Once in a while a really beautiful new perfume comes on the scene. Guerlain Tonka Impériale is one of them. It is destined to be a classic. Part of the L’Art et la Matière collection, it is one of the best in that line.
It’s rare for a perfume to hit all the right notes, be neither too sweet nor too dry, to be perfection on all levels. Tonka Impériale is the best of the best. It is poetry and art in a third dimension.
Do I sound too complimentary? Try it, and you will agree.
Notes: rosemary, almond, tobacco, honey, facets of hay and balsamic, tonka bean, of course vanilla, and the famous Guerlain Guerlinade, including rose. Maybe some orange blossom. Described as having almost a gingerbread quality, but I don’t catch that.
Thierry Wasser is the genius behind this fragrance, and I have to admit that I cannot wear his Iris Ganache. It is much too sweet and heavy on me. It never softens, but just keeps going. But here, in Tonka Impériale, he has removed the elements that gave me trouble.
Let’s talk about some of the notes:
Almond — this weaves its way through the fragrance, along with vanilla. I happen to love almond in a fragrance.
Honey — this is a gentle form of honey, not that acrid honey that is in some that is unwearable to me.
Rosemary and hay — I can’t smell it, but I’m guessing it gives it balance and takes away the sweet gourmand and brings it into herbs and essences.
Tonka bean — one of my favorite notes, a sort of vanilla-y scent, but not as sweet; some feel it adds a chocolate sense, but I feel it is the gourmand sense coming through.
Tobacco — yummy, even for those of us who do not smoke.
How does it compare to L’Instant Magic?
It has the almond note, but more vanilla and is headier. Think of Magic as a fragrance for the office, and Tonka Impériale as sex in a bottle, but not so earthy that you couldn’t wear it in the daytime to work or play.
How does it compare to YSL Cinema?
YSL Cinema is all almond, and it is less sweet. Tonka Impériale has the addition of vanilla, and while it is sweet, it isn’t sweet-sweet like Pink Sugar, for example.
How does it compare to Spiritueuse Double Vanille?
Spiritueuse notes: vanilla, benzoin, frankincense, spices, cedar, pink pepper, bergamot, Bulgarian rose and ylang-ylang. A little boozy and smokey.
Tonka Impériale is a little less sweet and a little lighter on the vanilla.
How does it compare to Kilian Back to Black?
B2B notes: bergamot, nutmeg, saffron, cardamom, coriander, raspberry, blue chamomile, honey, olibanum, cedar, oak, tobacco accord, patchouli, vanilla, almond and labdanum.
If you love B2B, you will love Tonka Impériale, which is heady on the tobacco, but less heavy than B2B. You could designate one for day and one for night — then switch and wear them just the opposite. They are enough different that I would want both.
How does it compare to Parfum de Nicolai Vanille Tonka?
Vanille Tonka is a floral spicy amber — even though amber is not listed in the notes. It is more spicy than Tonka Impériale and not quite as sweet, but just as luscious.
Vanille Tonka Top notes : Aromatic and citrus : basil, lemon and mandarin oils
Heart : Floral : carnation, orange blossom absolute, pepper oil, cinnamon oil
Bottom notes : Frankincense : frankincense and vanilla absolutes, tonka bean.
Have you tried Tonka Impériale?
Do you love it as much as I do?
How do I buy it? $235 for 2.5 oz.
Contact Claire at the Guerlain store in the Las Vegas Palazzo. Call 702-732-7008 or email GuerlainPalazzo.STORE@lvmhuspc.com . He will take good care of you and get it right out to you.
Karin
www.savvythinker.com
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