Guerlain Fleur de Feu, or flower of fire (or fiery flower), was released by Guerlain in 1949.And that's the end of my post.
No, seriously...I could not find any information on the Internet about this perfume. Nothing. Nada, except what I'm sharing with you here: these two ads and its date of release. For two days, I've been trying to figure out this softly faded beauty of a perfume. I only have one application left, and I'm saving it. I don't know what for.
My weak little nose detects the signature base here, at least the iris and vanilla. I detect bergamot and jasmine, and beyond that...I can't pin it down. But this sweet breath of perfume is hardly the fiery dragon (made of flowers, of course) one would expect. I think, what would that fiery flower be? Carnation? Spicy, but mmmm...no. Rose? Or is it metaphorical, was the bergamot brighter at the top, was there some other zest I now cannot detect?
Probably I'm trying too hard. My wee brain is taxed. But look at these wonderful ads! I don't find pictures of celebrities to be half as interesting as these works of art. Instead of real style, these days we get a face that's supposed to represent style. It's not that I don't think Hilary Swank is a good actress--she's very talented, although a little tedious--but what can she really convey other than Hilary Swankness? And Nicole Kidman? The poor woman is shot so full of Botox, she can't convey anything! Come on, Chanel! And while I'm at it, what's with fragrance commercials? Does anyone else think they're a dumb idea? Truly, the Calvin Klein commercial where Christy Turlington is singing "What the World Needs Now" and rolling around on the beach with her model family is one of my most hated commercials of all time. No, I know. The print ads aren't all bad. But I can't think of one off the top of my head that I would want to buy and frame, almost sixty years down the line.
*images from eBay and toutenparfum.com
