Elite

***Update 7/16/26*** So, its only been 5 days and ALREADY Floris-Elite has improved (A LOT) as far as overall performance AAAND actual scent goes! (Now) the lasting power is around 7 to 8 hours (If not more) whereas initially it was only around 4 to 5 hours having become extremelyfaint after hour one, and the smells has truley intensified quite a bit having become stronger, more nuanced, and theres now a mild spiciness here which I was NOT expecting from Elite which reminds me quite a bit of Hermes'- Bel Ami Vetiver! Along with a "classic green", astringent soapiness... Floris -Elite smells SUPERB and quite unique with that spicy nuance! Because the Vativer has become.more pronounced after Elite has "Maturated" for a few days, that Vetiver really anchors this dna wherever its spritzed and so Elite now lasts DAYS on clothes as well, Now, this is not a "Powerhouse 80's scent, projection beast" like Ralph Lauren's- Polo or Puig's - Quorum, but it aint too far off, plus Elite lasts EVEN LONGER than the current formulation of Polo "green" does bc of that pronounced Vetiver base. I am so glad that I trusted my gut bc I had a feeling that many folks were judging Elite's performance wo giving it a chance to "Mature", and after debating whether I should get a bottle, or not, I pulled the trigger and it ended up being A TOTAL BLIND-BUY HIT! 9 outta 10 for sure and I HIGHLY recommend Floris - Elite to anyone who enjoys classic green fragrances! I wonder how this would come off on a woman?? ________________________________________ So, I purchased Floris-Elite 2 days ago and while I LOVE the scent, and it does seem to last a few hourd on skin, but it really does become a faint skin-scent seemingly in less than an hour or so. Im getting 4 to 5 hours on skin, but again, after about an hour it becomes an EXTREMELY faint skin-scent which is a bummer! Now that said, It's been my experience that 99.999% of fragrances truley do improve over-time/Maturation when it comes to the over-all performance as well as the actual scent itself, so ill be back with an update in a month or so, hopefully to report a Maturation/Improvement??? We'll see!

I misunderstood this for a long time. But I kept trying it and eventually it clicked. Part of what makes this a challenging scent is that it doesn't smell like anything else in sum total, but I can smell elements of other fragrances in several parts of this. There are elements that remind me of Drakkar Noir, and others remind me of 80s Knize Ten. And 80s Aramis. And 80s Kouros, and 80s Missoni. If you try to analyze this, it can be frustrating for that reason... there are no easy answers. But eventually, when I stopped trying to analyze every note and component and just sprayed it on me and started to enjoy it for what it is, I began to fall in love with it... because it has a lot to offer. It is an incredibly unique scent in its totality that delivers the serenity of a coniferous forest, the freshness of citrus orchards and a walk through a spice market. It is uber-manly and yet charming. It is green, warm and citrusy all at the same time (making it a true year-round fragrance), but most impressively, it manages to do so while smelling wonderfully natural. No obvious artificial aromas. If you liked 80s fragrances and want to be taken back to haydays of the macho 80s, give this a go. It certainly did it for me and I am enjoying it greatly.

In my humble opinion this is one of the best Floris productions for men: not necessarily the absolute top but pretty much there. Yes, I accept it is likely to be worn by the more mature of us but that shouldn't diminish it's importance, after all it has been around for nearly 40 years and one shouldn't discriminate on the basis of age! I agree totally with Missk that Elite is very significantly influenced by body chemistry and, like her, I do not identify with all notes. The bergamot, citrus and juniper are initially there for me. As the scent matures (back to age) there is a woodsy element with fir and English lavender competing for centre stage. After several hours the lavender is subdued by the vetiver, hints of patchouli infused leather and cedar. Completed with a warm, expensive powdery re-emergence of lavender and subtle musk. Lasts well for eight hours without refreshing, albeit I am quite liberal with application. Lingers for 24 hours on clothing. Fetches compliments from not just my age group but also from those young types. Yes, it is expensive'ish but then again so are so very many other things. Maybe my fondness of the 1980's has an influence here, contrasting brash, loud new money with old. Perhaps the boy has grown up!

