Guerlain My Insolence

When I first heard the name of this fragrance, I was thinking of a fragrance that would be dark and mysterious. The picture that I got in my head was of a French bad girl, a very fashionable lady that doesn't care about anyone else or what society thinks of her. However, when I first saw the bottle, my inital thoughts were shaken because the bottle is light pink, not a deep plum or black like I had originally pictured it. And that was the first of several surprises about this fragrance.

Guerlain states, "The radiance of a surprising, free, daring femininity. Everything about her is free, the world is her oyster! She moves forward, her fragrance trail in her wake. This extreme freedom, indifference to commentary, spontaneity, and even her excesses make her magnificent. She is who she is; she is irresistably set against prejudice and convention and is unafraid to be unreasonable. Her motto: 'Whoever loves me will follow!'"

"From innocence to insolence. My Insolence is a delicious encounter that reveals your emotions and intimate sentiments. Thanks to this voyage of self-discovery, you can finally unveil a new facet of your femininity. Created by the sculptor Serge Mansau, the bottle seems carved in light. If it weren't for the Guerlain stamp on the cap and pearly white frosted lettering, nothing would come between the glass of the bottle and the radiance it captures, which reveal the tender rose of the fragrance. Body, neck, cap: these 3 half-spheres form a triple revolution around themselves".

Guerlain also provides a detailed fragrance description on their website. "Gourmand, Floral, Sparkling. Spontaneous, gourmand, fresh, My Insolence Eau de Toilette takes you on a journey to adorable softness. This gourmand floral expresses the delicious encounter of a ripe, round raspberry and an almond tree flower that has fallen under the charm of a sensually feminine jasmine accompanied by the mysterious patchouli leaf".

I pulled a few more details about this fragrance from the Sephora website becausde what I smelled when I used the fragrance didn't really match up with the description from the company. Sephora's description, "Exuberant notes of violet are accompanied by jubilant red berries like raspberry. A hint of orange blossom and rose impart a striking intensity, while sensual iris and tonka bean resins finish the scent, making My Insolence the ultimate luxury fragrance". The notes are: Spiral Accord, Iris (Orris), Orange Blossom, Rose, Violet, Sandalwood, White Muck, Tonka Bean, Raspberry.

I found this fragrance to be light and powdery instead of the deep complex fragrance that I was expecting. The fragrance would be pretty in the springtime but I feel that the description just doesn't match the fragrance. I really smelled the violet and orange blossom in this fragrance instead of the rose or base notes.

Personally, I feel that this fragrance would have been better marketed with a different name, I understand the essence of the free spirit that Guerlain is going for and I think it matches the fragrance but the name just brings up a totally different image than the fragrance gives off. I am glad that I received a small sample bottle of this product from Sephora or Macy*s before I went out and bought this fragrance.

I like this fragrance but I'm not in love with it. It is pretty but the image that I got of it when I first heard the name just doesn't match with the fragrance and somehow the mismatch just spoils everything for me. I will be sticking with my other rose fragrances for now...

photo courtesy of Sephora