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amd322 – :
Gourmandises is mostly a syrupy sweet rose and musk scent. The rose is jammy – raspberry jam specifically. There are subtle hints of powder but it’s not a makeup powder scent. The powderiness seems to give it a lightness and keep the syrup from getting too cheap smelling. It is a very sweet perfume though. As for the praline, I get a vague nuttiness and maybe a hint of dusty, unsweetened cacao, but without the notes in front of me I would not list chocolate or praline as one of the components. Gourmandises is better than some of the other rose syrup and musk scents out there but it’s not a super unique gourmand. I like the raspberry jam aspect. Good projection and longevity. Mild like.
Ser001 – :
This is the Montale Crystal Flowers, without oud.
tnVetHersBref – :
This is a ridiculously good, grownup gourmand.
This is the smell I imagine would greet me walking into Victorian woman’s boudoir, or even a classic 1940’s hollywood starlet’s. Her room is full of rose bouquets from admiring suitors and there’s a light dusting of her powder in the air.
It starts off as a lightly sweet rose, but it’s warm and lightly musky/woody, as if the woman who wears it is both ladylike and strong. Then the powder sets in, that light dusting of femininity. And is that a hint of berries? The more I smell it the more I don’t think so, but there’s a light sweetness that gives it the rose jam feel others mentioned. It’s not cloying or syrupy, though, and I don’t get the medicinal note whatsoever.
The musk and praline are there but their presence is just enough to add a hint of mystery, not to take it into candy territory. It’s like an intoxicating bouquet of dark red roses. The woman who wears this would be a woman worth getting to know.
All I know is I’ll be saving up for a full sized bottle.
_WEST_ – :
When I first reviewed this fragrance it hit me perfectly. The perfectly time transition of a powdery cold rose to warm blossoming rose to jam and pralines to vanilla and sandalwood. I think perhaps that was due to the coolness of early spring/fall. It is high summer immediately after a heat wave, and all I smelled yesterday was slight rose petals immediately replaced with a long sillage of sweet jammy florals almost to the point of my nose hurting. Sillage is extensive…still smelled the musky vanilla after sleeping in it 24 hours later. Today, I must have sprayed it too close…immediate alcohol smell replaced with slighter jammy rose that is very close to the skin as opposed to yesterday when I smelled it whether I wanted to or not. I think this would be a perfect for a fall/winter perfume.
LiesyWordries – :
I’m one of those people who gets a cough syrup/medicinal smell from this perfume: it’s really just that and POWDER for me. This was a little decant sample that came with a Luckyscent order, and I think I’ll be enclosing it as an extra in a swap or part of a Spray It Forward package.
Svitlana – :
This is too woody for me and the rose note is harsh and bitter.
I have never smelled saffron, so I am assuming that it is a note which does not particularly appeal to my olfactory senses.
The initial blast is very boozy to my nose and the fume is rather harsh. I expected a soft and sweet vanilla based powdery juice but this smells like a brewery at last orders.
Sorry folks but it’s all about body chemistry at the end of the day and my body chemistry cannot deal with the mix of these notes.
The drydown is better than the initial spritz and I get shades of Estee Lauder Youth Dew! I know this may sound really crazy but that’s exactly what I can smell.
I strongly advise that one tests this or gets a sample first because the notes belie the actual scent.
The longevity is stupendous, I really couldn’t lose this scent even after bathing and the projection is very good.
I am going to give this one a second chance before I discard it because I think that it needs time to appeal to my nose.
boOwetty – :
Gourmandises is a light, sweet rose fragrance with a hint of soft musk. To be honest, the rose does not seem to play much of a dominant role here — in fact, there is more of an overall fruitiness (sort of a peachy-raspberry note) that seems to dominate. I am surprised there are no fruits listed in the official list above!
The sweetness (supposedly praline) is a more straightforward vanilla to my nose — I definitely don’t detect anything that reminds me of candy, per se. The saffron (and am I imagining a tiny hint of cumin?) wafts in and out, lending a faint sensual spiciness. The dry down is a subtle, sweet musk.