Any fragrance with a scent profile that is essentially a hybrid of Creed Bois du Portugal and Ralph Lauren Polo Green, which Floris Elite has (Polo Green touches are subdued), is an absolute winner. The rating should be way over 4.0. As sort of a hybrid of Bois du Portugal and Polo Green it seems to manifest as a hybrid of a fougere and Chypre too. Nice old-school soapiness is part of the profile as well. Floris Elite is in my signature favorites top 10. And the longevity for me is very good, not 'moderate'. This does not smell very similar to Drakkar Noir. Just because they share some of the same notes doesn't translate to actually smelling similar. Drakkar Noir is very mentholated, Elite is not. Elite doesn't smell much like Open either. Update: I think the camphor of the bay leaf is more prominent than I had earlier perceived. The moss and camphor together can be quite strong. Update 3/16/25: Wearing again today. Yes the moss and bay leaf camphor are amped up as was typical of 80's masculines, but this gives me a similar cinnamon-like spicy vibe I get from Giorgio Beverly Hills. Sometimes this is all too intense, so gotta control sprays.

Upon suggestion by a very nice and outstandingly competent member here I blind bought this. And I must say Floris Elite is worth every buck. The opening is flowery and joyful, the juniper and the grapefruit give it a slightly bitter but very warm note. It has something a bit old fashioned, but in a dignified way, like a good old British oldtimer car. It is not arrogant and not even specially sexy. With time the bitterness grows, lavender but foremost fir bring a serious note. Nostalgia, the old times were exquisite, but are gone now. The drydown on my skin is more common, basically musk and patchouli, it conserves a bitter sweetness. The lavender loses more and more its capacity to keep everything dynamic. With time the scent is more and more unisex. I would recommend Elite to men above 30 who don't need a fragrance to disseminate information about their hormonal excellence, and who prefer one which tells about their intelligence, kindness, humour, culture, and a slight general sadness which comes with knowing the workings of life.

Green and clean, with a twist! This is an elegant interpretation of classic masculine perfumery. Green herbal notes, light gentle wood, a little bitter citrus rind, juicy & spicy juniper, a little smoke, all brought together into pure harmony by what can only be described as a smooth base. It's not soapy, or creamy, or powdery, but a blend of all three somehow. On my skin, and to my nose, I get lashings of smooth "soapy cream", a juicy juniper with an oil like quality - it's viscous and rich, and an almost roasted chestnuts note, with bitter citrus peels and green notes - fir tree, bay. It doesn't shout, it's not sharp, it's just super smooth and comforting. This is fresh out of a HOT hotel shower that you couldn't quite afford but booked anyway, dressed in your best, and off to dinner in a part of town you also can't quite afford but decided to go to anyway. Smooth, classy, and you feeling at your best about life.

Now here is a brilliant fragrance. I am trying all of the fragrances in my collection out on paper again, just to get impressions of ones that I find similar and why. This one, IMHO, walks perfectly down the line between two heavy-hitting Creeds that I have - notably GIT and BDP... It's as if it is their love child. The main difference that I can tell is that each of the Creeds have stronger performance than the Elite, although this paper test is not a substitute for skin... as I'm recalling, the Elite didn't last as long. Aside from that, though, it is very close to not just the BDP, but also the GIT in that it has some of those grassy notes in addition to the prominent barbershop notes. Really good stuff. I can solve the performance issue by reapplying if/when necessary. Might gravitate more to one of the Creeds for a long night out, while the Elite would definitely suffice for dinner out with my lady.

