Guerlain recently launched French Kiss, a new fragrance for women and the latest addition to its Elixirs Charnels collection. French Kiss's release was timed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Guerlain's KissKiss lipsticks, and it is described as a "glossy floral fragrance" with notes of raspberry, lychee, rose, violet, vanilla, heliotrope, iris and white musk.
I have quite a few favorites in Guerlain's fragrance range (mainly the classic scents), and I'm also a fan of the brand's cosmetics. I even own a KissKiss lipstick. And I typically love rose-and-violet perfumes. All in all, French Kiss sounded made for me. When I initially smelled it on a paper blotter, I was charmed by it. This week, however, I've been working my way through a sample vial and I'm feeling somewhat disenchanted.
Part of the reason I liked French Kiss on paper, in retrospect, was that it reminded me distinctly of another lipstick-inspired fragrance, Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose. On my skin, it's a very different experience. The raspberry and lychee top notes are much more forceful and long-lasting, and the florals are overshadowed by a heavy, plasticky dose of heliotrope. Two years ago, I wrote a slightly cranky review of Guerlain's La Petite Robe Noire, summarizing my thoughts by saying, "To me, La Petite Robe Noire 2012 is a washed-out copy of Lolita Lempicka topped with a shot of Cherry Coke." Along those lines, then: French Kiss is a more color-saturated version of Lipstick Rose topped with a tablespoon of cherry cough syrup.
In order to give French Kiss a fair chance, I've tried it several times. Maybe I'm just feeling a bit grumpy due to the holiday season (Angela, you are not alone!), but I haven't ended up liking it any more upon repeated wearings. It just feels overly bright and sweet, and it never becomes part of me in the way that Lipstick Rose does — or, for that matter, other rose-and-violet scents from La Rose de Rosine (rose-violet with a chypre twist) to L'Occitane Délice des Fleurs (candied violets and rose petals).
I'm looking back at Guerlain's use of the adjective "glossy" for this fragrance, and I think it fits. French Kiss has a synthetic, shiny quality to it, and if it were a color, it would almost certainly be fuchsia. It's fun, like a new lip gloss, in a way that walks a fine line between chic and trashy...and it costs $260, which is just too much money for something like that. I wish Guerlain would release a perfume that really smells like its KissKiss lipsticks: a subtle blend of violet and iris with a drop of heliotrope. I suppose I could just spray on some Après L’Ondée and call it a day.
Guerlain Elixirs Charnels French Kiss is available in 75 ml Eau de Parfum, $260.
Spray on some Apres L’Ondee and call it a day. Or make nice with the most elegant and supreme Nahema…. And thank god for the golden age of fragrance when people weren’t aspiring to be 15 years old.
Oh, I do love Nahema, too. And Shalimar. And L’Heure Bleue, although I prefer it on others more than on myself. I’m glad they classics are still around, even if they’ve been tweaked a bit.
It’s hard for me to figure out exactly who the customer is for French Kiss — wouldn’t a younger woman just buy one of the Robe Noire scents?
“the classics,” not “they classics”!
La Petite Robe Noire has notes of licorice (black, I assume), aniseseed, and patchouli. French Kiss does not. I’ve never smelled either frag, but I would imagine that difference in notes would make them smell different, even to young noses?
But, yes, the LPRN would be much more afordable for a young person.
I think I had the “other” Robe Noire in mind — the Couture one? But I was really just generalizing — if a teen or 20-something wants a sweet, fruity pink perfume from Guerlain, would she just go for the cheaper (hah) option in the cuter bottle? Or maybe not…
Have no desire to try this one, but I’m with you on Guerlain cosmetics.
Recently got Rose aux Joues blush–at first the fragrance was a bit overpowering, but now I’m used to it and it’s a fantastic product. And the Rouge Automatiques are great, am collecting discontinued colors at a discount on ebay.
I like the scent of Guerlain cosmetics, and fortunately I don’t have any allergies to that kind of thing. Yes, do grab those Rouge Automatiques while you can! — but the new KissKiss formula is very good, as is the (horribly expensive) Rouge G. The eyeshadows and powder blushes are also very high quality.
As far as the scent of lipstick goes, I would love to find a perfume that smells like my YSL lipsticks, which sort of resemble Baume de Rose but with more plum and wine notes to my nose. I haven’t tried a Guerlain lipstick yet though have been tempted by the G de Guerlain line for some time now.
