Annick Goutal’s Songes (2006)

© Victor Wong

Are dreams an extension of physical reality? After all, no one but you have experienced your own dreams. If one says, “I dreamt of you yesterday night”, it could be the sweetest thing to tell or the best lie ever as there are definitely no witnesses.

I only remember my nightmares, or some “ridiculous” dreams, but never a sweet dream. Not too sure if I have had any sweet dreams at all. That is why Annick Goutal’s Songes (“Dreams”) is such an irony – if it were a manifestation of a dream, it would be a wonderful sweet dream and anyone can experience your dream in public.

Songes is my first Annick Goutal perfume. I never sought them out, because the packaging didn’t appeal to me. They looked like spice bottles with tiny plain-looking labels, and all the spices have the same colour, light yellow. (Yes, I like Le Labo’s, don’t ask me why.) Until recently, my local department store has started carrying them and I finally got the chance to smell her creations. Songes was love at first sniff.

With Jasmine, yang, frangipani, Tiare gardenia, and vanilla, you can almost see a fume cloud of sweet white floral pulsating. It is also like one of those bridal photos in which you can see a group of bridesmaids in white smiling and giggling. But these bridesmaids are big ladies, so go easy with the sprayer or it will be like telling them there’s free cake in a small room, and they are staying in there for at least 12 hours.

Songes is not completely linear, a few hours later, the dry down reveals a little bit of woodiness, but overall, it’s a lovely scent with super longevity and sillage.