Impressive and regal. Opens with an authentic, real oakmoss which stays the course followed closely by bergamot, or rather a literal Earl Grey tea note, also present throughout. Next the leather, vetyver, and musk notes become evident. As it dries, the bay, evergreen, and juniper touches really shine through. I get patchouli as well, but it is a fresh and green patchouli which compliments the composition as a whole. Just a gorgeous and well blended, very male fragrance. I imagine a sweet, ruddy-faced 40-70 yearish English gentleman, who keeps an estate, applying this after a shower and shave for an afternoon or evening down the pub. He wears a houndstooth Gatsby and a tan coat, and drinks Irish whiskey and Guinness as an ode to his dear mother's side of the family. 🍀

I got this as a gift two weeks ago, and have been wearing it on and off. It is a very good fragrance, smells green in a bitter way because of the grapefruit!! i dont see people in other reviews mention how the grapefruit takes this fragrance from a green citrus barber fragrance to something uniquely masculine. I dont get the ashtray/tobacco either, but it definitely does have a "room full of gentlemen" vibe to it. Though i would argue this is a unisex fragrance!! it works best sprayed on collars or sleeves. thats how the freshness lasts, on skin it becomes like a lavender cedarwood essential oil almost, but with that vetivier undertone. which i do like to wear before bed! overall this is a nice everyday scent. and it smells intelligent if that makes sense!

It's like a more rounded and mellowed version of Paco Rabanne Pour Homme. The latter has a bit more kick with the barbershoppy green-floral and spicy notes, but it comes across as a bit rough. By the time you reach the drydown, it has that specific retro chalky aftershave vibe. Elite starts out similarly soapy, mossy and green, but it's a darker shade. The opening is arguably less distinctive and catchy, but the evolution is more nuanced. By the mid and base notes, I get some ambery sweetness with patchouli and bay leaf, which harmonizes well with the woody and leathery notes. So yes, it's like a more gentlemanly version, or evening version, of PRPH. It has more sweetness and complexity, but it's maybe missing some of that bracing splash-on cologne vibe.

I have read the reviews that say this smells similar to Patrick of Ireland or Open by Roger and Gallet. Others have mentioned original Polo Green and Tsar. I own all these fragrances and if there is any similarity it is only a slight similarity. The aforementioned fragrances have much in common (other than Polo) with the original Paco Rabane Pour homme as does Worth Homme. Floris Elite doesn't really occupy the same space as it is softer and lighter. This fragrance resembles Paco Rabane homme Sport which was released in the lste 90's I believe, especially in the lovely dry down. In fact I would say the dry down is exactly the same and is a warm, comforting, light citrus smell that lasts hpurs on me.

This is a dirty, mossy and soapy old school fougere in the vein of Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, YSL Kouros, and Ralph Lauren Polo (Green). It's not as sweet and spicy as PRPH -- no honeyed tobacco or cloves note here, no geranium either, everything is quite dry. But it has a similarly dirty combination of lavender and musks that's as far from laundry detergent as you can get. It's definitely not as animalic as Kouros and it's not as green as Polo (no pine note here). But it has similarly dry, ashy, mossy, and leathery base notes as Kouros and Polo. I prefer Floris Elite to Kouros and maybe Polo, but not to PRPH.

Just received my card samples in the mail 30 minutes ago, sprayed it on, and I like it very much. However, I had that nagging thought we sometimes get; what does this smell like that I have or had before?.....It has some Patrick of Ireland in it, and I see another said this reminds them of Quorum, and, yes, it has some of that too. It's a more sophisticated, less harsh version of Quorum. This is a clean spicy/woody barbershop scent and kind of "mature" in nature. UPDATE: After finishing my sample vials, I realized I missed the scent and purchased a full (vintage) bottle. Happy.

I found this to be very harsh at first, then memorable. Ultimately it dries down to something green and smooth that had me sniffing my wrist all day and night. David Bowie wore this fragrance for decades, that’s what peaked my interest about it. As a woman, I would love to smell this on a man, but I don’t mind smelling it on me once it dries down a tad. It smells very English and reminds me a little of an English neighbor when I was growing up, the consummate gentleman, and a former CIA operative! It’s dynamic yet elegant and you definitely notice the Vetiver!