You’re right about French Kiss, Jessica. While I think I enjoyed it a bit more than you did (I love fruity and heliotrope and think they blended quite well in this perfume), it certainly doesn’t have the staying power or character for me to want to spend $260 for it. I’d do so for Gourmand Coquin, but French Kiss smells more like something I’d buy from Sephora rather than the Guerlain boutique. I’d gladly pay around $100, but for that price, I’d rather something that smells worth the cost if that makes any sense.
I just remembered another lipstick-inspired fragrance — “Lipstick Accord,” a perfume oil from CB I Hate Perfume! It smells like waxy violets. It doesn’t have much staying power, but I love it anyway.
I’m a chypre lover from way back but even I have a decant of Lipstick Rose and wear it from time to time when I want to reach into that gloriously girly zone where just for a few hours, good taste and restraint don’t matter. And yet there is still an overarching intelligence about LR. It references cheap and trashy scents but it isn’t one itself. I always feel I’m joining with the perfumer and enjoying the joke. It’s like we grin to each other over the top of the perfume bottle. Getting that balance right is the supreme achievement of Lipstick Rose and perhaps it’s not unreasonable to charge Malle prices for it.
It sounds like KissKiss has failed where LR succeeds, but Guerlain may be reaching for the same market – successful career women with money. They happily to pay top dollar to re-live a moment of their carefree youth but want Guerlain on their dressing table, not some cheap drugstore effort.
Sorry, French Kiss.
I am totally in agreement with you on all of this!
Luckily there are plenty of other wonderful rose-violet combinations to enjoy, like Tauer Une Rose Vermeille, YSL Paris and of course Lipstick Rose as mentioned above.
Oh, those are two more good ones. YSL was a pioneer in the lipstick-scent mini-category!
I don’t think I’m going to renew my membership in the Guerlie-girl club. Neon, synthetic raspberry and lychee, plastic heliotrope – all topped off with white musk. Sounds like my idea of perfume hell!
But I enjoyed the review, Jessica, and extra points for repeatedly trying a fragrance that you didn’t like.
P. S. And this from the same company which gave us the gorgeous rose-violet perfume Attrape Coeur!
Sigh… yes, at least there are still plenty of other Guerlains to love!
This sounds similar to Givenchy Hot Couture,can you compare it to that 1 at all?Just as a reference,because I do love the Givenchy!
Johanob, that’s actually an interesting comparison! I sniffed Hot Couture today, just to refresh memory. If you love HC, you may also like this one — although the HC feels even brighter and has more fruity-musk, and the French Kiss is a touch smoother. But do try to find it and smell it!
Jessica, I totally agree.
I am a huge fan of Lipstick Rose. When Insolence was launched I was so happy that Guerlain also attempted a lipstick inspired scent.
Inagine my excitment when News of Kiss Kiss came about.
I finally tested it last week and All that I could say was “oh..okay.”
I mean it is lovely and quite enjoyable but for the pricetag and the Idea that it is based on the glam lipstick Kiss Kiss (see the ad print. The model is likely not wearing a fruity frag!) its just okay.
I think this is more youthful and bright (think afternoon tea parties) whereas Lipstick Rose is more sensual, elegant and tasteful.
Thank you, Happy888cat — I like Insolence, actually! and I was *so* excited when I heard the announcement about French Kiss. I don’t *hate* it, but it’s a little too flashy and bright for me. Well, we’ll always have Lipstick Rose!
Nice review Jessica! Remembering it I went on Saturday to the Institut de Beaute Guerlain here in Prague and saw it. Unfortunately – or perhaps fortunately
– the plan was to test L’Heure Bleue, the fragrance of Claire Beauchamp the main character from Outlander.
I did not make friends with the fragrance – it could be an inspiration for modern fragrances such as Infusion D’Iris, but it’s not for me. Nor, sadly, was Apres L’Ondee which I tried as well.
French Kiss was simply not attractive enough to sample. The name brings to mind Cher’s Kiss Kiss song but the flacon looks like a 16-year old designed it for her Mom
The 2nd paragraph refers to L’Heure Bleue.
You know, I’ve sampled L’Heure Bleue dozens of times over the past decade. I’m drawn over and over again to the concept, the bottle, the list of notes… and I love to smell it on a blotter. Then I put it on my skin and I just can’t wait to wash it off. Such a shame.