Mon Precieux Nectar has a very luxurious past. Once released in a limited edition of only 35 bottles (albeit one litre extrait fountains made of baccarat crystal) it has been the coveted object of collectors everywhere, but only a few of the wealthiest ever owned it.
In an unexpected, almost charity-esque move, Guerlain has made Mon Precieux Nectar part of the Parisiennes line. And it is still in the unchanged Parfum formula. (Cafleurebon reported it to be an Eau de Parfum strength, but my bottle (of the month June, slightly advanced) from Place Vendome unequivocally says Parfum on it). Which, hilariously, makes Mon Precieux Nectar the cheapest per ml – extrait in Guerlain history. (125ml go for 190€)
Mon Precieux Nectar includes notes of orange blossom, jasmine, bitter almond, wood, vanilla and musk. It was created by Guerlain Creative Director Sylvaine Delacourt and perfumer Randa Hammami.
Randa Hammami also created Van Cleef&Arpels Orchidée Vanille and it is that perfume Mon Precieux Nectar reminds me of. Both share that rich vanilla surrounded by a floral wreath.
Mon Precieux Nectar is very recognizably Guerlain, it is a sweet confection, a gourmand treat for the senses.
But groundbreaking it is not.
Mon Precieux Nectar is a very wearable, easy gourmand, beautiful, no doubt, but just a hint of boredom accompanies its honeyed floral heart and vanillic base. There are certainly worse ways to be bored and it makes up for it by impeccable behavior when it comes to tenacity and sillage.
Mon Precieux Nectar smells and feels rich. Fortunately you can mimic being rich without totally breaking the bank if you snap up 125ml of extrait in that gorgeous bee bottle.
I only feel sorry for those who own the baccarat fountain. They must feel just a bit cheated.
Olfactoria's Travels 
I really enjoy wearing this perfume as it is easy to wear and delicious. I am pleased with my purchase for the month of June and look forward to wearing it in both warm and cold weather. My skin really warms up the bitter almond and it does smell of almond pastry. By the end of the day I smell more vanilla. It lasts well through the day and night to the next morning on me. Yummm!
I agree that despite the sumptuous notes, it is easily wearable also in the heat of summer. All around a winner! Glad you like it Sandra!
I have a bottle on reserve in the UK but sensibly (for a change) I decided to test this one so bought a decant first, I totally agree with your sentiments, it is lovely to wear, you can tell without a shadow of a doubt that it is Guerlain BUT (you knew that was coming right) it is not ground breaking or different enough to warrant the full bottle on reserve (phew money saved) Instead I will wait patiently for perhaps the new MdO or Vero perfume, it is a never ending quest. 🙂
It is a neverending quest for sure, and on our way to the Holy Grail, Guerlain offers many wonderful distractions… 🙂
I really need to add more Gurlein’s to my collection, I have L’heure Bleue, Mitsouko, Shalimar Initial and Samsara. What do you recommend should be my next, say, 5?
Hmmm, I definitely agree that you need more Guerlain in your life. But since the Exclusives are so hard to obtain (I’m assuming here that that is true for you too), for summer I recommend getting to know the Aqua Allegoria line, often underrated, there are some gems in the line. (Pamplelune, the new Lys Soleia, reviews coming soon). And of course Shalimar in all its incarnations! 🙂
Hm, do I perceive a shadow of disappointment in your review ?
The notes sound easy, no hidden risks in there, and I like almond – but I’m no head over heals now to get a FB. Still, a decant should be arranged, it’s Guerlain, after all …
Not really disappointed, I guess if I had a little less experience with perfumes in general and Guerlains in particular, I might be over the moon.
A decant can be arranged quite easily (with yours truly). I’ll bring it next week. 😉
Thanks in advance, dearest !
I just adore that bee bottle and I think it’s a pretty name. I am somewhat relieved about the bitter almond because of it’s limited availability.
Congrats on your beautiful June FB, I bet you’ll get a lot of wear out of it.
I will. I know I’m going to wear this more often than things that make me swoon. It’s just not practical to swoon on a daily basis. 😉
It is one of my life ambitions to own a Guerlain in a bee bottle (other notable ambitions include; meeting Madonna, going to Japan, being the person who gives the UK’s results at Eurovision and to eat my weight in Cadbury’s Creme Eggs..) and Mon Precieux Nectar sounds lovely enough to be a contender, but perhaps not enough to make me go gaga for it. I’ll try it next time I’m near the Les Parisiennes.
Loving the Gollum reference in the title btw…
The bee bottle is on my lifetime achievement list as well, and that is actually why I bought Mon Precieux Nectar. It is so easy to wear and the bottle closed the deal. 😉
(I’ll do the creme eggs thing too, it sounds just like my kind of activity.)
“very wearable, easy gourmand, beautiful, no doubt, but just a hint of boredom accompanies its honeyed floral heart and vanillic base”
You said it, sister! There are worse things than “nice,” to be sure, but I’m probably a bit bitter because I bought a decant when this was about $8/ml. For that money, I wanted more than nice, and thus, I’ve been very unimpressed and unmoved by all the excitement about this repackaging/relaunch. I’ve kept a tiny bit of my original decant after swapping most of it away; I smelled it last week and confirmed: yes, it’s nice.
