Our take
What does Liu smell like?
Jacques Guerlain created Liu in 1929. He named it after Liù, the young servant girl in Puccini's opera Turandot. Aldehydes open the perfume with a powdery, soapy sparkle, softened by bergamot and neroli. It smells like silk fresh off the ironing board. Rose and jasmine share the heart. Both flowers stay blurred inside that aldehydic halo and never turn heady. The drydown is where it smells most like a Guerlain. Vanilla settles on woody notes and a powdery iris that leaves the skin feeling very soft. Today Liu is sold as an eau de parfum in the Les Parisiennes collection, in the bee bottle. Comparisons with Chanel N°5 from 1921 are unavoidable. Liu comes across darker and more vanillic, and less fizzy too. It remains an insider's perfume, little known outside Guerlain boutiques.
When to wear it
Wear it on a winter evening or a night at the theatre, with two sprays on the back of the neck. It performs better on lightly moisturised skin.
It belongs to the Floral, Powdery family. Liu is one of 89 creations by Guerlain in our encyclopedia.
