Le Parfum Elie Saab 2013 Eau de Parfum Intense

You need to like orange blossom and honey in order to enjoy this perfume. "Elie S. Intense" (not very different from the original regular "Elie Saab") is a strong and extremely synthetic orange blossom scent that seems to appeal to many people. Since a purely orange flower fragrance would have been too sharp, "Le Parfum Intense" throws in loads of sweet heady "rose honey" (i.e. the artificial version of it) and adds a massive, again artificial patchouli note, resulting in a loud and penetrating fragrance. It landed on my skin today and burst into my unprepared nostrils. Since it is extremely cloying, I found it difficult to scrub off. Not a "pensive" perfume, "Elie Saab" was born to party. But I'm averse to its style.

Among the typical scents you find at the mall, Elie Saab scents are right in the middle between the sugarbombs of regular department stores and the haughty niches from high-end boutiques. This is due to the parfumeur Kurkdjian and his incredible skill. Though I disliked his new Pluriel releases, he has impressed me countless other times.

The ES parfum and parfum intense are excellent scents that display his talent in the mainstream market. I like both but the intense version is more appropriate for winter as it is a bit more syrupy and dark. Though I don't like orange blossom, the way it has been treated with honey here works for me and the amber drydown is very pleasant.

It is extremely sweet and so should be used sparingly, applied to the lower abdomen for a waft of scent to rise up once in a while. The staying power is fair and the sillage is good. I especially like the bottle as it is heavy glass and looks like some perfume bottles from the past. This is a safe bet that most will find appealing and I recommend it.

To me, this is the better Le Parfum. What a shame that it got discontinued. The original is a beautiful scent, but turns too sharp on my skin. The Intense is similar, but warmer, and has just a pinch of pleasant sharpness to cut through all the sweet and heavy notes.

Like the original, the main note in this is a very bubblegummy orange blossom. It's not light and airy, it's ripe and sweet, but doesn't cross the line to decaying. Patchouli acts as a contrasting note here, it's a clean and fresh patch that comes across a little sharp and even cold. But the base is all warm, full of delicious rose honey and amber. I don't always like honey notes in perfume, but this is a good one. It really smells like rose honey, it's hard to pinpoint where the rose begins and the honey ends.

This is a gorgeous, multilayered scent experience. It has that classic floriental "real perfume" vibe without feeling stuffy or dated. Many orange blossom fragrances only bloom on warm days in my opinion, but this is opulent enough for nighttime wear and the colder seasons.

The orange blossom is the shining star in this fragrance. It really works well here. They've blended it so beautifully with the other notes and yet, somehow, the orange blossom remains the jewel in the crown.

The scent has a classic feel thanks to the orange blossom, rose and amber. A modern edge thanks to the honey which also gives it a touch of sweetness (I'd call it a "kiss" of honey.) A little playfulness with the patchouli and ylang-ylang. One side of this triangle does not outshine the other and that's exactly why I love this so much. It has composure.

This could have been a sloppy mess if the orange blossom made this perfume feel claustrophobic or if the honey made it cloying from being too sweet or if the patchouli was headache inducing. I've certainly had issues with these notes in other scents which is why I appreciate this one that much more.

I wonder a little why only 31 people own this beautiful orange blossom fragrance. But on the other hand, this scent cannot always be worn by everyone.
I was somewhat overwhelmed by these Elie Saab fragrances.
It all started in 2011 with the regular Elie Saab Le Parfum, EdP. Yes, quite nice, a bit piercing, but definitely not cheap or ordinary.
In 2012, the EdT followed, also quite nice, but a bit piercing as well, yet still fine and well done.
Then in 2013 came Le Parfum Intense, with a very warm orange blossom, not piercing and very warm.
And finally, in 2014, Elie Saab L'Eau Couture followed, which I absolutely had to have. However, I couldn't quite connect with this lighter variant, as the whole orange blossom theme was also tinged with a very artificial note.

So I had already written off the Elie Saab theme until I kept coming across the Intense variant.
And this one ultimately managed to convince me. Here, the orange blossom, which initially comes off a bit fresh, is very warmly combined with rose honey. It creates a very creamy-soft, almost gentle orange blossom that hits me right in the heart.
Later, when amber and patchouli join in, the sweetness of this fragrance diminishes, and the risk of headaches decreases. I can imagine that for some, this scent might be too much. I find it just right.

Elie Saab Le Parfum Intense is a special fragrance, the most beautiful in this series and also the longest lasting. Unfortunately, these trivial, often very expensive new releases from other brands cannot keep up.

I feel very comfortable with this beautiful scent, but Le Parfum Intense is not suitable for every day, rather for evenings or special occasions.