Après L'Ondée
Eau de Toilette, Guerlain (1906)

If you're wondering how a perfume can evoke tactile sensations, start with one of the earliest masterclasses in modern perfumery, one of the longest running perfumes currently in existence celebrating its 120th birthday in 2026: Apres L'Ondee. If you're fortunate enough to try the extrait - very, very fortunate - then definitely do so, but if not, like most of us, the EdT offers the lesson in impeccable form. "After the Rain Shower" has this beautiful tactile effect of smelling wet. Place a couple sprays on your skin, dive right in with your nose, and smell what can only be described as a wet flowerbed after a rain shower. Or, perhaps wet skin after a wash with a gentle floral soap. There is very little that could be perceived as musk in Apres L'Ondee, so wet skin is not exactly a great description, but a wet flowerbed also gives the impression that Apres L'Ondee is maybe a petrichor perfume, which it also is not; there is no earthiness/soil/forest accord to be found here either. Masterfully executed blending of high-quality materials evoking violets, carnations, and cassis are responsible for this effect. Nestled on a bed of silky-smooth iris and very, very gentle and dry vanilla, there is sweetness to Apres L'Ondee that doesn't immediately call-to-mind sugar or other typical sweetness. To reuse sort-of inaccurate descriptors again, earthiness or petrichor comes to mind when describing this sweetness, like you are smelling the "sugars" released from flowers and the flowerbed after a good rain shower. I sprayed this on myself before going to work one early and dark morning, and, of course, ended up sitting still in California traffic for nearly 20 minutes. So I took that time to reacquaint myself with Apres L'Ondee, taking deep sniffs off my arms and hands while sitting in my car. Normally, sitting on a highway would cause me to get frustrated and stressed out, but I believe it is physically and psychologically impossible to feel stressed while actively breathing-in Apres L'Ondee. Sitting there in the dark of my comfortable car, slowly watching the sun begin to peak over the horizon and release its colors of pink, blue, and gold, smooth jazz playing on the radio, I could've had a blissful nap right-then-and-there. Just as the name suggests, "After the Rain Shower," it's washed something away (any form of stress or tension). Some people aren't going to like this perfume, mainly because those few are going to get too much old-school/vintage powderiness making them think of a grandmother, or something. That's understandable. But, if one can get past ageist bias of judging a perfume by dating it - yes, it's old, but it's been around for 120 years for a good reason - I think they will find the feelings of serenity I always get from Apres L'Ondee.

Les Legendairres- This is a beautiful violet powdery scent. I am so happy to have added this to my collection. I have nothing else like it. I own l’heure bleue and this is completely different. No melancholy just beautiful violet powder with a hint of anise (licorice). Not too sweet. Just a masterful perfume.

I smiled the first time I smelled this. I always liked the idea of a very french interpretation of violet but could never find one that was not childish or cloyingly sweet. This is young but elegant , clean but not naive . Powdery with fresh waves of green violet keeping it alive
Just beautiful. For days you want to be discreet but not unseen

Après l'ondée was described in so many ways and the notes breakdown detailed hundeeds of times.
It's one of the rarest perfumes that i don't want to analyze, i just feel it, l'heurebleu gives me that feeling too.

Apres L'Ondee is an experiential fragrance. It is an atmosphere, ambience. It was never meant as a vehicle for grabbing attention and making a grandiose statement. I can't speak for previous formulations and therefore cannot pine over how much more beautiful it may have once been. I just have this bottle, and it's more than beautiful enough for me. Moreover, the base lasts on my skin for several hours; perhaps I'm lucky.

As I apply this to my skin, my emotions are awash with nostalgia, distant echoes of the past. I am reminded of those moments in life where you just come to terms. Grief, impermanence, passages of time that shape and age and cause all that is vibrant to fade one day. This may all sound depressing to those who resist bluer feelings; but for those who embrace them as the fulcrum of life's rich pageant, they drive us to appreciate the joy that we know inevitably comes and goes. We have visual art and film that remind us of this and that nourish our soul, why not a fragrance? There are only a handful that come to mind, and Apres L'Ondee is one of them.

The many melancholic shades conveyed by the assemblage of iris, violet, heliotrope and mimosa as they sing a solemn, sweet chorus—the volume fades ever so slowly and lulls you. It's as if the dry down was imbued with raindrops slowly evaporating on spring flowers.
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Today is mostly cloudy, with slivers of sunlight. As I write this, I am about to reapply Apres L'Ondee and go for a walk, and just be present moment by moment with this scent, and I will reflect.

This is a very beautiful, light fragrance. I had to use the whole 1/2 ml sample to smell it. If I could afford the vintage edp I would get that.