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, 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.

The bottle below is known as the "flat bottle with ringed neck" and held various products such as Teintre de Quina, Teintre de Pyrethre, Eau de Vie de Gaiac, Eau des Fumeurs, Teintre de Myrrhe, Veritable Tresor de la Bouche, Lait de Perles , Blanc Patti, Creme de Lys, Blanc Rachel, and Blanc de Perles.





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!