty wonderful stuff.
Angel Liqueur de Parfum opens on rich, boozy fruit notes. It's recognizably Angel from the outset, but the early stages especially are smoother, less jarring, and I cannot emphasize enough how boozy it is — as was the case with the La Part des Anges, I want to drink it as much as I want to smell it. The dry down is still rich, but it's mellower than Angel: a bit less patchouli, a bit more smooth woods. Likewise, it's still sweet — possibly even more so — but there's less chocolate (if any) and less caramel; it's the sweetness of honeyed dried fruits rather than the cotton candy and other childhood treats of Angel. I don't know that Angel really evoked a childhood fairground for me, but the Liqueur de Parfum certainly does not. As was the case with Angel, sometimes I find the far dry down smoky, sometimes I don't.
If I'd thought of it, I'd have included Angel Liqueur de Parfum on my Best of 2009 list. It's definitely going on my "to buy" list, although as usual, I'm going to wait to see if it shows up at the discounters. Angel fans: do try it, but don't buy it unsniffed unless you don't mind sweet — I've seen quite a few comments from people who much prefer the original. Everyone else should give it a shot too, and especially anyone who almost loves Angel but finds the opening too rough or the patchouli too heavy.
Thierry Mugler Angel Liqueur de Parfum is a limited edition, and is available in 35 ml Eau de Parfum.
I saw this and the Alien one at nordstrom tues. I didnt bother to try either of them but after this review I just might have to. Robin you summed up my dislike of the original perfectly. The opening being too rough that is. Im very curious about this one. : )
Might as well give it a shot — who knows. Although my Nordstrom had samples but no tester.
This sounds delicious. Will it be at Nordstroms? I would really love to smell it.
I’ve seen it at Macy’s.
I guess I just didn’t realize it was something different. I might have assumed that it was just Angel in a more fancy bottle.
Yes — am very late on this one, it’s been out since August. Bloomies has it too.
Mmmm.. maybe I should have at least sniffed the Angel Liqueur, but I didn’t (entirely due to my unfortunate Angel experiences). I did, however, sniff the Alien Liqueur and paid full price for it after I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a few weeks. I keep my eye out at the discounters, too – since it’s an LE, I’ll snap up a back-up if it ever does.
I’ve seen very nice reviews of the Alien one too. I’ll try it next I’m at the mall.
Cynthia: I’m with you on the Alien Liqueur ever since you graciously sent me that sample. I like it much more than the Angel one, and I definitely find the Alien to be something more “wearable” on the average day and easier to like. There’s definitely a place for the more complicated Angel Liqueur though…
Isn’t it fabulous? I’m not kidding about the back-up bottle either if it ever hits the discounters.
I’m wearing Angel today in honor of your homage the past 2 days, Robin! I probably sprayed too much. Couldn’t stop at just one…or two. Three sprays for me, and now I’m wondering if I should go out to DMV to renew my license or just hide in my house for the rest of the day. Ha! Oh well. It’s worth it, though!
LOL! I wear perfume VERY lightly, no matter what it is. Kevin often tells me he’s wearing 10 sprays of something and I faint — it’s unusual that I do more than 1.
Wow! I now feel vindicated. Thank you Robin. I’ve been afraid they’d take my perfumista membership card away if I ever admitted that. If it’s good enough for our blog mistress though, it’s good enough for me!
There are probably perfumista-ship rules somewhere, but luckily I haven’t seen them yet 😉
I have trouble understanding how you 1-spritz folks can even smell *yourselves* with those amounts. There are so many scents that are so fleeting that they’re undetectable (at least to me… HA!) if I don’t do at least five-spritzes.
Let’s just say I’m another fan of the “Ten Spritz Job” … of course depending on the ‘fume!
Joe, I might wear more if I’m writing a review, although then all 10 spritzes are on the back of the same hand. But going out…never more than 1. Bet more people are on the side of you & Kevin though!