I bought this blind as Floris London has a sale on and received it today so here are my early impressions. A lovely hit of citrus, juniper and petitgrain starts you off which then moves nicely into a lavender note with some fir to make it interesting. This is a proper classy scent, not like the generic stuff churned out by the fashion houses. It's a lovely dry, woody green smell. There is proper 'know how' in Floris juice. I recommend anyone try them if they're looking for something classy and non generic.

This is a wonderful, classic style masculine scent. It smells comforting and vintage. Not like the harsh, loud and sharp crap that most men wear today. Guys if you want to wear a scent that will transport you back in time, when men wore suits to work, held doors open for ladies and everyone was well dressed even when staying home, look no further than Elite by Floris. It is a true classic, gentleman's fragrance.

Elite is another very good offering from Floris. For sure it’s a classic masculine. It smells like a niche version of an old spicy gentleman fragrance but does not smell dated at all. Performance is in the middle. It doesn’t last all day, but is easily reapplied. It’s quite affordable for the quality of the scent. It’s very easy to wear any time of year any time of day. 9/10

I'm not sure on the reviews saying that this is light, I think its easy to go noseblind on this but I sprayed this before leaving for work and its now 4pm and still very strong on my skin and shirt. Definitely a polarising fragrance, it is a classic 80s fragrance targeting some of the big "male" fragrances of its time (Kouros, Knize Ten etc) - I love it - Mrs hates it.

Elite by Floris was released in 1980 & Bois de Portugal by Creed was released in 1987 so I don't think that elite is the clone of Bois de Portugal by Creed! It's not the first time that Creed copied Floris of London! And even later derby by Guerlain got much inspired by elite♥️

I'm female and I love wearing this. To me it smells very clean (almost like clean laundry) with some sweet fresh tobacco (I'm surprised this isn't in the notes). Very classy, unisex, and unusual. That said, this would also be great on a man, especially a more refined one.

The slightly floral citrus opening in this is just WOW. One of the best openings ever to my nose. But alas this beauty ages fast into a boring moss... In my dreams that moss is an earthy vetiver in a forest of pine.. not fir...

I know some people dont care about this, BUT WHY WONT ANYONE MENTION THE PERFORMANCE?!! Does it last a decent amount of time? Is it gone in no-time? Whats the WORD??

Nice alternative to Fucking Fabulous and Nudiflorum. It reminds me of Tsar in the dry-down. Here you get a mix of those 3.

Masculinity in a bottle. A truly manly gentleman's fragrance. I love it!

Skip buying Bois du Portugal and just get this instead for a third of the price! Updated review: I've had this for a week now. Worn it twice. The first spray, aka when I introduced air into the pump, was as the AI above said, a very harsh and acrid medicinal opening that dried into something very akin to BdP. Now, I'm not one that buys into the whole "maceration" thing, which BTW is the wrong freaking word, that means "to chew". But anyway, I let it sit for a week, and it's already a far more pleasant fragrance than upon initial contact. It's going to have that green, woody aromatic profile. Oakmoss, lavender, cedar and juniper rule the day on this one and it's a stunning alternative to BdP. But, the more it sits, the more the evergreen and citrus have had a chance to take more prominence in the profile and lighten up what was at first an extremely dense, heavy, thick barbershop vibe. If these types of frags are something you hunt for, then you really can't go wrong trying this for the price. About $55-65 from the typical discount sites for 100ml. I can't testify on the longevity and performance having only worn it twice now, but unlike other Floris offerings, I have to think this one actually lasts a bit longer, just given how pungent it is off the pop.

Green and Clean. Well, I'm simplifying it but it's essentially a vintage feeling green aromatic. Reminds me od lots of different vintage fragrances. Drakar Noir, some Italian colonias and some french classics. Really good stuff, but probably not something a young man would want to wear or a young woman would want to smell. But if you like vintage fragrances in this genre, this is a fantastic option that will get you in touch with so many classics. If I'm playing armchair perfumer I'd remove the bay leaf - amp up the lavender, musk, and especially the cedar, and this would be the bee's knees for my own personal taste 😂 I'd consider a full bottle of Elite for the right price. It's fresh, clean, and invigorating! Scent 7.5 /10 Performance 6/10 Update: I bought a bottle. It's classy, classic, and great to wear.

