Perfume Review: YvesSaintLaurent Elle (EdP and EdT double-review)

A 90ml (3oz) bottle of Elle.
Special thanks 
to MyBeautySpot
for image.

Review based on wrist and card samples from tester bottles.

Target Gender: Female; Price Bracket (Aus): Medium-High ($140+ for EDT, $160+ for EDP). Type: Floral/Fruity/Spicy. YSL Beauty is a brand of L'Oreal.

Elle (2007) (French for "She") is the brainchild of Olivier Cresp and Jacques Cavallier, who have an impressive portfolio of scents to their credit, both individually and collaboratively. Between them, they're responsible for fragrances like Magnifique (Lancome), the near-legendary Bvlgari Aqva (Bvlgari), L'Eau De Issey (Issey Miyake), and a fair few more. Obviously, my expectations were high approaching Elle.

(Special thanks to MyBeautySpot for permission to photograph the bottle on their premises, and providing a number of samples on card and wrist. Also, thanks to YSL at David Jones)

Elle (the EdP) opens with a burst of fresh fruit, which is quite mellow and not synthetic or very sweet. Right off the bat, the coldness of patchouli is evident, although the top is a nicely done medley of just a hint of citrus, and a white floral to go along with the lychee. Even though YSL says it's got peony, it's not very discernible. The most prominent notes at the top are Lychee and patchouli. Both the lychee and patchouli feel quite natural, and dont have the synthetic hippie-shop or candy-floss feel.

The middle is where it gets interesting. The patchouli gets a bit toned down, the pink pepper really shines here, and a mixture of florals starts becoming more obvious. There's hints of jasmine, the sweetness of rose, and the green, slightly peppery freesia which accentuates the pink pepper. The middle retains patchouli's cold undertone.

The base also retains patchouli, but gets somewhat musky. However this is not pure musk like what Parisienne L'Essentiel carries (the perfume pyramid says ambrette). The key feature of the base is vetiver though. The slightly smoky, musty and slightly damp woody feeling of a good vetiver note is quite a nice touch here. The base also gets a bit of dry wood in it. But I would reiterate...in between the dance that vetiver and ambrette do while holding hands around the wood, patchouli is still a definitive note.

The EdP and EdT are broadly similar, but they're not exact analogues of each other. The EdT has much less patchouli, the dominant notes being pink pepper and freesia instead. The top doesn't have much lychee either; it's a white floral (peony) with a hint of citrus. The middle gets easily discernible jasmine, and the bottom has noticeable muskiness and vetiver in it. The key difference to me between the two is the lessening of the patchouli, removal of the lychee, and more prominence for freesia and pink pepper.

Elle is not meant to be, and does not feel like an intimate scent. It doesn't have a suggestive vibe, and the ads made no effort to that effect either. The fluid is not vividly coloured, but excessive doses can get overwhelming because of the substantial amounts of patchouli, and the pepper and vetiver, which can get slightly cloying if over-done.

The EdP (90ml/3oz bottle)

Longevity and Projection/Sillage are both very good for the respective concentrations. Wrist samples of the EdP lasted about 7 hours on my hands, and the projection is well beyond arm's length. This is a strong scent, and will be quite noticeable when worn. The EdT took about 4-odd hours to wear off to a point where it was a skin scent, and projects to about arms' length.

The design of the bottle follows the very feminine, youthful design language, being  tall, vividly coloured and ornately decorated with a large golden plate with the YSL logo cut out.Visually, this fragrance has one of the prettiest bottles I've seen in a long time. 

My Recommendation? It's a very elegant, rather young fragrance, but at the same time it is sharp, loud and noticeable, especially the EdP. I recommend it whole-heartedly, but not as a blind buy. It is another scent I think should be given a proper test on skin before making the decision to buy. This is a versatile, all-weather, all-day scent, but not everyone will be able to pull this one off. 

The EdT (50ml/1.7oz bottle)

Ratings:

3.8/5 (EdP); Strong, fresh, long-lasting, versatile, but pricey, and not everyone can pull this one off. Gorgeous bottle design.
3.5/5 (EdT); Mild, versatile, and unobtrusive, but over-priced for the lasting power. Gorgeous bottle design.

Similarities:
Midnight Poison (Dior), Zen (Shiseido)

Prices:

EDT: AU$105 / AU$140 for 50ml / 90ml

EDP: AU$125 / AU$165 for 50ml / 90ml

Unitised Volumetric Price (UVP) (Click for more information):

EDT: 50ml $2.1/ml, 90ml $1.56/ml

EDP: 50ml $2.5/ml, 90ml $1.83/ml

Stockists: David Jones (official YSL stockist). Myer no longer seem to carry it, and availability is hit-and-miss at other outlets, especially for the 90ml bottles.