Gourmandises is actually quite reminiscent of Serge Lutens’ Santal Blanc (which I also recently tested), particularly in its fruity-muskiness. Santal Blanc has a more potent spice note than Gourmandises does, but it’s a similar vibe, nonetheless. I think I actually prefer Santal Blanc to Gourmandises, because it has a bit more overall “oomph.”
That said, Gourmandises is a lovely, highly wearable fruity-floral-gourmand that would appeal to those looking for a perfume with a sweet, delectable quality (but who would rather not smell like an actual cupcake or bonbon).
PRIREFREXIA – :
I received a sample of Gourmandises as a hand-me-down from my boss. She’s a sweet vanilla-oriental kind of gal and thought this smelled like cough syrup.
While I don’t get cough syrup, I do pick up rosy soap tinged with something medicinal (I’m thinking it’s got to be the mallow). Sadly, I don’t get any of the praline which I was really looking forward to as it’s one of my favorites.
So, I really wouldn’t classify this one as a gourmand or sweet oriental at all. It’s pretty much a clean rose floral, not much else. It actally smells almost identical to So Pretty.
Pass for me, especially at the price.
Dellgirlo – :
Several years ago I wanted Serge Lutens Arabie so badly I could taste it in my dreams. I wanted something with that type of enticingly rich gourmand treacle that makes you feel damn near edible…but with nutmeg or cumin or saffron…not cotton candy. When I went to purchase Arabie, by chance I tried Gourmandises, and believe it or not, I lost my yearn for Arabie. I went head over heels for the saffron and bought Gourmandises on the spot. (Mind you…Arabie and Gourmandises do not smell alike at all. So don’t go buying Gourmandises unsniffed because you love Arabie.) Gourmandises tempts with delectable, nutty praline, but it quickly melts into rose petal jam and that amazing saffron. Gourmandises is alluring but subtle. It almost teases you into demanding a deeper whiff of it because it clings to skin. It smells unique, and memorable. There are times when you want people to notice something in your presence but they can’t put their finger on what it is. It’s a scent like Gourmandises.
ZEGKIT – :
What a wild ride Keiko Mecheri GOURMANDISES is! I would not go so far as to say that it is a novelty scent à la Serge Lutens, but it does offer a range of contrasts, none of which is unpalatable, but none of which beckons me for a full-bottle. I could definitely wear this creation again and enjoyably, but it is so event-like that I would only want to have it around to wear for myself, I think. Although I hasten to add that I can understand how someone might develop an addiction for this scent.
GOURMANDISES opens rather sweetly, with what seems to my nose to be a raspberry jam note. There is always a dark jam fruitiness from start to finish, but the opening is especially fruity and jamlike. What happens next is that the ambrette begins to shine through until at some point it seems to be just as strong as the fruit. This is an eccentric use of ambrette, it seems to me. Certainly it’s nothing like the use of ambrette in perfumes sniffed by me before. I’m thinking of, for example, DelRae MYTHIQUE and Bond no 9 HARRODS ROSE, neither of which is sweet.
Unbelievably enough, by the drydown, this perfume starts to seem downright sexual. Very suggestive. I don’t know how this happened but GOURMANDISES started in the kitchen and ended up in the bedroom!
Mariah_fromAD – :
Funny frag, this. The first time I wore it was at home where the air is…maybe not damp but humid enough, and I thought Gourmandises was kind of nice for such a sweet perfume. I smelled rose and a clear note of raspberry jam. Very yummy.
Now, sitting at work where the air is AC:d to death and so dry it hurts my nose all I get is a cloud of powder and a rose that’s well past its prime, like a week-old bouquet that ought to be thrown in the trash. It makes me think of the basket of dried roses I kept in my room as a teen. Nah.
nant01 – :
I also have problems at the beginning – for me it is too powdery, especially on warmer days (like today so it wasn’t a good choice in the morning). I don’t smell any praline in the perfume, rose and saffron are the leading notes until the woody notes arrive at the end.