I recently “banned” my partner from wearing more than two spritzes of anything besides the Hermes Jardins or Terre. Fragrance tends to stand out on him and I was overwhelmed after he sprayed Avignon on both wrists and on his neck. I love Avignon, but too much of it and it starts to lose that cold gothic church feel and begins to smell like death…in a dark, dank mausoleum!! He’s a university professor, and I said, tell me you don’t wear all that Avignon when you give exams to your students because they are likely to think you are the academic grim reaper LOL!
I’m typically a 5-spritzer – chest, behind both ears, on both wrists. If it’s a really strong scent or I’m going out in public, I usually do chest and one wrist.
Easy Joe – bring wrist to nose. Repeat if necessary. 😀
Two spritzes! One on base of neck, one on left wrist, smudge over to right wrist. Unless it’s something fleeting like Bois des Iles, and then I go all nuts with four spritzes…
(I just did a post last week on feeling like a perfumista imposter with not wanting big sillage.)
Heh. I don’t want BIG sillage, but I at least want some scent to waft up from somewhere on my body to my nostrils.
Maybe I’m felling people left and right as I walk along my daily path. Oops.
I think that’s it…I want very minimal sillage. I want to bring my arm to my nose if I want to smell it, otherwise, maybe a bit on my scarf or sweater, nothing more.
It depends on a) the perfume and b) where I’m going. With Angel, it’s one spritz. But, then, I was raised in the midwest–raised to be “nice” and inoffensive. Ten spritzes? Maybe not. But I’m feeling more courageous, reading these posts. Assertiveness through sillage: could be a life changing practice.
Hmm… I’d say that it depends on the scent. For something like Youth Dew or Une Rose Chyrpee, definitely one light spritz or a little dab. For something light like Vanille Galante or Cristalle Eau Verte, both wrists, the throat, and probably a quick spritz in my hair and maybe on my clothes for longevity. For most normal stuff, both wrists and my throat/cleavage area.
I hate it when people bathe in a strong scent, so I try to be careful with those and use something that’s light and unobtrusive when I’m going to be in close quarters with other people like at the theatre or dinner.
Yes, I remember reading that in one of Kevin’s reviews. It seems excessive, but at the same time I find it admirable. I think if you fnd the right scent then it is hard to have too much of it.
LOL so am I…just one spray, and then another into a bit of unscented hand lotion 🙂
Well I use to like Angel, and I wear it in winter time. The other day I bring the bottle out from my closet (where I keep it away from any light) to find it different, different color like green,, different smell,, Weird!!!??
I prefer Alien, still the same thing even the bottle is kept over 2 years.
Oh, what a shame. Some perfumes don’t keep well, although my Angel (a decant, no less) is as old as that and is fine.
Yes, sue this has happened to me with Angel as well. It doesn’t keep well at all.
Wow, this definitely sounds sniff-worthy. I love dried fruits and boozy notes. I never got the nerve to give myself a good spray of the original, the opening was just too brash. My fiance did give himself a mighty squirt right in the face during a sniffing expedition the other day – he was aiming for me, but the nozzle was turned around, so it serves him right!
Ouch, poor man!
Lol. Did you have to revive the him? 😉
I’ll be calling my local Macy’s to see if they have this. Since I missed out on LPdA, I don’t want to miss this one. I’m wearing the original Angel today and it works so well in this cold weather. Boozier and fruitier would be wonderful. Robin, what is the drydown like on this take on Angel? I do love the original drydown a good deal and am curious to know how different they are. Thanks for such great posts on the variations of Angel. It’s always fun to take a walk down memory lane… When they’re pleasant perfume memories, that is.
Not sure how to describe the dry down any more than I did above … mellower, less patch & chocolate, more honey & fruits.
I once told a TM SA that I loved Angel on a friend but couldn’t stand it on myself. She replied, “there are good angels and bad angels”. Touche!! Anyway, the liqueur sounds much more tolerable…I’ll definitely be seeking it out…as I’ll equally be seeking out Alien Liqueur 🙂
Hope you’ll like one or the other!
