Guimauve de Nöel / 31 – cheerful and cozy and comforting

Photo: perfumeniche

When I was in Paris last summer, the first perfume shop I visited was Parle Moi De Parfum. This French indie line was launched in 2016 by Benjamin and Romain Almairac, sons of renowned perfumer Michel Almairac, who created iconic fragrances Fahrenheit for Dior and Gucci Rush for Gucci. They started the line as a tribute to their father’s dream of creating his own exclusive fragrances.

I’m drawn to perfume lines that are personal, and the olfactory stories Michel Almairac creates for Parle Moi De Parfum speak to me on a deep level.

When I dropped by the shop that day, I wasn’t looking for any specific fragrance; I just wanted to reconnect with the line. I struck up a conversation with a sales assistant and asked her what their most popular fragrance was. She handed me a bottle of Guimauve de Nöel / 31. I paused for a moment. ‘Guimauve de Nöel’ translates into ‘Christmas Marshmallow’. I looked out the window at the hot summer sun beating down on the pavement outside. I looked back at the label on the bottle. I looked up at her, and she looked back at me and said, ‘C’est vrai.’ Hmmm. I spritzed, I sniffed, I swooned. I got it.

Michel Almairac was born and raised in Grasse, and I find a thread of Provence runs through the fragrances he creates for Parle Moi De Parfum.

Guimauve de Nöel / 31 was inspired by Amairic’s childhood memories of Christmas celebrations: the wonder, the laughter, the family gatherings, the seasonal foods like fougassette, a slightly sweet brioche flavored with orange flower water, that’s part of Provençal Christmas traditions and treats Guimauve de Nöel.

Guimauve de Nöel / 31 is built around three main notes: orange blossom, vanilla, and sugar. It opens with the nose-tingling note of a bright, effervescent orange blossom tinged with a flick of green that creates excitement and anticipation. A note of vanilla joins the orange blossom. The vanilla has a caramel-tinged sweetness, giving Guimauve de Nöel / 31 warmth and depth. There’s a contrast between the indolic orange blossom and the creamy vanilla that I find compelling. A note of licorice adds a gentle, spicy warmth and slight sweetness to the composition. A puff of powdered sugar settles on the orange blossom/vanilla accord, gently sweetening it without making it sickly sweet. What stands out to me is the lightness and pillowiness that Guimauve de Nöel / 31 has. North American marshmallows are dense and heavy, but the French put egg whites in their marshmallows so they’re fluffy and airy.

Guimauve de Nöel / 31 dries down to a cheerful, cozy, comforting fragrance that’s floral and subtly spicy, sweet but not cloying. Michel Almairac’s signature minimalism gives Guimauve de Nöel / 31 a tender, romantic elegance.

Guimauve de Nöel / 31 doesn’t smell like ‘Christmas,’ certainly not Christmas in Toronto. What it is is an olfactory Madeleine de Proust that triggers comforting childhood memories of innocence, happiness, and life without care.  

I love to wear it any time of the year.

Check out Guimauve de Nöel / 31 in our Shop.