Desired Élisire 2017

Finally, the time has come. Elisire presents its two new fragrances. Desired and Oderose! They dance out of line. Or maybe not. When looking at the Elisire collection, it originally consisted of five prismatic fragrances presented in equally prismatic bottles. All the fragrances have this translucent aspect, as do the bottles, and they refer to the wonderful color world of nature, which serves as inspiration for Franck Salzwedel, both for his art and his perfumes. Normally, I am not very interested in the concepts of perfume houses, but this one fascinated me greatly, as it spoke to me personally and was so coherent, so natural.

Desired and Oderose are loaded fragrances, dense and thematically different from the original Elisire collection. However, they fit perfectly on the vertical level into the Elisire world. The bottles are minimalist in design, very aptly colored to match the creations.

Desire, Poudre Desir, Elisire. Word plays of sensuality. And Desire is the epitome of sensuality.
I repeatedly emphasize how much I despise amber, and I do so in most cases, where almost every amber fragrance feels the same in its cardboard-like quality, sweetness, and heaviness, threatening to suffocate you. But then there are exceptions like Ambre Nomade, which is of course quite different from Desire, but is indeed one of the special kind.

Now enough of the foreplay! Desire is pure Desire. Pure gold. A burning sunset in autumn. An elegant sexiness. Noble like a silk dress and dense like a fur stole, but not heavy. It plays with many different facets. Has a wonderful development. And you feel surrounded by a golden aura.
The opening is a dream. Very unusual. An ambered floral note that I have never smelled in this combination before. Irresistibly beautiful, unfortunately too short. What follows is amber in interplay with oud and cedarwood. You can hardly distinguish the notes individually. They are finely woven together. The whole is accompanied by a moderately sweet vanilla, which is used in such a way that it never crosses the line that pulls an amber fragrance into the sticky territory. Instead of the typical heaviness of an amber fragrance, there is a dry, woody smokiness here. Again, very fine.

And just when you expect nothing extraordinary anymore and everything is nice enough, suddenly a solo of cumin pops up. Like a solo flute performance at a concert. Unexpected but then spectacular. And while cumin can become slightly annoying in perfume compositions, just like the flute in a concert, here it is a highly interesting addition and so potent that it excites me. But just as suddenly as it appears, it disappears again.

What remains is a beautiful cozy cashmere blanket that wraps you up and makes you sigh. Quietly and for a long time surrounded by a golden aura. Those who know Iris Fauve will recognize this feeling again.
And although I have silk robes in my mind's eye, the fragrance is perfectly suitable for both genders.
The sillage is already significantly stronger than that of the previous Elisire fragrances, but it is never too loud, which I personally appreciate. Longevity is very good.

Both new fragrances were created by Philippine Courtiere, a young perfumer who is considered a rising star in the perfumer world.

Earlier this year, I discovered Elisire, and it remains my discovery of the year.

Jasmine, the mysterious, strong, extraordinarily beautiful sorceress.

Jasmine enchants, Jasmine captivates, Jasmine charms with just her presence.
Her aura is so mysterious, so strong, so dark, so intoxicating, so sexy.
One has no chance of escaping her. And that is exactly how Jasmine wants it.
Wherever she appears, all eyes are surely on her. Every gaze rests upon her. She visibly enjoys it.

As a perfume, she always uses a brew of Jasmine Sambac, Oud with fine threads of patchouli, a pinch of cardamom, clove, and cumin, strong coffee, the finest vanilla, twigs of cedar, and sweet tonka beans.
Sweet, dark, rich, strong, and full of depth is this magic.
With full dedication, she devotes herself to preparing her secret weapon, ensuring it lasts all day.
She knows this scent captivates everyone, young and old.
Not that she needs it. She is a beautiful woman, well-shaped, with elfin features.
She wears only two colors. Her colors - black and deep dark red.
Black hair, long black eyelashes, eyes as blue as the sea. A black, floor-length skirt, a short black jacket with a ruby-red, lined collar. A red shirt made of the finest linen. Around her neck, a black velvet ribbon adorned with a brilliant-studded obsidian star. Every movement she makes is so full of grace; she is simply enchanting.