This must be a very subjective scent because the "Similar Perfumes" section is all over the place in terms of votes. For example, I own Bois Du Portugal and several bottles of Polo Green both vintage Cosmair and newer iterations and these two, to my nose, have nothing in common with one another let alone Floris Elite. This bears the closest resemblance to Drakkar Noir. Elite smells more natural, is less sweet, and seems to be more moss/cedar/pine forward, but the overall scent structure to me is nearly identical. Elite does seem to have more of a trailing musk than Drakkar Noir does. Drakkar is more soapy with less clearly definable notes. Good solid gentleman's scent that, according to Floris, was formulated in 1979, not 1988 as some seem to report.

Barber. The initial impression is, on one hand, a typical barbershop vibe, but on the other, there’s a sense of refinement — so it’s not off-putting. It’s very similar to something like Paco Rabanne Pour Homme or Azzaro Pour Homme, but seems more carefully balanced — thus gentler, with all its lavender tones. It’s like a softened Azzaro. This isn’t an oriental scent; it’s a notch above Drakkar. I wouldn’t expect it to move into orientals. This is a noble barbershop fragrance. Elite is better than No. 89. Yes — Azzaro, Paco, a kind of metallic, mature note — well-resolved and worthy of the fragrances I’m referencing. Drakkar! Tabac!

Floris do a very nice gift selection at 4x 15ml each and mine included this. I see multiple attempts to link back or compare with other scents - I've many bottles and samples and confess to struggling and conclude that Elite does indeed seem to stand on its own. Green, citrus, quickly dries and a kind of sugary amber comes through. I like this a lot, the drawback - which is a real one - being the moderate performance typical of Floris, if the citrus lasted and the combination of notes projected more I suspect this might have been a love, but as it is, just a like. 3.5/5

8/10 Very traditional barbershop scent. This isn't particularly unique and smells like a lot of other fragrances that came out during the eighties.

Vetiver, smoky powder, wood, dry. Dry down brings some tobacco. I like it, but Derby and Equipage do this better.

I bought it because it's an under the radar male chypre. And it really is masculine and a bit rude at heart.

Very disappointed, very light and goes straight to a skin scent with no projection at all.

- smokey, powdery, old school masculine spicy - similar to Creed Erolfa - green

The opening of Elite is a harsh blast of juniper, citrus, fir, and bay too. The vetiver is quite sharp. There is a hint of the medicinal (cf. Penhaligon's now withdrawn English Fern). As it transitions there's a brief moment that makes me think of Gucci Nobile. In time the composition settles into fresh herbal harmony. However! There's a twist: I don't know what is causing it, but on me there's a strange off-putting sour note to Elite's early stages. For relatability more than it being descriptive, I call it 'stale milk'. I've experience such a reaction rarely, but in the case of Cartier's Déclaration memorably so. Presumably an interaction with my own skin oils? I find it sufficiently disagreeable that I apply it outside of the home. But! This isn't the whole story. After around 30 minutes or so, ie. well into its dry down, suddenly the stale note is gone, and I am left with the most sublime herbal concoction. And I really mean "sublime". It is glorious. As a 'cold bod' who doesn't rapidly sweat-off scent it performs modestly in terms of projection and longevity. Elite's launch in 1980 – an era of remarkable scents like Ted Lapidus Pour Homme, Burberrys for Men (1981), Cacharel pour L'Homme, Nino Cerruti Pour Homme – proves Floris was ploughing a different furrow for sure. A Jekyll and Hyde experience for me. But amazing after about 40 minutes.

