Elegance Animale

This fragrance seems to have needed to steep for years to really evolve... This is an intricate and delicate blend infused in time For over a year, I couldn’t discern a single note, Until it finally unveiled a visceral trail after years of me letting steep in its gorgeous black lacquered box. It evokes the elegance of a night at the opera—gifted roses wafting in a two-century-old ballet hall, the scent of rich wooden seats echoing stillness and artistry and grace—truly a stunner! I've never encountered a fragrance with such enveloping and far reaching sillage (you can really smell it two rooms away) while also somehow remaining completely understated and self contained— not bombastic in the slightest. It kind of wafts around in this very ethereal way. It’s gorgeous. This is true sophistication in a bottle. It’s bewildering how long it took for the notes to reveal themselves to me but I’m glad they finally did.

I bought a sample of this for my boyfriend because we both loved how well it mixes with his body chemistry. This scent makes him smell absolutely irresistible. I'm not great at describing the notes but I can say that the scent is so good my face is buried in his neck constantly when we wears it because I cannot get enough. The sillage is great and so is the longevity. Additionally, despite it being an animalic it doesn't give off that gross smell after a while like others do, it smells nice.

Well. . . This is the most difficult to describe fragrances I have endeavored to describe: Lalique Elegance Animale was just added to my large animalic collection. (I always punt with anamalics opting for a 15ML sample. If I love it, at least I have some around for awhile, before I buy it. Oh yes, I have had some failure. Failure is part of the whole thing. (Please try some anamalics which are well-blended and balanced. Don't give up. Do samples. It is really a neat thing.) The point: Lalique is one of the most sophisticated 'Ateliers?' is that right, on the face of this crazy, beautiful, worn-out planet. Lalique is so beautifully blended, that it is really hard for me to single out notes. So beautiful. It may be instructive to consider, Roja Dove, 'Great Britain', Marlou 'Ambilux'--these are the scents you smell, say 'I don't dig this', come back later and say, 'there's something going on here.' Still Later, it becomes an acquired taste. Strangelove, 'Fall Into Stars' is another. Elegance Animale does rapid dry-down to: a very natural, wet leaves, mud, dankness, smell. This leather is a hearty, unabashedly funky, musky mix. Smells kind of like a wet animal. Having briefly studied agriculture and worked with livestock-- it is what it is. It is NOT poopy, it is like a natural scent. So masculine in a crazy kind of way. Imagine drinking a large Stein of Ale with some major gents, then you go out wild boar hunting in the Bohemian Forest. (Lots of time the Boars win, and kill the hunter--sound fun? Animal lovers, don't, just don't) Anyway, it is natural, earthy, has a heaviness--the leaves are wet, moldy, and the wild boars are wet--and they don't care. They have led you down a trench, and the hunter is in pursuit. Do you feel lucky today? OK. . . . getting weird. The point is a totally unique stimulus to the snoot. The other notes are not really in charge of this Elegant, but deadly Wild Boar of a scent. I get no rose on the open, maybe Gurjan balsam in the middle. You don't get a lollipop, you get a primal sensation that will really tickle you sniffer. You may declare: Stinkus!!! You may become the few that love the earthiness, and daring of animalics. You must try, though. You must reach. Hope I don't breach etiquette: Michella on Curly Fragrance taught me so much watching her show. She says, 'wait for the drydown, let the fragrance come to you.' No more sticking my nose up close to my arm. This is really profound--at least, for me. The reward is being patient for the drydown. (It may not be a reward for you--we coo' anyway.) To get this, dilute your sniffing effort with lots or air. Keep about eight inches from the flat of the arm. Hit it with two sprays. Let time elapse, and the drydown to mature. Now you got it. Still, are you gonna get it?

'Élégance Animale' opens with a refreshing juicy peach note, which is lightly decorated with bitter saffron and vegetal geranium. Here the mouthwatering stone fruit is lively and comforting upon initial application of the perfume, with saffron's dry, arid and earthy tones counterbalancing the succulence. The heart of the composition unfurls with a jammy rose, alongside an indolic jasmine and resinous gurjum balsam note. A deep radiating rose is perceptible, reminding me of endless rows of burgundy colored florist's roses lined up for purchase. Gurjum balsam's sweet yet peppery scent marries well with the aforementioned rose while jasmine's lightly floral essence dances in the background. 'Élégance Animale' concludes on an animalic base of leather and sandalwood. The suede-like leather note is superb, elegantly accompanying the rose and jasmine of the floral heart. It is one of the best leather-floral accords of recent memory. As a unisex scent, 'Élégance Animale' leans somewhat feminine due to its hearty dose of rose included in the composition. The smokey leather base does however add a much needed masculine tone. In the end, I feel both men and women can enjoy use of this fragrance. Sillage, longevity and projection are all above average in this "eau de parfum" concentration. It is a robust fragrance not much unlike the over-the-top fashions of the 1980's, the era for which it is inspired. The fruity-floral facets of the perfume would be exquisite in the heat of summer, while the animalic-leathery base seems to pierce the cold air of winter. For these reasons, I feel 'Élégance Animale' can be worn successfully year-round. I would note, however that the robustness of the composition is best suited for evening/nighttime wearings. Like a lithe panther crouched and ready to pounce on its prey, 'Élégance Animale' is a sensually rich fragrance, the scent of which is certain to seduce that important person in your life. Read my complete review at my personal blog

This is a nice linear jammy rose-centered fragrance, with a noticeable support of saffron and wood. Also supposedly a balsamic touch and a hint of leather, but these are not individually noticeable, and look like the background of many other fragrances. I doubt the previous reviewers could have spotted them without the suggestions of the olfactive pyramid. "Elegance Animale" means animalic elegance, but there's nothing remotely animalic here. Some designers would have marketed this one as a rose/oud fragrance, but Lalique has the honesty not to. It is similar to several other rose fragrances I could smell before. Average projection, under average longevity. Like I said before, it's nice, but definitely not niche quality. The initial pricing at ~$300 is a pure joke, and current discounted pricing (~$85) is acceptable but still too high imo, given that this one is a carbon copy of Charriol Royal Platinum's drydown, which retails now for ~$30 (that I'm currently wearing on the other hand). It follows Lalique's philosophy: nicely blended but not groundbreaking. That said, as opposed to other Lalique fragrances, this one lacks uniqueness, so a hard pass for me. Unisex leaning slightly masculine, Fall/Winter evenings, 30+ (but you MUST love rose).