Well, well, well…
Here we have one more of the Elixirs Charnels. A boutique exclusive line including Oriental Brûlant, Chypre Fatal, Boisée Torride and Floral Romantique.
Pink juice, chocolate in the notes list – this could go horribly wrong. Is this Sephora or is it Guerlain? Again, let the nose have its say…
Gourmand Coquin was created by Christine Nagel and includes notes of black pepper, rose, rum and chocolate.
Upon first spray, Gourmand Coquin is indeed almost unbearably sweet and you can almost count the calories, but very quickly it morphs away from pure dessert towards delectable perfume. To be honest, I don’t get much of the black pepper in the beginning, there is chocolate, boozy chocolate and lots of it. I know, it sounds horrible, perfect for a date with Willy Wonka, but trust me, it is way better than it sounds.
The longer I wear it, the more the pepper seems to come into its own and forces the chocolate into a nice balanced state of equality. Sillage and longevity are very satisfying, and I love catching delicious wafts of it during the approximately six hours of wear time.
I may not wear this to the opera or a fancy dinner. For a day in the park or indoor playground though, there is nothing better, wear it and you’ll be the sensation among the 2-5 year old set. My boys adore this perfume (not entirely surprising, is it?) and regularly demand that I wear it.
The genius of Guerlain is that Gourmand Coquin is sophisticated and elegant enough, so I can happily comply with their wish.
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Sounds delish! I should give it a try together with the rest of Guerlain. Thank you for the lovely review. If we cant eat the lovely cupcakes pictured above, we can smell delicious instead.
That is true (although I have to confess I smell like cake and eat it too! 😉 )
I realise now that, for no reason at all, I have taken against the Elixirs Charnels line. I feel I may have done Guerlain a disservice, especially since Prada Candy has taught me to give the incredibly sweet a chance. I think I will re-visit these, thank you for the gentle nudge I needed!
I totally understand what you mean – until recently I had dismissed the entire Elixirs line as well. I found them brash and unworthy of the name of Guerlain. But upon closer inspection I am happy with what I found. There are spectacular fails too – the newest Floral Romantique is abysmal in my opinion, but Oriental Brulant and this one are really, really nice. Even full bottle nice. They are on the list at least. 🙂
How nice to have a perfume that your boys demaand that you wear! Sounds yummy and I like the idea of the balance between dark chocolate and black pepper. I bet the sillage is gorgeous. You choose the best pics too!
Thanks! 🙂
It is really surprisingly lovely, not an all out foody scent at all, but very elegant and delicious.
Love this one, strange how my children both like it too, not sure if that is a good thing???
It seems to be a bit of a honey trap for children. 😀
It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? Thanks for the decant!
I have just recently discovered this as well. A fragrance friend pointed out, that it is also great for layering – it might almost sound blasphemic, but this is just heavenly layered with either Myrrhe et Delires or Iris Ganache!
Cheers
Safran
Hi Safran,
I must try that. I was not so impressed with Myrrhe et Delires, so maybe together with Gourmand Coquin it improves. And with Iris Ganache – I almost get a toothache thinking about that, but it may just be amazing!
Yes, it sounds very weird! Also, I normally don’t layer scents at all, but these two combinations convinced even me. Regarding discontinuing Guerlain scents, we’ve been told directly by a Guerlain SA that Iris Ganache and Petite Robe Noire will be discontinued soon, sadly enough.
That is PRN 2, the original one is now in wide distribution, slightly reformulated. And it is so sad about Iris Ganache, it is already gone from the Maison Guerlain. 😦
We are on the same wavelength.. I just reviewed this gorgeous concoction this week. I heard it was going to be discontinued.
http://notablescents.net/2012/04/16/guerlain-elixir-charnel-gourmand-coquin-fragrance-review/
Hi Ron,
Discontinued? Where did you hear that? It would be too bad. 😦
Off to read your review now…
I’ve read about it on several sites but have not directly heard it from Guerlain
Let’s hope it is just a rumour… 😦
I like this perfume very much!
My bestie sent me a sample ages ago, and at first I thought it was too much (it had leaked in the mailer, coating everything in frosting), but after actually wearing it on skin, I really enjoyed it.
I think that if budget weren’t any concern, I’d have a bottle of this hanging around for when the mood struck 🙂
It leaked? Oh no! I hate when that happens.
But I’m glad you like it too.
No pun intended, this really was a sweet review, Birgit — because, like Tara, I enjoy hearing that this is a perfume that your two boys insist that you wear! So cute! And then your description of the perfume itself sounds rather enchanting, like the thing to have on certain days when one is in the mood for such a mood-lifter as boozy chocolate. 🙂
Sometimes only chocolate will do… and chocolate from Guerlain is the best of two worlds coming together. 🙂 I love that my boys like it so much. The other scent they are really going for is Cuir de Lancome. (Tara will love to hear that.)
I would wear it when I would be on a diet,-). Non calorie chocolat or desert. I can see why children like it.
I wish it would help me to eat less chocolate, but it has quite an encouraging effect on me. 😉
I laughed at the line: “you’ll be the sensation among the 2-5 year old set”. First I have to locate a sample of this perfume (which I think I tried on card and dismissed as too sweet, but you never know…). Second, I have to locate the 2-5 year old set, which is not a demographic I move in, as you know!
May I suggest a trip to your local Kindergarten or day care center for a trial run? I’m sure it would be a great success for all involved. 😉
Kindergarten – of course! I knew there was a place where small children could be found, just couldn’t think of it off the top of my head… : – )
Understandable. 😉
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