Hello and welcome! Please understand that this website is not affiliated with Guerlain in any way, it is only a reference site for collectors and those who have enjoyed the classic fragrances of days gone by. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. The main objective of this website is to chronicle the 200+ year old history of the Guerlain fragrances and showcase the bottles and advertising used throughout the years. Let this site be your source for information on antique and vintage Guerlain perfumes. Another goal of this website is to show the present owners of the Guerlain company how much we miss many of the discontinued classics and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back these fragrances! I invite you to leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the fragrance, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or on what occasion, what it smelled like to you, how it made you feel, any specific memories, what it reminded you of, maybe a relative wore it, or you remembered seeing the bottle on their vanity table), who knows, perhaps someone from the current Guerlain brand might see it. If you have any questions, please send all images of your bottle and pertinent information directly to me at cleopatrasboudoir@gmail.com. I will try to assist you the best I can.

Looking to Buy Vintage Fragrances?

Monday, December 30, 2013

Ladies In All Climates - Face Powder c1897

Ladies in all climates, universal light powder...

Guerlain reinvents one of its legendary powder in a limited and numbered series. Once upon a time in 1897, the Ladies in all climates powder which was intended to illuminate and refresh the complexion. At the Impressionist painters and photography, Guerlain wanted to capture the elusive atmospheric variations. New transport available to women traveling in all latitudes and Guerlain continued to expand worldwide. It was then apply to all women, whatever they are, wherever they are.

Ladies In All Climates was a natural evolution of the product. Sun exposure was taboo at the time, so the powder was formulated in 1897 to help women retain their pale coloring after being in the sun of the French colonies.


,
Harper's Weekly, 1903:
"Beware all face powders which have the effect of whitening too much. The major part of these powders contain chemically active constituents which in time spoil the skin. Guerlain's powder 'Ladies in all Climates' is a product which is absolutely harmless, it vivifies the complexion and my ladies, prudence counsels you not to seek further effects from its use."
The Queenslander, Saturday 25 December 1915:
"Guerlain (15 Rue de la Paix, Paris) With his most respectful compliments calls attention to his POWDER. LADIES IN ALL CLIMATES. This Powder, which is made in four shades, White, Rachael, Pink, and Flesh Colour, is an absolutely neutral product; it cannot affect in any way the epidermis. Moreover, it is soft, and has a very agreeable perfume. It is so much neutral that it can be used during any medical treatment, even with sulphurous baths."


In 2013, Guerlain reissued exclusively 400 numbered pieces of this exceptional powder still halo skin in a veil of delicate and transparent light.


Le 68 Cologne Fond de Cuve c2013

Le 68 Cologne Fond de Cuve by Guerlain: launched in 2013.



Sunday, December 29, 2013

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

POST-CHRISTMAS PERFUME SALE!!!

POST-CHRISTMAS PERFUME SALE!!! Save 20% off ANY purchase with coupon code AFTERXMAS2013, expires 1/31/14.



Thursday, December 19, 2013

Chypre by Guerlain c1887

Chypre by Guerlain: launched in 1878.

Guerlain first launched a chypre back in 1850 with their Eau de Chypre followed by their Chypre in 1887, Cyprisine in 1894, and then Chypre de Paris in 1909. But the mother of all of Guerlain chypres was in fact Mitsouko.



Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Ebay Find! Mitsouko in Borne Flacon c1931-1960s

Ebay Find! Mitsouko in Borne Flacon c1931-1960s.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291034977534?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649


photo from ebay seller bucarest17



Flacon Borne (Boundary Stone) c1931- 1960s

Made by Pochet et du Courval to house extraits of Shalimar, Mitsouko, Jicky, L'Heure Bleue, Sillage and others.


  • 82cc/82ml/2.7 oz - 10,5cm/4.13" (1931), ground blue glass truncated stopper in the shape of a French policeman's cap 


World War II Version, all clear glass, without cobalt blue band.

Monday, November 25, 2013

1950s Guerlain Cosmetics and Skincare

1950s Guerlain Cosmetics and Skincare


from a 1953 advertisement



from a 1955 ad



from a 1956 ad

Trousseau de Week-End de Guerlain c1950

Trousseau de Week-End de Guerlain c1950. Holds skincare and cosmetics. Rare to find today.