It is definitely NOT my favourite KM-fragrance – I have a small amount in an original bottle but I think it will last long for me. But sometimes I like to wear it especially on cold rainy days.
teslakola – :
A very surprising take on rose; a much-needed new spin on an old classic.
The first whiff of Gourmandises was a complete turn off. It was unexpectedly sharp in an acidic or tangy way. All I could think was why would any perfumer believe that this would be a nice way to open a perfume? BTW, it’s not particularly powdery, not enough so that the first accord listed above should be “powdery.”
As time progressed, a fresh, realistic rose appeared. The rose soon became much more sugary than any natural rose could ever smell. I suppose this is where the “gourmand” part kicks in. It reminded me of a delicious rose confiture I brought back from the French Riviera.
Amber develops beautifully in this perfume. It’s quite strong and gives an impression of incense or saffron (as another reviewer mentioned)…or both.
Sometimes I think I smell cannabis (giggle).
This is perhaps the most unique rose perfume I’ve ever encountered. Definitely considering a full bottle and definitely worth the first acrid 10 minutes.
2assassin4 – :
I have to say that I don’t love, but really like this fragrance. On me, it remains rather light and does not affect my nose, which is important since some perfumes burn my nose. The first five minutes smell of nail polish, but airs out to a powdery rose that lasts for several hours. In the first couple hours, the smell of powder transitions to one of a freshly bought rose bouquet with slight hints of jam that are barely noticeable. After several hours, the rose notes dim, giving way to the amber and jam (warm and not too sweet like most fruity fragrances), with hints of musky vanilla. It ends in a lasting vanilla note that is warm and soft, sticking close to the skin. Overall, this is a lovely fragrance that is elegant to be worn by all ages and worth wearing casually on weekends or even special occasions. I also do not find it at all worth the list price of $115, since I already have a signature scent, but it may appeal to those who prefer strong florals rather than body scents.
FeklinDI – :
I just got a large sample of this and I have to say I do not like the initial spray. It’s sweet but not in the way that you would want to smell sweet…almost like some desert that went bad. The dry down is better but I don’t know that I’ll wear it again because the initial smell does seem to linger a bit too long and the dry down isn’t that worth it to wait for it!
alex120366 – :
When I first tried it I was so disappointed and chafed that I was to write a really bed review of it. I felt strong, stinky burst of alcohol, no jasmine, nor rose, nothing from the praline or jam-note – listed by Luckyscent.
So now I have to see that this scent is not as bad as I thought.
The beggining is still very strong and farfetched, syrupy, clammy, and has a bad-Lutens-like-frills, like a spoiled marmalade made by good old Granny, and it takes an hour for the whole juice to carry of the final stage. And than….. It is really like a rose-jam. Not sweet, a bit acidity is swinging back and forth, a bit oldish, it is definitely not my cup of tea, but I can see the meaning of it by now.
And unique. No doubt.
AAA7 – :
This is a nearly edible, rose-inspired fragrance that conjurs up images of rose petals, sprinkled with a generous pinch of sugar. No, it is not nauseatingly syrupy. The spicy, salty saffron offsets the initial sweetness, while musk lends depth to the base. Somehow, the rose manages to stay luminous throughout. It is not really powdery; in fact, it feels fairly creamy. The overall effect is very pleasant. The scent lasts all day on my skin.
NeroN – :
A lovely rose scent lightly accented with vanilla and some other floral and spicy notes, fairly linear throughout, but with the rose dominating toward the end. Fairly strong and long-lasting with medium sillage. This seems like a very feminine fragrance that evokes a romantic bouquet of yellow roses.
pahan1235 – :
It’s an okay fragrance to me… but it comes off a little strong to my nose. It smells of powdery rose at first, which I like. But then something awfully tangy/sweet arises to which I seem to be hypersensitive b/c it kind of hurts my nose. Very sharp smelling and persistent. I let it sit hoping it would develop into something else, but I had to scrub it off after a couple hours because the scent was making me irritable.