Léonard de Léonard

Luminously beautiful, and so very elegant. Leonard shares some similarities to YSLs Paris, in that they both have quite prominent powdery Rose and Iris hearts, and because they both exemplify a certain, very french, type of aesthetic. Yet, though the two are structurally similar, YSLs Paris veers in a different direction with the addition of sweet violets, where as Leonard de Leonard maintains a more aromatic edge because of its springtime Hyacinth accord. But what sets Leonard de Leonard apart from other french, Rose/Iris centered chypres of its kind, are its gorgeous, emerald green opening, a nuanced note of soft, sueded Leather, and a distinctive, delicate note of moist earth, as if after rainfall. All of which add very unique dimensions to this composition, and elevate the lush florals to a new level of sophistication. PS. The reviewer below appears to lack an appreciation for the complexity of this perfume. What he calls "rubbery", and "smelling of dry sweat" are the earthy, leathery aspects of this fragrance, (which I mentioned above) that at no point during its development, ever actually feel or smell "dirty" or in any way unpleasant. It is exactly these distinctive notes what keep this fragrance from being just another mediocre, forgettable 80s chypre. These translucent mineral, and "animalic" notes serve as a uniquely beautiful base on which this lavish bouquet can fully bloom. PS. #2 - For a most delicious cocktail🍸, try layering Leonard de Leonard with the wonderful Estee Lauder classic ~Azuree~ , this will magnify Leonard's leathery aspects, and will turn that emerald green opening I mentioned above, into a tangy lime green. This combination is amazingly good !

25. april 2011 This is such a beauty! Such an amazing floral with just a hint of a bitter note, just like i love it! If i am not mistaken it has some similarities with Azzaro ́s "Azzaro 9". I have never smelled "Parure" from Guerlain but i am deeply in love with this perfectly balanced and extremly feminine (i guess also discontinued) perfume! When i wear it i feel like i am in a blooming garden full of flowers with a freshly cut green grass. Opening is more green (this is chypre after all), but the more it stays on your skin, the more beautiful it becomes. I like specially the drydown wich is more flowery than the opening. Certanly a must have for spring! Sadly doesn ́t last long on my skin (about 4-5 hours), but since it is a EDT i guess it is ok. Not a sillage monster, but it don ́t have to be. Also there is no such thing as domionant "soapy" note to my nose, which i am really grateful for.

There is a glow as golden as its juice in the opening stages of Leonard de Leonard. The fanfare of aldehydes, the bite of galbanum and citrus, but immediately underneath there's a yellow floral feel, like an ylang ylang rising above the other florals: rose, muguet, etc. I am then really struck with a dusty, waxy iris fleshing out and wrapping all the other flowers in its tendrils. Over time, the golden phosphorescence dims to a more subdued glimmer, and a sweet leatheriness in the dry down emerges, mossy and cedar-y, a lustrous powdery woods, warm and rich. A subtle civet-like effect is detected further in, sensual but not necessarily forthright, accenting the dry down with a pitter-patter. I honestly think that if I were to put this in a vial and label it as being a new Chanel Les Exclusif release, I'd have certain fragheads sampling it absolutely swooning.

AT LAST!!! A replacement for my beloved ARMANI ARMANI. L de L is almost the exact same thing to my nose the only thing it lacks is AA staying power. Precious precious scent! In the words of Carrie Bradshaw: "Real love!! Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love!!!" ~ AMEN!!!

For people wondering how this smells like, people with excellent noses have compared it to the discontinued Guerlain Parure.

The perfume of my life is dicontinued!! Sad! :( Please produce it again!!

Galbanum, roses, bergamot, and aldehyde. A vintage 80s powerhouse blend the mixes herbs, and floral. It has big oakmoss mix with galbanum, hiacynth, roses, bergamot, ylang, amber, carnations, aldehyde, and sandalwood with some musk all over. It's not something i haven't witnessed before! i believe it has been done so many times. Fair. Edit (20 minutes in) The dry down is incredibly weird! It's very rubbery & quite leathery! this is sexually enticing as it goes rubber on skin with bits of dry sweat somehow. I don't think this fits the ladies! it's very harsh indeed. Incredible drydown.

Ambery galbanum, mossy, green, so out-wordly, its not greenery green though, more like balmy-green, slightly dusty and sharp, the base is musky and leathery. How much I love to sample things like that. They lay down nice and cosy in my little vintage sample box and able to take me to places and different times in a wink. My magic box. Leonard de Leonard didn't fail to bring a smile and appreciation. Agree - similar with Guerlain Parure.

dusty rose, orris and sandalwood. This 80s classic is an amazing creation. A balance of complex and elegance. Nothing is simple in it, especially when you reached dry down that turned more formal and unisex with cedar and moss. Average performance on my skin

This perfume has a charming springtime feel. It's like a clean, clear, cool stream in the forest! In the morning I was happy about all this, but by the middle of the day I began to suffer. The heavy dose of "natural" ingredients smelled like decaying horsehair in 17th-century palace chairs, overpowering the rest of the florals, which weren't needed, and it was diluted with Iso E Super instead of cedar. Now, by the end of the day, the musky base suffocates me with plastic and boar. Maybe this is a men's fragrance? I would call this perfume Justine de Sade.