Brillantine

Brillantine (brilliantine) was a grease used to groom the hair. It could be crystallized and sold in boxes like the one shown below or liquid form and housed in glass bottles.

"Brillantine" - (1920) rectangular box made up of molded colorless glass pressed for holding the solidifed hair oil, base decorated with draperies, brass lid embossed with baroque décor reminiscent of the eighteenth century. Titled. (Small chips) d: 5 x 8 cm. Photo by drouot.




Lotion de Guerlain c1850

Lotion de Guerlain, bleaching cream for the skin, created in 1850,  it consisted of Extract de Saturne (a solution of subacetate of lead), tincture of benzoin, distilled water of laurel, cherry and peach.

photo from museu del perfum

Lait de Perles

Lait de Perles (Pearl Milk) was a skin bleach containing water, holding in suspension about equal parts of zinc oxide, magnesic carbonate, and powdered talc, perfumed with otto of roses.




photo from Museu del Perfum

Poudre Superdulci c1912

Created in 1912 by Guerlain, a face powder scented with Apres L'ondee perfume. Octagonal cardboard box wrapped with paper with polychromed Chinese decoration. I believe it was still available for sale around 1949.


photo by Le Floc'h



Sunday, November 24, 2013

Veritable Graisse D'Ours

A touch of either Veritable Graisse d'Ours or Graisse d'Ours Liquéfie, a pommade made of bear's grease, would help keep that jaunty cowlick from popping out from a coiffure in addition to strengthening and prevent color fading of the hair.




Baume de la Ferté c1830

Baume de la Ferté was created around 1830 as an emollient balm to be used by nursing mothers and wet nurses to relieve their dried, cracked and sore nipples from breastfeeding. It contained tannins left over from Bordeaux wine production, benzoin, beeswax & almond oil. This moisturizing balm was also used to soothe chapped lips as well. The earliest pot lids are marked with the 15 ru de la Paix address (1840-1914), then in 1914, it was marked with the 68 Champs Elysees address.

The earliest pots were made up of stamped tin. The later pots were made up of galalith I believe. Newer formulas are housed in plastic tubes.






c2010

c2013



Eau Lustrale

Eau Lustrale, a liquid hair groom which would clean it, degrease it but also give it it a lustrous shine.

It was made up of Castor oil (deodorized), strongest alcohol (deodorized), cantharides powder, oil of bergamot and otto of roses. To soften the hair, and prevent baldness.

 It was made sometime before 1853 and continued to be sold into the 1960s.

Eau Lustrale was available in the following sizes and prices in 1941:

  • 4 oz $1.00 
  • 8 oz $3.25 
  • Pt. $6.60 
  • Qt. $12.75 
Harper's Bazaar, 1935:
"There are a couple of Guerlain things that will make your trip to the hairdresser's far more pleasant. The first, Eau Lustral, which is used after the shampoo, is delightful as a setting lotion. It is as light and thin as water, and dries quickly."

Eau Lustrale bottle c1845. Rectangular, 6 1/4", graduated top, no panels, O.P., olive green, side: "GUERLAIN" side: "EAU LUSTRALE", manufactured by Pochet et du Courval . Photo from Hair Raising Stories.

c1914, emerald green bottle, cork top, manufactured by Pochet et du Courval, photo from museu del perfum.


c1931 emerald green bottle, black bakelite cap, manufactured by Pochet et du Courval. Photo from delcampe.







c1930-1950. Green glass bottle, black bakelite screwcap. Photo from ebay seller chiquita_tuli

Backside of bottle, c1950. Photo from ebay seller chiquita_tuli


Mini bottle of Eau Lustrale. Photo by www.ventesuroffres.com

c1960s. Photo from delcampe





Sunday, November 3, 2013

Ebay Find! Candide Effluve in Lyre Flacon

Ebay Find! Candide Effluve in Lyre Flacon

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-RARE-CANDIDE-EFFLUVE-GUERLAIN-FLACON-BACCARAT-LYRE-SEALED-/181253487244?pt=fragrance&hash=item2a338cba8c



Candide Effluve: Created by Jacques Guerlain in 1921 but only launched the following year; in USA by 1924, it was intended to connote the innocent touch of a Virgin or young woman.