I picked this up as part of the 5-sample "Jermyn Street Collection" from Floris. I had very high hopes for this based on comments I've seen here and elsewhere. The opening makes me think of Eau Sauvage. It's bright with citrus and bar soap and smells very fresh and clean. But underneath that there's also a relatively sweet and musky amber base, with almost an unctuous quality. The citrus and soap is light and airy but the sweet musk is quite rich and and even syrupy. I like this in the opening quite a bit but as it dries down the musky sweetness dominates and that's much less to my taste.

Elite by Floris embodies remarkable virtues within its fragrance. It resonates with a timeless and classy allure, yet manages to exude a refreshing dynamism. In its understated elegance, this scent embraces qualities of discretion, reserve, and subtlety. It is a fragrance that epitomises pure refinement in the most unassuming manner, making it a true embodiment of British sophistication. It imparts a sense of reassurance, sensibility, wisdom, and solidity, qualities that lend themselves gracefully to both men and women who appreciate its enduring appeal.

Testing Asser 71/72 and Elite side by side on each arm. 71/72 is nice spices, pepper, fall weathery, with a hint of sweetness and sharpness. Elite, by comparison, is rounder, more obtuse, more buttoned down English but with an odd scent that doesn't suit me...might be the mix of bay leaf and leather? Not sure either suits me, but glad to have tried them. Of the two, 71/72 suits me better as it's a pleasant fall spicy scent. Elite is a pass. Asser 71/72: Scent 7/10, Sillage 7/10, Longevity 7/10 Elite: Scent: 6/10, Sillage 7/10, Longevity 7/10

در شروع مرکباتی و سبز در ادامه اضافه شدن نت های هربال،خزه ای و مرحله آخر اضافه شدن چرمی سبز و عمق بخشیدن به حس خزه ای. همه و همه در چارچوبی کلاسیک راحت پوش نیست و مناسب سنین بالا. *************** scent:5.5/10 longevity:7/10 sillage:6.5/10 purchase value:4/10 *********** overall:5.7/10

once upon a time, Floris Elite was a love for me. i wore this in my mid 20s and it felt classy, gentlemanly and grown up. picked up a bottle in 2024, now in my early 40s... i get ashtray 😑 I'm sure it's been reformulated over the years but i can't get past the burnt hair smell.

I can’t get behind this fragrance. I have basically a full bottle of the EDT & Aftershave I will let go for a good price if anyone is interested.

Without doubt, this is the most difficult fragrance review I've written so far. Before explaining in detail, I just want to say that I'm a big fan of Floris as a firm. After all, any firm of perfumers that has been in business almost 300 years must know a thing or two about creating beautiful fragrances. Floris No. 89 is a particular favourite of mine and so I feel that I'm bound to like many of the firm's other offerings. Several are on my radar, so when I spotted a good deal on 100ml of Floris Elite I decided to blind buy it. I almost always blind buy full bottles as I need to wear a scent for a few days to be sure of whether I like it or not. I worry that samples of 1-2ml will not enough for me to draw a proper conclusion. My first spray of this transported me straight back to the mid-1980s, when there seemed to be quite a few fragrances of this type around. It's opening for me is a spicy, citrus blast, which like another reviewer said, is quite "harsh", acrid even. That harshness dissipates fairly quickly, but for the next hour or two the bitterness of it remains and at times I even got traces of wet cardboard and mouldy bread. Later, that does mellow out; the bitterness goes and what is left is very powdery/dusty, reminding me of a makeup bag. This fragrance also seems to have the curious ability to reflect and amplify other smells, such as that of the food that you may be eating. I've learnt that fragrances should not be judged on the first spray, so I've now worn this for several days. It could be that my nose has become attuned to it, but the opening does now seem a little less harsh. However, sadly, there has been no major improvement for me over all. I note that one reviewer mentioned that this scent "relies heavily on skin chemistry" and that does seem right to me. It could be that it is just a bad mix with mine. This will go on the shelf of "unlikely to use again". A bitter disappointment, but still glad I tried it. My photo: https://www.fragrantica.com/fragram/fp/301530 Tested: 100ml full bottle Seasons / Occasions: None for me Key thoughts: Elements of a classic, but just doesn't work for me Overall rating: 4/10 Buy again: No

