État de Grace by Grès

A light amber, perfect for those taking their first steps with this fascinating note. Just to clarify, there are major differences in density, intensity, and body between État de Grace and Ambre Sultan; the Lutens version is on another level. Regardless, it’s a warm and comforting scent. It starts fleeting with bergamot, rose, subtle violets, rosemary, cinnamon, amber, and tonka, moving toward a tranquil base of slightly sweet spices, patchouli, cedar, labdanum, and vanilla. The result is creamy and balsamic, with finely interwoven ingredients where nothing bothers but nothing dominates either. There are interesting contrasts between the sour and delicately sweet that fit perfectly. It’s a perfume with winter notes and warmth, but its lightness makes it valid for cool spring-summer evenings. And with a price that’s a steal if you shop around.

This is a fresh, wearable amber perfume. It’s not too sweet or heavy and is totally unisex. At the start, the stars are rosemary and cinnamon, making it very aromatic. This opening sets it apart from Grand Soir by MFK, which it’s often compared to; it resembles Grand Soir more in the dry-down when its amber base shines through. As for other differences, État de Grace is lighter, projects less, and has slightly shorter longevity. On my skin, it has moderate-to-soft projection and lasts about 10 hours, staying close to the skin after the first 4-5 hours. Like the rest of Grès’s exclusive line, I’ve really liked it and think it has great value. Scent 7/10, Longevity 10/10, Sillage 5.5/10, Value 7/10, Packaging 7.5/10. Would I buy it again? No, I didn’t.

I’ve always loved Grès; I notice that quality and distinction, with good raw materials and well-crafted creations. I bought this fragrance trusting the brand, seeing the notes, and intuiting they might appeal to me (I’m very open to scents), a doubtful blind buy that turned out to be pleasant in the end. On my skin, it develops very similarly to the lovely Shalimar; I was hoping for a perfume like that: special, sophisticated, yet wearable, and elegant for any occasion. On me, it’s been somewhat linear from start to finish; although the intensity fades over time, the dry-down is discreet but with a signature, an oriental amber that could be a signature scent. I don’t notice the expected freshness from rosemary and bergamot as such, however, the cinnamon, rose, and amber are beautifully worked, which helps it be a warm embrace without being overwhelming. The first one I had was ‘Fruit de la Créativité,’ which was nice, but it didn’t quite intoxicate me. After buying those two, I acquired ‘État de Grace,’ another wonderful surprise that deserves a review. This line from Grès shows a desire to pivot the brand, which for years drifted into florals with ‘Cabotine,’ and of course, you can’t miss its powerful ‘Cabochard,’ the classic hallmark of this wonderful house. The bottle and packaging are careful, without flashiness, minimalist, with simple lines but marking elegance, cleanliness, and style; I’d say it’s like Chanel in its bottles, elegance without bling. I’m a huge fan of Lalique (not just their perfumes), and their presence is noticeable in these bottles. If you can give the whole line a chance, do it; they’re worth it; their price is ridiculous for the quality, and believe me, they’re very much in the realm of niche. Maybe the longevity isn’t 24 hours like a true artisan, but it’s about 8 hours on my skin, which isn’t bad at all. Marvelous!

At first, it smells like a vintage chypre, herbal and unisex floral, then a majestic rose with cinnamon and the herbal touch of rosemary, all wrapped in a sweet, warm amber. The patchouli is perfectly balanced. I can’t believe I got it for 23,000 Chilean pesos; if they hadn’t told me it was Gres, I’d pass it off as niche. Great for cold days and fresh nights, moderate projection, and acceptable longevity. Update: I bought a decant of Grand Soir and a bottle. They are similar, but at the start, Gres with cinnamon-rosemary-rose is sharper and sweeter, while Grand Soir is vanilla-forward. After 3 hours, they’re 90% alike.

Most reviews and votes agree that it starts with the combo ‘amber, cinnamon, and labdanum,’ which I don’t get at all 🤷🤷. Instead, what comes out in a flood is the rosemary, and at 10 minutes, the bergamot. It’s that rosemary note that reminds me a lot of V&R Spicebomb, which I’m fascinated by 💖🥰🥰💖. It smells a bit incensey to me, which melts me and has conquered me. Now I do use it with this heat; I’m not dead if I wear it to go out, but I’ll wait for the cold to enjoy it to the fullest. EDIT 1: In the cold, it smells horrible, disgusting, I hate it… if anyone wants it, I’d happily donate it (words said at random without emphasis and on the first try). EDIT 2.0: After using it for quite some time and giving it several chances in different climates, I can say that indeed it’s a difficult, uncommon, and extraordinary scent. Definitely, you need to arm yourself with patience to enjoy it after a few attempts.

In the first few minutes, I perceive something I’d call a chypre scent from those years, some vintage herbal and floral chords, giving way to a majestic rose with cinnamon, with that herbal note that must be rosemary coming through, and finally wrapped by a warm and sweet amber in its dry-down. I feel the patchouli in just the right measure; it doesn’t overpower anything. I can’t believe this came to me for 23,000 Chilean pesos; if they didn’t tell me it was Grès, this perfume would pass for niche. For cold days and cool nights, moderate projection, and very acceptable longevity for its price. A comparison with Grand Soir is pending; I’ll buy a decant because I urgently need to know if they’re really similar. Update: I bought a decant of Grand Soir, a few months passed, and I decided to get the bottle. Yes, they’re similar, but at least in the first few hours, this Grès has the cinnamon-rosemary-rose combo making the distinction, turning it a bit sharper and also sweeter, syrupy, while the sweetness of Grand Soir comes entirely from its amber-vanilla phase. However, after 3 hours of wear, they’re 90% alike.

I still don’t know if I like it. I can say the price-quality ratio is fantastic because, yes, I clearly know it’s a quality fragrance. Its opening is nice; it’s refreshing and floral (mentholated?), but that sensation is very brief, almost immediately changing to a scent that reminds me of tobacco and lasts a long time, about 2 or 3 hours. Finally, on my skin, it feels sweet, sweet cinnamon. That’s my favorite part of this fragrance, but I have to wait a long time to enjoy it, which is what doesn’t fully convince me. On my husband, it feels like a fantastic, elegant, delicious scent, but he doesn’t like it because he prefers marine and fresh scents. He says he’d only use it for some nighttime event. It’s an excellent fragrance, but difficult for me. I’ll keep trying, because it’s very worth it. Longevity: minimum 8 hours.

A perfume bomb with unique aromas, top-tier quality. Here you have an opening of roasted cinnamon and tonka bean together over a slow fire, very exquisite, forming a medium spicy, gummy, somewhat light, sweet but darker and more aromatic scent. It brought to mind Thierry Mugler Pure Tonka in its dry-down facet and Zara Tonka Wood, thereabouts. The queen here is that half-roasted Haba Tonka with cinnamon, unisex, playing with patchouli and rose, which here clearly doesn’t seem 100% red, more rather soft with fruity tones, very unisex. And well, some ingredients listed in the description come and go, but the strong points would be cinnamon, Haba Tonka, patchouli, rose notes, some touch that could be said to be some wood that had been in the fire, and it leaves that resinous, smoky, soft sweet scent. I consider the fragrance more for somewhat fresh or cold days. Rating 1 to 10: Quality 9.5, Unisex YES, Longevity 9.5, Box 9.8 (very similar to Chanel packaging, elegant), Bottle 7 (I think it lacked more glamour here), Sillage 9.5, Hours on skin according to PH: easily 12 hours and it’s still there after a shower.