So what does it smell like? Notes include bergamot, lemon, ylang-ylang, lilac, muguet, styrax, hyacinth, lilac, orris, rose, amber, jasmine, iris, angelica, patchouli, vetiver, benzoin, tonka bean, heliotrope, thyme and vanilla.

The perfume was presented in a ‘Lyre’ bottle and the Flacon Brun Fume, made by Baccarat, starting in 1933.

Discontinued, date unknown, still being sold in 1946.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Weird Shalimar Bottle - Fake Seal - Alert!!

Ok, so on ebay this week I found this vintage bottle of Shalimar, so it is sealed ....but...it is not a genuine Guerlain seal, nor is the thread that is wrapped around it correct. Guerlain never used red wax seals imprinted with Asian language characters. Also Guerlain's Shalimar extrait bottles are always sealed with baudruchage that has a small gold metal seal with the "G" for Guerlain attached and a fluffy tassel which was brushed out by hand by the "dames du table".

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Shalimar-by-Guerlain-1-2-oz-Made-in-France-with-threads-and-hang-tag-/321241591829?pt=fragrance&hash=item4acb7db015

I have no idea whether the contents in this bottle are even authentic Shalimar. I do not like the idea of the FAKE seal on the bottle either, this really pisses me off.





Emily X has posted that the red seal belongs to Revlon's Xia Xiang perfume bottles. Here is a photo of one of the Xia Xiang bottles with it's red seal intact:


Thanks Emily X!


Thursday, October 31, 2013

Ebay Find! Liu in Quadrilobe Flacon

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Ebay Find! Guerlain Sachet with Dali In Venice Record

Altered Glass Perfume Bottles

Occasionally one might come across an unusual colored perfume bottle. One might be inclined to think that this might have been a special limited edition or even perhaps a prototype. More than likely, the bottles have been artificially induced via radiation (sometimes done with the aid of a microwave or industrial good sterilizer). This would cause some glass to be a deep shade of purple or amber. from what I have read online, this appears to devalue a bottle, but some people collect these flacons for their aesthetic beauty rather than their investment value.

In the case of these Guerlain flacons, they have been intentionally artificially induced to an amber shade and older bottles are also artificially altered into the purple shade.

Please do not purchase these bottles in the hopes that it is "rare" or a "limited edition".






the same ebay seller (iluvjax) is irradiating old bottles hoping to get higher prices for these very common bottles.



Irradiated Carre flacon, with wrong stopper.

 Ebay seller (clancy_kid) is irradiating old bottles hoping to get higher prices for these very common bottles.



Ebay Find! Vintage Jicky in Lanterne Flacon

Ebay Find! Vintage Jicky in Lanterne Flacon. This bottle was used from 1935-1943 only. A very rare presentation comes with its equally rare presentation box.

30ml/1 oz Flacon. Approximately 15ml of parfum extrait remain in this cobalt blue lantern bottle. The bottle stands 7.3cm/2.87". This size was reserved for export.





Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Ebay Find! Chamade Sucrier de Madame

Ebay Find! Chamade Sucrier de Madame

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Guerlain-Chamade-Perfume-Bottle-Holder-Display-rare-has-some-left-1-5-in-bottle-/321233228706?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4acafe13a2



Le Sucrier de Madame c1980 - 2008?

Le Sucrier de Madame (Madam's Sugar Shaker/Muffineer) was made for express usage in the Guerlain boutiques to demonstrate the eau de toilettes. Sometimes they were often given as "rewards" to those who spent an exorbitant amount of money in the French boutiques.

The cases are of gilded brass and the domed tops are intricately pierced in a filigree pattern featuring the Guerlain G logo, hearkening back to the ornate muffineers of the 19th century. The bottle was designed by jeweler Robert Gossen.

Each bottle holds 200ml/6.7 oz of eau de toilette or 2.8 oz Parfum. I have seen these marked Chamade, Shalimar, Parure, Nahema, Chant D'Aromes, Chamade, Apres l'Ondee, Mitsouko, L'Heure Bleue, Vol de Nuit, Samsara and Jicky. Others are not marked with a name. Each case held a bottle that when emptied, a new refill could be recharged into the case.

