PIERRE GUILLAUME
19 LOUANGES PROFANES
2008
PERFUMER
Pierre Guillaume
neroli
incense
white lily
benzoin
patchouli
guaiac wood
‘A night of love with an angel…. An immaculate amber Floral, luminous and pure. sensual olfactory prayer written in the ink of six religious symbolisms. In the Renaissance, “louange profane” (profane praise) meant the cry of the female orgasm.’ – Pierre Guillaume
I got interested in Louanges Profanes, because many people compared it to Lancome Poeme. Many people also say they are not alike and the second group is the correct one. Yet, this is quite a lovely fragrance.
Louanges Profanes is my first real dive into a Pierre Guillaume, having only smelled them in store before. This is a lush floral scent with a lot of sweetness and a smoky edge. I was instantly reminded of the sweet gardenia from Tauer’s Sotta La Luna Gardenia when I first sprayed Louanges Profanes.
What sets this apart is the smokiness from the incense. It’s not an overly heavy scent, but it does have a hint of smoke, a hint of band-aid, more than a hint of honey-like sweetness and a lot of vibrant, but light florals. Texture wise it’s partially airy and milky, but there’s a certain dryness to it, this especially reminds me of the ‘dustiness’ I got from the aforementioned Tauer.
Sidenote: As far as comparing it to Poeme goes (which is a fragrance I love, but I’ve recently only tried a vintage). It has an overlap in being a honeyed floral, but that’s about as far as I’d go. The sweetness, the florals and the overall vibe all are quite different to me and I wouldn’t have made the connection at all, hadn’t I read it before.