Jasmine carries her scent with ease, with pride. Anyone else would need special courage to take it on.
The aura is so deep, so strong, so mysterious and dark, that an unworthy person would drown in it. They would lose themselves.
But Jasmine is only 100% herself because of it. A confident, strong woman.

**
Attentive readers have now noticed that this fragrance description is almost 1 to 1 the same as that of "Portraits - The Bewitching Yasmine | Penhaligon's." That's true.
The Desired is so incredibly similar to "Portraits - The Bewitching Yasmine | Penhaligon's" that the description simply fits here as well by 95% (the ingredients of the perfume have been added). Please forgive me.
Penhaligon's is already very expensive, but Desired takes it to a whole new level.
So I will stick with Penhaligon's.

The fragrance initially hits you with a very dominant, boozy-spicy note that almost has a brutal quality. This note quickly reveals itself as a strong saffron that, when paired with oud and labdanum, forms a dark, resinous mass that tries to pour itself over everything in its path like heavy, sticky crude oil. Accompanying this is a delicate, shyly blooming oriental-floral note that peeks out from the background time and again. The contrast between the brutal dominance and gentle sweetness, which encounter each other in such close, dense space, is fascinating. They initially seem unable to find harmony, dancing around each other like a whipping sandstorm in the Arabian desert, swirling the elements and allowing them to orbit one another. This creates a very dense, dark, mysterious, and sexy atmosphere. And as improbable as it seemed at first, gradually a spark of hope glimmers through that the seemingly opposing notes might still find a way to unite and become one. And so it happens. After about an hour, the floral notes, with the help of vanilla, tonka bean, and amber, increasingly manage to tame the wild saffron, oud, and labdanum, eventually enveloping them completely and merging in the drydown into a wonderfully creamy, spicy-sweet vanilla milk that radiates a strong sensuality and lasts for about 7 hours.

The storm has calmed, the dark clouds have passed.
The white tents can be set up for the night, and lying among the velvety cushions, one can enjoy the view of a bright sky wrapped in gentle pastel colors after the tumultuous journey through the storm.

The Desired...
My first thought when I sprayed it was: "Wow, what kind of dentist note is hitting me?"
However, this note fades away very quickly.
After that, it feels warm, ambered with a subtle sweetness.
And I think I perceive a slight resinous note.
It becomes warmer as it develops. For the cold season, it is a beautiful perfume that is also very well-suited for us women.
I am really impressed with the little 30 ml bottle. But it comes with a hefty price tag.
Therefore, I will use it sparingly and enjoy it.
Pure sensuality!!!!

Desired is undoubtedly an oriental fragrance. It has everything one needs in abundant measure and remarkable composition. The first spray immediately makes me think of Christmas cookies. The clove is strong, swirling a bit with the bergamot in the nose, closely followed by a heavily laden saffron butter. The swirling subsides somewhat, and a dark rose, just on the verge of wilting, takes you into its velvety arms. It continues in a multi-layered manner. Saffron, clove, and the fading rose form a pact that is not beneficial for any of the three involved. The cedar now clearly steps forward, and although I greatly appreciate woody notes, extracts from this type of tree have always struck me as rather penetrating. The oud plays a damp, grave-like daydream, and the notes spin around like dervishes in a circle. This goes on for about 2-3 hours until finally vanilla and amber bring a bit more calm and warmth to the intense activity. The dry down is truly the best part of this fragrance. The top and heart notes are, in my opinion, completely overloaded and marked by partly unbalanced or poorly harmonized notes. The saffron-clove-bergamot mix quickly gives me a headache. And the subsequent rose-cedar mixture hits me directly in the stomach. A truly original approach that seeks a way out of the "classic" orientals and forges its own path. I tried to use it as a room fragrance, and after half an hour, I had to throw open the windows to let some air in. Forever!