In 2008, a Guerlain SA told a member of beaute-test.com that the manufacturer of the Sucrier flacons had just passed away and the flacons would be discontinued as he was the sole manufacturer. Whether not this is true, please let me know.

Ebay Find! L'Heure Bleue in Borne Flacon c1940s

Ebay Find! L'Heure Bleue in Borne Flacon c1940s

This is a bottle of Guerlain Paris France L'Heure Bleue no.623. Comes in a glass bottle that measures about 4 1/4" tall with stopper and 3" wide. Bottle is over 3/4 full. This is a 2.7 oz bottle.

 This is a vintage bottle that comes with the original box, still has the string tied around the stopper, box has been opened.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Guerlain-Extrait-LHeure-Bleue-No-623-in-glass-Bottle-2-oz-/181244256597?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a32ffe155



Flacon Borne (Boundary Stone) c1931- 1960s


Made by Pochet et du Courval to house extraits of Shalimar, Mitsouko, Jicky, L'Heure Bleue, Sillage and others.
  • 82cc/82ml/2.7 oz - 10,5cm/4.13" (1931), ground blue glass truncated stopper in the shape of a French policeman's cap 
  • World War II Version, all clear glass, without cobalt blue band.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Ebay Find! Baccarat Lyre Flacon

Ebay Find! Baccarat Lyre Flacon, later hand painted.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dramatic-Baccarat-Hand-Painted-Enamel-Art-Deco-French-Commercial-Perfume-Bottle-/380748416865?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a65fc761


photo by ebay seller decodaysgoneby



Flacon Lyre c1921-1959

Flacon created by Baccarat to house Candide Efflueve, A Travers Champs and Guerlinade. Also produced by Pochet et du Courval in a very small quantity for export to the USA. Baccarat flacon #475.

Baccarat:
  • 80cc/80ml/2.7 oz - 12.9cm/5.08" (1921-1959) 
  • 125cc/125ml/4.2 oz - 14.7cm/5.79" (1921-1959) 
  • 250cc/250ml/8.4 oz - 18.7cm/7.36" (1921-1959) 
  • 500cc/500ml/16.9 oz - 23.5cm/9.25" (1921-1952) 
  • 1 liter/1000ml - 29cm/11.42" (1921-1952) 

Pochet & the Courval:
  • 30cc/30ml/1 oz (1924) produced very limited quantities to the USA

Ebay Find! L'Heure Blue with Silver Fountain Label c1926

Ebay Find! L'Heure Blue with Silver Fountain Label c1926

Super rare find!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Superb-Baccarat-French-Art-Deco-Commerical-Perfume-Bottle-GUERLAIN-LHeure-Bleue-/380748402450?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a65f8f12




The Silver Fountain labels represent the fountains at the 1925 Art Deco Expo in Paris, they were used in 1928 to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of Guerlain. The perfumes were boxed in a blue and silver box and the perfumes were presented in a clear glass bottle called the "petit beurre" or little butter pat..

Flacon Petit Beurre (Little Butter Pat) c1916 - ?

Baccarat:
  • 40cc/40ml/1.35 oz - 7.7cm/3.03" (limited edition of only 500 in 1916)
  • 80cc/80ml/2.7 oz - (limited edition of only 500 in 1916)
Pochet et du Courval:
  • 20ml/0.676 oz - 5.5cm/2.17" (1929)
These were used for the following perfumes:
  • L'Heure Bleue
  • Mitsouko
  • Rue de la Paix
  • Candide Effluve
  • A Travers Champs
  • Fol Arome
  • Quand Vient L'Ete 
  • Kadine
  • Guerlinade
  • Une Rose
  • Pour Troubler
  • Vague Souvenir
  • Champs Elysees

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Ebay Find! Vintage Jicky in Huge Quadrilobe flacon

Ebay Find! Vintage Jicky in Huge Quadrilobe flacon, bottle stands around 6 1/2" tall. Most likely holds 500ml/16.9 oz!

Seller claims it is a Baccarat flacon. I didn't see a photo of the base.