Love that quote! I can’t believe I haven’t tried this myself yet, but I should find out which kind of angel I am.
Isn’t it clever? Glad you enjoyed that….
Great quote! And so true 😉
Thanks for the review Robin-this is another to add to my “must try possibly buy” list. I discovered that I love Boozey notes sometime last year. Add that to fruit notes, patchouli, with smooth woods and maybe some caramel? Ahhh Swoon-worthy! And as luck would have it, I have a Nordies gift card from Christmas…… headed that way for lunch time. Oh no.
Question: Do purchases made with gift cards add into Q1 totals?I’m totally crazy and I haven’t smelled it yet!
I don’t know! In the past, I have NOT included gift cards, because for me the purpose of the polls is to regulate and keep track of my own spending, and if I have a gift card I’m not spending. So I suppose it depends on how you see the purpose of the poll for you?
Report back on the ALdP!
I usually list the bottle, but I denote that it was a gift on my spreadsheet – just like I denote swaps as swaps. So, it counts in my “bottles acquired” total, but not my “money spent” total.
Thanks! I was planning only counting the amount over the gift card, I went to Nordies and they didn’t have it. So instant gratification will have to wait. Sigh. They did get Bulgari’s BLV II though, loved it but not enough to purchase!
At Stonestown they have it but no samples or a tester. I wondered how that works for them – I guess there are enough people who will buy blind.
I say they definitely do NOT count, since, had the person known your perfume taste, you would have received that bottle as a gift instead of the card. A gift is a gift!
Thanks for the review, it definitely sounds intriguing!
Hopefully my local department store has it, otherwise I’ll have to wait until I next make it to the big city.
Most department stores seem to have it (Bloomies, Nordstrom, Macys)
I saw in yesterday’s comments that you were planning on reviewing this today, so I made sure to go past the department store on the way back from lunch to try it. It really is nice. I haven’t actually tried the original Angel in years, as it never really grabbed me when it came out. I wish I’d put the original on the other arm to compare.
The first thought I had when I smelled it is that it reminds me a lot of Nuits de Noho by Bond No 9, but richer and less green in the opening. The dry-down is proving better than NdN and it’s definitely a better price.
Glad you liked it!
Um, this sounds spectacular. I’m a bit worried (I don’t like fruit at all in my perfumes) but I still have to try this. Where can I find this?
Most department stores…should not be hard to find!
I checked Nordstrom and Saks and glanced around Neimans. No luck. =o
Neiman Marcus is where I bought the Alien Liqueur this summer – so they definitely had both it and the Angel Liqueur. They didn’t have a big display or anything – I had to ask about it.
I’ll try that, then. Thanks.
Oh, sorry…my Nordstrom still has it last I was there.
Well, I did it. I finally wore Angel this morning – being so inspired by all the goings on here. Thumbs up! It smelled so good on & I can’t believe it took me so long to actually test it on skin – weird! Anyway, I’ve come to the conclusion, since my very dry skin seems to just eat up fragrances and spit them out – I kind of require a big scent. Must be why I’m partial to notes like incense, spices & woods and Oriental and Chypre types. I will be on the lookout for this flanker and can’t wait to test it. [I was @ Macy’s today & missed an opportunity, darn it.]
Ha! That’s great, V! Isn’t it a great scent? I need to try the liqueur, too.
Oh indeed it is. I can’t wait to try this Liqueur! I may have to finally purchase one of the Angels. Hello pretty star bottle, come to mama. 😉
Oh good! So glad it works on you.
Okay, I’m officially intrigued. I remember smelling the original Angel in the mid 90’s, way before my perfume hobby began, and recoiling in horror. Now, I kind of like it but haven’t been exposed enough to be sure. I just have a tiny sample and one drop smells great. I’m getting some in a swap next week & I’m interested as to how I’ll feel about it after wearing it for a few days; have a feeling I’ll probably like it a lot. Looking forward to smelling this flanker – boozy is good, and more woods are always welcome notes. Thanks, R!
