Cardamom
Clove
Patchouli
Vanilla
Heliotrope
Liquorice
Ylang-ylang
Gardenia
Mandarin orange
Mango
01/19/2012
Sherapop
1239 Reviews
Sherapop
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11
A Herd of Supremely Well-scented Elephants
Kenzo Jungle L'Eléphant is such a spectacular creation that I can only regard the fact that it has been discontinued as yet more evidence that there is something seriously awry with the universe. Thank goodness I acquired a bottle, though I must admit that it was an act of faith based only on my knowledge of the perfumer's name: Dominique Ropion.
This perfume is nearly entirely oriental--not very floral at all, and also not very sweet. It packs a punch of spices which, if overapplied, might well knock the wearer and those in her environs out. Not that this creation cannot be worn by men--I find it completely unisex and surmise that it would have had a longer, more successful market life had it been presented in that way. Instead, men were steered away from this fabulous composition by fears, no doubt, that it might be more along the lines of Ropion's Givenchy Amarige--also a loud perfume but very feminine, it seems to me.
There are prerequisites to wearing this perfume. First, one must love cardamom, because that note perfuses the entire composition. Second, one must have a hearty appreciation for spices more generally, as they do abound. However, I hasten to add that this is very far from the "spice-cabinet" perfumes which basically dump a bunch of n'importe quoi together and hope that somehow it will work out.
Instead, the perfumer has woven the spices into the woody-patchouli-amber-vanilla base, each of the elements of which is complementary to the others, and none of which dominates. As a result, one does not have the sense that this is a patchouli perfume or an amber perfume or a vanilla perfume. No, this is the sui generis creation Jungle L'Eléphant. Cumin and vanilla are two of the most obvious and readily identifiable notes to my nose, and yet here they are not independently detectable, so skillfully is this composition blended.
This creation begins strong and grows massively over the course of a wear, as though the elephant decided to reproduce and gave birth to an entire herd. For this reason, modest application is highly advised. Even then, such a voluminous perfume may be best reserved for private settings. It is unclear to me that it is even possible to wear L'Eléphant discreetly, and it certainly will not work in a perfume-police monitored setting.
To my nose, Jungle L'Eléphant is an olfactory neighbor of Bond no. 9 Chinatown, which also packs a big punch of cardamom in a textured mesh of other oriental notes. However, rather than becoming floral, this Kenzo creation remains a strictly oriental affair, albeit an equally arresting one to my nose.
I am delighted that my large bottle will last until the end of my natural life since it appears to contain a very strong eau de parfum, verging on pure parfum.
This perfume is nearly entirely oriental--not very floral at all, and also not very sweet. It packs a punch of spices which, if overapplied, might well knock the wearer and those in her environs out. Not that this creation cannot be worn by men--I find it completely unisex and surmise that it would have had a longer, more successful market life had it been presented in that way. Instead, men were steered away from this fabulous composition by fears, no doubt, that it might be more along the lines of Ropion's Givenchy Amarige--also a loud perfume but very feminine, it seems to me.
There are prerequisites to wearing this perfume. First, one must love cardamom, because that note perfuses the entire composition. Second, one must have a hearty appreciation for spices more generally, as they do abound. However, I hasten to add that this is very far from the "spice-cabinet" perfumes which basically dump a bunch of n'importe quoi together and hope that somehow it will work out.
Instead, the perfumer has woven the spices into the woody-patchouli-amber-vanilla base, each of the elements of which is complementary to the others, and none of which dominates. As a result, one does not have the sense that this is a patchouli perfume or an amber perfume or a vanilla perfume. No, this is the sui generis creation Jungle L'Eléphant. Cumin and vanilla are two of the most obvious and readily identifiable notes to my nose, and yet here they are not independently detectable, so skillfully is this composition blended.
This creation begins strong and grows massively over the course of a wear, as though the elephant decided to reproduce and gave birth to an entire herd. For this reason, modest application is highly advised. Even then, such a voluminous perfume may be best reserved for private settings. It is unclear to me that it is even possible to wear L'Eléphant discreetly, and it certainly will not work in a perfume-police monitored setting.
To my nose, Jungle L'Eléphant is an olfactory neighbor of Bond no. 9 Chinatown, which also packs a big punch of cardamom in a textured mesh of other oriental notes. However, rather than becoming floral, this Kenzo creation remains a strictly oriental affair, albeit an equally arresting one to my nose.
I am delighted that my large bottle will last until the end of my natural life since it appears to contain a very strong eau de parfum, verging on pure parfum.
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