Tonka Imperiale Guerlain for women and men

I am not sure whether I was lucky or very unfortunate when it comes down to this fragrance. The unfortunate part is this fragrance does not work for me. I do get the rich almondy sweetness as I expect, but I also get this medicinal bitterness that really turns me off. These two sides just play off each other evenly, and I can't make a purchase decision. Well... I guess I could consider myself lucky because I finally have some $$$ saving for not buying this. :)

Beautifully deep and rich, this lasts forever (over 24 hours on me!) and is very wearable. It is a beautiful tonka bean, with an almond smelling start. As a matter of fact, this is the longest lasting perfume I have tried. I can see why people call this HG material, out of my hundreds of fragrances, this one still stands out.

Smells like a clean baby. Not sure I want to smell like that.

"From his brown and golden fur
Comes such sweet fragrance that one night
I was perfumed with it because
I caressed him once, once only".

Thus writes Charles Baudelaire in his poem Le Chat (The Cat) defining the tamer interpretation of le parfum fourrure...

Tonka Impériale is an amazingly restrained and balanced oriental gourmand. Wearing it is like enjoying the warm and cozy cashmir pullover and sipping ever so lovely Eiswein from Kracher... wonderful!

There's a famous quote from another perfumier that when he used vanilla he only got creme brule, while Guerlain got Shalimar. I guess Guerlain wanted both, because this fragrance is totally creme brule to me. It starts off a bit interesting with some bitterness in the vanilla, but for me the drydown is all burnt sugar. Not unpleasant but not for me.

a very nice perfume. i tried its EDP , very nice. but is the price really justified?!

My first reaction on opening up the sample vial was, Ooooh … I like this! It’s a rich, spicy, incense-y coumarin scent with just a touch of toasted almond biscotti. I don’t really smell much of the rosemary or spices, but they do contribute subtly to the overall composition. I found that it stayed fairly linear with just the right amount of sillage, and lasted well, about 6-8 hours.

I would characterize this as a gourmand incense, and it is indeed an excellent one. Beautifully blended, with moderate sillage and longevity, this is a scent that I could wear on a regular basis. A real winner!

It's an amber tonka in a sweet honey tobacco haze with just a tiny spritz of spices on top. It's sweet in an adult way. Vanilla is there but it's quiet. I find this perfume quite linear and dense. Over all it has an incensy feel, but it's not in an incense fragrance either.
I think people categorize it as a gourmand oriental because the general scent is very reminiscent of warm gingerbread.
It's soothing richness, and well grounded accords make it the most perfect comfort scent. It's like wearing an expensive coat, which leads me on to say that I will be turning to it only in the cold months. Some perfumes are just like that- seasonal. There are dense and sweet orientals that I could pull off anytime, anywhere. This one is a cold weather only for me personally. It will make me feel optimistic.

OMG!

Thank you Tigerlillian!

This is gourmand perfection! And I have no words to satisfy the description this masterpiece deserves.
It is such a beautifully blended piece of art. I smell hints of every note listed, and they never once compete for dominance against its namesake.

I'm WOWed!

I was soooooo scared to test this on myself. I have a small sample vial and right on opening it I fell in love--way too extravagant for me to spend money on an entire bottle if I had to have it.

Honeyed hay from the tonka in perfect harmony with clarifying rosemary was such a divine opening for me.

As it warmed up, the vanilla made its gourmand appearance and married well with gently warm spices and the bitter creaminess of almond.

The sweetness lingers on... warm, cozy and smoking with a thick wisp of tobacco and glowing amber.

Alas the sharp clarity of rosemary departed leaving an incredibly complex honeyed gourmand.

With that I decided that the drydown was a little too sweet for me to adopt this as a signature--the only reason why I'd spend so much for a full bottle. Absolutely superb nonetheless and I will savor every drop of my sample.

I was so disappointed with this. Truthfully, all I smell in this is incense and bug spray. it's very strong. I can't catch any honey or vanilla, or chai spice latte as it is supposed to have :-(. It's very cloying, even just a little of it, and smells like such a synthetic chemical. every time I try it I can't scrub it off fast enough. I had my husband smell it and he couldn't stand it either :-(. I had hoped that when winter came, the smell would work better, but I can't get over the incense steeped in chemically bug spray, sorry :-(

Notes: Bergamot, rosemary, tonka bean, honey, spices, almond, jasmine, vanilla, cedar, pine, incense, tobacco and amber.

This is a tonka concerto played on the traditional Guerlain base. There is a modern twist added: the gourmand tones with bittersweet almond and a touch of hypnotic coumarin. The other notes are coming as nuances, balancing the tonka’s evolution.

Tonka is a fantastic note, actually I would consider it more of a full tone with combined aromatic, slightly herbaceous and spicy reminisces of vanilla, almonds, cinnamon, cloves and tobacco. Maybe a whisper of incense as well?

First, the almond note comes in, rich and bitterish, followed by the woody rosemary. The sweet side is paired with honey and tobacco. It may sound overwhelming but this is a vanilla comfort scent, close relative of Spiritueuse Double Vanille.
Very well balanced with woody and spicy notes. The amber keeps the dry down close to the skin and brings a sensuous touch.

Lovely and dreamy. I wish it was less expensive.

9/10

oWW WHAT A LOVELY SWEET TONKA SCENT.
it is a beautiful perfume.Gourmand and very sophisticated.Its a warm and cozy scent the tonka with the honey blend very well on my skin.dry down with vanilla.
If you love sweet fumes you must try this one out

Oh such delightful tonka heaven! I love this, and I knew I would because I am a gourmand lover, but this is more than just gourmand. It has the warmth of an oriental and a hint of spice, while still managing to be sophisticated and yummy at the same time. I don't smell much almond or rosemary at all personally. The main notes for me are the tonka, honey and tobacco spices. This is sooo beautiful!

I just sampled this and my conclusion was: THIS is why I let The One for Men go.. This is much better by a LONG shot. It's slightly more sweet with better sillage. There isn't more to be said, really. I just wish that it wasn't as difficult to find as it is.... This is definitely worth hunting for. It seems that these French parfumeurs have been stealing me away from my Italian preference.....

Yea, this is in the database. I recieved my sample the week it hit the market, as I was so excited to try the latest A and M addition.

This wears like most in this line; it has sharp, crisp, high quality notes that last and last on the skin.

That said, you really need to like what lasts. Tonka is a sweeter base note, and here it is amplified by honey and almond. Personally I would have left the almond out, as it has that 'cookie breath' thing going on which is just too sickening for me.

I thought the tobacco was a nice addition, but the dry anchor it provides is not enough to overcome the almond-like pastiness.

I forwarded my sample on to a fellow Guerlain lover (hopefully she'll add her review here!) She leans more towards the gourmand scents and really liked this one. That is probably the key to whether or not you'll enjoy it yourself.