I don’t think I need more of a drop either…and I don’t think I’d like the Liqueur version over applied any more than I like Angel over applied.
I am wearing Le Lys Angel today in honor of your appreciation yesterday, and will be heading to Nordie’s after work! Boozy? check. Honeyed dried Fruits? check. Woods? check.
Sigh.
What is funny about the Angel I am wearing today is that I smell it all around me wafting around, but not on my skin! Pure sillage.
I really need to re-try the garden of stars. I remember the rose since it came later, but not the original 3.
The only one I didn’t like, as I recall, was the peony. Otherwise they are kind of fun. The lily is less floral than the others, really.
I love Angel but only when applied in this manner: stand back, spray, walk through mist, walk away. This procedure is best conducted in the bathroom where the small space can contain the fallout. (It also makes the bathroom smell great for days.) I pestered the TM SA at Macy’s about the liqueur and when they finally got it in November she wasn’t working. Another SA couldn’t find the tester so she gave me a sample. Score! The fluid in that sample vial is deeply concentrated. Your description is right on, Robin. But I find that just a drop from that vial is too much Angel for me. Your review reminds me I need to go back and see if they have it in a spray tester. I seem to prefer my Angel fix in a more diluted form.
But the stuff in the vial is the same concentration (Eau de Parfum) as what’s in the bottle, I’m afraid!
Oh yes. I mean, if I could spray it and wave my arm through it…let the atomizer and air dilute it.
Oh, sorry, I totally misunderstood you!
I brought my sample vial of Angel Liqueur to work and have been sniffing it on my hand since before lunch (makes a great show for coworkers, I’m sure).
Interesting… I find this a VERY sexy scent (almost embarrassingly so*), but it’s not necessarily to my taste for whatever reason. And I love the patchouli of Borneo 1834 and Black Orchid. It could always grow on me; many things have. I guess it could be said to be in the boozy/fruity style of a Lutens, but it doesn’t capture me in the way that those Lutens do. I guess for me, it’s a matter of being fine with the *type* or *genre* of fragrance, but just not having the specific fragrance send me into ecstasy.
I’m still quite curious to test this Angel Liqueur and the original (which I’ve never tried) side by side. And as I mentioned yesterday, I really like the Alien Liqueur a lot.
* [This will sound crazy because the two frags are nothing alike, but the “sexy” vibe in AL reminded me last night and today of a certain accord in Amaranthine. I really can’t put my finger on it. I wonder if it’s a honey note or some type of lactone.]
Do you think that it’s the jasmine in both? I usually find jasmine to be a very sexy scent.
That is interesting. Amaranthine is sexy to me, but not sure this one is, although it’s not unsexy either. You know what I mean I’m sure. This is almost like a winter comfort scent to me.
I really want the Angel Extrait De Parfum! I don’t wanna spend 200 bucks and the juice turns sour. My other grandma wears Angel and her juice was also green! YUCK! I really wanna get a sample of the extrait, though!
I´ve been told by a TM SA that the blue color is the most likely to fade in a fragnce, but it should not affect the smell of the juice. I have some Angel miniatures like 7 years old and true is that the colour has faded but I would swear the smell is the same.
Cant´wait to go to try the licqueur!!
I’ve had many perfumes turn color w/ no apparent harm to the juice, but then, I’ve also had many perfumes turn sour. So no advice, but buy it and use it up 🙂
Robin, is the Liqueur as much of a sillage monster as the original?
I’m sorry to say I’m really not sure — the sample is a small (non-spray vial), so I have no sense of what it would be like to wear it sprayed (although I’m actually not really sure what the bottle is either, spray or splash). But my guess is that the sillage is not quite that of Angel, but close.
Well I def HAVE to sniff these! On the spritz topic, I tend to be heavier handed. So I’m in the 6-10 spray camp. In the summertime, I spray up and down my arms as well. 🙂
Please don’t do that with Angel 😉
Ok 😉
Whoa, I just got the “La Part des Anges” bit. That’s what they call the portion of alcohol that evaporates from the time the liqueur is bottled until it’s time to drink it, isn’t it? Means “the angels’ portion.” Very appropriate, what with Angel and the liqueur casks – neat.