I’m sure I sound overly cynical these days, but I believe that if a scent is dispensed into a bee bottle or other glass container with the name “Guerlain,” it will set people swooning as if they’ve just seen the Emperor’s New Clothes.
I can see why buying a decant at this price would make you slightly bitter…
As for the emperor’s new clothes phenomenon – Guerlain does have some clout, no doubt, but I think M. Wasser gets a lot of bad rep for some of his more unoriginal creations, let him have his praise for the good ones too. 😉
Oh, I like Guerlain and M Wasser. I even liked Idylle. Let’s put it this way: I don’t like Mon Précieux any less than I like Idylle. 😉
Yes, I enjoyed the Gollum reference too, even without having seen the film – or read the book.
At the risk of sounding like a cracked record, do I infer correctly that this nectar is not as precious as PQJ? You do seem a tad underwhelmed by this scent, even if it is a bargain as parfum goes. ; – )
What?!! Vanessa, how did you manage NOT to read the book and NOT to watch movies? 🙂 No-no, I don’t want to say that every self-respecting individual should do that but… Actually, why not? You should at least try reading it on one of your trips: I’m positive, it’ll catch your attention easily and you’ll want to finish it!
Hmm, not sure – I have a quite poor attention span when it comes to long books. The Hobbit was more manageable. Tbh, I am not big on fantasy really, if you could call LOTR that. Though I loved The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe as a child. : – )
A tad maybe… 🙂
I don’t know if my ranking of the two would be the same of PQJ was readily available, the “can’t get it” factor is not to be underestimated. 🙂
Good point!
Birgit, I have a question… I’ve been reading your blog for a while now. I can swear I read much more … let’s call it enthusiastic reviews from you for perfumes you didn’t end up buying a bottle of. Why this one? Aren’t there left any other perfumes you loved more?
IT COMES IN A BEE BOTTLE!!!
Seriously though, I like MPN, I wear it a lot, I know I will wear it more than I will ever wear something like Onda or an Amouage, because they require a certain mood, or occupy me the entire day. MPN is a perfume I can wear and enjoy wherever, whenever and it still has an air of luxury and specialness surrounding it. It feels wonderful when I wear it, maybe that little bit of boredom suits me just fine. I have excitement enough, in and out of my perfume closet.
Also I want to be a Guerlain collector when I grow up… 🙂
Thank you for taking time to explain 🙂
I have to admit (I hope not too many people will read it 😉 ): the bottle was the main reason why I didn’t want even to sample it (it wasn’t a free sample, I’m talking about participating in a split but still). Not being a Guerlain fan (yet?) I didn’t realize those bottles were special and on their own I didn’t like them. I’ll need to take another look at them in RL.
Sacrilege!!!! 😉
I know… Where should I turn in my perfumista card? 😉
I think you should send it directly to the Maison Guerlain in Paris. You only get it back once you worship, umm, visit there.
I have to ask, since I’ve never seen a bee-bottle in person, is it spray or dab?
Owning a Bee-bottle would be nice, but I think I would go for Vetivier pour Elle!
You’d better get one fast. It’s going out of production. They generally don’t have atomizers so you have to decant.
It’s going out of production? What? *hyperventilates*
Vetiver pour Elle, according to several sources. Not the bee bottle itself, if that’s what you thought. 😮
Lol, okay, I heard that about Vetiver Pour Elle too. I really thought you meant the bee bottle. 😉 That would be horrible!
In your experience Birgit, is this heavily dominated by vanilla? Or do the other notes get a look in? I must say I am attracted to the idea of this MPN – wearability being a key factor these days in my perfume choices – but if vanilla is a major note, chances are that my scent brain will magnify it. I like the idea of bitter almond as long as I can smell it above the vanilla, and if it really IS bitter.
Vanilla is a player of course, this is a Guerlain after all and it smells like a Guerlain. But I find it very well balanced with almond and floral notes so as to not stand out. It is not Spiritueuse Double Vanille.
Also the vanilla note here is dark and complex and not very sweet.
I bought a decant of this, and while it’s nice – and very easy to wear – it really isn’t as spectacular as I had hoped it to be. In fact, it might be a little too nice for my tastes: sweet and pretty but with nothing exciting under its exterior. I’m still glad to have it, but if I was going to buy a full bottle of a Guerlain, this would not be it.
…it’d be Samsara extrait 😉
Samsara extrait fits you better, I hope you will have some soon. 🙂
Pingback: Bottle Of The Month: June – And A Giveaway! | Olfactoria's Travels
Pingback: A Bit Of Glamour – Review: Xerjoff Casamorati Dama Bianca | Olfactoria's Travels
Pingback: Pia’s (Almost) Annual Perfume Tour, London – Saturday 17th May 2014 | Olfactoria's Travels