I was ready for another rant, since I hated this stuff beyond words on the last few wearings, but it just isn't bothering me as much this time. Floris Elite spawns out of the mud as a sharp, anisy, 80s-style tobacco powerhouse, though admittedly without that one screaming lemon topnote that they used to use sometimes. It's got some green, but it's a minty green...more like spearmint than peppermint, which helps, but I still don't think it's necessary. It has the dusty, rustic hay-like notes of VCA Tsar or Aramis Devin, or more specifically Nicolai's oddball Vie de Chateau, but with more wood and smoke than green. As the smoke gets stronger, I remember it now: envisioning a stale ashtray in an old woman's apartment that had accumulated years of old-style perfume residue and talcum powder. For a while in the mid notes, I do find some reasonably convincing incense, but as the smoke gets more sour and less sweet, the ashtray is inescapable. By the base notes, nothing else is left. Hermessence Vetiver Tonka did this to me alongside its nutty notes, as did VdC and Tsar to a lesser extent, but I can't think of any other scent that just screams "I'm not wearing cologne but I'm a bigtime chain-smoker" as much as Floris Elite. It's not as bad as I remembered, but still not really useable for me. I'm sure it would be great in a gentlemen's club a hundred years ago, with rich, well-dressed men smoking countless cigars and swilling brandy, sweating in their pompous army uniforms.

Despite being a fan of the old school I could not bring myself to like this. My first thoughts were that it was rather strong, and then after a while in the dry down I just wished it would go away, but it wouldn't. Can't hold a candle to Bois du Portugal or Equipage or even the less expensive Aramis. Not a good one from the house of Floris, though performance-wise it will not disappoint.

Smells like an old tweed jacket that's been left in a mouldy cupboard in an artificially heated, damp room for far too long.

Not a likeable perfume. Very stingy medicinal scent imo

Sorry hut this smells like urine to me

If you can award the Nobel Prize to a veritable stink bomb, the prize will undoubtedly go to Floris Elite. I don't know what's so "elite" about this scent - maybe it's the "elite" amongst the perfume industry's stink bombs. The best way to apply the scent is to spray it on a person you don't like. I don't know if the stench of the scent and its strange name "elite", are examples of the English's famous sarcasm and self-irony or if Floris has a different definition of what society's "elite" should smell like. If you want to smell like a damp, sweaty, moldy, and burnt wool sweater, I think the scent is a perfect choice. Final score: 1/10.