Forgot to ask: is it any less radiant than the original, Robin? A few weeks ago, a woman walked into the auditorium at my daughter’s high school for the band concert, and sat down five rows behind me. She was wearing, yes, Angel. Eek. Thank God the row we were sitting in was full.
Yes! And a perfect name.
As I said a few comments above, I’m not entirely sure. But also think one of the reasons so many women over-apply Angel is that so many women wear it as a signature scent, so they can’t really smell it anymore.
Hm, missed that question when writing my own… you may be right on the signature thing. People used to do that with Opium and Poison too.
Exactly.
I just won the “Caprices” parfum version on ebay. Does anyone know how it compares to “La Part des Anges” and this latest limited edition?
Pretty sure that is just a collector bottle of the original extrait.
ok I tried this, so I have Angel EDP and Angel Liqueur on one arm and Alien EDP and Alien Liqueur on the other.
I never thought I would say this but I vastly prefer regular Angel over the liqueur all the sweet parts are so much louder and will not go away in the liqueur! ackkkk! Now that Angel has been on for a while I can almost envision myself buying a mini…maybe…. it stopped being gross after half an hour when that fruity evil disappeared.
Alien liqueur has some weird base note that reminds me of soap at health food stores and I can barely smell the Alien EDP anymore. I think I broke my nose LOL
LOL — poor Bunny, I am so sorry we tortured you and broke your nose (and if you can’t smell Alien, your nose must in fact be broken).
And adding: but glad another person has come to (sorta/kinda) appreciate the original Angel!
I think I’d like it even better If I could dab little bits instead of spraying.
I had to treat myself to mint chocolate chip ice cream afterward. lol oh the pain of it all! 😉
Oh, I was dabbing little bits myself! But glad you got some ice cream out of the deal.
I love Angel Liqueur. I find the opening smoother than the original (I get a camphor-like blast from the opening notes of Angel — which I like sometimes, but it’s not as easy to wear). I fell so head-over-heels in love with it that I wound up picking up the body cream (unbelievably beautiful) and the extrait when I found them discounted. I can’t decide whether I like the body cream or the Liqueur better, but they’re both wonderful. I don’t wear them together, obviously :).
I spilled the extrait on myself this morning…quel horreur. I was very self-conscious in the elevator.
Oh my! An extrait spill does not sound appealing.
I got to finally try it 2day at nordstrom and I LOVED it!!! Way better then the original!!! They didnt have the Alien one which was a bummer. Id want it but only if its a dabber. The tester was a spray so Im assuming the real thing is too? Does anyone know? Im there all the time and I know the sales ladies so they made me 2 good samples of it cuz they didnt have samples. They used up there last tester for me! That was so nice! Sorry for everyone else! I love Nordstrom!! I had a gift card so I bought me the 1oz Alien EDT. I LOVE it!!! : )
So glad you loved it! If the tester is a spray, guessing the real bottle is too.
C i dont like that. I would have so much prefered a dabber. If I ever get it ill have to save it for very very special occasions so that I could have it for more then a yr. Only 1 spray per wear thats for sure! O and I really LOVE Innocent!!! I so much prefer it to the original! : )
It’s really strong to be sprayed, agree. But, spray bottles keep the contents fresh longer, so in the long run, you’re better off buying a spray bottle & decanting a bit.
I read on WWD that a new Thierry Mugler fragrance will be released this yr. I cant wait to find out more about it. I hope its not just another Angel or Alien flanker. : )
I hope so too! Would be nice to get something *really* new.
Robin have you seen these?! I’m EXCITED! Mmmmmmm! : ) http://www.basenotes.net/content/792-Thierry-Mugler-invites-us-to-try-The-Taste-of-Fragrance
Fun! Look forward to it.