I have said which my favourite masculines were from the last years new releases, but not feminines. Pick of the crop for me are Guerlain’s Insolence Eau de Parfum, and Chanel’s No 5 Eau Premiere. Both are wildly beautiful, but for completely different reasons.
Insolence launched back in 2006 as an Eau de Toilette. The problem with the EdT is that it smells of hairspray right away. Making a customer wait about 30 seconds for that to disappear is hard work – I speak from experience. It went from Hairspray, to Parma Violets to Bubblegum, to a very girly Berries and Musk drydown. Insolence in its EdT form is nice.
The Eau de Parfum, on the other hand, is the Berries with other fruits amped up in the top notes – I’m convinced I smell 
Pineapple up top. EdP smells immediately warm, smooth and creamy. The top also gives a tease of Iris and a floral accord. Intensely bright, or radiant, this projects quite a distance. The card I sprayed last week still smells strongly of violets.
The heart notes are both radioactive in intensity (don’t look directly at it!) and incredibly persistent, dry and soft Iris, sweet and rich Vanilla, sugar-coated Violets with dirty and indolic Jasmine lurking in the background.
The Violets are ever-present in Insolence, sat on top of a warm, sensual Musk note. The drydown of Violets, Iris and Tonka remains incredibly brash and ballsy – I believe it’s very much the perfume for a sex kitten.
To me, Insolence EdP is the perfect floral-fruity fragrance. I think it should be the full stop to the genre. Time for the industry to move elsewhere.
Top: Violet, Red Berries
Middle: Violet, Iris
Base: Tonka Bean, Blond Woods, Vanilla, Sandalwood
