Guerlain introduced Insolence last year to mainly mixed reviews among the fragrance community, gaining flak for being too sweet and simple and not particularly Guerlain-ish. I have to agree with Victoria of Bois de Jasmin that if one waits for it to emerge, underneath this sugary violet exterior lies a rich Guerlain heart of iris, woods and smoky vanilla.
However, while this may be true of the perfume, the same complexity is sadly not present in Guerlain’s matching shower gel; its fragrance captures only the Eau de Toilette’s sweet innocent phase: the smell of violets tinged with greenness, sugar and a hint of berries, reminiscent of a sweeter, greener Violetta di Parma. However, I love both stages of Insolence, both its girly light “un-Guerlain” stage and its complex heart, and I enjoy the gel very much — it somehow transforms my shower into a cold, icy garden at dawn, filled with dew-covered violets.
The only concern is that the Insolence Shower Gel is a bit thin and runny for its price, which means one goes through it a lot faster than a normal shower gel; both undesirable and unreasonable for its price ($43 for 6.8 oz). Still, that cold, icy violet patch is a lot more exciting than most of my personal morning destinations, and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another bottle.
I picked up a sample of Insolence in a dept store, and was quite surprised at how much I liked it. I agree with you that it is more complex than it first appears: starts off with soft violets and then transforms into something that is very Guerlain indeed!
I enjoyed trying it, but don't feel compelled to purchase it either.
Ach, pity about the runny quality. Generally, the Guerlain flanker products for their scents are usually of top notch quality. (The hair gunk especially!) I'm not so keen on Insolence as a fragrance, but for a nice pick-me-up for the shower for starting the morning with it does seem like a contender…. “cold, icy garden at dawn, filled with dew-covered violets” sounds just fantastic.
Ah, well it's not for everyone for sure! But I'm glad that you experienced the same “Guerlainness” in it as well 🙂
Yes, I was rather surprised! Haven't tried any of the hair gunk, but making a special note to do so now!