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.