Leonard opens on me green and bitter in an old fashioned and rather familiar way (reminds me of classics like Weil de Weil). Must be galbanum and hyacinth, I think. However, there is an intriguing, soft flowery note or notes underneath, which make you sniff your wrist in the spite of the fact, that the scent is squeezingly dry. Yes, dry and interesting - you get a feeling, that there is so much going on... And that is of course true. After a while the "overgreen" blast is a mere memory, and you are in the middle of forest where you can smell mossy trees and all kind of vegetation: bushes, grass and flowers. Wow! I really like that turn: now there is a lovely balance between fresh and sweet. Later on one gets even sweeter flavours with amber and musk, but luckily that stimulating greenness still lingers on background. The ingredients must be top class, because the overall feeling is exquisitely serene and pleasant. I have never had a privilege to smell Parure, but can easily believe the claim of likeness. Leonard was once a highly respected perfume house with quality perfumes. Sillage is very good and longevity (clearly detectable) 7-9 hours on me, so also very good. Edit: 24 hours and a brisk shower later I still can smell the faintest trace of green notes... Now, THAT I call longevity! And we are talking about EDT.

I acquired my EDP splash bottle of LdeL (shaped like flowing drapery as in the main photo) several weeks ago, but today is the first day in which I am really wearing this beautiful scent. LdL is a remarkably balanced and well orchestrated perfume: there's something for everyone to enjoy and an interesting development throughout. It's floral, green, woody and very fresh. I don't get much rose, lemon, oakmoss, or leather from LdeL. Upon appllcation, there is a perfect and distinct iris note in the midst of galbanum and greenery. I wish this phase could go on longer, because I really love it. In the middle, LdL is defined by hyacinth and sweeter floral notes, with just the tiniest sharp reek of something animalic--a little civet?--making a brief appearance. The long drydown is perfect, lots of sandalwood and amber. The complexity and quality of this perfume makes it well worth seeking out. The EDP lasts several hours on me, with moderate sillage. LdeL is an 80's scent that is opulent, but not overpowering.

It is such a complex perfume I feel ashamed to write a small review. I hope you will forgive me this. I will say that the vintage mini has a lush, full-bodied narcissus opening which has lost its sharpness and bitterness. There is only nectar of the hot yellow flower, it may attract bees and reminds of the summer...I can also sense the full-bodied fruit (plum?) although there is none in the pyramid. It may be that the carnation and spices give this impression. This is not a soprano, like in Vent Vert Balmain which I have tested several hours ago. This is more of a deep velvet contralto, not as deep as, say, Van Cleef, but soft enough to allow relaxation after the high notes of the Green Wind (Vent Vert). It seems to me more suitable for the evening, on a special occasion, as it has some respectfulness, substance, and tranquility. This is not a girl running around the meadows, this is a lady next to her man and a family, out for the ballet, or at an event dinner maybe...

This is another perfume I found on a Basenotes thread about underestimated fragrances current and past. Leonard de Leonard is a fruity, green-floral chypre. And every time I think it’s a little too sweet for my taste, I get the purr of the leather and reconsider. This is an LOL chypre (light on leather.) Not usually my preference, but LdL uses its sweetness smartly. It’s not a counterpart to the admittedly light leather note. Rather, it matches the tone of the florals. Green plum-like notes gibe with the watery sweetness of the lily of the valley and hyacinth. The leather actually seems to fit with an unidentifiable spiciness that becomes, along with the leather, more noticeable yet oddly not any stronger in the drydown. This is the part that won me over. I feared LdL might be headed for a bad, sweet soapiness, but the leather and spice steer it away from soap and toward a lightly mossy chypre drydown.

Put this in a Guerlain bottle and it would command a very expensive price tag. Superb quality. There may be even real Mysore sandalwood in here because it's the same sandalwood scent profile of Geo F Trumper's Sandalwood, which they claim to use Mysore sandalwood. This is like a cross between Nahema and Samsara. Wonderful!

I managed to get one via e-bay but it arrived in pieces grrrr, and I ended up with the money back, and no perfume. So next time I bought a mini, and it arrived safe and sound. Lucky me, since the dirty note (which is not listed here) is toooooo dirty for my liking. It is a beauty on paper, but not on my skin.