Scent - I'm not sure that any one note really stands out in this fragrance. Perhaps I'd pick fir, if I had to single out one note, but that's only if I really pay attention to it. Otherwise, it is expertly blended to provide a complex aroma more than individual notes. In its opening, it is at the same time fresh and old/dusty. Like as if a grapefruit-fir-lavender fragrance were found on an old tweed jacket left at the back of the closet for several years. The oak moss is undeniable and may be the most perceptible note eventually, but that comes a little later on. Even then, you get a lot more than just oak moss with this. I honestly feel like the best way to describe this fragrance is with a picture. When I read fragrance reviews, I read a lot of stories when what I really want to know is what the fragrance is like. So, in my reviews I try to describe how I perceive the fragrance. With Elite, it's different. I don't know why but when I smell this fragrance, my mind doesn't go to the individual notes or what the notes are like, or what they are all like together. Instead, I go to a very specific image. I do not know where this image comes from but to describe to you what I get from Floris' Elite, I am afraid I must paint you a picture of my mind in order to describe what it's like. It's a 70-ish year old man holding a pint of Guinness, gray-blonde side parted hair, yellow teeth and brown clothes. I see this person at family gatherings from time to time, which are usually held at some cheap and dingy function hall. He's a distant relative, some sort of uncle who never married. Having labelled this guy as uninteresting year ago, I have never paid any attention to him. Until now. I just noticed that he's never alone. He's always with a crowd. And he's always the one telling the stories, not listening. I've always noticed his teeth but as I look at him now and think back to past family events, I'm realizing that it's because he is always smiling or laughing. And his clothes... he's not wearing brown, he's in a full tweed suit. And it's tailored! And it's paired beautifully with an orange polkadot pocket square and a crisp white shirt, open collar no tie, gold cufflinks and full-brogue boots. This uncle's got style! And he's clearly likable, possibly even entertaining—everyone around him is smiling and laughing too! Perhaps this guy is more interesting than I thought! I waltz on over to get a better understanding of this mystery uncle. As he is telling his story, he has his left hand in his pocket while ferociously waving his almost full pint of Guinness around with his right hand. It's a wonder how, but he doesn't spill a drop! His story is of some business deal gone wrong at the London docks years ago. It's quite a boring story actually, but he tells it with such charisma that he makes it seem like a combination of a Charles Dickens novel and a comedy sketch. As he waves his arm around and moves from side to side, ensuring he addresses each of us as he continues with his story, his movement projects an ever so slight, faint waft of his cologne. It's fantastic! The cologne is more about him, who is he, than it is about the cologne itself. Standing next to uncle X wearing Le Male, navy blue khakis, an oxford shirt under my beige sweater, Cole Haan brown leather sneakers and clutching my half-empty martini glass with two olives still in it, I feel like a boy. This distant uncle looks, acts, and smells amazing! But he's also old, has never married, and he has yellow teeth and bad breath. I can't decide if I want to be him/like him or not, but I have a huge amount of respect for him. Projection - Projection is really next to zero. This has been my daily fragrance for the past six-or-so months and I usually spray once on each side of my neck, just above the collarbone, and once at the top of the chest. People are hardly aware that I'm wearing cologne at all (I have asked). Once I discovered this, I began spraying a lot more. I even went to a family dinner party after spray it 14 times, including 3 times on my clothes! I asked the person next to me at the dinner table (who is also into fragrances) if she liked my fragrance and she had to actually lean in and get right up to me to smell it. That was 30 minutes after spraying it FOURTEEN TIMES! While I do not like a fragrance that projects a lot at all, if nobody even knows I'm wearing it, what's the point in applying it? Longevity - Applying the fragrance at 6:45 AM, I can smell it on myself until around noon. By 1 PM, it is completely undetectable. The scent that is heavier on the oak moss tends to come forward at around 30-40 minutes after the initial application. I really do love this scent a lot. It's fresh and original yet equally classic. It's office-perfect! But as a fragrance, I cannot endorse it and I am on a quest for a new daily. An office fragrance is about more than just a good scent. It must last past lunchtime, at least. And while I thought I wanted a fragrance with no projection, this has taught me that I need at least some. This falls too far short on both of those factors for me.

Floris Elite is such a unique fragrance that it may take a few wearings to become accustomed to it. It strikes me as a fragrance that relies quite heavily on skin chemistry, as I have discovered many notes missing on my skin. Elite smells woodsy, warm and masculine. The lavender accord is spicy and herbaceous, with the petitgrain providing a hint of green bitterness. The grapefruit accord is also prominent, however when blended with the bay leaf and fir notes, it smells very much like stale tobacco on my skin. I do like the way Floris Elite smells on my skin, even if my chemistry isn't right for it. However I must admit that it is a very masculine scent, something that would smell even better on a man. Like most Floris fragrances, Elite is geared towards a more mature crowd. Elite is the scent of a distinguished, successful man, not a young, flirtatious boy. In that retrospect, Elite is the perfect name for this scent. Elite has good projection and is relatively long-lasting. I'm not usually one to recommend layering scents, but with Elite I think it would be well worth investing in the matching soaps and aftershave balms. This fragrance would make an excellent signature scent.